Lost Music of Ritsuko Kurosawa (黒沢律子) / b'Rouge / RIZCO
Sept 23, 2023 22:39:08 GMT
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Post by Voll on Sept 23, 2023 22:39:08 GMT
Hello everyone!
Last year, I began listening to a lot of 80s and 90s J-pop, and in August, I came across the music of Ritsuko Kurosawa. I quickly became obsessed with her music, and to this day she is likely my most listened pop artist since I began listening to J-pop. However, she wasn't the most successful idol, and because of a lack of interest her later music has fallen into obscurity. Since I've become aware of this, I've made an effort to try and get my hands on as much of her music as possible, to properly preserve all of her music for people to listen to. I figured I would lay out her entire music career and the availability of everything to see if anyone might be able to find what's still lost, or direct me to somewhere I could find it.
I like to split Kurosawa's music into 3 different "eras." The Idol Era, where she first debuted and was at her most popular; the b'Rouge Era, where she and another idol formed a pop duo for a few years; and the RIZCO Era, her solo re-debut and the end of her musical career. Just to be clear, I commonly refer to her as RIZCO, as it's the last name she went by. For this thread, I will try to only refer to her as that when discussing that particular era.
Idol Era (1990-1995)
Kurosawa debuted in 1990, releasing 4 albums and 5 singles. This is by far the most popular part of her career, and anyone that likes city pop may have heard a song or two from this era.
Albums:
Singles:
Availability:
This era is without a doubt the most preserved. In terms of official releases, all singles and all albums have been preserved pretty well, as well as the two promotional VHS releases. There is one outlier, though. Kurosawa performed a song live called LONELY BIRTHDAY, which I have not been able to find any information on. Interestingly, the video of this performance was uploaded by the person who made the arrangement, but I am unable to contact them effectively as I don't speak Japanese, and I'm unsure if the channel is still being used.
b'Rouge Era (1995-1998):
In 1994, Kurosawa became a part of a dance group called "PJ:G," which appeared on the now defunct music program "POPJAM" on NHK. This group was quite large, containing other idols at the time (i.e. GWINKO, Namie Amuro, etc.) In 1995, Kurosawa and Michelle "Mikki" A. Key came together to start "b'Rouge," a pop duo that released 6 singles and one EP.
Singles:
EP:
Availability:
This is where things start getting a bit obscure. As of right now, all of the music in each of the 6 singles is accessible online, though in some cases you have to know where to look. The one exception being the "Candle Nite Mix" of Love Forever, as the uploader of the single has only uploaded the original mix and instrumental version. This era also happens to contain what might be the rarest unique release of Kurosawa's entire career: the Remixed EP. This EP contains a mere 3 songs: Growin'Glory (12'House Mix), ONE SIDE LOVE (Redsand Mix), and CLOSE 2 LOVE (N.I.X. Intimate Hip Hop). However, it seems to have only been sold online once according to auction archiving sites (as well as the only images of the EP being from that listing). Because of this, it seems extremely unlikely for it to be relisted again, so while I do look out for it, I'm desperate to see if anyone who owns it might be willing to rip the EP. Fortunately, two of the three remixes are also on the cassette release for HURRICANE, which has been properly preserved, so other than the Growin'Glory remix, we're only really after CD quality versions of these songs. The only real lead for any lost b'Rouge content would be Mikki Key herself, as she does have somewhat active public social media. She's even uploaded the music videos for HURRICANE and Shadow Of Love many years ago. However, since she hasn't been in the music industry since b'Rouge, it's unlikely that she has any more to share. I've tried contacting her through Instagram, but she has not responded in any way.
RIZCO Era (1998-2001):
Likely due to poor sales, b'Rouge disbanded some time in 1998, and Mikki Key left the music industry. Kurosawa decided to re-debut under the name "RIZCO," releasing 2 albums and 5 singles. In 2000, she was part of a band called "R.P.R" (Roll Playing Rock), which only released 1 single and 1 album. In 2001, following her 2nd album, she quietly retired from the music industry in 2001.
Albums:
Singles:
Availability:
While availability has gotten much better after I purchased and preserved a couple of singles and her first album, the most missing songs belong to this era. To this day, melody is still unavailable outside of a YouTube upload of the first track. The instrumentals for Love is Stream and its B side are also missing. melody seems to be the second rarest release of RIZCO's entire career, as I lost the only chance I've had to get it after being outbid a significant amount. There is also a listing on Discogs, but it is much too expensive for me to purchase, especially without seeing the actual condition of the album itself.
The two most sought out lost works are the b'Rouge Remixed EP and melody. In my efforts, they seem to be the rarest and most expensive releases, and it seems very difficult to get your hands on them. I check auction sites everyday to see if there are any new listings, so in terms of finding this music through simply purchasing them is pretty much under control assuming the price doesn't get extravagant. However, I'm sure there are other ways of getting this music available to the public. If anyone owns this music, knows someone who owns it, or has any idea on how I might be able to find it without having to wait for people to sell it, I would appreciate it. Thanks!
