Yukiyasu Yanagi (born 9 November 1960), better known by his stage name YANAGIMAN is a Japanese musician, composer, songwriter, arranger and record producer from Kagoshima. He composed, wrote, arranged and produced music for various famous artists including Ketsumeishi,
Funky Monkey Babys
is a Japanese band formed in 2004 under the record company Dreamusic Incorporated.
Their music is mostly hip hop, but is also inspired by pop and rock music. All members in the group are from Hachiōji, Tokyo. They are known for featuring cele ...
, Miriya Katou, Elephant Kashimashi and Usher, who is an American popular singer-songwriter. He leads the music band "1933 Ukulele All Stars" and is the bandmaster. He is a visiting professor at the Senzoku Gakuen College of Music and an adviser to the Matsumi High School since 2022. His blood type is B and lives in Tokyo since 1995.
Early life and career
Yanagiman was born in Amami Ōshima island, Kagoshima Prefecture. He finished mandatory schools and high school in Kagoshima Prefecture and enrolled at
Kumamoto University
, abbreviated to ''Kumadai'' (熊大), is a Japanese national university located in Kumamoto, Kumamoto Prefecture in the Kyushu region of Japan. It was established on May 31, 1949, at which time the following institutions were subsumed into it; ...
School of Pharmacy.
From early childhood he was involved with music. He was most influenced with Simon & Garfunkel and during his university days he was fascinated by Earth, Wind and Fire. As a result, he started his work as a jazz musician in Tokyo, 1982 and worked to improve his skills through many jazz sessions.
He was playing as a contrabass player at the jazz club " Shinjuku Pit Inn". At the same year he dropped out of Kumamoto University during senior year.
In 1989, he moved to the United States with his wife and enrolled at Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He was as a scholarship exemption student at that time. He held some sessions with a schoolmate, jazz pianist, there.
Career track
When he returned from United States in 1992, he lived in
Fukuoka
is the List of Japanese cities by population, sixth-largest city in Japan and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancient times. ...
, Japan and worked as a reporter on television. He acted with
Date of Birth
A birthday is the anniversary of the birth of a person or figuratively of an institution. Birthdays of people are celebrated in numerous cultures, often with birthday gifts, birthday cards, a birthday party, or a rite of passage.
Many religi ...
, a Japanese music band, and took part in their concert tour and played and recorded their songs.
In 1995, at the age of 35, he moved his base for musical activities to Tokyo after winning the contest "the Sound & Recording Magazine" sponsored. In 1997 he won the AXIA Tape Contest Grand-Prix for "Funky Face" co-written with .
A chance given by the artist expanded his range of work, he participated in the production of a Southern All Stars's album by Kazuyuki Sekiguchi. Moreover, he began producing and arranging work for Soul Lovers. After that he got acquainted with Ketsumeishi through Mahya from Soul Lovers, and started to create its music works.
His original specialty is standard pop music. He kept on learning to explore new genres of reggae and hip-hop, which led to hit tunes with Ketsumeishi's hip-hop lyrics.
He produced music for various artists, for instance, Ketsumeishi, Funky Monkey Babys, Chemistry, Crystal Kay, Kumi Koda, Mika Nakashima, Miliyah Kato, Elephant Kashimashi, BoA, Def Tech and Ayaka Hirahara, in Japan. He also remixed for Usher, who is active in the Billboard scene and produced music to overseas artists such as Hong Kong singers (王友良), HotCha, and
Ella Koon
Ella Koon Yun-na (born 9 July 1979) is a former Hong Kong Cantopop singer and semi-retired actress.
Biography
Ella Koon was born in the French Polynesian island of Tahiti, and is of Hakka descent. She was raised in Hong Kong and attended high sch ...
(官恩娜).
In 2000, , a music producer from the same in
Kyushu
is the third-largest island of Japan's Japanese archipelago, four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa Island, Okinawa and the other Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Ryukyu Islands, Islands ...
