Bassists are usually asked to stay at the back. IKUO has spent thirty years finding ways not to.
Shimane to the Majors
IKUO comes from Masuda, in Shimane Prefecture. He made his major-label debut in 1996 with the band Ex-iT, which broke up in 1998. That year he formed Lapis Lazuli, which also reached a major label and went on hiatus in 2004.
The Singing Bassist
In the middle of that, something unusual happened for a bass player. On 21 May 2003 he released a single under his own name, “LONG WAY,” and it was used as an opening theme for the television anime The Prince of Tennis. He sang it.
The title stayed with him. His signature bass from the guitar maker ESP is called the LONG WAY.
Several Bands at Once
From the mid-2000s the list of projects gets long. In 2005 he played bass and sang in the trio Cube-ray, alongside the guitarist ISAO. In 2006 he and the drummer Junji, formerly of SIAM SHADE, started BULL ZEICHEN 88, with Eijiro on vocals and sebastian on guitar. In 2010 he joined Rayflower.
Then, in 2012, came the oddest one. The Choppers Revolution is a unit with three bassists: IKUO, Yoshihiro Naruse of the fusion band Casiopea, and Takayuki Murata. “Chopper” is the Japanese word for slap bass, so the name is a plain statement of intent.
Why It Matters
Heavy music in Japan has a long line of virtuoso guitarists and far fewer bassists whose names are known on their own. IKUO is one of the exceptions, and he got there by refusing to pick one lane: a singer on an anime single, a member of rock bands, and one third of a group built on three basses.
It also makes him a link between scenes. The same player connects visual kei veterans, fusion elders and the instrumental circle around ISAO and the Kami Band.
Start with BULL ZEICHEN 88, then look up The Choppers Revolution to hear what three basses do in one room.