Last year, I began listening to a lot of 80s and 90s J-pop, and in August, I came across the music of Ritsuko Kurosawa. I quickly became obsessed with her music, and to this day she is likely my most listened pop artist since I began listening to J-pop. However, she wasn't the most successful idol, and because of a lack of interest her later music has fallen into obscurity. Since I've become aware of this, I've made an effort to try and get my hands on as much of her music as possible, to properly preserve all of her music for people to listen to. I figured I would lay out her entire music career and the availability of everything to see if anyone might be able to find what's still lost, or direct me to somewhere I could find it.
I like to split Kurosawa's music into 3 different "eras." The Idol Era, where she first debuted and was at her most popular; the b'Rouge Era, where she and another idol formed a pop duo for a few years; and the RIZCO Era, her solo re-debut and the end of her musical career. Just to be clear, I commonly refer to her as RIZCO, as it's the last name she went by. For this thread, I will try to only refer to her as that when discussing that particular era.
Idol Era (1990-1995)
Kurosawa debuted in 1990, releasing 4 albums and 5 singles. This is by far the most popular part of her career, and anyone that likes city pop may have heard a song or two from this era.
Albums:
Singles:
- 純哀 / Jun-Ai (1990)
- HOT BOY (1990)
- さよならが眠らない / Sayonara ga nemuranai (1991)
- イヴの天文台 / Eve no Tenmondai (1991)
- だけど、愛情 (1993)
Availability:
This era is without a doubt the most preserved. In terms of official releases, all singles and all albums have been preserved pretty well, as well as the two promotional VHS releases. There is one outlier, though. Kurosawa performed a song live called LONELY BIRTHDAY, which I have not been able to find any information on. Interestingly, the video of this performance was uploaded by the person who made the arrangement, but I am unable to contact them effectively as I don't speak Japanese, and I'm unsure if the channel is still being used.
b'Rouge Era (1995-1998):
In 1994, Kurosawa became a part of a dance group called "PJ:G," which appeared on the now defunct music program "POPJAM" on NHK. This group was quite large, containing other idols at the time (i.e. GWINKO, Namie Amuro, etc.) In 1995, Kurosawa and Michelle "Mikki" A. Key came together to start "b'Rouge," a pop duo that released 6 singles and one EP.
Singles:
- ONE SIDE LOVE (1995)
- Growin'Glory (1996)
- HURRICANE (1996)
- Shadow Of Love (1997)
- Love Forever (1997)
- Stand By You (1998)
EP:
- Remixed (1996)
Availability:
This is where things start getting a bit obscure. As of right now, all of the music in each of the 6 singles is accessible online, though in some cases you have to know where to look. The one exception being the "Candle Nite Mix" of Love Forever, as the uploader of the single has only uploaded the original mix and instrumental version. This era also happens to contain what might be the rarest unique release of Kurosawa's entire career: the Remixed EP. This EP contains a mere 3 songs: Growin'Glory (12'House Mix), ONE SIDE LOVE (Redsand Mix), and CLOSE 2 LOVE (N.I.X. Intimate Hip Hop). However, it seems to have only been sold online once according to auction archiving sites (as well as the only images of the EP being from that listing). Because of this, it seems extremely unlikely for it to be relisted again, so while I do look out for it, I'm desperate to see if anyone who owns it might be willing to rip the EP. Fortunately, two of the three remixes are also on the cassette release for HURRICANE, which has been properly preserved, so other than the Growin'Glory remix, we're only really after CD quality versions of these songs. The only real lead for any lost b'Rouge content would be Mikki Key herself, as she does have somewhat active public social media. She's even uploaded the music videos for HURRICANE and Shadow Of Love many years ago. However, since she hasn't been in the music industry since b'Rouge, it's unlikely that she has any more to share. I've tried contacting her through Instagram, but she has not responded in any way.
RIZCO Era (1998-2001):
Likely due to poor sales, b'Rouge disbanded some time in 1998, and Mikki Key left the music industry. Kurosawa decided to re-debut under the name "RIZCO," releasing 2 albums and 5 singles. In 2000, she was part of a band called "R.P.R" (Roll Playing Rock), which only released 1 single and 1 album. In 2001, following her 2nd album, she quietly retired from the music industry in 2001.
Albums:
Singles:
- Love is Stream (1998)
- さよならに微笑みを / Sayonara ni hohoemi o(1998)
- あたらしい日々 / Atarashii hibi (1999)
- 月蝕 / Eclipse (1999)
- Groove Lovers (2000)
- さくら / Sakura (2001)
Availability:
While availability has gotten much better after I purchased and preserved a couple of singles and her first album, the most missing songs belong to this era. To this day, melody is still unavailable outside of a YouTube upload of the first track. The instrumentals for Love is Stream and its B side are also missing. melody seems to be the second rarest release of RIZCO's entire career, as I lost the only chance I've had to get it after being outbid a significant amount. There is also a listing on Discogs, but it is much too expensive for me to purchase, especially without seeing the actual condition of the album itself.
The two most sought out lost works are the b'Rouge Remixed EP and melody. In my efforts, they seem to be the rarest and most expensive releases, and it seems very difficult to get your hands on them. I check auction sites everyday to see if there are any new listings, so in terms of finding this music through simply purchasing them is pretty much under control assuming the price doesn't get extravagant. However, I'm sure there are other ways of getting this music available to the public. If anyone owns this music, knows someone who owns it, or has any idea on how I might be able to find it without having to wait for people to sell it, I would appreciate it. Thanks!
