Vocaloids and I…

Even I have my history with them so better off writing about the topic before I completely forget!

 

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I had already been deep into the whole ‘anime’ thing and it was during that time when I’d asked myself, “What more could I get out of it?”
I was basically looking for recommendations after having been fully enticed by the artistically masterful crafts of Japanese music. I was and still am ‘ready for more’ so I never cared whether something similar to the awesomeness I’d experienced was anime or not. Still though, algorithms worked their way to find me the next closest thing to tags ‘anime’ and ‘music’.

…Hatsune Miku.
That definitely looked like a Japanese character name; all the reason for me to dive in and find out what it was exactly.

A virtual idol? Hah, can’t get any stupider than that! Except…
It felt like entering a whole new creative world.

Synthetic voices did not bother me that much since I have and will always be more of an instrumental freak, and frankly this was where Vocaloid music has me hooked from all angles. Because of how music craft works around Vocaloids, even your average Japanese person can potentially write, compose and release songs that I considered to be hella lit even for today. Artists’ freedom is important and with the incorporation of Vocaloids, some can ride their fame solo or work as a group to create something bigger. That was exactly how groups like HoneyWorks got to where they are today; making anime movies and TV series based on their Vocaloid music videos.

Naturally, Miku was not be all end all to Vocaloid, right from the moment I’d discovered more of the others. From Luka to Kagamine twins, GUMI and even those not made by Yamaha; again I did not care much about the Vocaloid characters themselves but rather song composers and producers who showcase their never-ending stream of talents throughout the years.

Then came the issue I think almost everybody share with me: The fact that stream of talent truly never ends!
I get excited every time my favorite artists release new singles once every few months. I would make sure to buy limited edition for instrumentals and hopefully the music video plus whatever bonus they are willing to give. The problem with Vocaloids became apparent as each and every day, hundreds of songs get released and apparently it was my job as a diehard fan to give every single one of them a listen. To make it worse, some people actually make you buy the song first, like a paywall kind of thing which disappoints me as a consumer. There is a point to previews, you know?!

Anyway, 99 songs too many per day had done me right in the head and eventually I gave up. I’d put a stop to following Vocaloids altogether but will always love them to bits because they are part of what made me the person I am today; open to any possibilities no matter how absurd it may seem.

 

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My List To You

 

Of course, I am not going to part without leaving a list of ALL Vocaloid songs I’ve had the pleasure to experience while I was still able to keep up. I will try to link all of the songs’ info to Vocaloid Wiki because that is where the fans work hard to keep up with the most current and accurate information.

So here is an undefined list…

 

[Miku] Supercell — Melt

Apparently you are not a true Hatsune Miku fan unless you have at least listened to and enjoyed one of ryo (and Supercell)’s songs. Well, there are many of his songs that I actually love — you will see more of them down the line soon enough.

 

[Miku] 19’s Sound Factory — Dear

Wow. I’d only just came back to check on Vocaloid videos when writing up this post. Since when did Vevo care about Vocaloids enough to actually have songs like this in their brand?
Anyway this is some of the most ‘raw’ Vocaloid songs I’ve heard in my time. Everything about it feels genuine and lovely. You could say that the song was just me taking a break from the usual high electric stuff featured in three quarters of Vocaloid songs.

 

[Miku] ryo(Supercell) and Dixie Flatline — Fallin’ Fallin’ Fallin’

Well well, what do you know?
Speaking of the devil, here is the high electric I’m talking about. I am almost certain that the instrumental idea mostly came from Dixie, who is very well known for using massive amount of synth and bass for their music.

 

[Miku] takamatt — Mr. Wonder

If I was only to look at the title of this song, it would then instantly become the blog’s theme song.

 

[Miku] Gapopo — Can You Hear Me (no info to link!)

I am deeply surprised to find very little to no information about this composer. I mean, if the song’s dope then I would at least expect to find its artist, no?

I guess Japan is still strong with anonymity.

 

[Miku] LamazeP — Po Pi Po

Oh God. Here comes the weird bunch of Vocaloid songs, though I will admit to having blasted this on my loudspeaker before, leaving visitors confused. Apparently this song is intended to have multiple versions mashed together, so if you want to crack the Easter egg set up by the composer — go find all of the other versions for this song and play them all at the same time.

This song has enough influence to the point even Kizuna Ai attempted its craziness…

 

[Miku] VocaliodP — 1/6 -out of the gravity-

This is definitely one of my most memorable Vocaloid songs of all time. Not only it packs so much meaning and deep, heart-wrenching lyrics; the instrumental is just too dope I have a hard time deciding its genre. I mean it has bass and distorted guitars,  it has heavy synth. Light music?

