are a Japanese band formed in Minato, Tokyo in 1987. They were founded by vocalist Shinji Sato, guitarist Kensuke Ojima, and drummer Kin-Ichi Motegi. Bassist Yuzuru Kashiwabara joined the band in 1988, followed by keyboardist Hakase-Sun in 1990. Kensuke Ojima left the band in 1994, and Hakase-Sun followed suit in 1995. They are known for their unique psychedelic sound, dub rhythms, and dream-pop reverie. Their music is distinguished by the distinctive vocals of the late lead singer Shinji Sato, the textural drumming of Kin-Ichi Motegi, and rocksteady basslines of Yuzuru Kashiwabara.
In 1999, lead vocalist and songwriter Shinji Sato suddenly died, forcing the band to suspend activities. However, in 2005, leader Kin-Ichi Motegi's passion led to the band reuniting. The band continues to perform Shinji Sato's songs. While never achieving widespread commercial success during their active years, Fishmans gradually accumulated an international cult following and wider recognition.
History 1987–1995: Early years In the early summer of 1987 in Minato, Tokyo Fishmans would be formed by founding members Shinji Sato (vocals, guitar, trumpet), Kin-Ichi Motegi (drums, vocals, sampler), and Kensuke Ojima (guitar and vocals) out of Meiji Gakuin University. The group's first demo would be presented the same year, entitled Blue Summer by Sato, remaining incomplete to this day. In May 1988, Fishmans would start performing live in small venues in Tokyo, and bassist Yuzuru Kashiwabara would join their ranks in August of the same year. Their first recorded appearance was on the 1989 compilation Panic Paradise where two of their earliest songs make an appearance among four other ska-punk groups. In March 1990, keyboardist Hakase-Sun would join the band for their first solo live performance at Shibuya La.mama. In October of the same year, Virgin Records Japan (which would later be renamed to Media Remoras) would approach Fishmans with a record deal, which they promptly accepted. In November, Hakase-Sun officially joined the band, completing the band's original lineup before their first performance at Shibuya Club Quattro in March 1991. Roughly two years after their appearance on Panic Paradise, their first album Chappie Don't Cry was released, produced by musician Kazufumi Kodama. This followed the April 21 release of single "", the first of the band's numerous singles. Mr. Kodama had previous fame with the founding of influential Japanese dub group Mute Beat, and his pitch to create Chappie Don't Cry with Fishmans was simply stating to the group "let's make a rocksteady album". After the record, Kodama would no longer appear on any Fishmans project, leaving the record to live on as their most straightforward reggae outing in their discography by many fans. Producer ZAK would make his first of many appearances with Fishmans for a live concert performed that year in June, marking the beginning of a long collaborative history between him and band writer Sato.
Later the same year, Fishmans' self-produced first EP Corduroy's Mood would be released. The record was a profoundly more shibuya-kei take on reggae than their previous music, allowing the band to better experiment and brainstorm more complex compositions. The project was meant to express "a feeling of winter" within its four track runtime, and bears an only faint resemblance to their first LP due to its experimental nature. The band quickly developed a very easy-going sound (mainly influenced by reggae and dub, but also including elements of rock, pop, drum and bass, hip hop, ska, etc.), which was always coupled with Sato's distinctive androgynous vocals, slowly earning them significant acceptance in Japan's underground scene.
In 1992, the Japanese broadcasting company Fuji TV approached the group to write a theme song for television show , and in response the band produced the first of many renditions of "". The song aired on the program as an opener from January to March of that year, and the group released the track as a single on February 5.
From May to June 1992, Fishmans recorded with Japanese musician Haruo Kubota. Not much is known of these attempts to record, however it is known that after a night of getting drunk on sake, Kubota called the group to record in the studio in the middle of the night, causing significant confusion and embarrassment within the band members. This marked the end of the group's relations with the musician as they released their second album on October 21, King Master George. The record took a much more experimental direction with their sound, featuring everything from jazz rock to sunshine pop, throwing multiple styles at the wall to see what would stick. This included a reimagined version of "100ミリちょっとの", as well as introducing newer classics like "" and "". Despite this experimentation, Fishmans always succeeded in avoiding reggae cliches, keeping a dub foundation powered by Motegi and Kashiwabara's rocksteady rhythm section.
The following year in 1993, Fishmans collaborated with ZAK in the studio for the first time to release Walkin on February 19. This was to much acclaim, which led the producer to continue working with them in another recording session in May. Multiple others would follow as the band worked to create their following single "", a shockingly popular song that pushed the group to significant radio play at release, becoming their first breakout song. Naturally, this led to more collaborations with ZAK and the release of their third LP Neo Yankees' Holiday, including both aforementioned tracks, as well as the classic "Smilin' Days, Summer Holiday". The record cemented Fishmans' sound in a distinctly dub style, tinged with pleasant melodies and mellow sounds throughout. The band would follow the release of this record with many live performances, including appearances at Shibuya Parco, Shinsaibashi Club Quattro, and Nissin Power Station. They would proceed to tour around Tokyo from November 1 until the end of the year, changing their sound to approach a more rock-laiden style in preparation for the release of a fourth album.
