Rejoice!

My (long time ago) acquaintances Steeleye Span are probably best known for their Christmas song Gaudete ('Rejoice'). Although  there are a few minor 'oddities' in the Latin, the meaning is clear enough – and here we have it all translated into English as if it had been written entirely correctly.

I can still recall the moment in the artistes' bar at Brighton Pavilion, listening to Maddy Prior's then unborn child in her tummy, just minutes before the six went out onto the stage to perform. That child must have had a wonderful time, having Maddy's superb, clear voice vibrating through her in the womb, being regularly treated to something that the rest of us would have encountered live like that only rarely, if ever...

Circle You, Circle You

Here is a scary music video for Hallowe'en, performed by Ashe (a.k.a. "ashestoashesjc"), featuring images of Vocaloid avatars.

It's quite effective and really needs no further introduction or explanation from me...

Song of the Carcasses

It's time to kick-off this Hallowe'en evening's musical journey, while the young 'uns are still awake. Essentially carcasses and a mythical type of unpleasant creature, the Rakshasa, are what this creepy song is about, as told from a child's perspective and dressed up in a light and upbeat arrangement.

This is the live performance at Kansai of Hold, Release, Rakshasa and Carcasses (though also known by variations of that title), performed as it should be on the upper stage, and the video below comes with English subtitles.

I have to say that the band's backing here isn't quite as good as the 39s at Sapporo a couple of years earlier, but it works well enough overall...

Zero Zero

We are lucky to be living in an age of musical composing/performing geniuses. We have the likes of Yuki Kajiura, Jean-Michel Jarre and Joe Hisaishi, for a start – and we have Mike Batt. Now, Mike is often criticised simply for having written The Wombling Song – but that is as silly as having a go at Neil Innes for doing A Way With Words or Ralph McTell for Tickle on the Tum.

One of Mike Batt's masterpieces is Zero Zero, which he devised, composed the music for, performed in and co-directed, back in 1982. It had (and has) many prophetic elements, and was very well formulated. If you pay really close attention to the song lyrics, you'll probably be startled to discover a lot of material meshed-in with the underlying story that will get you thinking anew. I bought the album more-or-less as soon as it came out, and it is here with me today.

Mike has generously posted a video of the entire performed work, on his YouTube channel, and permitted it to be shared – so reserved forty minutes or so, and let yourself venture into the world of System 605 and Zero Zero...

'Secret Police' by Miku

This is the Project DIVA version of Secret Police, given the googoo888 treatment – so expect top-notch quality, English subtitles and lots of costume changes. This definitely needs to be viewed full-screen and in as high a resolution as your system can handle.

Although this song is, as always, a sheer delight, and is great fun if taken as a parody, it does also carry a powerful message and might make you think. That I'd count as being A Good Thing in itself; but for now, simply enjoy this excellent performance...

Telling Your World

Place Miku on a stage with a (modern) piano, let the audience in with their glow-sticks, and see what happens.

This isn't a real concert performance, but has been presented as if it had been, and even without English words will touch the hearts of many. This piano version of Tell Your World is very soft and 'close up', and here has been rendered near enough to perfection. I gather that the video is an entry in this year's MD Cup contest, and I do hope it wins or is runner-up.

For all the flashy stuff (much of which is fun) that is entered into this annual event, sometimes it takes something as straightforward s this to show just what can be done simply by playing it completely straight. You'll want to switch this to full-screen view...

Concert at SkeCon

This is the video of the concert by Synthesized reality Productions (SRP) at the recent SkeCon event in Sweden. It's a single fixed camera, which could have benefited from being zoomed in a little, but it will do. It isn't shaky, unfocused, distorted or any of the other audience-recorded efforts' failings, and is of high video quality.

The event starts off with SRP's Yume introducing the show, in English, followed by Miku and 'Viva Happy'. Later, Gumi, Rin and Len appear – all three at once for one item – also Luka for 'Just Be Friends'; and near the end we also have Miku's now famous 'Senbonzakura' in her correct outfit for this song. The show is rounded out with Yume re-appearing to dance with SkeCon's own mascot Rosu to dance to 'Happy Synthesizer'. Plenty of goodness is in there for just about any fan!

The whole video is almost an hour long, but I found it better to view in three or four 'chunks', simply because of that fixed, slightly distant viewpoint from which I needed to take an occasional break...

Miku Expo Documentary

It has been some time since we have had a new and sufficiently interesting video from this instantly-recognizable source that I could justify posting – but now we can see why it has been a while!