, asked him if made a song for the
ASAYAN
''Asayan'', originally known as was a talent search variety show that aired on TV Tokyo from 1995 to 2002. Some idols that were originally discovered through Asayan auditions produced by Tsunku, formed groups that worked under the umbrella group ...
audition. After that, he got acquainted with Chemistry and produced their first album track "Aishisugite (Love too hard)".
In 2005, Ketsumeishi's "Ketsunopolis 4" was sold 2 million copies and won the Japan Record Award for the Best Album of the year.
By 2013, the cumulative number of shipped copies of his related works has reached more than 20 million.
With his musician friends
In 2018, Yanagiman's Ukulele friend, Kazuyuki Sekiguchi from the Southern All Stars, formed "1933 Ukulele All Stars", so he served as its bandmaster. It comprised even Japanese musicians including Sekiguchi, Boo Takagi, Yoshio Nomura, Kimiko Wakiyama, You Hatakeyama and Yoko Oginome.
After that, eager to donate to an orphanage in
Cambodia
Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...
, Yanagiman wrote a new song for Hitomi Shimatani, who agreed with his purpose. On May 3, 2019, she sang and performed the song "Cycle" at Pacifico Yokohama with over 20,000 people.
Taking the situation of COVID-19 pandemics in May 2020, Yanagiman appeared on television, the NHK BS1 special program "On the night of refraining from going outside - A relay concert with ukulele". He played the ukulele and contrabass on broadcast from his home, because the introducing baton was passed to him by Kazuyuki Sekiguchi of the Southern All Stars. And after Yanagiman, the baton was passed to Boo Takagi of the Drifters and to the following Yoko Oginome.
In July 2021, he wrote a music tune in "Japanese reggae" and gave to the special unit group that Hitomi Shimatani and Minmi collaborated for the first time.
In April 2022, he was appointed as a visiting professor at Senzoku Gakuen College of Music.
Achievements
;With Ketsumeishi:
"Ketsunopolis 4" (2005) won the Japan Record Award for the Best Album.
;With BoA:
"LOVE LETTER" (2007) won the Japan Record Award Gold Prize.
;With Funkey Monkey Babys:
"Soredemo Shinjiteru(I still believe)" (2011) won the Japan Record Award for the Excellent Work Award.
;Appointed as:
* Sansan Numazu Taishi - the 23rd and 24th (Spokesperson of Numazu City, Shizuoka Prefecture)
* Nagahama Brand Ambassador (Spokesperson of Nagahama City, Shiga Prefecture)
* Amami Tourism Ambassador (Spokesperson of Amami Oshima, Kagoshima Prefecture) and a
* JOIN ambassador (Spokesperson for Japan Organization for Internal Migration(JOIN)).
* Visiting professor at Senzoku Gakuen College of Music (1 April, 2022 -)
*Adviser to Matsumi High School (2022 -)
Discography
;As YANAGIMAN (As band player):
*"Hou Sen Rai Koh (Treasure Ship Arrival)"
*"Papa no Te (Dad's hand)" (Vocal: Boo Takagi)
*"Koi no Daisan Keihin (Daisan Keihin in Love)"
*"Sora no Shita, Hoshi no Ue (Under the Sky, Above the Stars)" (Vocal: Yoko Oginome)
*"LOVE AFFAIR ~ Himitsu no Date"
*" Kanashiki Amaoto (Rhythm Of The Rain In June)"
*"BITTER SWEET SAMBA"
*"LOVE"
*"Namida no Kiss (Kiss By Tears)"
*"HOTEL PACIFIC"
*"Umi he Ikou ~ ukulele picnic ~(Let's go to the sea)"
*"CAN'T BUY ME LOVE"
*"THERE MUST BE AN ANGEL (PLAYING WITH MY HEART)"
*"Shiawase no Kiiroi Ribbon (Yellow Ribbon of Happiness)"
*"TAHITI" (Vocal MONGOL800 Kiyosaku)
Artistry
Yanagiman's music style is generally pop, while he also incorporates Japanese folk music and hip hop occasionally. He has credited
Simon & Garfunkel
Simon & Garfunkel were an American folk rock duo comprising the singer-songwriter Paul Simon and the singer Art Garfunkel. They were one of the best-selling music acts of the 1960s. Their most famous recordings include three US number-one sing ...
as a big influence.
