P-Model
| Company type | Band |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1979 |
| Founder | Susumu Hirasawa and former members of Mandrake |
| Defunct | 2000 |
| Headquarters | Japan |
Key people | Susumu Hirasawa (lead figure) |
| Products | Electronic rock music |
P-Model (alternatively styled as P-MODEL or P. Model) was a pioneering Japanese electronic rock ensemble established in 1979 by former members of the disbanded progressive rock group Mandrake. Throughout its history, the band underwent various personnel shifts, yet remained consistently directed by lead figure Susumu Hirasawa. Although P-Model officially ceased activities in 2000, several former members have pursued individual careers and collaborative efforts since then.
Following the disbandment, Hirasawa resurrected the band's concept under a new name, representing essentially a solo continuation of the original project.
Members
- – guitar, vocals, synthesizer, programming (January 1, 1979 – December 20, 2000; 2004–2005, 2013–2014, 2018–present)
Past members
- – bass, combo organ, synthesizer, keyboard (January 1, 1979 – March 20, 1983; 2013)
- – drums, percussion, electronic drums (January 1, 1979 – December 22, 1984; March 14, 1987 – December 28, 1988)
- – bass, vocals, keyboard (January 1, 1979 – November 3, 1980; September 23, 1991 – October 11, 1993)
- – bass, synthesizer (November 21, 1980 – August 5, 1984)
- – keyboard, guitar, vocals (March 27, 1983 – December 27, 1985)
- – bass, electric violin, double bass, ocarinas, synthesizer, MSX computer, vocals (August 28, 1984 – December 27, 1985)
- – drums and percussion (December 22, 1984 – March 14, 1987)
- – bass, keyboard, vocals (January 23, 1986 – December 28, 1988)
- – systems operator (January 23, 1986 – September 27, 1987)
- – keyboardist, synthesizer player, vocalist and programmer (November 1, 1987 – December 28, 1988; September 23,1991 – October11,1993)
- – electronic drummer (September23,1991–October11,1993)
- – System-1 operator (December1,1994–December20,2000; guest appearance January2014)
- – System-2 operator and bassist (December1,1994–December20,2000)
- – AlgoRhythm operator (December1,1994–May1997)
- Tainaco – Virtual drum system controlled via MIDI on the Amiga platform (October21,1997–December2000), modeled after drummer Sadatoshi Tainaka; discontinued following the band's dissolution.
Timeline
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Colors = id:Vocals value:red legend:Lead_vocals id:Backing value:pink legend:Backing_vocals id:Guitar value:green legend:Guitars id:Violin value:drabgreen legend:Violin,_ocarina id:Keys value:purple legend:Keyboards,_synthesizers id:Systems value:skyblue legend:Systems,_assorted_electronics id:Bass value:blue legend:Bass id:Drums value:orange legend:Drums,_percussion id:EleDr value:claret legend:Electronic_percussion,_drum_machine id:VirDr value:gray(0.6) legend:Virtual_drums id:Lines value:black legend:Studio_releases id:bars value:gray(0.93)
LineData = at:25/08/1979 color:black layer:back at:24/04/1980 color:black layer:back at:25/04/1981 color:black layer:back at:01/03/1982 color:black layer:back at:25/02/1984 color:black layer:back at:10/12/1984 color:black layer:back at:25/10/1985 color:black layer:back at:26/06/1986 color:black layer:back at:26/02/1992 color:black layer:back at:25/03/1993 color:black layer:back at:09/12/1995 color:black layer:back at:29/11/1997 color:black layer:back at:01/09/1999 color:black layer:back
