P-Model Or Die

P-Model (also typeset as P-MODEL and P. Model) was a Japanese electronic rock band started in 1979 by members of the defunct progressive rock band Mandrake. The band has experienced many lineup revisions over the years but frontman Susumu Hirasawa was always at the helm of operations. P-Model officially disbanded in 2000, although many of its members continue to release solo albums and collaborate with each other on different projects.

Hirasawa has since released work under the name , effectively a solo revival of the band.

Members

* – guitar, vocals, synthesizer, Miburi, Heavenizer, Graviton, Amiga, programming (1 January 1979 – 20 December 2000; 2004–2005, 2013–2014, 2018 )

Former members

* – bass, combo organ, synthesizer, keyboard (1 January 1979 – 20 March 1983; 2013 )
* – drums, cymbals, percussion, electronic drums, drum machine (1 January 1979 – 22 December 1984; 14 March 1987 – 28 December 1988 )
* – bass, vocals, keyboard, synthesizer, Tubular Hertz (1 January 1979 – 3 November 1980; 23 September 1991 – 11 October 1993)
* – bass, synthesizer (21 November 1980 – 5 August 1984)
* – keyboard, guitar, vocals (27 March 1983 – 27 December 1985)
* – bass, electric violin, double bass, ocarinas (bass, tenor and soprano), synthesizer, MSX, vocals (28 August 1984 – 27 December 1985)
* – drums, cymbals, percussion, electronic drums (22 December 1984 – 14 March 1987)

* – bass ( fretted and fretless), keyboard, vocals (23 January 1986 – 28 December 1988)
* – Systems (23 January 1986 – 27 September 1987)
* – keyboard, synthesizer, vocals, Compact Macintosh, programming (1 November 1987 – 28 December 1988; 23 September 1991 – 11 October 1993)
* – electronic drums, cymbals (23 September 1991 – 11 October 1993)
* – System-1 (1 December 1994 – 20 December 2000; 11 – 14 January 2014 )
* – System-2, bass (1 December 1994 – 20 December 2000)
* – AlgoRhythm (1 December 1994 – 15 May 1997)
*Tainaco – Virtual Drums (21 October 1997 – 20 December 2000)
**Amiga program operated through MIDI signals; three types, 1, 2 and E (enhanced) were created. CG model based on drummer Sadatoshi Tainaka, later replaced with photos of Tainaka. Never reappeared after 2000.

Timeline

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Alignbars = justify
DateFormat = dd/mm/yyyy
Period = from:01/01/1979 till:20/12/2000
TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal format:yyyy
Legend = orientation:vertical position:bottom columns:4
ScaleMajor = increment:3 start:1979
ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1980

Colors =
id:Vocals value:red legend:Lead_vocals
id:Backing value:pink legend:Backing_vocals
id:Guitar value:green legend:Guitars
id:Violin value:drabgreen legend:Violin,_ocarina
id:Keys value:purple legend:Keyboards,_synthesizers
id:Systems value:skyblue legend:Systems,_assorted_electronics
id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass
id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums,_percussion
id:EleDr value:claret legend:Electronic_percussion,_drum_machine
id:VirDr value:gray(0.6) legend:Virtual_drums
id:Lines value:black legend:Studio_releases
id:bars value:gray(0.93)

LineData =
at:25/08/1979 color:black layer:back
at:24/04/1980 color:black layer:back
at:25/04/1981 color:black layer:back
at:01/03/1982 color:black layer:back
at:25/02/1984 color:black layer:back
at:10/12/1984 color:black layer:back
at:25/10/1985 color:black layer:back
at:26/06/1986 color:black layer:back
at:26/02/1992 color:black layer:back
at:25/03/1993 color:black layer:back
at:09/12/1995 color:black layer:back
at:29/11/1997 color:black layer:back
at:01/09/1999 color:black layer:back

BarData =
bar:hirasawa text:"Susumu Hirasawa"
bar:tanaka text:"Yasumi Tanaka"
bar:miura text:"Shunichi Miura"
bar:takahashi text:"Yoshikazu Takahashi"
bar:kotobuki text:"Hikaru Kotobuki"
bar:fukuma text:"Hajime Fukuma"
bar:konishi text:"Kenji Konishi"
bar:akiyama text:"Katsuhiko Akiyama"
bar:kikuchi text:"Tatsuya Kikuchi"
bar:yokogawa text:"Tadahiko Yokogawa"
bar:nakano text:"Teruo Nakano"
bar:tainaka text:"Sadatoshi Tainaka"
bar:araki text:"Yasuhiro Araki"
bar:fujii text:"Yasuchika Fujii"
bar:kamiryo text:"Wataru Kamiryo"
bar:tainaco text:"TAINACO"

