Buffalo Daughter

Left to right: Sugar Yoshinaga, Moog Yamamoto, Yumiko Ohno

***Buffalo Daughter*** is a Japanese experimental rock group formed in 1993 in Tokyo, Japan. They have remained active since their formation, releasing a multitude of albums and touring internationally. They consist of:

* Sugar Yoshinaga (guitar, vocals)
* Yumiko Ohno (bass, keyboards)
* Moog Yamamoto (turntables, graphic design)
* Chica Ogawa (drums, 1993-1998)

BD, as the band's name is often abbreviated to, is known today as a three-piece group between Yoshinaga, Ohno and Yamamoto. The group is known for their experimental brand of Shibuya-kei, often employing electronic instruments, such as anything from the Minimoog to the shortwave radio. Despite the band's reputation in the Shibuya-kei genre, Yoshinaga believes it does not describe BD's sound accurately. Instead, their website says they are "heavily influenced by German progressive rock and techno pop, but also includes bits of dub, club, shoegaze and post-rock influences". BD's music has appeared in ads for Listerine, Minute Maid, Minolta, Panasonic and 7/11. They are known for their constant collaboration with other artists, with examples ranging from French pop group Air to members of The Plastics, as well as Ami Suzuki, Cornelius and Cibo Matto. Their most popular album, Pshychic reached #68 on Oricon charts.

Before BD, Yoshinaga and Ohno participated in band Havana Exotica together from 1991 to 1992. After meeting Yamamoto in 1993, BD released their debut EP in 1994 titled Shaggy Head Dressers, printed on the Cardinal label. Later, group "Luscious Jackson" were touring in Japan and were impressed by their music. They passed samples along to their label, Grand Royal Records (a now-defunct label by the Beastie Boys), and in 1996 BD was signed with this label. The same year, they released their compilation album Captain Vapour Athletes, a collection of their debut EP and Amoebae Sound System. Following this, their first international tour sent them to the eastern United States, first playing in March and later alongside Butter 08 in an extended tour in September. This was followed by later November concerts alongside Luscious Jackson, the band who discovered them. In 1997, Buffalo Daughter released Socks, Drugs and Rock and Roll, a remix EP organized by Grand Royal records. This included artists such as Alec Empire, Money Mark and U.N.K.L.E. participating. Later the same year, BD performed in London and Paris, playing alongside label-mates Ben Lee, BIS and Luscious Jackson.

In 1998, Buffalo Daughter released their debut studio album, New Rock. The album featured appearances from Fishmans drummer Kin-Ichi Motegi as well as their producer, ZAK. They followed this with a tour around the USA and Europe alongside Money Mark. Later the same year, in June 1998, BD would perform at the Tibetan Freedom Festival in Washington DC, alongside the Beastie Boys, Radiohead, REM, Sonic Youth and Herbie Hancock. In August, they'd return to the US to complete a tour with Boys Against Girls before remaining dormant for some time.

In 2001, label Grand Royal shut down without warning, and BD moved to label Emperor Norton based out of Los Angeles. In 2002, they'd release their second album on Emperor Norton, titled I. In the same year, they would perform alongside Fatboy Slim, Aphex Twin and Plaid at Japan's electronic music event Electraglide.

2003 would see Buffalo Daughter moving labels once again, releasing their third album Pshychic on V2 Records. This was immediately followed by a tour in America alongside Blonde Redhead. In 2006, they'd release their fourth album and second with V2, titled Euphorica. Four years would pass before the release of their next album, The Weapons of Math Destruction, though this time it was self-released on BD's own label, Buffalo Ranch. On this album, drummer Atsushi Matsushita would appear, who is famous for their participation in Zazen Boys. This album was followed by a national tour in November, preceded by a performance at Fuji Rock 2010.

BD would open 2013 with the release of their compilation album リディスカバー ベスト、リレコーディングス、リミキシーズ･オブ･バッファロー･ドーター, which includes anywhere from old recordings to new ones and live performances. Next year in 2014, BD would release their double album Konjac-tion, distributed on U/M/A/A in Japan and Modulor in Europe. The album was followed by the band's first worldwide tour, performing in the USA, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Poland, Russia, Japan, Thailand and Taiwan. BD would follow this tour in 2016 with a performance at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, appearing at an exhibition for illustrator Ed Tsuwaki. The illustrator live-painted, while BD improvised with avant-garde cellist Hiromichi Sakamoto. This mirrored their 2012 museum performance at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art in Kanazawa, where they similarly improvised at an exhibition by British artist Peter McDonald. Later, the band would even host an exhibition of their own at a Tokyo and Osaka gallery, which documented the band's history.

2021 would see a revival of the band's studio recording, releasing the EP Continuous Stories of Miss Cro-magnon (20 Years Later) in July. This would precede the release of their 2021 album We Are The Times in September, released with label Music Mine. To this day, Buffalo Daughter continues to perform live and record in-studio.

## Discography

### Albums

* New Rock (1998, Grand Royal)
* I (2002, Emperor Norton)
* Pshychic (2003, V2)
* Euphorica (2006, V2)
* The Weapons of Math Destruction (2010, Buffalo Ranch)
* Konjac-tion (2014, Grand Palais)
* We Are the Times (2021, Music Mine)

### EPs

* Buffalo Daughter (1993, self-released)
* Shaggy Head Dressers (1994, Cardinal)
* Amoebae Sound System (1995, Cardinal)
* Socks, Drugs, and Rock and Roll (1997, Grand Royal)
* A Long Life Story of Miss Cro-Magnon (2002, Capitol)
* Continuous Stories of Miss Cro-magnon (20 Years Later) (2021, self-released)

### Singles

* The Legend of the Yellow Buffalo (1996, Grand Royal)
* Great Five Lakes (1998, Grand Royal)
* O.K. Funky God (Collaboration with Ami Suzuki, 2007, Avex)
* Pac-Man 40th Anniversary Collaboration Vol.3 (Collaboration with DiAN, 2020, U/M/A/A)
* ET (Densha) (2021, self-released)
* Global Warming Kills Us All (2021, self-released)

### Compilations

* Captain Vapour Athletes (1996, Grand Royal)
* WXBD (1999, Grand Royal)
* リディスカバー ベスト、リレコーディングス、リミキシーズ･オブ･バッファロー･ドーター (2013, U/M/A/A)

## Sources

* https://buffalodaughter.com/discography\_e/
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffalo\_Daughter
* https://rateyourmusic.com/artist/buffalo-daughter