But it is too heavy for my feels!

 

[Miku] Kuwagata-P — Puzzle

Here we go, another sad song so you may never recover from those feels. Just so you know, this song is about dealing with a break-up/loss of a loved one.

 

[Miku] ryo(Supercell) — Koi wa Sensou

The widely popular song that goes more often by its English title, Love Is War. ryo is definitely one of those gifted individual who helped Vocaloid to gain its fame and eventually to where it is today. While his actual skills with the Vocaloid program is questionable since God knows when, his instrumental composition ability is never to be questioned.

 

[Miku] Lovely-P — VOiCE Diva Mix

A great classic to which anyone who has played Project Diva game can never miss. It is also packed with deep and meaningful lyrics (by now I’m willing to accept that’s a fact to like 99% of all Vocaloid songs).

 

[Miku] ryo(Supercell) — The World is Mine

ryo is back at it again! Do always pay attention to the lyrics of his songs, though! Because if we are talking about that and that only, The World is Mine has it among the best from ryo’s collection.

 

[Miku] DECO*27 — Yumeyume

DECO*27 (read as deco nina) has always been among my top groups for Vocaloid music, eeek! (The other being HoneyWorks). Please do watch the video as this is actually among the most animated Vocaloid music videos to date. Its melody is also happy and exciting so why not?

 

[Miku] DECO*27 — Ai Kotoba

Definitely one of their most memorable songs to date. The song’s title has ‘love’ in it; the melody is lovely. The lyrics is also lovely with those word plays. Who would have thought that watching a virtual idol sing can be this lovely?

 

[Miku] Sele-P — Amaryllis

Like flower, like song. Pretty sure it is intentional that the song sounds so good and uplifting.

 

[Miku] doriko and Kiru — Romeo and Cinderella

Not only that the song sound great but the lyrics which make up this song is among the most controversial at the time it was released. People in the West were already used to controversial rap artists releasing songs with powerful messages, so when dokiro came out with this to freely express his thoughts about a girl who was once pure (by all means natural), the Japanese got somewhat uncomfortable about the most natural thing called sex.

Did I ever mention that Miku fans take her age seriously? Because with that considered she is forever underage.

I really, really love the mix of violins and distorted guitars; they make a somewhat epic tale of uncomfortable things.

 

[Miku] Kosaki Satoru and Hata Aki — The Secret Garden

The OG for any Project Diva fans!

This should technically be the very first thing you encounter when starting up the game so nostalgia is the only language you can speak for this song.

 

[Miku and KAITO] Signal-P — Cendrillon

When I talk about talents for the Vocaloid program, Signal-P is definitely my top pick for the category. This guy really knows how to make them sound as realistic as possible, and when he doesn’t aim for realism; he goes beyond the boundary while making sure all is in harmony. Also, to make use of older Vocaloids like KAITO is basically ballsy at the time when Miku overshadowed literally every other characters in popularity.

You are going to see LOTS of songs from Signal-P in this list, trust me.

 

[Miku and Luka] minato — Magnet

This is back in the days as close to Yuri as Vocaloids could get without having to resort to the rule 34.

 

[Miku] ryo(Supercell) and Dixie Flatline — Sakiranun Graffiti

It seems that only big names can have their videos well animated, so here we have ryo returning with one of his most ambitious songs in my opinion.

 

[Kagamine Twins]  Giga-P and Orebanana-P — Electric Angel

Original song is sung by Miku and composed by Yasuo-P. There is however something about the twins that I like more in their version. Maybe it is their tickling personalities in their voices? Hmm…

 

[Len] Akuno-P — The Servant of Evil (Classical Version)

This song is part of a big series of music videos that make up quite a sad story. If you care enough then start from the very beginning. This song however takes the cake as my most favorite and probably the one which packs most feels within a few minutes.

 

[Kagamine Twins] Dixie Flatline — Gemini

Most of the time when there is a song involving this pair of twins, chances are it is going to be a love song. There were so much controversies going on, whether to regard the two as twins for real or lovers (because incest). Crypton Future Media came out and say they they did not really give a rat’s ass and that fans can think of whatever they want regarding the pair.

Rule 34 came stronger than ever.

 

[Kagamine Twins] Hitoshizuku-P — ‘soundless voice’, ‘proof of life’ and ‘endless wedge’

I have to group these three together because they form a story. Each of them are lovely and frankly tearful after a few listens.

 

[Rin] Jebanni-P — Su-Su-Su-Su, Suki, Daisuki

I li-li-li-li-like this song, love this song!

