Toshi Kasai is a Japanese record producer, engineer, mixer and musician. He is most well known for his strong vocal production work with

hard rock Hard rock or heavy rock is a heavier subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and Distortion (music), distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the Garage rock, garage, Psychedelic rock, psychedelic and blues ...

and

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groups such as his long standing relationship with The Melvins and his work with

Tool A tool is an Physical object, object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many Tool use by animals, animals use simple tools, only human bei ...

. In addition to his recorded production work, Toshi was a member of the band Big Business and Nate Mendel's band Lieutenant. He is also a member of Altamont, The Dale Crover Band. In 2019, he opened for Melvins and Redd Kross under his own name, playing Moog Synthesizer to oscilloscope and projections.

Biography

Hilbish Design released a pedal of Toshi's design called the T-Fuzz, the pedal, like the other pedal designs of the manufacturer, features artwork by Mackie Osborne. He also has his own project called Plan D, this project is similar to a drum-triggered synthesizer set with Dale Crover and Troy Zeigler (one show) where he opened for Melvins Lite in 2011. This set was cited as an inspiration behind the Plan D project. On March 12, 2020 Joyful Noise Recordings announced the release of his project: Plan D. It was received with favorable coverage from outlets such as

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

and others:

"From his LA studio, Toshi created a complex drum-triggering system which is the catalyst for Plan D. He then spent the last several years luring drummers into his Sound of Sirens studio, letting them go nuts behind the kit. Meanwhile, Toshi has been behind the board, capturing the signal from each drum hit, and sending that signal to a variety of analog synthesizers. The result is some of the craziest sounding prog-like instrumental music you're likely to ever hear."

included on the project are drummers: * Dale Crover ( Melvins, Redd Kross, Nirvana, Hew Time) * Coady Willis ( Big Business, Melvins, The Murder City Devils, Hew Time) * Clem Burke ( Blondie, Eurythmics) * Matt Cameron (

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. One of the key bands in the grunge, grunge movement of the early 1990s, Pearl Jam has outsold and outlasted many of its contemporaries from the early 1990s, ...

, Soundgarden) * Joe Plummer ( Mister Heavenly, Cold War Kids, The Shins, Hew Time) *Paul Christensen ( Qui, hepa.Titus) *Troy Zeigler ( Serj Tankian, Juliette Lewis,

Buckethead Brian Patrick Carroll (born May 13, 1969), known professionally as Buckethead, is an American guitarist. He has received critical acclaim for his innovative and virtuosic electric guitar playing. Buckethead's extensive solo discography currentl ...

) * Ches Smith ( Secret Chiefs 3, Marc Ribot, Mary Halvorson) *

Matt Chamberlain Matthew Chamberlain (born April 17, 1967) is an American session drummer, record producer and songwriter. He has played with various artists, including Pearl Jam, Edie Brickell & New Bohemians, David Bowie, Tori Amos, Morrissey, The Wallflow ...

(

Fiona Apple Fiona Apple McAfee-Maggart (born September 13, 1977) is an American singer-songwriter. She released five albums from 1996 to 2020, all of which reached the top 20 on the U.S. Billboard 200, ''Billboard'' 200 chart. As of 2021, she has sold over ...

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

, Bill Frisell) *Danny Frankel (

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Althoug ...

, Kamikaze Ground Crew, Urban Verbs, Bo Diddley) * Gregg Bissonette ( Ringo Starr, David Lee Roth, Electric Light Orchestra) *Pej Mon (Satyasena, Secret Chiefs 3, Girth) *Mindee Jorgensen (Dale Crover Band, Dangerously Sleazy, ModPods) * Dave Lombardo ( Slayer, Mr Bungle, Misfits, Suicidal Tendencies) * John Tempesta (

The Cult The Cult are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Bradford in 1983. Before settling on their current name in January 1984, the band had performed under the name Death Cult, which was an evolution of the name of lead vocalist Ian Astbury ...

, White Zombie, Testament) * Stephen Perkins (

Jane's Addiction Jane's Addiction was an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1985. The band's best known line-up consisted of lead vocalist Perry Farrell, bassist Eric Avery, drummer Stephen Perkins and guitarist Dave Navarro. Jane's Addicti ...

, Porno For Pyros, Infectious Grooves) *Kyle Stevenson ( Helmet, Big Collapse) *Angela Lese (Jax Hollow, Raelyn Nelson Band)

Selected production work

Toshi Kasai has worked with the following musicians and groups. * Melvins * Jello Biafra * Helmet * Nate Mendel (of

Foo Fighters The Foo Fighters are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Initially founded as a one-man project by former Nirvana (band), Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, the band comprises vocalist/guitarist Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel, gu ...

) * Matt Cameron of Soundgarden /

* GODSWOUNDS * BAD ACID TRIP

Production engineering and mixing work

Band member

* Big Business: Guitar, Keyboards, Backing vocals * Altamont: Guitar, Piano, Organ *Lieutenant (with Nate Mendel): Guitar, Keyboard * The Dale Crover Band: Keys, Banjo, Ukulele, Vocals *Plan D

References

Interviews and External links

website, Interview , Toshi Kasai "I don't need to be shy"
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kasai, toshi Living people Musicians from Los Angeles Japanese record producers Year of birth missing (living people)