He says that his birthplace Amami Ōshima and Ishigaki Island, where his mother's family home is located, are the origins of his musicality.
His father was a police officer and also served as the chief of Yakushima Police Station in Kagoshima Prefecture. He had a strict personality and was also a 2nd dan in judo and 2nd dan in kendo. If Yanagiman did anything wrong, he was scolded with an iron fist. His rebellion against his father and his desire to be loved by his father affected his musicality.
Both his parents were
Sanshin
The is a Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyuan musical instrument and precursor of the mainland Japanese (). Often likened to a banjo, it consists of a snakeskin-covered body, neck and three strings.
Origins
The sanshin is believed to have originated fro ...
teachers. He was always involved with familiar music such as dancing to the
Kachāshī
, sometimes Romanization of Japanese, romanized as katcharsee, is a form of festive Okinawan music, Okinawan folk dance. In Okinawa, it is often a feature of celebrations such as weddings and victory festivities after tegumi wrestling matches and ...
music. He has been influenced by Okinawan music such as Shoukichi Kina's "Haisai Ojisan" and "Hana (Flowers: Flowers for everyone's hearts)".
At the age of 8, he was astonished by the messaging of Morinaga & Co.'s TV commercial "Bigger is better!!", and he admired it. This unforgettable impact turned into his worldview and by that he was trying to keep in mind as usual, "Music connects people. People connect music.".
When he was 10 years old, he set the beginning to produce music, for example by buying a Simon & Garfunkel record at the first time. And when he was in the 4th grade of elementary school, he made overdubbing with two cassette recorders that he bought with New Year's gift money. When he entered junior high school, he started playing the acoustic guitar and bass, and to imitate
Yōsui Inoue
is a Japanese singer, lyricist, composer, guitarist and record producer, who is an important figure in Japanese music. "Hailed as the Bob Dylan of Japan .. He is renowned for his unique tone, eccentric lyrics, and dark sunglasses which he al ...
songs.
When Yanagiman was a university student, music with intense rhythm was popular, and he became fond of disco music isambiguation requiredand
black music
Music of the African diaspora is a sound created, produced, or inspired by Black people, including Music of Africa, African music traditions and African popular music as well as the music genres of the African diaspora, including some Caribbean mus ...
such as
jazz
Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
, during his university.
His like for computers made him an early adopter of digital recording. He said in an interview that speed of the transition to digital was a factor in creating his hits. Especially from the latter half of the 1990s, CDJs (digital playing equipment for DJs) that can be played with scratch became popular.
From the same time, the era has changed music, that two people carried a large and heavy instrument such as an organ into that light polyphonic synthesizers became mainstream, making it easier to play. He says that being able to record easily was a turning point in his music production.
From around 1998, the boom by
Hikaru Utada
, also known mononymously as Utada, is a Japanese and American singer, songwriter, and producer. She is considered to be one of the most influential and best-selling musical artists in Japan. She is best known by international audiences for w ...
changed the Japanese music scene from 8-beat band music to digital music.
As 16-beat music increased and 4-on-the-floor dance music came out more and more, Yanagiman was able to get on the R&B trend, the black music that he liked.
The first artist he met in Tokyo after moving there, was Kazuyuki Sekiguchi of the Southern All Stars. He learned their "non-genre and playful entertainment" from Sekiguchi. He says he felt the same in Ketsumeishi. They were conscious of music in which "erotic fun" and "beauty" were all mixed together.
When asked about the best 10 songs that inspired his production activities, he picked up "
Earth, Wind & Fire
Earth, Wind & Fire (abbreviated as EW&F or EWF) is an American band formed in Chicago, Illinois in 1969. Their music spans multiple genres, including jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, Latin and Afro-pop. They are among the best-selling ba ...