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width:13 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
bar:hirasawa from:01/01/1979 till:28/12/1988 color:Guitar
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bar:hirasawa from:01/01/1979 till:28/12/1988 color:Keys width:7
bar:hirasawa from:23/09/1991 till:11/10/1993 color:Keys
bar:hirasawa from:23/09/1991 till:11/10/1993 color:Vocals width:3
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bar:hirasawa from:30/11/1994 till:20/12/2000 color:Guitar
bar:hirasawa from:30/11/1994 till:20/12/2000 color:Vocals width:3
bar:hirasawa from:30/11/1994 till:20/12/2000 color:Keys width:7
bar:tanaka from:01/01/1979 till:20/03/1983 color:Keys
bar:tanaka from:01/01/1979 till:20/03/1983 color:Backing width:3
bar:tanaka from:01/02/1979 till:28/02/1979 color:Bass width:7
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bar:miura from:20/03/1983 till:27/12/1985 color:Keys
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bar:miura from:05/02/1984 till:10/03/1984 color:Guitar width:7
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bar:kotobuki from:23/09/1991 till:11/10/1993 color:Systems
bar:kotobuki from:23/09/1991 till:11/10/1993 color:Vocals width:3
bar:fukuma from:30/11/1994 till:20/12/2000 color:Systems
bar:fukuma from:30/11/1994 till:21/10/1997 color:Backing width:3
bar:fukuma from:21/10/1997 till:20/12/2000 color:Vocals width:3
bar:akiyama from:01/01/1979 till:03/11/1980 color:Bass
bar:akiyama from:01/01/1979 till:03/11/1980 color:Vocals width:3
bar:akiyama from:01/01/1979 till:03/11/1980 color:Keys width:7
bar:akiyama from:23/09/1991 till:11/10/1993 color:Bass width:7
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bar:akiyama from:23/09/1991 till:11/10/1993 color:Keys
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bar:kikuchi from:21/11/1980 till:05/08/1984 color:Backing width:3
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bar:yokogawa from:28/08/1984 till:27/12/1985 color:Keys width:7
bar:yokogawa from:28/08/1984 till:27/12/1985 color:Vocals width:3
bar:nakano from:15/09/1984 till:15/09/1984 color:Bass
bar:nakano from:15/09/1984 till:15/09/1984 color:Backing width:3
bar:nakano from:23/01/1986 till:28/12/1988 color:Bass
bar:nakano from:23/01/1986 till:28/12/1988 color:Vocals width:3
bar:nakano from:23/01/1986 till:28/12/1988 color:Keys width:7
bar:konishi from:30/11/1994 till:20/12/2000 color:Systems
bar:konishi from:30/11/1994 till:20/12/2000 color:Vocals width:3
bar:konishi from:30/11/1994 till:20/12/2000 color:Bass width:7
bar:tainaka from:01/01/1979 till:22/12/1984 color:Drums
bar:tainaka from:20/03/1983 till:22/12/1984 color:EleDr width:3
bar:tainaka from:14/03/1987 till:28/12/1988 color:Drums
bar:tainaka from:14/03/1987 till:28/12/1988 color:EleDr width:3
bar:araki from:19/04/1985 till:14/03/1987 color:Drums
bar:araki from:19/04/1985 till:14/03/1987 color:EleDr width:3
bar:fujii from:23/09/1991 till:11/10/1993 color:EleDr
bar:kamiryo from:30/11/1994 till:15/05/1997 color:Drums
bar:tainaco from:21/10/1997 till:06/11/1999 color:VirDr

Discography

Studio albums

Live and Remix-Remake albums

Compilations

*'' P-Plant CD Vol. 1'', 2000
*', 2002
*''Golden☆Best'', 2004
*''P-Model Warner Years Singles Box'', 2012

Singles

*'' Art Mania'', 1979
*'' Kameari Pop'', 1979
*''Missile'', 1980
*'' junglebed II'', 1981
*''Index P-0'', 1983
*'' Soldi Air Dance Version'', 1983
*'' Ikari'', 1984
*'' Re;'', 1985
*''P-Model Another Act 6'', 1985
*''Another Day'', 1986
*''Opening SE 1992'', 1992
*''demo'', 1994
*'' SAKSIT North Passage MIX, 1996
*''>>>Unfix One>>> *Rocket Shoot*'', 1996
*''>>>Unfix Eight>>> *Ashura Clock*'', 1997
*''>>>Unfix Nine>>> * Layer-Green*'', 1997

