mouse on the keys

** Drums, keys (formerly): 川﨑 昭 (Akira Kawasaki; ex 9dw/nine days wonder; solo project AQUILA KAWASAKI; leader; since 2006)

** Keys/Piano, synths: 白枝 匠充 (Takumi Shiroeda; since 2022)

** Keys/Piano, synths: 新留 大介 (Daisuke Niitome; solo project DNAAK; since 2007)

** Support Saxophone: Jun Nemoto

** Support Trumpet: Daisuke Sasaki

Ex member:

** Keys/Piano, synths: 清田 敦 (Atsushi Kiyota; from 2006-2021; ex 9dw/nine days wonder; solo project TONKOU)

History:

mouse on the keys was formed in 2006 by former members of the post-hardcore/post-rock band 9dw/nine days wonder, Akira Kawasaki (leader, drums, piano) and Atsushi Kiyota (piano, keyboards).

In 2007, Daisuke Niitome (piano, keyboards) joined, establishing the trio's current lineup at the time. That same year, they released "sezession" through Machupicchu Industrias, a label founded by toe.

In 2009, they released their first full-length album, "an anxious object," through Machupicchu Industrias.

In March 2010, "sezession" and "an anxious object" were released in Europe as well. The band received attention both in Japan and overseas, including performances during their European tour. They also released the split compact cassette "Kowloon / Mouse On The Keys."

The band provided an original song for the "Casablanca and Tagine" edition of the Kewpie Half mayonnaise commercial.

In March 2011, they embarked on their third European tour. The tour was documented in their first DVD, "irreversible," released in September of the same year.

Following the Great East Japan Earthquake that occurred during the tour, mouse on the keys and the band 灰汁 recorded four live session tracks in a single take. The tracks were released exclusively online, with all proceeds after fees donated as relief funds for disaster victims. The band also provided an original song for a new commercial for JT's Roots Aroma Bottle canned coffee series.

In 2012, they released "Machinic Phylum" through Machupicchu Industrias. They also performed with Nerve, led by Jojo Mayer, and Vladislav Delay, a member of the Moritz von Oswald Trio.

In 2013, they toured Canada, followed by performances in Brazil in 2014. They subsequently expanded their activities across Asia, with shows in Taiwan, Hong Kong, Manila, Kuala Lumpur, and Singapore receiving strong responses in each location. That same year, they released "mouse on the keys REMIXES" as the first release from the analog-focused label Retalk.

In July 2015, they released their second full-length album, "the flowers of romance," through mule musiq.

In September 2016, they released the split album "LITE / mouse on the keys Split" through the American label Topshelf Records. The release featured cover versions and original songs by both bands. They also released "Live at the Red Bull Studios Tokyo," available exclusively at the venue.

Their North American tour spanning 2016 and 2017 included sold-out and highly successful shows in cities such as Los Angeles, Seattle, and Philadelphia.

In 2017, they released "Out of Body" through both their own label fractrec and Topshelf Records. That same year, a music video for a limited-edition BE@RBRICK produced by Yasuto Sasada was released, featuring the original song "KUJAKU." In September, they provided the music for the installation at the "Tadao Ando: Endeavors" exhibition held at The National Art Center, Tokyo. The music used for the installation was digitally released in October as "The Beginnings / The Prophecy (TADAO ANDO: ENDEAVORS version)."

In May 2018, they released their third full-length album, "tres," through their own label fractrec and Topshelf Records. In October, they released a 7-inch record featuring the album track "Stars Down" and its remixes. In November, they embarked on a 14-city North American tour. That same year, they composed music for JT's corporate commercials "HITOTSUZUTSU DESUGA, MIRAI E." Declaration篇 and Product Development篇, featuring vocalist Dominique Fils-Aimé, who had also collaborated with them on "tres."

In January 2019, they released the single "Circle" and the venue-exclusive CD "Circle EP." In August, they released the single "Mind." In October, they released the soundtrack for the NHK special drama "The Fraud Child," with the score composed by Yuji Katsui of ROVO and mouse on the keys. That year, they also performed overseas in Taiwan and China.

In April 2020, they released the new song "body (SEVEN's CODE Ver.)," which had been contributed to the mobile game "SEVEN's CODE." In May, they released "Arche," a four-track new release created in collaboration with the music label felicity. It was released in the United States through Topshelf Records. In July, they participated in the compilation album "WARP TREE," followed by an appearance on the compilation "Electronic Music for Loudspeakers Selected by audiounion" in October.

On May 1st 2021, it was announced that member Atsushi Kiyota would leave the band.

In July, music by the new lineup was provided for a music video related to architect Riken Yamamoto's "IR Development Plan Without a Casino" project.

In February 2022, their music was included on the high-resolution electronic music compilation "Electronic Music for Loudspeakers Vol. 2." In March, they announced that their first solo performance with the new lineup, "The Dawn," would take place on December 3 at Hirashin Hiratsuka Culture and Arts Hall. In September, the online program "mouse on the TV - Searching for the Unknown" began airing on the band's official YouTube channel as part of their return to activity. The first three episodes featured conversations with intellectual historian Kenta Kudo.

On October 29th 2022, Takumi Shiroeda (piano, keyboards) was officially announced as a new member.

