Kusu Kusu

Left to right: Say, Jiro Kawakami, Mu, Makoto Miyata

**Kusu Kusu** [くすくす] was a Japanese rock group founded in 1988 in Tokyo, Japan. Over their career, the band released 7 albums, including one compilation, as well as multiple singles. They are known for their ethnic musical sound, often incorporating the music of tribes from the Polynesian islands into their music. The group is most well known for their single 地球オーケストラ, which served as the opening theme for anime "Ranma 1/2". The group went into hiatus in 1994, with their final canon live performance being on June 12 of that year at Nissin Power Station. Since then, the band has gotten back together multiple times in the 2000s for one-day revival performances, but has not reformed. The band consisted of:

* Jiro Kawakami [stylized as 'Jiro'] (vocals)
* Mu (guitar)
* Say (bass)
* Makoto Miyata [stylized as 'Makoto'] (drums)

All four members were originally from Tokyo, however all were in Hokkaido when conceptualizing the band. Kusu Kusu was officially formed in Tokyo in March 1988. This was after Jiro returned to Tokyo in April 1987, Mu returned in May 1987, Say returned in February 1988 and Makoto returned in March, the final arrival marking the band's beginning. The group began practicing in studio in May of 1988, and began performing live in June. Their first performance was at Shimokitazawa Attic, and in the same month they performed as an opening act for Neurotica at Shinjuku Loft.

In March 1989, the group would appear on compilation album Panic Paradise, marking their first studio appearance on any release. On April 8, 1989, Kusu Kusu would appear on television program "Yuji Miyake's Squid Band Heaven" [三宅裕司のいかすバンド天国] (typically referred to as 'Squid Heaven'). On the program they were referred to as "Children of the Land of Light" [光の国の子供達] or simply Ga-Ki. They performed the song "Orange Banana" [オレンヂバナナ] and won the "Home Jury" and "Challenger" prizes, though were dropped from the competition at a 3-4 vote from judges in favor of rival band Flying Kids, the apparent 'king' of the television program at the time. The deciding judge, Ken Yoshida, apparently received protest from his daughter who preferred Kusu Kusu. In an at-home mail-in poll hosted by the show, viewers would vote Kusu Kusu as the best amateur band to appear for 10 consecutive weeks from April to July, contradicting the judge's vote. Shortly after their appearance, Kusu Kusu would perform their first solo live performance in May 1989 at Yoyogi Chocolate City which sold out at 1000 attendees. In July, they would perform their first solo 2-consecutive-day performances at Shinjuku Loft, and in August the band would travel to Bali in Indonesia for a live performance and photo shoot. These photos would appear in their first album 光の国の子供達, released on October 26, 1989, an album which would peak at #12 on Oricon charts and was printed on indie label Gorilland Records. A tour of the same name was performed from October 12 to November 25, marking their first solo tour. The group would perform another tour, the "Kansai" [関西] tour to be performed between December 25 and December 28, however the show on the 25th would be postponed to February 14 of the next year.

Say would graduate high school in February 1990, and shortly afterwards, the group spent 4 days in Kanto for a musical training camp. In the same month, they would travel to Brazil for a video shoot, as well as a live performance at 'Live House' in Sao Paulo. Recording for their second album began in March, and in April they travelled to Compass Point in Nassau, Bahamas to record there as well. Their song 世界が一番幸せな日 would be broadcast on NHK radio in the same month, advertising their second album of the same name. After this, the "Kusu Kusu Come Again" tour was performed in 8 places around Japan from May 5 to May 19. On July 11, 1990, the group's second album 世界が一番幸せな日 was released, this time on major label Polystar, peaking at #10 on Oricon charts. A single and video of the same name was released on the same day, and a special program "Three Years in the Land of Light" [光の国の3年間] was aired on NONFIX in the same month. The "Japan Islands Dancing Tour" [日本列島踊り巡りツアー] began this month as well, running from July 21 to September 21, which ended at Nippon Budokan. In August they performed a surprise live performance at Jamaican Festival in Yomiuri Land East, an amusement park. In October they would perform a live performance on TFM's event "We Love The Earth" which was apparently broadcast to 7 countries around the world, and their tour "School Festival" [学園祭] lasted from October 20 to November 24. On December 1, 1990, the group's first live video release "Live at Budokan" released and peaked at #4 on Oricon charts. In the same month, the group won the TFM Lion Listener's Grand Prix for Best Newcomer.

