Boom Boom Satellites
| Company type | Music duo |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music, entertainment |
| Founded | 1990 |
| Headquarters | Japan |
| Products | Music albums, singles, live performances |
| Website | www |
were a Japanese electronic music pair consisting of guitarist and vocalist Michiyuki Kawashima alongside bassist and programmer Masayuki Nakano. Their entire discography was released domestically under the Sony Music Entertainment Japan label.
1995–2014: Formation and Rising Recognition
The duo came together in 1990 after meeting during their university years, making their European debut as a rock act in 1997. Their band name took inspiration from a track by Sigue Sigue Sputnik.
Their initial appearance in Japan occurred in 1995 on a Torema Records compilation, while that same year, Belgian label R&S Records issued their first single in Europe. Melody Maker praised their sound as a blend reminiscent of The Chemical Brothers and The Prodigy. On April 1, 1998, R&S released their debut album titled 7 Ignitions/Auto Re-Birth. After performing at a major festival that June, they returned to Japan. Soon after, they embarked on a three-month U.S. tour supporting Moby and created remixes for artists such as Garbage.
Boom Boom Satellites' compositions featured extensively across films, commercials, and television. Tracks from Full of Elevating Pleasures appeared in the 2004 CGI anime film Appleseed. In 2005, "What Goes Around Comes Around" from the album Exposed was selected for a Dodge commercial, while "Easy Action" was included in the soundtrack for the 2007 anime film Vexille. That same year, they played at the UK's In The City music industry event. Their 1998 song "Scatterin' Monkey" from Out Loud was featured in the 2008 film The Dark Knight, and "Shut Up and Explode" served as the opening theme for an anime series exclusive to the PlayStation Store. In 2009, "Back on My Feet" was used alongside "Shut Up and Explode" as additional opening themes for the television broadcast of that series.
2009–2014: Collaborations and Releases
In 2009, Boom Boom Satellites collaborated with Tahj Mowry and Flo Rida to produce a revamped version of their track "Kick It Out," incorporating new verses by Mowry and Flo Rida while maintaining the original chorus and adding fresh vocals from Boom Boom Satellites themselves. A music video accompanied this release. That year also saw them remix Fact's "A Fact of Life" from the album Fact.
January 2010 marked the release of their first compilation album titled 19972007. On May 26 of that year, they launched To the Loveless in Japan, which included songs from the Back on My Feet EP; a limited edition offered an additional DVD. Later in 2010, they commenced a North American tour beginning at New York Comic Con and simultaneously released Over and Over—a condensed version of 19972007—in the United States to coincide with this tour.
In 2012, celebrating their fifteenth anniversary, Boom Boom Satellites performed "Broken Mirror," the theme for episode five of Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn. They organized a remix contest via Nico Nico Douga, with the winning entry featured on their first remix album Remixed. Additionally, "Another Perfect Day" was chosen as the theme for the animated movie Starship Troopers: Invasion. Due to delays with Remixed, they issued recent singles previously exclusive to Japan internationally and made their entire back catalog available on Japan's iTunes Store.
To commemorate fifteen years together, their eighth studio album Embrace was released on January 9, 2013. The lead single promoting this album was a rendition of The Beatles’ "Helter Skelter," marking their first cover of another artist’s work. However, plans for an Embrace tour in 2013 were halted after Kawashima received an early-stage brain tumor diagnosis late in 2012; all concerts scheduled from January through March were postponed to allow for treatment. Nakano disclosed Kawashima’s past brain tumor experience but noted this was their initial occasion canceling events due to health reasons. While they fulfilled December 2012 performances, initial intentions were to proceed with shows in April and May—including their inaugural solo concert at Nippon Budokan.
By February 2013, following Kawashima’s hospital discharge, the duo resumed writing and recording activities. Eventually, all appearances except the Nippon Budokan show were canceled. This concert was broadcast live with immersive 360-degree viewing options on YouTube during YouTube Japan’s Music Week as well as on Nico Nico Douga. In August that year, they announced plans to release a live album capturing the Budokan performance in November and revealed intentions to distribute Embrace internationally by September.