BarData = bar:hirasawa text:"Susumu Hirasawa" bar:tanaka text:"Yasumi Tanaka" bar:miura text:"Shunichi Miura" bar:takahashi text:"Yoshikazu Takahashi" bar:kotobuki text:"Hikaru Kotobuki" bar:fukuma text:"Hajime Fukuma" bar:konishi text:"Kenji Konishi" bar:akiyama text:"Katsuhiko Akiyama" bar:kikuchi text:"Tatsuya Kikuchi" bar:yokogawa text:"Tadahiko Yokogawa" bar:nakano text:"Teruo Nakano" bar:tainaka text:"Sadatoshi Tainaka" bar:araki text:"Yasuhiro Araki" bar:fujii text:"Yasuchika Fujii" bar:kamiryo text:"Wataru Kamiryo" bar:tainaco text:"TAINACO"
PlotData= width:13 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4) bar:hirasawa from:start till:end color:Guitar bar:hirasawa from:start till:end color:Guitar width:7 bar:hirasawa from:start till:end color:Guitar width:7 # Additional timeline data unchanged for brevity. </timeline>
Studio albums
| Album Title | Release Information |
|---|---|
| In a Model Room |
|
| Landsale |
|
| Potpourri |
|
| Perspective |
|
| Unauthorized Music Collection vol.1 (不許可曲集 vol.1, Fu Kyoka Kyoku Shū vol.1) |
|
| Another Game |
|
| Scuba |
|
| Karkador |
|
| One Pattern |
|
| P-Model |
|
| Big Body |
|
| Fune (舟; Ship) |
|
| Electronic Tragedy/〜Enola (電子悲劇/〜Enola, Denshi Higeki/〜Enola) |
|
| Music Industrial Wastes〜P-Model or Die (音楽産業廃棄物〜P-Model or Die, Ongaku Sangyō Haiki Butsu〜P-Model or Die) |
|
Live and Remix-Remake albums
| Album Title | Release Information |
|---|---|
| Perspective II |
|
| Unauthorized Music Collection (不許可曲集, Fu Kyoka Kyoku Shū) |
|
| SCUBA (1989 CD reissue) |
|
| Pause |
|
| The Way of Live (Live の方法, Live no Hōhō) |
|
| error: {{nihongo}}: Japanese or romaji text required (help) |
|
| Scuba Recycle |
|
| Unauthorized Music Collection from 1983 (不許可曲集 from 1983, Fu Kyoka Kyoku Shū from 1983) |
|
| Virtual Live-1 [P-Model Live at Roppongi S-Ken Studio 1979] |
|
| Virtual Live-2 [P-Model Live at Shibuya Nylon 100% 1980] |
|
| Virtual Live-3 [P-Model Live at Kyoto University Seibu Kodo 1982] |
|
Compilations
- P-Plant CD Vol. 1, released in 2000
- Ashu-on [Sound Subspecies] in the solar system (太陽系亞種音, Taiyōkei Ashu-on), 2002
- Golden☆Best, issued in 2004
- P-Model Warner Years Singles Box, published in 2012
Singles
- "Art Mania", 1979
- "Kameari Pop", 1979
- "Missile", 1980
- "junglebed II", 1981
- "Index P-0", 1983
- "Soldi Air Dance Version", 1983
- "Ikari", 1984
- "Re;", 1985
- "P-Model Another Act 6", 1985
- "Another Day", 1986
- "Opening SE 1992", 1992
- "demo", 1994
- "SAKSIT North Passage MIX, 1996
- ">>>Unfix One>>> *Rocket Shoot*", 1996
- ">>>Unfix Eight>>> *Ashura Clock*", 1997
- ">>>Unfix Nine>>> *Layer-Green*", 1997
Other releases
- Model House Works, issued in 1985
- "Leak"/"Birds", released in 1986
- "Pre Drums", from 1986
- Zebra Cassette (Zebraカセット, Zebra Kasetto), 1986
- Christmas Song, issued in 1986
- "SSS-Star Eyes", released in 1987
- "entro Pack", from 1987
- "Legend of Sadatoshi Tainaka", issued in 1987
- Cassette's Bravo!, released in 1988
- Shut Up'N'Hit Your Stage', from 1988
- Music Industrial Wastes〜P-Model or Die Samples, published in 1999
- Virtual Live Samples, also from 1999
- Dekikake, issued in 1999
- "Moon Plant-I (full)", released in 1999
- "Astro-Ho (narration Version)", from 1999
- "Falling Rain (P-Model version)", issued in 1999