This is the original video but for the sake of song quality, I had to post the one above!

 

[Rin] Signal-P — Unbalance

You know, Signal-P has been hailed the title RIN MASTER for a reason.

 

[Rin]  Signal-P — Transmit

Look, I’m just going to tell you now that for the next few songs ahead will all be from Signal-P…

 

[Rin] Signal-P — CHU! Shite!

OMG. Kiss me, Rin-chan!

 

[Kagamine Twins] Signal-P — Rin Rin Signal

 

[Kagamine Twins] Signal-P — Enclosure

Here it is — my number one song from yours truly Dios/Signal-P!

There is an uneasy feeling about the song’s melody, choice of instruments and the tones at which the twins are singing. Despite all of that, I could only want more of it.

 

[GUMI] Signal-P — Aitai

A very simple song about conveying your feelings to your loved one. But then it is well known that you can make the best out of the most basic. Here I have uploaded a cover by Morinaga Mayumi just for you, Alfredo!

[GUMI] NANA(Sevencolors) — Run Away

 

[GUMI] Takanon — Difficult Love

Even finding the right info for this song is just as difficult…

 

[GUMI] Haro-P — Miracle Gumiracle

This is a straight up Vocaloid cover on one of Touhou’s stage where Hina sings Miracle∞Hinacle. Even the song’s name is a spoof!

 

[GUMI] DECO*27 — Yowamushi Montblanc

I still remember when DecoNina was on a massive roll with GUMI after having ditched Miku, haha…

 

[GUMI] DECO*27 — Mozaik Role

Told you.

 

[GUMI] Signal-P — Tropical Summer

 

[Gumi x flower] HoneyWorks — Tokyo Summer Session

The song was originally composed for CHiCO and sana to use in one of their movies, Suki ni Naru Sono Shunkan wo.

I dare you step into HoneyWorks’ world of music. You may as well be colored impressed.

 

[Luka] Agoaniki-P — Double Lariat

This is one of Luka’s most popular song to date so no way in hell it would not have reached me when I was still a rabid fan of Vocaloids. You legit get to watch her spin in place until the song’s finished. There is a big meaning behind that however, and it is best for you to find out in the lyrics.

 

[Luka] samfree — Luka Luka★Night Fever

Again, one of those songs where you can crack an Easter egg and find other versions. You however won’t have to play them together. Luka’s version happens to be the OG and most popular of all but there is no harm in checking out the entire series.

The producer samfree passed away at 31 years of age on September 24, 2015. May his soul rest in peace.

 

[Luka] kouhara-P — Lonely Summer Girl

I’m going to give a little history regarding Luka here:

Her voice is provided by seiyuu Asakawa Yuu, who is probably best known for voicing Rider in Fate/Stay Night. She has been studying English non-stop to the point that I can say she has the fluency going. In fact she is among a very few Japanese seiyuu who actually care about the English language so much, her Twitter is full of it. She is proud of being involved with Luka, even naming some of her gaming usernames after it.

Her voice provision to Yamaha meant that the Vocaloid Luka was truly the first of its kind to be capable of having English voice bank. Fans were super eager to try it out!
The result was so obvious even I saw it coming; unlike Japanese phonetics, English still has a long way to go with it comes to voice synthesizers that involve ‘tones’.

 

[Luka] Dixie Flatline — Just Be Friends

The most popular song of Luka’s, ever. So popular some people were willing to pitch it up against a plagiarism trial.

 

[Luka] FatManP — Last Song

 

[Luka] minato — Rip=Release

 

[Luka] maya – Fake or Fate?

It is a relatively unsettling song about BDSM…

 

[Miku and Luka] EasyPop — Twinkle Twinkle

EasyPop is here to give us some joyous, bouncy techno beats which will gently tug our heartstrings!

 

[Luka and GUMI] EasyPop — Happy Synthesizer

 

[Len] Plutonius — Yuragi no Uchuu, Koi to Mirai (the second round)

I love that he came back for the second round of this song, otherwise the original was just fine.

 

[Rin] Chom-P —  Pantsu Nugeru mon!

This song is by all means questionable, even more so when sang by Rin-chan lol…
I dedicate this song to Panties-kun! Our beloved TPAB!
Dude you have to make this the theme song to your blog.

 

[Miku] Val-P — Sailing to Hope

 

[Miku] hashiyasume — Shin sekai e no purorougu

 

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And that brings us to the end of my long list, consisting of Vocaloid songs I hold dear as I still listen to each and every one of them today.

 

Happy hunting!

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