Denki Groove

Formed in 1989 in Tokyo, Japan, Denki Groove is a long-running electronic music group best known for hits like "Shangri-La," "Rhythm Red Beat Black," and "Popo." Vocalists, DJs, and co-founders Pierre Taki and Takkyü Ishino launched the group with guitarist Wakaoji Mimio and DJ Kouji Takahashi, both of whom left the lineup in 1990. Another DJ, Yoshinori Sunahara, performed with Denki Groove from 1991 to 1999. Despite the turnover in personnel, Denki Groove maintained a steadfast presence on the Japanese charts for three decades, beginning with the release of "Rhythm Red Beat Black" in 1991. A collaboration with TM Network, "Rhythm Red Beat Black" reached number 3 in Japan, establishing Denki Groove's members as leaders of Japan's techno and synth-pop movements. Albums like U.F.O. (1991), Dragon (1994), Denki Groove toka Scha Dara Parr (2005), Human Beings and Animals (2013), and Tropical Love (2017) followed, along with more than a dozen Top 40 singles on the Oricon Singles chart. Chief among those hits were two gold-certified songs: "Shangri-La," which sold more than 500,000 copies and served as the end theme to the Japanese radio program Music Square, and "Mononoke Dance" (also known as "モノノケダンス"). By the 2020s, the band had released more than 20 records. Meanwhile, Taki pursued a parallel career as an actor, starring in films like Red Shadow (2001) and The Blood of Wolves (2018).