the nineth original solo album "Number Nine" (disques corde dccd-016)
2009.11.18.on sale. including tracks featuring Nocando and Jazziraffi.
two weirdy name SPLIT ALBUM,
REDSOUND x GRIND DISCO "DRAG AND DROP"
(Imagined Records IMACD-08) 2009.7.15.on sale. CD album. including 10 tracks.
collaboration with five female vocalists,
"R+NAAAA" (disques corde DCCD-014)
riow arai + nonpareille, anna yamada, akane del mar, ayako akashiba, achico
2009.4.15.on sale. CD album. including 11 tracks.
The title of disques corde/soup-disk became a download start from each iTunes Store of the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand and each country of Europe.
the eighth original solo album,"ELECTRIC EMERALD"
"RIOW ARAI+NONGENETIC" will be released in stores across the USA in April.For more info on the album, guests and production visit the catalogue page.
RIOW ARAI (artist, beat & track maker, producer) was born in Tokyo, 1969. as a teenager, he started making music in his room with a synthesizer. at the same time, he joined some bands, mainly as a drummer.
In his early twenties, he suspended his musical career as a drummer to devote himself to making his own music.
He made some demo tapes and appeared on the Frogman Records compilation album "From The Bedroom To The Whole Universe". this was his first public release as a solo artist.
in 1996, he released his 1st album "Again" through Frogman Records. the calm ambient sound, involving elements of techno, break beats and dub, established a new musical genre called "Listening Techno".
in 1997, he composed music for the Japanese video game "Front Mission Alternative" (Square Soft) and its original sound track album.
in 1998, his 2nd album "Circuit '72" was released from soup-disk/silverstone. in this album his sound shifted more towards drum'n bass, down beat, trip hop, and away from techno and ambient. since then, he has released more than 300 free MP3 tracks through his official website.
in 1999, his 3rd album "Mind Edit" released by soup-disk, made a big impact on the music scene, not only in techno, break beats and electronica circles, but also in the underground hip-hop scene. it was praised by Nobukazu Takemura, and re-issued by UK label "LEAF". And in 2003, Soup-Disk re-issued it with bonus tracks in Japan, under the title "Mind Edit Syndicate".
his first vinyl record, "Mind Syndicate"(soup-disk), was a collection of the best 16 songs of his website releases.
in 2000, he appeared on a compilation album "si-con series" released by a newly formed Shibuya style label called "SHIBURAI", with the song "Wandering"(taken from "circuit '72"), and he was pushed into the spotlight.
in 2001, his 2nd vinyl album "Bitter Beats"(soup-disk) was released. this was a collection of sampling sounds of edit beats, made by a new technique using only computer software.
His 4th album "Beat Bracelet"(soup-disk), which showed a more sophisticated version of his original "break & edit" style, was selected album of the year by many music magazines. it also entered to Coldcut’s DJ chart.
in 2003, "iBeat E.P."(soup-disk) was released. The two 12-minute songs that each made up one side of the disc were created by manually recording a sampler in real time. In turn, the disc could be used by DJs as sampling beats.
His 5th album "Device People"(soup-disk) presented a harder, funkier sound than previous releases, and firmly established him as a fine musical creator.
in 2004, he appeared on the compilation album "Listening Is Believing" by Libyus Music, and released his 6th album "Rough Machine" through the label. Focusing on break beats, he completed his "break & edit" method in this album.
in 2005, he formed the unit "RATN"(Riow Arai + Tujiko Noriko) with Tujiko Noriko(mego, tomlab) and in August, they released the album "J"(disque corde). This was Tujiko’s most pop-sounding album, and brought her music to a wider fan base.
In the same year, he released the single "opdisc.002", including a song done in collaboration with Nao Tokui, from a private label of Yoshihiro Hanno and Fumiya Tanaka, "op.disc".
in November, he released a collaboration album "RIOW ARAI + NONGENETIC"(Libyus Music) with Nongenetic, a rapper from Shadow Huntaz(skam).
in 2006, he wrote three original songs for the animated TV series "Psalms of Planets Eureka seveN" and they are released as an original sound track.
in November, on his 10th Debut Anniversary, 7th Album "SURVIVAL SEVEN"(Libyus Music) was released. on top of his break & edit sounds, he added more upper disco tracks and electro beats.
Also, click/minimal track, EP "Pink Body" was released from perc trax(UK) under the name of "redsound".
in 2007 April, "RIOW ARAI+NONGENETIC" will be released by mass.mvmnt(USA).
he has also appeared on other compilation albums and has done many remix works for artists including: Child's View(Nobukazu Takemura), PHAT, ASLN, Dragon Ash, ILL SUONO, Scott da Ros, Moon Riders, etc.
He DJs and does live performances at his regular DJ event "ModeDown" and other events, and he recently played at the party of "Skam" and "Mush" labels. he has done front act for: Radio Boy(Herbert), Four Tet, Maurice Fulton + MU, Machine Drum, Eliot Lipp, ESG, Nobody, Pole, Spencer Doran, Domitatrix, Club D'elf and more. He joined "sonarsound Tokyo" in 2006 and did a special live performance featuring Nongenetic from LA.
