Spanova

SPANOVA is a Japanese music duo formed by Ken and Shin Tasaki. The brothers started composing and playing INSTRUMENTS together from the very early age, absorbing every kinds of music they were exposed; from '70s an '80s Pop and Rock as they always enjoyed on the radio; to Jazz, Soul, Bossa Nova, Hip-Hop, and Modern Music as they get fascinated by the sounds from the unknown world. Starting their career as composers in late '90s, the duo issued their debut album under their own unit name Spanova on WEA Japan in 1997. Since then, the duo has been enthusiastically exploring their music in deep at their private recording studio "Daily Planet Studio", working on all process by themselves from making demos to the final mixes. While playing an ACTIVE role in Japanese pop scene as composers and producers, they started with more experimental works in early '00s, building materials into a unique and sensitive sonic texture instead of having a straightforward vocals or an acoustic instrument, and arranging them into an organic piece. In 2006, they contributed their song "Absentminded" to the10th anniversary compilation album "History Is Bunk" for the Chicago-based electronica label Hefty Records, along with Savath & Savalas(Scott Herren), and other Japanese musicians such as Ryuichi Sakamoto and Haruomi Hosono. Achieving the exquisite synthesis of the performance-oriented songwriting and the electronic experiments in the post productions, the duo is expanding their music experiment to the collaborative projects with various artists from different field and drawing more attention from the Crossover (music)/Electronica scene worldwide.

Members

  • Ken Tasaki
  • Shin Tasaki

Discography

Albums

Title

Year

Label

Daily Planet

1997

WEA Japan

Dead Music Flamingo

1998

Warner Music Japan

Super Ball

1999

Warner Music Japan

Speak Loud

2000

Warner Music Japan

Diary of the Headphonist

2000

Warner Music Japan

Beautiful Lifelines

2002

Felicity

Fictional World Lullaby

2003

Felicity

SetsunaLized SetzunaRider

2010/5/19

Columbia - iTunes Japan Electronic Chart #1

Singles

Title

Year

Label

Tamashii-wa Konoha-no You-ni (Souls like Falling Leaves)

1997

WEA Japan

Apollo

1998

Warner Music Japan

Harumaki

2002

Felicity

As Far As Ends Go

2003

Felicity

Soundtrack

Song Title

Movie Title

Collaborated Artist

Year

Itoshii Hito(My loved one) (Main Theme)

69 sixty nine

CHEMISTRY

2004

What Is A Life

Memories of Matsuko

AI

2006

Yasumi-no Hi-no Shizuka-na Jikan (A quiet moment on a weekend)

Yasumi-no Hi-no Shizuka-na Jikan (A quiet moment on a weekend)

Yuki Hayashi

2007

garden

garden

Yuki Hayashi

2008

As composer, producer on other artists' albums

Artist

Song Title

Album/Single Title

Year

YOSHIKA

Stand up

Stand up

2008

YOSHIKA

happiness

timeless

2006

HALCALI

Shibafu(lawn) feat. Shuntarō Tanikawa

Ongaku-no Susume

2004

GAKU-MC

Guys on the Moon

a day in the life

2002

Tokyo Super Stars

flash back

I wish

Happy Vibes

Chocolat (singer)

Butterfly

Hamster

1999

Chikuzen SATO (SING LIKE TALKING)

BLUE

Okura

2005

CHEMISTRY

Dance With Me(KOREA/JAPAN Ver.)

Kimi-ga Iru

2005

Long Long Way

Long Long Way

2004

Itoshii Hito (My loved one)

Mirage in blue/Itoshii Hito

2004

Itoshii Hito (My loved one)

One × One

2004

Bound for Identity -dear friend

YOUR NAME NEVER GONE

Chocolat

Maigo-no Tori(Lost Bird)

Chocolat Notes

2003

Heaven 11

ballerina

V6 20th Century

Working Man

! -attention-

1998

Chikuzen Sato (SING LIKE TALKING)

Believe In Life - featuring Tomohiko Nishimura & Yamagen

CORNERSTONES 2

2002

AI

What Is A Life

Soundtrack for "Memories of Matsuko"

2006

Remixes

Artist

Song Title

Album/Single Title

Year

APOGEE

Let It Snow ~SNOW IN APRIL

Just a Seeker's Song

2007

SLICKER

Knock Me Down Girl

Knock Me Down Girl

2004

A Felicity SAMPLE

Beat of the moment

BEAT OF THE MOMENT 03

2004

Ryōko Hirosue

Otona-ni Naranai You-ni (Wish I won't be an adult)

RH Remix

2001

Compilations

Album Title

Song Title

Year

Hefty Records 10th anniversary History Is Bunk Part 1&2

Absentminded (as Spanova)

2006

Snowbreaker (as SOME WATER AND SUN)

Cold Ease (as SOME WATER AND SUN)

▲SP-tsunagari (SP-connection) L.A.M.N.S.

BEAT AT OF THE MOMENT(as Spangle call lilli line And Spanova)

2003

Other collaborations

Artists

Projects

Year

SOME WATER AND SUN of Shin Tasaki and John Hughes aka Slicker

"All My Friends Have To Go"

2005

Scott Helen(Production) × Spanova (Composition) 

Chocolat "Ballerina"

Bo Kondren (Mastering) × Spanova

"Fictional World Lullaby", "SetsunaLized SetsunaRider"

Roger Seibel (Mastering) × Spanova

"Beautiful Lifelines"

Rei Harakami (Production) × Spanova(Composition)

Chocolat "Maigo-no Tori (Lost Bird)", "Heaven 11"

Kouichiro Tsujikawa (Filmmaking) x Spanova (Composition)

"As Far As Ends Go" PV

2003

Yuki Hayashi (Filmaking) × Spanova(Composition) 

"Hiroshima"

2003

TV/Web commercials

Company Name

Project

Song Title

URL

East Japan Railway Company 

Trip to Northeast

Bound for Identity -dear friend

SONY

Walkman

YOUR NAME NEVER GONE

Credit Saison

Sougen-no Kyousouba (Horse on a meadow)

http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=lJ4CONWp4H4

NEC

FOMA N704iμ "Slim Woman"

The Light

Kewpie

Dressing, Tuna&Onion"

http://www.kewpie.co.jp/know/cm/121.html#

Sharp Corporation

Softbank 920SH "AQUOS Cellphone"

Autumn Color

http://www.sharp.co.jp/products/cm/tv/tv132.html

UNIQLO

60th anniversary web site (Japan), 25th anniversary web site (US, France, Korea)