Dragon Ash was formed in May 1996 by classmates KENJI FURUYA and MAKOTO SAKURAI and following an audition, IKUZONE joined the group. On August 5th, Dragon Ash held their first live at Kawasaki CLUB CITTA and throughout the rest of the month and into September, the three-piece group performed in Yokohama and other metropolitan areas.
The group started 1997 with a performance on February 8th at Shibuya NEST’s Maruyama Mixture Night VOL.2 which saw them star alongside 54 NUDE HONEYS and UNSCANDAL. Later that month, Dragon Ash released their first mini-album The Day dragged on, which focused primarily around the genre of punk rock. The album’s focus on this particular genre can be attributed to the popularity of punk rock at the time, whereas hip-hop was still viewed less favourably.
The following month on March 12th, Dragon Ash held their debut live at SHIBUYA ON AIR WEST on MTV JAPAN&SOS PRESENTS. The group then followed up the release of their first mini-album with a second, titled Public Garden on April 21st. In comparison to The Day dragged on, this mini-album featured more melodic songs.
The months that followed were jam-packed with public performances for the group and September 5th signified an important day in Dragon Ash’s musical career as they held their first one-man live at Shimokitazawa QUE. Their hectic live schedule continued over the rest of the year, interspersed with the release of their first single Rainy Day And Day on October 22nd and their first full-length album Mustang!on November 21st.
Following more live performances at the beginning of 1998, Dragon Ash released their second single Hi wa mata noborikuri kaesu on May 21st. From June 10th to August 8th, Dragon Ash held their first one-man tour titled High Times Tour, which saw the group perform in Nagoya, Osaka and Tokyo. During this tour, they unveiled their third single Under Age’s Song in July and following the tour’s conclusion, their second album Buzz Songs in early September. This album signified a change in Dragon Ash‘s sound, with the genres of punk rock, hip-hop, jazz and other elements being blended together to create a more varied sound. In late October, Dragon Ash released their first promotional video collection and spent the remainder of the year touring throughout Japan.
With the release of their fourth single Let yourself go, Let myself go on March 3rd 1999, Dragon Ash achieved their first top five position on the Oricon charts and a few weeks later embarked on their Let yourself go tour. The tour was followed in May with the release of two singles on the 1st, one of which sampled I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll, which gained recognition following Joan Jett & The Blackhearts' rendition in 1981.
The release of these singles was quickly followed by the group’s third studio album Viva La Revolution in July, which peaked at number one on the Oricon. The album was the group’s first since BOTS (Satou Tetsuya) had officially joined Dragon Ash in 1999 following regular appearances in their music videos and live performances.
The beginning of 2000 brought with it the release of Dragon Ash’s seventh single Deep Impact, which featured hip-hop group Rappagariya and a remix by hip-hop pioneer DJ Krush. Following a variety of live performances at such locations as SUMMER SONIC 2000 and ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL 2000, the group released their ninth single Lily’s e.p. in November. It was also around this time that Dragon Ash gained international recognition with the release of the single Shizuka na hibi no kaidan wo, which featured in the ending credits for the popular cult movie "Battle Royale".
Dragon Ash‘s fourth album LILY OF DA VALLEY was released in March 2001. The album, which peaked at number two on the Oricon charts, fused the genres of hip-hop and rock together to create the term “mixture rock” (a term that has remained at the heart of the group ever since). The album was followed up in April with two DVDs featuring music videos from their Buzz Songs and LILY OF DA VALLEY eras. Dragon Ash then embarked on their longest tour to date, which saw them perform from March 24th to May 18th.
The following year, on January 23rd, Dragon Ash released their tenth single, Life goes on, which sampled the German Eurodance song I Wanna Be With U. This single was shortly followed by FANTASISTA, which was used as one of the official songs of the 2002 FIFA World Cup. The remainder of that year was filled with constant touring for Dragon Ash who had now established themselves as one of the most popular hip-hop acts within Japan.
In March 2003, Dragon Ash established their own music label “MOB SQUAD”, which would become a division under Victor Entertainment and also feature artists SOURCE and mach 25. The following months contained various promotional events for the new label, as well as the compilation album MOB SQUAD.