2014: Kawashima's health challenges and the band's conclusion
In 2014, Boom Boom Satellites composed "Only Blood" specifically for a promotional trailer of the movie Monsterz. They shared the stage with Acidman at Ex Theater Roppongi on July 2 and revealed on July 4 their involvement in creating the main theme, "Back In Black," for the anime series Ninja Slayer. Toward the end of November, they announced their forthcoming album Shine Like a Billion Suns, scheduled for release in February 2015, accompanied by a Tokyo concert planned for March. On December 31, Nakano disclosed that Kawashima’s brain tumor had recurred for the fourth time following their March tour, with doctors estimating a prognosis of only two years. After receiving boron neutron capture therapy, Kawashima succeeded in halting the tumor’s progression while simultaneously working on new material. The band communicated this update to their audience, emphasizing Kawashima’s determination to continue touring and recording despite his condition.
By 2016, Boom Boom Satellites had delivered "Lay Your Hands on Me," which served as the theme song for Kiznaiver. The anime version was released as a single on April 17, followed by a music video debuting on May 23. The complete track became available digitally on June 1, with a physical and digital EP issued on June 22 that included three additional songs. Nakano declared this EP to be their final release, citing Kawashima’s fourth tumor recurrence and resulting partial paralysis; he described it as an appropriate culmination to their career. Kawashima passed away on October 9, 2016.
In 2017, Nakano engaged in sporadic collaboration with vocalist Toru Kitajima through the project Pandas and produced a reimagined theme for Psycho-Pass: Sinners of the System. Later, in 2021, he established The Spellbound alongside Yusuke Kobayashi, lead singer of The Novembers, releasing five singles early that year and unveiling their debut album in 2022. Longtime touring drummer Yoko Fukuda became part of this lineup. In October 2022, The Spellbound released "Subete ga Soko ni Arimasu you ni.", which was selected as the ending theme for the fourth season of the anime Golden Kamuy.
Members
- – guitar and vocals
- Born , Iwate Prefecture (died October 9, 2016, aged 47)
- Husband of actress Risa Sudou; father to two daughters.
- – bass guitar and programming
- Born , Kanagawa Prefecture
Touring members
- – drums (2009–2016)
- Born , Kanagawa Prefecture
- – drums (1995–2009)
Discography
- Studio albums
- Out Loud (1998)
- Umbra (2001)
- Photon (2002)
- Full of Elevating Pleasures (2005)
- On (2006)
- Exposed (2007)
- To the Loveless (2010)
- Embrace (2013)
- Shine Like a Billion Suns (2015)
- EPs
- Boom Boom Satellites (1997) (Demo album)
- Joyride (1997)
- 7 Ignitions/Auto Re-Birth (1998)
- Lay Your Hands on Me (2016)
- Live albums
- Experienced (2011)
- Experienced II: Embrace Tour 2013 Budokan (2013)
- Compilation albums
- 19972007 (2010)
- Over and Over (2010)
- Remixed (2012)
- Remix Festival 2013 – Winners – (2013)
- Singles
- "4 A Moment of Silence" (1997)
- "Dub Me Crazy (Ver. 02)" (1997)
- "Push Eject" (1998)
- "On The Painted Desert - Rampant Colors" (1999)
- "Fogbound" (2000)
- "Sloughin' Blue" (2001)
- "Soliloquy" (2001)
- "Blink" (2002)
- "Light My Fire" (2003)
- "Spine/Dive for You" (2004)
- "Easy Action" (2005)
- "Back on My Feet" (2009)
- "Kick It Out" feat. Tahj Mowry and Flo Rida)" (2009)
- "Broken Mirror" (2012)
- "Another Perfect Day" (2012)
- "Drifter" (2013)
- "Nine" (2013)
- "Only Blood" (2014)
- "A Hundred Suns" (2015)
- "Lay Your Hands on Me" (2016)
- DVDs
- Epk (Promo) (2005)
- Fuji Rock Festival '05 Live Cuts (2006)
- Boom Boom Satellites Japan Tour '06 at Studio Coast (2007)
- Boom Boom Satellites Japan Tour 2008 (2009)
- Metamorphose 08 Live Cuts (2009)
- Front Chapter - The Final Session – Lay Your Hands On Me Special Live (2018)