Hotei - Strangers (2015) [CD+DVD, Japan Edition]

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Hotei - Strangers (2015) [CD+DVD, Japan Edition]

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Hotei’s debut international “Strangers” is a genuinely unique, thoughtful, and diverse album- equal parts rock, dance, punk, and electro.

It features an array of special guests from around the globe including the iconic Iggy Pop, Richard Z. Kruspe from European rock giants Emigrate/Rammstein, Matt Tuck from one of the UK’s most successful and best loved rock bands Bullet For My Valentine, and Noko from electronic band pioneers Apollo 440.

“Strangers” demonstrates Hotei’s diversity as a songwriter and virtuoso guitarist mixing instrumental epics with contemporary masterpieces.

“When I was a teenager I was going to the record shops to buy everything I could by The Beatles, The Stones, Led Zeppelin… I soon realised that almost all of it was British. With idols like David Bowie and T-Rex, I’ve always felt a strong connection to the UK and now that I am living in London, ‘Strangers’ allows me to take a step out of this new and relatively anonymous space to introduce myself. A stranger to many, remembering the days when I was young and just starting out, playing gigs to a room of only 20 people, I want to connect with people individually and let them understand me through my music.”

~ store.universalmusic.com/hotei.com

Hotei having sold millions of albums in his native Japan and being the person famous for creating the (IN)famous KILL BILL theme has decided to now come out of the wilderness for his western audiences with this international debut album that not just features the famous instrumental but solid performances by a surprise array of guests that bring enough meat and potatoes to songs like how the cookie crumbles, texas groove, kill to love you, move it that feature no other than Iggy pop, shea seger, richard z krupe and Matt Tuck giving this album enough punky metal balance to the other instrumentals a good purhcase for those who appreciate what hotei has to offer. 4 stars is a fair offer as this album could have shaved an instrumental track or two but its otherwise a solid rock album by one of japans famous guitar warriors.

~ teeside tin tin 190185, Amazon

One of the legends of the Japanese rock world, Tomoyasu Hotei was one of the founding members of the seminal J-rock outfit Boowy, and later became a successful solo artist, collaborator, and actor. Born in Takasaki, Japan on February 1, 1962, Tomoyasu got his start after leaving school and heading to Tokyo, where he met up with fellow musician Kyosuke Himuro. The two held auditions, and Boowy were formed in 1981. That band would become a force in J-rock, eventually selling albums in the millions. 1988 found Tomoyasu on his own, after the breakup of Boowy, and he was just as successful. He worked with Koji Kikkawa in the project Complex, which released two hit albums, as well as appearing on stages and recordings with such luminaries as David Bowie, Andy Mackay, and Chris Spedding. His solo debut album, Guitarhythm, was released in October of 1988 and from that point on, Tomoyasu was a prolific artist – to say the least. He released fifteen albums, more than 20 singles, three compilations of his work, and a handful of live albums, not to mention his work appearing in video games and his acting career. His 2007 album, Ambivalent, continued his hot streak, reaching the top ten of the Japanese charts.

~ Chris True, All Music

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Hotei - Strangers (2015) [CD+DVD, Japan Edition]

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Hotei - Strangers (2015) [CD+DVD, Japan Edition]

Close

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Hotei - Strangers (2015) [CD+DVD, Japan Edition]

Close

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Hotei - Strangers (2015) [CD+DVD, Japan Edition]

Close

×

Hotei - Strangers (2015) [CD+DVD, Japan Edition]

Close