This narration-free documentary lasts nearly 35 minutes, but is thoroughly engrossing – and obviously took a lot of time and effort to put together, as did the event itself for that matter. It tells the literally amazing story of how the first Miku Expo was put together and how it all went in Jakarta, Indonesia, a month or so ago. I say 'amazing' for good reason: even I was amazed at some of what came out in this, such as the audience's passion and that they made the floor shake!

Reserve half an hour in your day and have a go through this. I doubt you'll be disappointed...

The Girl From Ipanema

A truly excellent (though deceptively simple) rendition of this most famous of Brazilian songs by the outstanding Maika. The Brazilian-Portuguese lyrics are included, which I found useful in brushing-up on my (admittedly rather limited) knowledge of the language.

This will probably turn out to be useful if I one day revisit the Care Home I went to yesterday, as one of the residents there speaks only Portuguese...

How to 'Panda' to a Need

In China, when the Changa Benni car maker needed a mascot, they chose vocaloid Luo Tianyi. Back on  25 March this year, Tianyi's first concert was held in Chengdu province, where there is a Panda centre.

Below is a seven-minute video touching on the Panda Centre, and featuring the opening number from that concert which launched this new status as mascot. The video was uploaded only this month, and discovered (via one of my sources) just today, which is why I didn't post it before now.

Although I don't think the model on stage looks right, overall it was quite a good production from what we see here (and I am looking beyond the snazzy effects for this, without ignoring them), and it is pleasing that the whole concept is becoming a more widespread kind of event nowadays.

It seems to me that the market suddenly 'grew up' in regard to projected stage performances and virtual divas, as the last year has shown – most recently with THE END opera and the Lady Gaga tour.

The cosplayer featured so much in this video seems to have been a good choice as well...

Producing a Miku Track

The vocaloid producer known as '40meter', or 40mP for short, yesterday uploaded this eight-minute video showing something of how his new track Love Trial was made. It covers band rehearsals and takes, vocal editing, and even how the promotional video (PV) was illustrated. What little commentary there is (hardly any!) is in Japanese, but it's easily ignored.

If anyone is in any remaining doubt that producing a piece using Vocaloid is any less of an effort, or any less professional and talent-driven (and resourced) than traditional forms of music, this should drive the final nail into that myth's coffin! We already knew much of the truth from the concerts I have featured here over the last eighteen months, so regular visitors will not be surprised by much if any of this, but it's still interesting to spend a few minutes watching 40mP and his colleagues at work...

Miku in San Diego

This is a good quality, closer-in video of Miku's opening set for the Lady Gaga artRave tour, this time from the San Diego event. Both the sound and the visuals are good, and I think this is perhaps the best such recording from the tour to appear online to date.

I recommend switching to full screen and a decent resolution (it does go to full HD but there is no apparent advantage over 720px)...

Going Completely Gaga

...Or similar wording!

This is the complete Miku set from the Lady Gaga concert in Cleveland, Ohio, roughly mid-way through the tour that is to include sixteen opening performances by Miku. This was taken from within the audience, so technically isless than perfect but generally very good. There is an issue with one of the audience-facing lights causing an apparent loss of the stage image by the camera, though I gather the lights didn't interfere with the audience's view.

So here it is, at last: the full 24-minute opening act for Lady Gaga, no less! Miku's six-number set comprised Glass Wall (in English) 2D Dream Fever, World Is Mine, Story Rider, Yellow, and Tell Your World as a fitting finale.

Despite most of those present really not knowing what this was all about until it happened in front of them, the response was very good once they had warmed to he – somewhere around the middle of the second song, I judge it.

History has been made by these concert openers, and a new chapter of the western world's chronicles starts right here...

NicoNico Mega Party 2014

This year's Chokaigi (Mega Party) event was really good much of the time, with some very good and audience-grabbing DJ-ing. It was, though, the Vocaloid concert that was the highlight for many, myself included – and then I forgot to post it here!

Well, thanks to a memory jog a few minutes ago, that is remedied now. This year's concert was just half an hour long, but with so much (thirteen songs) crammed into its almost non-stop format that there is plenty for everyone, including original staging, new band arrangements, and Luka playing the harp (very accurately!)

Lots of vocaloids were featured, as is the norm at this event, including the four Crypton Character Vocals (Miku, Luka, Len and Rin), IA, Gumi, Gakupo, Lily, Teto and more.