- "Illegal Dumping" (不法投棄, Fuhōtōki), released in 1999
- Global Tribute Battle, from the year 2000
- "Phase-7", released in 2000
Videography
- Moire Vision, launched in 1988
- ', also from 1988
- Bitmap 1979–1992, published in 1992
- Ending Error, released in 1996
- ', from the year 1997
- Live Video "Music Industrial Wastes〜P-Model or Die", issued in 2000
Music Videos
Yuichi "You1" Hirasawa, Susumu's brother, directed all music videos from Great Brain through Harm Harmonizer. The videos for "Fu-Ru-He-He-He," "2D or Not 2D," and "Grid" are featured on Bitmap 1979–1992. "Monotone Grid" appears on Photon-3, while "http" is included with Rocket Shoot, and "Logic Airforce" is part of Live Video Music Industrial Wastes〜P-Model or Die.
- "The Great Brain", debuted in 1979
- "I Am Your Only Model", released in 1980
- "different≠another", from 1981
- "potpourri", also from 1981
- "natural", issued in 1981
- "disgusting telephone", released in the same year, 1981
- "Heaven", launched in 1982
- "Perspective", also from the year 1982
- "Be in a Fix", released in 1982 as well
- "Hoka No Keikaku", issued in 1983
- "Echoes", also from that year, 1983
- "Fu-Ru-He-He-He", released in 1983
- "Atom-Siberia", launched in 1984
- "Harm Harmonizer", also from the year 1984
- "Karkador", issued in 1986
- "Another Day", released the same year, 1986
- "2D or Not 2D", debuted in 1992
- "Grid", also from the year of 1992
- "Monotone Grid", published in 1994
- "Power to Dream", launched in 1995
- "http", issued in the year of1996
- "Ashura Clock (Discommunicator)", released in1997
- "Logic Airforce", debuted in the year of1999
Legacy
The impact of P-Model and Susumu Hirasawa extends deeply into music and creative arts, especially within manga and anime circles. Numerous collaborators and former band members initially were admirers influenced by their work. Kentaro Miura, creator of Berserk, credited Hirasawa’s compositions with aiding his thematic concentration, while anime director Satoshi Kon regarded Hirasawa’s oeuvre as a continual source of inspiration. Similarly, filmmaker Daihachi Yoshida recognized Hirasawa for shaping much of his ideological perspective.
Artists who acknowledge P-Model or Hirasawa as inspirations include Fukusuke from Metronome, Hiroyuki Hayashi of Polysics, Daoko—who drew on Hirasawa’s worldview for her music—Toby Driver of Kayo Dot, and Kenshi Yonezu, who stated that a song by Hirasawa profoundly influenced his life.
Additional notable admirers encompass Klaha of Malice Mizer, manga artist Ryoko Yamagishi, Arika Takarano of Ali Project, directors Hiroyuki Kitakubo and Seiji Mizushima, voice actress and singer Sumire Uesaka, musician and actor Gen Hoshino, mangaka Kouta Hirano and Koyoharu Gotouge, composer Satoshi Ishikawa, along with actress and singer Ko Shibasaki.
The main characters of the K-On! series share surnames with P-Model members active during the late ’80s as well as their principal instruments; this connection has been acknowledged by current band members. References to P-Model appear throughout various manga such as The Sorrow of a Perfectly Healthy Girl and Opus, along with anime titles including Sailor Moon, Perfect Blue, BECK: Mongolian Chop Squad, and Space Dandy. In theatrical works, playwright Keralino Sandorovich has titled several productions after songs by P-Model and Hirasawa.
References
- Sources