The melodic and modern Japanese trio M.O.V.E will be stateside this spring as they are slated to perform at The Kamikazecon Convention in Houston, Texas. Their sound is an infectious blend of Vivaldi-like violins, metal ripping guitars, and techno. With the distinct female vocals of the beautiful Yuri Masuda and the hard, in depth rapping skill of Segawa Mototaka (Motsu), they style is uniquely their own. This creative one-of-a-kind sound is even represented in the title of their first album entitled Electrock.

Band member Kimura Takashi (T-Kimura), who is only known as the producer, formed the group back in 1997. T-Kimura is usually seen working a computer and several synthesizers as Yuri and Motsu take the lead during performances. The band is widely known for their theme work on the infamous anime hit series Initial D, and their second single called “Around the World” was used as the opening theme for the first season; that’s the song that propelled them to stardom. Since then, most of their hits have been affiliated with anime openings or ending themes, especially the Initial D franchise, and they have reached musical cult status within Japanese pop culture.

This is my favorite song by M.O.V.E called “DogFight.” The song just captures everything I love about combining different genres of music.

Another M.O.V.E song/video worth mentioning is “Out of Kontrol.” In this video, they actually end up animated as Initial D characters. I love when the animated Yuri moves her robe (she’s freshly out of the shower) as the lead Initial D character Takumi Fujiwara tries to keep his eyes on the road.