," "
The Greatest Showman
''The Greatest Showman'' is a 2017 American musical period drama film directed by Michael Gracey from a screenplay by Jenny Bicks and Bill Condon, based on an original story by Bicks. The film stars Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams, ...
," and "
Pirates of the Caribbean
''Pirates of the Caribbean'' is a Disney media franchise encompassing numerous theme park rides, a series of films, and spin-off novels, as well as a number of related video games and other media publications. The franchise originated with Wa ...
." And as an extra, he would give the sound effect collection and natural sound. He said that they used to put in intros and memorable parts of Japanese old classics.
Relationships
Personal life and family
In 1988, he met a woman who was a senior at Kumamoto University and was an officer, and he got married with her in 1989. She also moved to the United States with him in 1989, when he enrolled at Berklee College of Music. His son was born in 1994.
He likes dogs and has two miniature dachshunds. He can play the bass, guitar, piano, and ukulele willingly.
Friendships
*Boo Takagi (The Drifters) - Ukulele Friends
*Kazuyuki Sekiguchi (The Southern All Stars) - Ukulele friends
*Ketsumeishi - Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences Connection
*FUNKY MONKEY BABYS
Relationships
As producer, composer, songwriter or arranger
;0-9.:
;A. :
Ai Haruna
is a Japanese transgender TV personality and singer.
In October 2009, Haruna won the " Miss International Queen 2009" transgender beauty pageant held in Pattaya, Thailand, becoming the first Japanese contestant to win the title.
On 24 Augus ...
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Ayaka Hirahara
is a Japanese pop singer. She was affiliated with the Dreamusic label until 2013 when she moved to Universal Music Japan.
Biography
Hirahara comes from a musical family; her father, Makoto Hirahara, is a saxophone player, her grandfather, T ...
bless4
bless4 is a Japanese vocal ensemble from the United States consisting of four siblings from the Kawamitsu family. Youngest sister Akino has her own solo musical career, and youngest brother Aiki has also released a solo single (with eldest bro ...
,
BoA
Boa, BoA, or BOA may refer to:
Snakes
* Any member of the Boidae, a family of medium to large, non-venomous, constricting snakes
** Any member of the Boinae, a subfamily of boid snakes
*** Any member of ''Boa'' (genus), a group of boid snakes
* ...
;C.:
Can'ceHamahime, ,
Chemistry
Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...
, Chie, ,
Crystal Kay
is a Japanese singer, songwriter, actress and radio host.
After releasing her first single, "Eternal Memories" (1999), Crystal Kay gained fame for her third studio album, ''Almost Seventeen'' (2002), which debuted at number 2 on the Japanese O ...
Def Tech
Def Tech is a Japanese pop band signed to 2VOX Ltd, an independent label.
Career
Jesse, the vocalist from Rize, named the band, the members of which did their own songwriting, arranging, and production. Def Tech had the 3rd best-selling album ...
Dohzi-T
is a Japanese rapper, singer and songwriter who has been active since 1989.
Biography
Dohzi-T belonged to hip hop band "Zingi", formed in 1990. He debuted as a solo singer with the single "Shōnen A" (lit. "Boy A") on October 10, 2001. He associ ...
Ella Koon
Ella Koon Yun-na (born 9 July 1979) is a former Hong Kong Cantopop singer and semi-retired actress.
Biography
Ella Koon was born in the French Polynesian island of Tahiti, and is of Hakka descent. She was raised in Hong Kong and attended high sch ...
,
Emi Tawata
, born on June 26, 1984, in Okinawa, is a Japanese singer. Her music is a mix of soul, R&B, jazz, blues and funk.
Biography
Early career
In early 2005, Emi Tawata traveled to Vancouver to study language. During her time there she became a member ...
Freenote
Freenote is a Japanese Rock band that consisted of three (formerly four, with the member Shusako sato leaving) members: Chikako Hata (Vocals, Piano/Keyboard, Guitar), Masaya Sakamoto (Guitar), and Shingo Ōta(Drums). Formed in Kansai University ...