1969年生まれ、東京都出身。10代の頃からシンセサイザーを使用し、自宅録音で音楽を作り始める。同時にバンド活動を始め、幾つかのバンドに参加、主にドラムを担当する。20代前半にバンド活動から離れ、トラック制作に専念し、DemoTapeがFrogmanRecordsに認められ、レーベル初のコンピレーション"From the Bedroom to the Whole Universe"(FROGMAN)に参加。それを経て96年、1st Album"Again"(FROGMAN)でデビュー。穏やかなアンビエントサウンドが中心ながらもテクノ、ブレイクビーツ、ダブ的な要素も含まれ、リスニングテクノとして注目を集める。97年、SONY PlayStationのゲームソフト"FRONT MISSION ALTERNATIVE"(SQUARE/ENIX)の音楽を担当、同サントラ盤をリリース。98年には2nd Album"circuit'72"(soup-disk/silverstone)をリリース。テクノ/アンビエントサウンドからドラムンベース、ダウンビート、トリップホップ的な方向にシフトした。この頃よりofficial web siteでMP3によるトラックを無料配信し始め、05年までに約300のトラックがuploadされた。99年には3rd Album"mind edit"(soup-disk)をリリース。ジャケの推薦コメントは竹村延和が執筆。それまでのキャリアを包括し、シーン全体をも震撼させたその衝撃的な内容は、Techno、Break Beats、Electro、Electronicaなどのリスナーはもちろん、当時クリエイティヴの名のもとに隆盛を極めていたアンダーグラウンドHip Hopのリスナーをも巻き込み大きな話題となった。"mind edit"に続き、初のアナログドロップはweb siteで配信していたトラックの中からベストなものを選びコンパイルされた16曲入りのEP"mind syndicate"(soup-dish)をリリース。ちなみに"mind edit"は03年、UKのLEAFよりライセンスリリースされ、なお日本盤はボーナストラックを追加した"mind edit syndicate"(soup-disk)としてリイシューされた。00年、東京渋谷発のレ−ベル、SHIBURAIのsi-conシリーズのコンピレーションに'wandering'(taken from "circuit'72")が収録され注目を浴びる。01年、"mind syndicate"に続くアナログのみの企画盤"bitter beats"(soup-disk)をリリース。ソフトウエアのみで作られた新しい手法によるedit beats集。4th Album"beat bracelet"(soup-disk)をリリース。"mind edit"でも注目された独創的なブレイク&エディットの世界は、"beat bracelet"で、さらにスケールアップし、アルバムとしてのトータルな完成度も高く、今までより名を広めることになり、各音楽誌のジャンル別年間チャートにも掲載された。03年、片面1曲12分の作品"iBeat E.P."を(soup-disk)をリリース。リアルタイムでサンプラーをプレイし続けた記録であり、多様なビート集またはDJツールである。5th Album"device people"(soup-disk)をリリース。"beat bracelet"の世界観をさらに押し進めたハードでファンキーな内容でクリエイターとして絶対的地位を築き上げた。04年、Libyus Musicのコンピレーション"Listening is Believing"への参加を経て、11月に6th Album"Rough Machine"(Libyus Music)をリリース。breakbeatsに焦点を絞りつつ、揺るぎないブレイク&エディットを確立した。05年、8月にコラボレーションユニット・RATN(Riow Arai+Tujiko Noriko)のアルバム"J"(disque corde)をリリース。megoやtomlabからリリースし、世界中のファンを持つTujikoNorikoをRiowAraiがプロデュースすることで始まったプロジェクトはTujikoNorikoの作品の中でももっともPOPで、エレクトロニカファンを含む幅広いリスナーを獲得することになった。半野喜弘と田中フミヤ主宰のop.discに参加、Nao Tokuiとの共作を含むEP"op.disc002"をリリース、ヨーロッパ流通もされる。11月にはShadowHuntaz(skam)のラッパー、Nongeneticとのコラボレーションアルバム"RIOW ARAI+NONGENETIC"(Libyus Music)をリリース。06年、アニメ作品『交響詩篇エウレカセブン』のサウンドトラックに3曲提供、同サントラ盤リリース。11月にはデビュー10周年、7th Album "SURVIVAL SEVEN"(Libyus Music)をリリース。従来のブレイク&エディットサウンドを継続しつつ、よりアッパーなディスコトラックやエレクトロビートが炸裂するRiowAraiの集大成的な内容になっている。redsound名義でのclick/minimalトラックのEP、"Pink Body"をUKのperc traxよりリリース。2007年4月、"RIOW ARAI+NONGENETIC"をmass.mvmnt(USA)よりライセンスリリース。11月、8th Album "ELECTRIC EMERALD"(Libyus Music)をリリース。その他、幾多のコンピへの参加やChid's View(Nobukazu Takemura), PHAT, ASLN, Dragon Ash, ILL SUONO, Scott da Ros,Moonridersなどのremixを手掛けるなど幅広く活動を行っている。レギュラーイベント"ModeDown"他、LIVE/DJも積極的に展開しており、SkamやMushレーベルのパーティー、Radio Boy(Herbert), Four Tet, Maurice Fulton+MU, Machine Drum, Eliot Lipp, ESG, Nobody, Pole, Spencer Doran, Domitatrix, Club D'elf等の来日公演などにも出演している。2006年秋にはsonarsound tokyoに出演し、Nongeneticを招いてのスペシャルライヴを披露。
