Ame no Kisetsu was an event held by Piapro’s KarenT Network based on the rainy season, hence the name.
KarenT, by the way, is a distribution network set up by Piapro, and is also the label budding music artists can publish their works under on stores like the iTunes store. I’ll cover this in greater detail in a future post (if I can, that is).
Anyway, a total of 12 rain-themed tracks were compiled in the event, and previews for each one can be heard in the promotional video above.
I gave each track a listen, and I gotta say, TawashiP’s Hecto-Pastel impresses me the most, with U-ske’s Rain*Sweet*Umbrella getting a close second. It’s kind of refreshing to listen to tracks that aren’t in the VOCALOID Weekly Rankings, or accompanied by an awesome PV.
The tracks are on sale on several sites, though if you can’t read moonrunes (that probably means most of you), you can get the tracks from HearJapan:
- Rain*Sweet*Umbrella by U-ske
- Ame, Irodoreba by wato
- my rain by Wonderful★opportunity!
- Hecto-Pastel by TawashiP
- Broken rain by ShinjouP
- Ameoto to Itsuwari no Waltz by KidP
- skip;drop by BIRUGE
- Rainy Day by ValP
- Saka no Machi to Ame by Inashiki Joshu
- Ameoto Kishikan by X-Plorez
- in the rain by TeraKomuroP
- Amedoki Lover by Buriru
Each track in each album costs 150 JPY, including the off-vocal/instrumental tracks, though you have the option of purchasing each track separately. Do keep that in mind, especially if you’re short on cash.
HearJapan took the liberty of forwarding us their press release too. The page they linked to seems a little corrupted though, so here’s what they intended to show you:
As June brings rain to Japan, HearJapan brings rain-themed Vocaloid tracks to your ears!
The rainy season in Japan (known as “tsuyu” or “plum rain”) begins roughly around June and runs through July. It is a time when things slow down and some people might spend a little more time inside with someone special.
HearJapan is enjoying this time with a shower of new Vocaloid material. 12 new releases have just landed from a wide range of artists working in many different genres. For instance, there’s the traditional sounding folk of “Saka no Machi to Ame” by InashikiJoshu that features a duet with Hatsune Miku and MEIKO on vocals. Buriru’s “Amedoki Lover” celebrates having to be stuck inside together with a jazzy number. If it’s a dance party you’re looking for, the cue up the euro-trance track “Ameoto Kishikan” by X-Plorex. Or if it’s something more literal your want, then the gently shimmering “Broken Rain” by Shinjou-P is sure to evoke pleasant visions of the gently falling rain.
So take a moment to admire the rain, or simply enjoy the comforts inside, with your favorite Vocaloid tunes from HearJapan as the soundtrack.
Yokohama, Japan – June 8th, 2010
Sources:
- NotCliche (Yup, it’s a first for us too, guys)
- HearJapan (Press Release)
P.S. I personally feel the rainy seasons here suck, what with the flash floods and all.
3 Responses to “Ame no Kisetsu – Celebrating the Rainy Season with the VOCALOIDs”
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Hmm, I already got “Ameoto Kishikan” when I bought the Explorism album. And it’s the only one that I really like.
I guess I’ll have to pass at the moment.
When I think Vocaloid and rain, I automatically go to Melt. Still my favorite Miku
> song out there (sorry, hit submit by accident).