Funky Monkey Babys
is a Japanese band formed in 2004 under the record company Dreamusic Incorporated.
Their music is mostly hip hop, but is also inspired by pop and rock music. All members in the group are from Hachiōji, Tokyo. They are known for featuring cele ...
,
;G.:
,
Gospellers
The Gospellers (ゴスペラーズ) are a Japanese a cappella vocal group made up of Tetsuya Murakami, Kaoru Kurosawa, Yuji Sakai, Yoichi Kitayama and Yutaka Yasuoka.
History
Originally formed by Murakami and Kurosawa (along with 4 other memb ...
;H:
Hanako Oku
is a pop singer famous in her native Japan for her piano ballads. She rose to fame after performing the end-title track for the Madhouse (company), Madhouse film ''The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006 film), The Girl Who Leapt Through Time'' in ...
, HASHTAG, , ,
Hitomi (singer)
, known professionally as , is a Japanese singer-songwriter. She began her career as teen model before making her singing debuting under the helm of Tetsuya Komuro in 1994, who produced Hitomi's earliest work in pop music. Hitomi has striven for ...
,
Hitomi Shimatani
is a Japanese pop singer.
Formerly signed to the Avex Trax label for 22 years, Shimatani started her career as an Enka singer with the release of her debut single in 1999, but later decided to get into the dance/ pop style for her music. Shim ...
,
Home Made Kazoku
is a Japanese hip hop trio from Nagoya, formed in 1996. They are signed to Ki/oon Records, a subsidiary of Sony Music. The group has been on hiatus since 2016.
History
Home Made Kazoku is a trio consisting of members Micro, Kuro, and DJ U- ...
Kazuyuki Sekiguchi
is a Japanese musician, best known for playing the bass guitar for Southern All Stars.Riantrisnanto, Rully.Band Lawas Southern All Stars Kembali Ramaikan Permusikan Jepang (in Indonesian), June 26, 2013. As a solo artist, he has played ukulele. ...
Koda Kumi
, known professionally as , is a Japanese singer from Kyoto, known for her Urban contemporary, urban and Contemporary R&B, R&B songs.
After debuting with the single "Take Back" in December 2000, Koda gained fame in March 2003 when the songs fr ...
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Lead
Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...
Lisa
Lisa or LISA may refer to:
People
People with the mononym
* Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA"
* Lisa, stagename of Japanese singer Lisa Komine (born 1978)
* Lisa (South Korean singer) (born 1980)
* Lisa (Japanese musician, b ...
Mao Abe
is a Japanese singer-songwriter.
Biography
Abe started learning the piano from age three, and from junior high school, she wanted to be a singer. She gave up the piano in favour of the guitar, wanting to be an acoustic pop singer/songwriter in ...
Megumi
is a Japanese feminine given name. In Japanese, the word megumi means "blessing; grace."
Written forms
While the word megumi means blessing and can be written using that kanji, it may also be spelled using other kanji, such as the kanji for l ...
Def Tech
Def Tech is a Japanese pop band signed to 2VOX Ltd, an independent label.
Career
Jesse, the vocalist from Rize, named the band, the members of which did their own songwriting, arranging, and production. Def Tech had the 3rd best-selling album ...
),
Mihimaru GT
Mihimaru GT were an urban and pop music group signed to Universal Music Japan and managed by Tearbridge Productions, a subsidiary of Stardust Promotion and Avex.
History
Mihimaru GT was a Japanese duet made up of composer, lyricist and vocali ...
,
Mika Nakashima
is a Japanese singer and actress. Five of her studio albums, one of her mini-albums and one of her compilation albums have reached number one in Japan's Oricon album chart. She also embarked on an acting career, most notably as Nana Osaki in th ...
,
Mink
Mink are dark-colored, semiaquatic, carnivorous mammals of the genera ''Neogale'' and '' Mustela'' and part of the family Mustelidae, which also includes weasels, otters, and ferrets. There are two extant species referred to as "mink": the A ...
