Japan music showcase
July sees the return of Japanese cultural event Hyper Japan to London, this year taking place at Olympia between 19-21 July 2024.
As part of Hyper Japan’s 2024 activities, there’s a wealth of live music performances featuring familar acts and some new faces. Here’s a choice selection of some of the acts scheduled to perform at Hyper Japan across all three days.
SACRED FLERAMO
idol outfit Sacred Fleramo have been active for over ten years, performing at the Japan-Cambodia Art and Culture Festival 2013 and the Japan Expo in Bangkok in 2022. Their official bio states that they’re a “dancing idol group who has traveled by warp on a shooting star from the distant reaches of the universe, from the realm of the gods. As messengers of the gods, they repeat the cycle of ‘destruction and creation’ to brighten and energise the people of Earth”.
NYOKEE
Chiptune musician and producer, Nyokee combines beats with 3D graphics. Inspired by early Chiptune and 8-bit music, Nuokee presents an energetic mix of synth heavy Kawaii Bass and retro game sounds, wrapped in electrifying visuals and Harajuku street fashion. It’s like meeting your favourite computer game character and spending a few minutes together in a digital forest of light and pixels.
She juggles being a freelance producer, academic researcher, book author, university lecturer, singer, violinist and computer graphics artist. She performs internationally on the main stages of festivals like MAGfest (USA) or Pixel Heaven (Warsaw), at large game development conferences like Develop Brighton, at geek-culture conventions like Comic Con and at anime events. Her first self-organised London show sold out.
Nyokee’s art is heavily influenced by her synaesthesia, her ability to hear colours and see sound.
RAM RIDER
As a musician who has produced numerous top artists, idols, and voice actors representing Japan, Ram Rider performs DJ sets worldwide mashup-mixing various Japanese cultural sounds from anime to J-Pop. At Tokyo Game Show 2020, he made a solo DJ appearance on Square Enix’s official program, mixing tracks from the FINAL FANTASY series among many game titles. He has also released numerous solo works as an artist himself, in addition to his prolific production and DJ activities spanning Japan’s diverse entertainment scenes.
AKASE AKARI
Singer, cosplayer, actress, artist and TikToker, Akase Akari has garnered significant attention (her TikTok follower count has surpassed 1.4 million). She’s appeared in drama series such as Trillion Game and in February 2022 made her major debut with the single ‘Koi no Yukue’, The ending theme for the anime My Dress-Up Darling. In June, she released her second single ‘Itsuka Kanaetakute’, an insert song for the Nippon TV Saturday drama Hanasaki Mai ga Damattenai.
WHO-YA EXTENDED
Who-ya Extended is an outfit unit led by the vocalist Who-ya. They made their major debut in November 2019 with ‘Q-vism’, the opening theme for the TV anime Psycho-Pass 3). In January 2021, they released ‘VIVID VICE’, the OP theme of the anime JUJUTSU KAISEN.
SAÏNA
London-based singer-songwriter/producer Saïna (pronounced Sa-ee-na) began playing piano and guitar at age 7 and writing songs at age 12. A BRIT School alumna, she creates music influenced by Neo-Soul, alternative R&B, and electronic sounds, while recently exploring Japanese folk elements. Her lyrics often delve into themes of connection, vulnerability, and renewal.
Saïna has supported acts such as Bluey Robinson, INJI and Lewis Fitzgerald. Her music has been featured on BBC Introducing and BBC Radio London, with her track ‘Movie’ highlighted on BBC 1XTRA. In March 2024, she made the Glastonbury Emerging Competition longlist and was previously supported by the Youth Music Fund. She hosts the podcast Lost in the Mix offering industry insights, and is part of the East Asian female DJ duo ZEE-2.
SARE
A London-based electronic music producer and DJ inspired by video games and anime, SARE crafts energetic originals and remixes with melodic colourful beats and heavy bass drops. He is most known for his viral remix of ‘Hide and Seek’ with YouTuber Lizz Robinett, as well other projects such as his work on the rhythm game – Muse Dash, and official remixes for Netflix’s ULTRAMAN anime and MIKU EXPO’s 10th Anniversary CD.
As a DJ/Performer, SARE has played at events both in the UK and USA such as MAGFest, BBC Introducing, Hyper Japan 2022, Anime and Chill, and many more.
Hyper Japan takes place between 19-21 July 2024 at Olympia, London. More details: https://hyperjapan.co.uk/
More details on Hyper Japan performances:
https://hyperjapan.co.uk/festival/performers/
Hyper Japan tickets are available here:
https://hyperjapan.co.uk/festival/tickets/
