Shugo Tokumaru's experimental pop songs have kept him busy ever since his first recording was produced. A ten track CD-R, Fragment, which served as a demo back in 2003, was never officially released but got him noticed by the US Music Related label, who later released his first official album, Night Piece, just months following its August 2004 release in Japan.
About a year later, Shugo's second album, L.S.T., went on sale and was also released in France on ACTIVE SUSPENSION and in New Zealand on LiL' CHiEF RECORDS, providing the artist with even more overseas exposure.
His first and only single to date came out in 2006, between the 2005 release of L.S.T. and the 2007 release of his latest album, EXIT. Vista is also his only official work to not be licensed for release outside of Japan.
In addition to his own releases, Shugo's music and mixes have also been featured on a dozen different compilation albums and he frequently mixes for other indie bands and artists in Tokyo. While his solo career is more than sufficient to keep him busy, he's also a member of Gellars, a five member band for which he plays guitar and lends backing vocals, and writes for, mixes and performs with tamurapan, the solo project of Tokyo-based artist Tamura Ayumi.
Though Shugo Tokumaru spent two years of his life in Los Angeles, California, he made his USA live debut in Chicago on September 13, 2008, after the stateside release of EXIT on September 2nd. This debut performance was followed by concerts in New York, Los Angeles and Montreal as part of his North America TOUR, which will resume on October 22nd at Bowery Ballroom in New York.
With his tour scheduled to close out on October 26th in Washington D.C., Shugo Tokumaru has yet to announce what his upcoming plans are. Be it a new release, another tour or performances with other acts in Japan, it is sure to be magical, true to his unique style and something that fans, including those gained on his USA debut tour, will be eagerly awaiting.