Other releases

*''Model House Works'', 1985
*'' Leak''/''Birds'', 1986
*''Pre Drums'', 1986
*', 1986
*''Christmas Songs'', 1986
*'' SSS-Star Eyes'', 1987
*''entro Pack'', 1987
*''Legend of Sadatoshi Tainaka'', 1987
*''Cassette' Bravo !'', 1988
*''Shtu Up'N'Hit Your Stage, 1988
*''Music Industrial Wastes〜P-Model or Die Samples'', 1999
*''Virtual Live Samples'', 1999
*''Dekikake'', 1999
*''Moon Plant-I (full)'', 1999
*''Astro-Ho (narration Version), 1999
*''Falling Rain (P-Model version)'', 1999
*, 1999
*''Global Tribute Battle'', 2000
*''Phase-7'', 2000

Videography

*'' Moire Vision'', 1988
*', 1988
*''Bitmap 1979–1992'', 1992
*'' Ending Error'', 1996
*', 1997
*''Live Video "Music Industrial Wastes〜P-Model or Die"'', 2000

Music Videos

All videos from the Great Brain to Harm Harmonizer were directed by Yuichi "You1" Hirasawa (Susumu's brother). "Fu-Ru-He-He-He", "2D or Not 2D" and "Grid" were included in "Bitmap 1979–1992"; "Monotone Grid" was included in "Phton-3"; "http" was included in "Rocket Shoot"; "Logic Airforce" was included in "Live Video Music Industrial Wastes〜P-Model or Die".

*The Great Brain, 1979
*I am Your Only Model, 1980
*different≠another, 1981
*potpourri, 1981
*natural, 1981
*disgusting telephone, 1981
*Heaven, 1982
*Perspective, 1982
*Be in a Fix, 1982
*Hoka No Keikaku, 1983
*Echoes, 1983
*Fu-Ru-He-He-He, 1983
*Atom-Siberia, 1984
*Harm Harmonizer, 1984
*Karkador, 1986
*Another Day, 1986
*2D or Not 2D, 1992
*Grid, 1992
*Monotone Grid, 1994
*Power to Dream, 1995
*http, 1996
*Ashura Clock (Discommunicator), 1997
*Logic Airforce, 1999

Legacy

P-Model, as well Susumu Hirasawa through his solo career, have been influential both on musicians, as well as on artists that work on other mediums, with a reputation for having many fans in the manga and anime industries. Their creative collaborators (and even 6 of the band's members) often started out as big fans of and directly influenced by their work: ''Berserk'' mangaka Kentaro Miura has found that listening to Hirasawa's songs has helped him regain focus on the themes of his writing multiple times, mangaka/anime director Satoshi Kon wrote that Hirasawa's work was "a source of imagination and creativity for me" over the last 20 years of his life, film director Daihachi Yoshida considers Hirasawa as the creator of "about half of my way of thinking".

Beyond associates, P-Model and/or Hirasawa have been cited as influences by musicians such as of Metronome, Hiroyuki Hayashi of Polysics, Daoko (whose song "Welcome to the Parade", from 2012's ''HyperGirl: Mukōgawa no Onna no Ko'', was directly influenced by Hirasawa's worldview), Toby Driver of Kayo Dot (who claims the album ''Plastic House on Base of Sky'' was an attempt to "make isversion of irasawa'smusic") and Kenshi Yonezu (who has said that a Hirasawa song "changed islife").

Other artists that have expressed adoration for their work include Klaha of Malice Mizer, ''Shiroi Heya no Futari'' mangaka Ryoko Yamagishi, Arika Takarano of Ali Project, ''Roujin Z''/'' JoJo's Bizarre Adventure'' director Hiroyuki Kitakubo, voice actress/singer Sumire Uesaka, musician/actor Gen Hoshino, '' Hellsing'' mangaka Kouta Hirano, ''Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba'' mangaka Koyoharu Gotouge, '' Fullmetal Alchemist''/'' Concrete Revolutio'' director Seiji Mizushima, ''Fate/stay night éalta Nua'/''Taiko no Tatsujin'' composer Satoshi "hil" Ishikawa and actress/singer Ko Shibasaki.

The five main characters of the '' K-On!'' franchise (Yui Hirasawa, Mio Akiyama, Ritsu Tainaka, Tsumugi Kotobuki and Azusa Nakano) are in a band, share the surnames of late '80s P-Model members and play their respective primary instrument (save for Nakano). All referenced members who are still active have acknowledged the connection. Besides that, P-Model references can also be found on the manga '' The Sorrow of a Perfectly Healthy Girl'' and '' Opus''; as well the anime ''Sailor Moon'', '' Perfect Blue'', '' BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad'' and '' Space Dandy''. In the world of theatre, musician/playwright named 2 of his stage plays (' and ''Blue Cross'') after P-Model songs and 1 (''Haldyn Hotel'') after a Hirasawa solo song.

References

;Citations

External links

P-MODEL's Site (English and Japanese)
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:P-Model
Japanese new wave musical groups
Japanese rock music groups
Tokuma Japan Communications artists
Japanese techno music groups