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Minmi
Michiko Evwana (born December 8, 1974), better known by her stage name , is a Japanese hip-hop and reggae musician,, United Daily News (in Chinese), August 22, 2008 as well as a singer-songwriter and record producer. She is the first soca art ...
,Miriya Katou, , Missing Link and Takemasa Tsukaji, , ,
Moomin
The Moomins (, ) are the central characters in a series of novels, short stories, picture books, and a comic strip by the Finnish writer and illustrator Tove Jansson, originally published in Swedish by Finnish publisher Schildts. They are a ...
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Nanase Hoshii
, better known as , is a Japanese singer, entertainer, and actress who is represented by the talent agency, Fitone. She was born in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan.
Discography
Studio albums
Compilation albums
Singles
As featured artist
DVD
...
,
Nēnēs Nēnēs (ネーネーズ) is an Okinawan folk music group formed in 1990 by China Sadao (知名定男).
NEWS
News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different Media (communication), media: word of mouth, printing, Mail, postal systems, broadcasting, Telecommunications, electronic communication, or through the te ...
Shota Shimizu
is a Japanese singer-songwriter and musician from Yao, Osaka, Japan, who debuted in 2008. On June 1, 2008, Shimizu performed at Central Park in New York City during the annual Japan Day Festival. Shota Shimizu went to a local Christian school in ...
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SMAP
was a Japanese boy band, composed of Masahiro Nakai, Takuya Kimura, Goro Inagaki, Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, and Shingo Katori. The group was created in 1988 by music producer Johnny Kitagawa, founder of Johnny & Associates, originally as a six-p ...
SoulJa
Johannes Maria Leenders Zwaan, better known as , is a Japanese hip-hop musician and songwriter best known for his collaborations with singer Thelma Aoyama, "Koko ni Iru yo" and " Soba ni Iru ne" – the latter of which was the former Guinness W ...
Tetsu and Tomo
Tetsu and Tomo are an owarai duo. They have made appearances on variety shows such as Bakushou. Tetsu usually dresses in red and Tomo in blue. Their act has been around since at least 2001, and is generally musical in nature. When not performing ...
,
Thelma Aoyama
is a Japanese pop and Contemporary R&B, R&B singer. She is part Afro-Trinidadians and Tobagonians, Afro-Trinidadian and Japanese.
She is known for her collaboration song with SoulJa, "Koko ni Iru yo" and her answer song "Soba ni Iru ne". In Sep ...
Unison Square Garden
Unison Square Garden (stylized as UNISON SQUARE GARDEN, or USG) is a Japanese Rock band signed to Toy's Factory. The band includes Kosuke Saito (vocals/guitar), Tomoya Tabuchi (bass/backing vocals), and Takao Suzuki (drums/backing vocals).
Career ...
Kazuyuki Sekiguchi & 1933 Ukulele All Stars
Kazuyuki Sekiguchi, who is a bassist and a member of Southern All Stars, called YANAGIMAN as a bandmaster in 2018 because he wanted to create a band like an orchestra with ukuleles. The album "FREE-UKES" will be released in August 2022 with musicians who love ukulele, Boo Takagi, Yoko Oginome, Yoshio Nomura, You Hatakeyama, and Kimiko Wakiyama. The title is combined by the plural form of "FREE" and "UKES" (the American designation).
As a collaborator
DJ Taki-Shit
Following the disbandment of his duo with the rapper
Seamo
is a Japanese hip hop recording artist better known by his stage name . He made his debut in 2002 using the alias , but later changed his name to Seamo. He made his solo debut in 2005 with the Japanese record label BMG Japan with the single . ...
, DJ Taki-Shit moved to Tokyo to study under Yanagiman in 2004.
Mack Jack
All the members of MACK JACK have been training with Yanagiman.
Appearance
;Radio series:
*LOVE JAPAN (ShibuyaCross-FM, every Saturday at 13:00) *Program MC
Discogs
Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...