Osaka Monaurail

Osaka Monaurail
Osaka Monaurail at Sala El Sol, Madrid, Spain, in April 2012
Background information
Origin	Osaka, Japan
Genres	Funk
Years active	1992–present
Members	Ryo Nakata Kentaro Yamagata Shimon Mukai Dan Hayami Yuichi Ikeda Soki Kimura
Past members	Yohchi Masago Katsutoshi Hiraishi Dai Nakamura
Website	www.osakamonaurail.com

Osaka Monaurail (オーサカ-モノレール, Ōsaka Monorēru) is a Japanese funk band, formed in Osaka, Japan.^[1][2] It has been active since 1992.^[3] The band is now based in Tokyo, Japan.

Band members

Current

• Ryo Nakata, vocal & keyboards
• Kentaro Yamagata, trumpet
• Taihei Awaji, trumpet
• Shimon Mukai, tenor saxophone
• Dan Hayami, guitar
• Yuichi Ikeda, guitar
• Tsuyoshi Ouchi, bass guitar
• Soki Kimura, drums

Former

• Yohchi Masago, trumpet
• Katsutoshi Hiraishi, trombone
• Dai Nakamura, bass guitar

Discography

Albums

• What It Is – What It Was (RD Records, 2000)
• Rumble'n Struggle (RD Records, 2001)
• Thankful (RD Records, 2004)
• Eyewitness to the Live in Heavy Funk System (RD Records, 2005)
• I Am What I Am by Marva Whitney Produced by Osaka Monaurail (Shout!/P-Vine, 2006)
• Reality for the People (P-Vine, 2006)
• Amen, Brother (and other Funk instrumentals) (Unique Records, 2007) aka Introducing Undercover Express (Japanese title on P-Vine)
• Live in Spain (Shout!/P-Vine, 2009)
• State of the World (King Records, 2011)
• Riptide (Unique Records/Shout!, 2014)

Singles

• "New Type Thing" (pts.1&2) (RD Records, Jan., 2001)
• "Down and Out" (pts.1&2) (RD Records, Jan., 2001)
• "Just Bein' Free" (pts.1&2) (RD Records, Jun., 2001)
• "Mind Power (pts.1&2)" (RD Records, Nov., 2004)
• "Double-Up, Now" b/w "Groovy, Groovy, Groovy (Pt.2)" (RD Records, Nov., 2004)
• "Hot Pants Road" (pt.1) b/w "Pick Up the Pieces One By One" (pt.2) (RD Records, Apr., 2005)
• "Pick Up The Pieces One By One" (pt.1) b/w "Hot Pants Road" (pt.2) (RD Records, Apr., 2005)
• "I Am What I Am" (pts.1&2) by Martha Whitney with Osaka Monaurail (RD Records, Jun., 2006)
• "Soulsisters (of the World Unite)" b/w "It's Her Thing" by Martha Whitney with Osaka Monaurail (Shout!, Mar., 2007)
• "Quicksand" b/w "Ceora" (Shout!, Apr., 2007)
• "We Got One (A Show)" (Our Label, 2007)* "Signed, Sealed and Delivered - I'm Yours" b/w "Supershine #9" (Our Label, 2009)
• "Tighten Up" b/w "Soulful Strut" (Unique Records, 2009)
• "Hung Up" (Unique Records, 2009)
• "No Trouble On The Mountain" (featuring Shirley Davis) b/w "The Archipelago" (Unique Records, 2011)

References

1. (3 April 2012). "Osaka Monaurail", El País, p. 8. Convenience link Archived 2013-03-15 at the Wayback Machine.
2. (15 November 2008). "Osaka Monaurail", die Tageszeitung, p. 31. Convenience link.
3. Leggert, Steve. "Osaka Monaurail: biography", Allmusic. Retrieved 15 March 2013.

External links

• Official website (in Japanese)
• Facebook page (in English)