1991 would see the group enter another training session from January 5-8, and they would begin recording their third album in Japan from January 28 to March 8. From March 10-22, they would continue recording in an extended stay in New York City. The band would follow this with a video shoot in Haiti from March 23 to March 30, and in April they would release their single 地球オーケストラ (translated: Earth Orchestra). This was a song recorded for the 91 TFM Earth Conscious Campaign, and it would also become the theme song for anime "Ranma 1/2" for about 7 months. Kusu Kusu would release their third album, cajón on May 23, 1991, which peaked at #16 on Oricon charts. Two release party concerts were performed on May 19 and May 26, as well as a special advertisement performance on TFM on June 9. This month would also see a special program for the band aired on television to 12 stations across Japan. In August, they would appear at a Hiroshima Peace Concert and their special program "Kusu Kusu no Attakutta" [Kusu Kusuのアッタクッタ] aired live for 120 minutes on TFM. This was to advertise the release of their mini-album on September 25, アッタクッタ (romanized: Attakutta), as well as the video album カミタテカママン (romanized: Kamitate Kamaman) released on the same day. In December, the band would attend a training camp through December 2-7 and later make a guest appearance at Lion Listeners Grand Prix.

In January 1992, the band would open with a 5-day consecutive tour from the 22nd to the 26th titled "New Year Battle Royale" [新春バトルロイヤル]. Kusu Kusu would record from February to March, and in April the song "GO" was selected as a theme song for a commercial to Fuji Safari Park. This song would be released as a single on May 25, and afterwards they would again go to a training camp from May 31 to June 3. Late that June, their fourth album "Kwenda" would release on the 25th, followed by the "Kwenda Kwenda" tour in 11 places in Japan from July 16 to October 3, the finale being at Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall. On the 25th, they would release their final single アクセル (romanized: Axel) and their final public live album 気持ちが言葉をこえたから. They participated in a training camp from November 30 to December 5, and on December 10 released their final album, a live album titled Groove Market.

Kusu Kusu would open 1993 with a tour titled "Kusu Kusu and the Rest in the Snow" [Kusu Kusuと憩う雪国] from January 7-9, and in March would release their only compilation album Jambo (Best of Kusu Kusu). The rest of the year would see the band performing several live concerts, yet nothing exceptionally notable occurred. 1994 would see 5 concerts in January, one in May and a last performance at Nissin Power Station on June 12, marking the beginning of a long hiatus for the band, referred to as a "hibernation" by the group. Their final live album 冬眠 ～LAST ZOUK～ was privately distributed to fanclub members sometime in 1994 and is exceptionally rare and considered unavailable by fans.

Notably after the group disbanded, Jiro and Makoto joined a new band "Muito Bonito" in 1997 which dissolved in 1999. Say joined a group named "Oranges" and Jiro eventually became a solo artist, Makoto instead participating in band Corcovado. In 2000, Kusu Kusu revived for a show on February 20 at Club Que, which occurred again in 2001 at the same venue on June 12, 2001. The group also came together in 2009 for two shows on November 15 and 16, performed at Fuchi Sorachi, and so far this has been the most recent activity from the group.

## Releases

### Albums

* 光の国の子供達 (1989, Gorilland Records)
* 世界が一番幸せな日 (1990, Polystar)
* cajón (1991, Polystar)
* Kwenda (1992, Polystar)

### Singles

* 世界が一番幸せな日 (1990, Polystar)
* 地球オーケストラ (1991, Polystar)
* オレンヂバナナ (Original Version) (1991, Polystar)
* ハッスルジャンジャンX'mas (1991, Polystar)
* GO (1992, Polystar)
* アクセル (1992, Polystar)

### Video Albums

* 世界が一番幸せな日 (1990, Polystar)
* Live at Budokan (1990, Polystar)
* カミタテカママン (1991, Polystar)
* 気持ちが言葉をこえたから (1992, Polystar)
* 冬眠 ～LAST ZOUK～ (1994, Habarigani)