Yunioshi are an electronic rock band from Nottingham, England, formed in October 2006. They describe their sound as "robot funk". The name Yunioshi came from I.Y. Yunioshi, a character in Truman Capote's novella, Breakfast at Tiffany's.[1]
Yunioshi | |
|---|---|
 The band in 2011 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Nottingham, England |
| Genres | Electronic rock, breakbeat |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Labels | Unsigned |
| Members |
|
Their sound was described by TuneTribe as 'the exact place where found sounds and breakbeats merge with left of centre indie pop; all lilting Beck-style rhythms and hummable hooks'[citation needed] and by LeftLion as "Beck dry humping the Flaming Lips with the robot from Lost In Space looking on and filming all the action for his own personal collection. The perfect pop band. They're as catchy as hell."[citation needed]
Members edit
- Rob Yunioshi (vocals, guitar, keyboards)
- Anna Suzuki Yunioshi (vocals, keyboards, Stylophone and additional instrumentation)
- James Yunioshi (bass, Roland TB-303)
- Hakushi Yunioshi (drums, additional percussion).
History edit
Their single, "Mymo", was used by Kia for the soundtrack to their UK television advertising campaign Cube for the Kia Carens model between December 2006 and February 2007.[2][3]
Other tracks that have been used in advertising include "Thunderbird", which was used to advertise South Park on Comedy Central as well as being used numerous times by Sky Sports and Setanta Sports. "Leisure Rules" was also used as part of Vauxhall Astra campaign.
Yunioshi were selected by BBC Introducing as a band to look out for. They have recorded sessions at BBC Maida Vale Studios and performed on various BBC Introducing festival stages in the UK. They have appeared live on Tom Robinson's BBC Radio 6 Music show as well as further airplay on Steve Lamacq, Huw Stephens and BBC Local Radio stations. There was a quiz about the band on Stephen Merchant's BBC Radio 6 Music show.
They played the Bloom, Summer Sundae and Splendour in Nottingham festivals,[4] in July and August 2009.[5] In 2010 the band played numerous live events in the UK to a growing fan base. Later in the year they went to Reykjavík to play the Iceland Airwaves festival. Upon their return from Iceland they headlined the Hockley Hustle festival at Nottingham Contemporary.[citation needed]
They provide cake for their audiences at live shows. They refer to the Yunioshi Catering Corporation as the provider of the cake. There is normally a link to the event or venue in some tenuous way.[citation needed][importance?]
Discography edit
| EPs | Year of release |
|---|---|
| EP1 | 2006 |
| Welcome to the 1950s | 2007 |
| EP2 | 2008 |
| How to survive a robot uprising | 2010 |
| Singles | Year of release |
|---|---|
| Mymo | 2007 |
| Compilations | Year of release |
|---|---|
| Leap-autumn/winter | 2006 |
| Leap-winter/spring | 2007 |
| Kind Assault | 2008 |
Television and advertising edit
This section needs additional citations for verification. (January 2019) |
- Kia Carens Cube UK TV Campaign (2006/2007) - "Mymo"
- Vauxhall Astra campaign (2007/2008) - "Leisure Rules"
- Setanta Sports - Harry Redknapp Montage (December 2008) - "Thunderbird"
- Comedy Central South Park UK TV Campaign (September 2009) - "Thunderbird"[6]
References edit
- ^ "Introducing... Yunioshi". BBC Nottingham. 22 January 2007. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
- ^ "Kia Carens :: Cube". Leap Music. Archived from the original on 24 June 2009. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
- ^ Durrani, Arif (20 December 2006). "Kia to run new ad campaign". mad.co.uk. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
- ^ "Splendour: Local bands take to stage as festival kicks off Sunday". Nottingham Evening Post. 19 July 2009. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
- ^ "Yunioshi". eFestivals. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
- ^ "Our track used on South Park ads!". myspace.com. Retrieved 31 October 2009.
- Steve Lamacq, In New Music We Trust, February 2008, BBC Radio 1
- The Beat, BBC Radio Nottingham, 5 April 2008
External links edit
- Lawford, Nick (November 2006). "Yunioshi interview". LeftLion. Retrieved 19 July 2009.
- Yunioshi's blog
- MySpace page