Sugizo — guitarist and violinist for such big-name Japanese rock bands as Luna Sea and X Japan and the electro-dance collective Juno Reactor from London — will be releasing a new solo studio album, Oneness M, on Nov. 29.
The versatile musician and music producer, who is celebrating his 20th anniversary since his solo debut, didn’t bother holding back his impulse for musical exploration in his latest release. The tracks delve into various music genres including everything from electro, trance, techno, dub and ambient to noise, industrial, new wave, alternative and progressive rock — even extending to soul, jazz, ethnic, contemporary and classical music.
Sugizo recently announced the first round of featured vocalists on the album, and the names are as stellar as you’d expect, including Luna Sea frontman Ryuichi Kawamura and X Japan’s Toshi. Teru, frontman for the veteran Japanese rock band Glay, is also involved, as he and Sugizo go back 23 years.
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Some other unexpected names include the award-winning writer and musician Hitonari Tsuji (aka Jinsei Tsuji) and K Dub Shine, one of the pioneers of Japanese hip-hop. The second round of names will be announced later.
The album will be released in two different versions, and the limited first edition will include two CDs and a photo book. The first CD features songs with vocals, and the second is a collection of instrumental tracks. The photo book will be comprised of approximately 100 pages of unreleased photos and liner notes.