Towards the end of May, the group unveiled their fifth studio album HARVEST which peaked at number one on the Oricon. With this album, Dragon Ash incorporated the genre of techno into their songs Revive and House of Velocity and gave a new edge to their music. Later that year, Dragon Ash embarked on their Dragon Ash/House of Velocity tour, which saw the group performing a total of 33 lives across Japan.
It was also in 2003 that Dragon Ash welcomed three new members into the group with HIROKI on electric guitar and DRI-V and ATSUSHI as break-dancers.
The beginning of 2004 signalled the release of Dragon Ash's first remix album HARVEST REMIXES and in July the single Shade. Throughout the summer months, Dragon Ash performed at several live events such as ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL 2004 and RISING SUN ROCK FESTIVAL 2004 in EZO. On August 25th, Dragon Ash member’s HIROKI and MAKOTO SAKURAI released their first mini-album sequence crimina under their new unit endive.
The remainder of the year stayed fairly quiet for the group and their following singles crush the window and Yuunagi Union were released in early 2005. Once again, the summer months comprised of various appearances at notable festivals and on September 3rd, the group performed at Ongaku to Higetachi FESTIVAL 2005 on the A Stage. This appearance at the festival saw the group perform alongside acts such as Otsuka Ai, ORANGE RANGE and PUFFY.
A few days after this performance, Dragon Ash released their sixth studio album Río de Emoción. As the title suggests, the album was heavily inspired by Spanish music and the track Resound ft. HIDE, 136 was used in the 2006 movie "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift". The group embarked on another national tour shortly after and concluded the year with the release of their fourth video clip collection.
The group then took a short respite until mid-2006 with their single Ivory, which was released as part of their countdown release schedule in preparation for their 10th anniversary album INDEPENDIENTE. On July 29th, Dragon Ash performed at the 2006 INCHEON PENTAPORT ROCK FESTIVAL in Southern Korea alongside acts such as Placebo, The Black Eyed Peas and Snow Patrol. Their hectic live schedule continued until September, when MAKOTO SAKURAI and HIROKI’s unit endive released their second mini-album. Dragon Ash released their last single of the year Yume de aetara on December 6th, which was also a part of their tenth anniversary countdown.
Released in late February 2007, INDEPENDIENTE symbolised Dragon Ash’s 10th anniversary in the music industry. Following the trend of their previous album, the release embraced the influence of Spanish music and peaked at number four on the Oricon charts. The following month, the group held their DEVELOP THE MUSIC TOUR, which saw several of their performances opened by musical acts LOONIE and CUBE JUICE.
Mid to late 2007 was filled with touring for the band, but September saw the release of the group’s first best-of releases The Best of Dragon Ash with Changes VOL.1 and The Best of Dragon Ash with Changes VOL.2. All songs featured on the albums were selected by the fans themselves following a vote via the group’s website. The second best-of album also contained the track wipe your eyes, which featured Every Little Thing singer Mochida Kaori.
Dragon Ash remained quiet for a short period of time until June 2008 with the release of Velvet Touch, which was the group‘s first single in around a year and a half. The group once again filled the year with various performances including ROCK IN JAPAN FESTIVAL 2008 and the ETP FEST 2008 held in Seoul, South Korea. The year concluded with the release of the group’s twentieth single Tsunagari Sunset.
As of 2009, Dragon Ash have released one single and their eighth studio album FREEDOM. To celebrate the release of FREEDOM, Dragon Ash performed at the Yoyogi Koen Yagai Stage with their FREEDOM FREE LIVE held on March 3rd (a day before the album’s release). The group then conducted a full-length tour to support the release, which recently concluded on June 13th. Dragon Ash are currently scheduled to have yet another year filled with live performances at various festivals and events.
Within their impressive career, Dragon Ash have strived to push the boundaries of the hip-hop genre and have created a truly original and fresh sound. For fans new and old, Dragon Ash make such an impression in the listener’s mind that it’s not hard to see how they have achieved their international success. Following their recent 10th anniversary, one can only hope that the group will last for years to come!