This is best viewed full screen, and listened to via headphones if possible...

Bohemian Vocaloid

Now here's something rather special, to which I was guided this evening by one of my sources: Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, performed by every (current) English voicebank there is, from the original Leon, Lola and Miriam right up to Miku and Kaito English versions. It has just gone up on YouTube today, having been carefully put together by a producer known as v3xman2.

Although some of the models in the video might not be to everyone's taste, the whole thing does work really very and has the 'feel' of the story as it unfolds within the song. Give it a try...

For Mothers' Day

This is for all those who still have their mother (I do not) on this special day, and all year round. It's long but you really do need to go through to the end. All will become clear...

IA Rhythm Game

I have been keeping an eye on the emerging rhythm game that is obviously designed to be an alternative (or addition in one's collection) to Project DIVA. In this, we get only the one performer, though that is no less than IA (a.k.a. Aria on the Planetes) – but it looks to be quite good and fairly comprehensive, as the following promotional trailer shows.

It's a bit tough to enter the market when the various Project DIVA games are already so well established, and offer the six Crypton vocaloids as performers, as well as a few guest performers in the latest releases; but I wish IA/VT-Colorful every success. Perhaps others will follow, such as Anon and Kanon, or Lapis and Merli, or even one featuring all the BPlats-marketed vocaloids, one day. It's a thought...

Acute, Extreme, Perfect

This is a video of actual game-play from the rhythm game Project Diva Arcade F2. The song is Acute, the setting is Extreme, and the score is Perfect(!)

On top of all that, lucky Kaito gets to perform this with both Miku and Luka, the latter again showing her sheer stage 'presence' which is unequalled. The motion is as close to perfection as current technology permits; and if (more likely 'when') the play-only version of this without the game-play appears, there is no doubt in my mind that it will become one of the top Vocaloid demo pieces, raising the bar yet again...

Miku Goes Gaga

The big Vocaloid news yesterday was the announcement that Miku is to be the opening act at sixteen of Lady Gaga's upcoming tour events. Although that is only a quarter of the 67 programmed, it is still a significant turning point in the western world's live music scene.

Of course, it isn't as one-dimensional as it might at first appear. Here is what I wrote on Facebook a few hours ago...

While I have inevitable reservations about this, it was likely (I think almost certain) to happen sooner or later.

For the organisers, promoters and performers, it is probably being seen primarily as a gimmick, to 'up the ante' relative to others' concert tours – but there will be at least some percolation of Miku's performance and general 'aura' into the audience's consciousnesses.

This will have little immediate effect, as those attending will be there for Lady Gaga, first and foremost; but the idea of 'sowing seeds' is a useful one, and during the weeks that follow will, I think, start to pay dividends – especially if one or more complete concerts end up for sale and/or on-line.

I have been saying for a while now that it is my belief that 2014 is going to be the turning point in Vocaloid going global: this series of events looks like being perhaps the single biggest part of that (much broader) transformation.

.

There are those (and I am aware of at least two, probably three) who will say that this 'going mainstream' will mean the end of life as we know it – or words to that effect. I know that this will not be the case. At this stage, I have no idea what Miku will do: some of her usual material, in Japanese, some new material in English, or one or more Gaga items.

Perhaps there will even be a duet at the end of her (presumably quite short) set, which would make an excellent handover from the support act to the main feature. It would be almost a world first – though SeeU has done this with GLAM several times, and there have been others. The novelty factor with thiese audiences, though, would be quite something, if this were attempted.

Whatever comes out of this, I remain convinced that it will help the Vocaloid concept and sheer quality to seep into the western collective consciousness. The real global future in the genre starts here...

Sing and Smile

It's about time I posted another nice video with good motion, so here's something new: Sing and Smile by Re:nG, featuring an 'all-star' cast of the six Cryptonloids (including the Sakine version of Meiko) along with Teto, Haku Yowane and Neru Akita, all of whom appear in Project DIVA Arcade future tone, from which this derives.

The motion is really good, and Rin's outfit in her initial appearance in the video – starting at 1 minute in – though simple in design is particularly appealing, I thought.

By the way: I have been spending so much time on social media and domestic matters that I haven't been able to keep up with other matters (in case anyone was wondering) – though I have been monitoring a lot of things going on, especially in the local and national political spheres. I shall no doubt comment on at least one or two of those in due course, but for now let's stay with the lighter and more enjoyable world of Vocaloid/Utau...