On February 2, 1994, Fishmans released their maxi-single "Go Go Round This World!", furthering the sound achieved on Neo Yankees' Holiday towards a more funk-oriented direction. The single included a popular alternate mix of "Smilin' Days, Summer Holiday" that transformed the laid-back dub track into an energetic and bombastic jam that foreshadowed the sensibilities coming in their next album. This time of rapid maturation led to guitarist Kensuke Ojima leaving the group in May of that year, letting the band of four continue without him. Despite this sudden departure, the group released their second maxi-single on June 17 entitled "Melody", a groovy piano-based production that served as one of Fishmans' most important singles going forward. The maxi-single also marked the first time Fishmans printed any of their material on vinyl as well as CD, the single being printed on 12" analogue vinyl in a limited quantity of 1000 to be offered only at live venues. After this release, the group managed to recruit Buffalo Daughter guitarist suGar Yoshinaga for further recording intended for their next album. On October 21, the single "My Life" and new album Orange were released simultaneously, taking the group towards a more defined funk rock sound, along with a newly redefined version of "Melody". Certain tracks on the release, such as "", foreshadowed their turn towards dream pop which would follow in the later 90s. These advancements in musical style would only advance further with the coming of 1995, showing the group's versatility in sound.
1995–1998: Kūchū Camp, Long Season, and Uchū Nippon Setagaya On March 17, 1995, Fishmans released their first live album Oh! Mountain following a five-city tour in celebration of Orange'''s release. The album isn't a "true live" album however, as much of the content presented was remixed by ZAK in studio to improve sound quality and add interesting sounds to create a unique home listening experience. The recordings included on the album originated from a total of 11 different concerts.
It was the spring after the release of Oh! Mountain that Fishmans signed with Polydor Records. Polydor had supplied the group with their own recording studio, Waikiki Beach, where they began recording new material in August. That September, a celebratory live concert titled Let's Polydor was held to encourage the move away from Media Remoras. Hakase-Sun was to leave the group immediately following this concert, and the resulting trio would work with a series of guest musicians on their next records, primarily Honzi (keyboards, violin, accordion and vocals) of A Decade-In Fake (later Honzi's World) and Shinya Kogure (guitar) of Hicksville. The further solidification of ZAK on sound mixing rounded out this second phase of the band, which further evolved its sound to incorporate space rock, ambient and psychedelic elements. Song length and scope continued to grow as well, as these new tendencies blended with their dub foundation. Following this significant lineup change, Fishmans released what is possibly the band's most recognizable single, "" on November 25. The song was a sudden yet welcome shift towards dream pop, serving as an introduction to what would become their next studio album.
On February 1, 1996, Fishmans would release their fifth studio album , which readily flaunted a more stripped-down, tight production quality. Producer ZAK and writer Sato would often work together on the record to create songs that were more stripped down to their most basic elements, instead of flooding them with lush backgrounds, which contributed to a simpler, cleaner and more crisp output. This, along with the group's much more mature dream pop sensibilities helped to cement the group as a serious, legitimate rock act in the wider world stage. This would become a consistent style of Fishmans' music for the remainder of their career, further separating them from their earlier days of simple reggae music. The album was also printed on limited edition colored vinyl, making this the first of Fishmans' albums to be printed on vinyl records. In celebration of a successful album release, the group embarked on a 10-show tour titled which would much later be printed on DVD video. During these tours, support guitarist Michigo "Darts" Sekiguchi would agree to permanently accompany Fishmans for support during the remainder of their career. Following this on March 27, Fishmans released the mellow, yet popular single Baby Blue from Kūchū Camp which reminded of Fishmans' more sensible, soft side contrasting with their new dream pop sound.
Despite their relatively wide success, Sato and company found it attractive to experiment with alternative sounds and projects they had never attempted before. Starting in July, the band began to record standalone single Season to tease their upcoming full-length LP Long Season, a 35-minute-long epic based heavily on "Season" divided into five parts. The group finished in August, however Season was only released on September 25 and its accompanying album on October 25. Recorded in their Waikiki Beach private studio, the lyrics and melodies presented on the album are intended to be incredibly personal to Sato and to present a dreamlike musical experience. This would ultimately become their most recognizable studio album among underground music communities for its experimentation and truly unique structure. Following the album's release, Fishmans performed the song live on its own for the first time, and with every consecutive performance of the song, the band intended to change the composition so that it would never be played the same twice. Towards the year's end, Fishmans played in Kobe, Nagoya and Tokyo for a new tour entitled Long Season '96～'97.