In December, the band held "The Dawn," their first solo performance in approximately three years, and released the venue-exclusive single CD "The Dawn" to coincide with the show.

In February 2023, they presented "mouse on the keys: Pointillism" at the Matsumoto Architecture and Art Festival in Matsumoto, Nagano. During their stay in Matsumoto, they publicly created the music over several days at Nakamachi Kurassic-kan, before performing the completed work at Shinmai Media Garden.

That same month, it was announced that mouse on the keys would compose the score for the TBS Sunday Theater television drama "Last Man: Zenmō no Sōsakan" ("Last Man: The Blind Detective"), which aired from April through June, together with Hideakira Kimura.

On September 20, 2023, the publicly created work "mouse on the keys: Pointillism," originally presented at the Matsumoto Architecture and Art Festival in February, was released as a nine-track digital album and on cassette tape, limited to 150 copies. The cassette edition also included two bonus tracks from the venue-exclusive "The Dawn EP."

In March 2024, as part of the "Matsumoto Architecture and Art Festival 2024 ANNEX," they performed "Pointillism II," an installation performance combining architecture, visual art, and music inside the former Matsumoto City Museum building shortly before its demolition. The performance featured four guest musicians.

That same month, they participated in the production of the soundtrack for NHK's "New Project X: Challengers".

On November 1, 2024, they released their fourth full-length album, "midnight," digitally. It was the first since new member Shiroeda Takumi joining. It features collaborations with a diverse range of guest musicians, including North London music producer Loraine James, violinist Shuntaro Tsuneda (who also performed at the Matsumoto Architecture Arts Festival), cellist Seigen Tokuzawa (who has been involved in various orchestration projects), and percussionist Taikimen (who is active in support work and as a member of Answer to Remember), the album weaves a rich tapestry of sound. midnight, true to its title, carries a dark atmosphere but is filled with a variety of tracks that embody the new evolution of mouse on the keys, planting seeds of new possibilities in the listener’s heart.

On November 20, they held the album showcase "4th Full Album midnight Showcase -FRACTREGION Vol.3-" at EX THEATER ROPPONGI. Loraine James, who had traveled to Japan for the performance, also appeared onstage with the band.

In 2025 they returned to Europe and several countries in Asia on their mouse on the keys "midnight world tour".

In September 2026 they released their EP "衝動の肖像 Portrait of Impulse".

Musical style:

Their music is a blend of minimal phrased piano and dynamic drumming. The pursuit of a live experience composed of visual and audio expression. Formed in 2006, with elements of jazz, funk, post‐rock and electronic music, Mouse on the Keys fits into a genre of their own. Their unique sound, comprising two pianos, two keyboards and drums, continue to stand at the forefront of the Japanese indie scene.

The unique sound of the band's drums, two pianos, and two keyboards combines the sense of urgency from rock, hard core and heavy metal with tastes of early/contemporary classical, jazz and various dance music.

At their concerts, the band projects a variety of images chosen to match their sound ―views of Tokyo, geometric symbols, 3D objects, and abstractions. Residents of Tokyo, the members of Mouse on the Keys represent the haunting restlessness of their home city at their live appearances. They would transform even a venue in Germany or France into a kind of virtual Tokyo.

Kiyoshi Takanashi & Kento Takahashi (I was a Ballerina co.,ltd) often acted as their film directors & manipulators while Michinori Saigo and MINORxU often acted as their PV directors.

Their labels include(d): fractrec (JPN), Machupicchu INDUSTRIAS (JPN), mule musiq (JPN), felicity (JPN), Topshelf Records (North America), Denovali Records (Germany).

Discography:

Albums:

2009.07.08 - an anxious object (Japan: Machupicchu Industrias, Europe: denovali records)

2015.07.15 - flowers of romance

2018.05.23 - tres

2023.09.20 - Pointilism (Digital | Cassette Tape - 150 copies Limited)

2024.11.01 - midnight (fractrec/felicity)

Mini albums/EPs:

2007.11.21 - sezession (EP) (Japan: Machupicchu Industrias, Europe: denovali records)

2011.07.18 - machinic phylum (Mini Album) (Japan: Machupicchu Industrias)

2016.10.21 - Split EP with LITE

2017.01.17 - Out of Body (EP)

2019.03.03 - Circle (EP)

2020.05.20 - Arche (EP)

2023.02.11 - The Dawn (EP)

2026.09.23 - 衝動の肖像 Portrait of Impulse (EP)

Singles:

2017.10.18 - The Beginnings & The Prophecy

2019.02.13 - Circle

2019.08.23 - Mind

2024.06.25 - The Dawn / The Dusk (Sg)

Various, Splits, Soundtracks etc:

2009.04.22 - "Kill your T.V. '09" (Avocado Records) (Various Artists)

2009.05.02 - JAPADAPTA/DJ BAKU (POPGROUP Recordings) (Various Artists)

2010.00.00 - Split w Kowloon

2011.00.00 - Irreversible (DVD)

2011.03.02 - More SQ (SQUARE ENIX) (Various Artists)

2011.04.15 - mouse on the keys × 灰汁 (aku) "Live session 2011/3/28" digital charity release (EP)

2016.03.05 - Live at Red Bull Studios TOKYO (Live CD)

2019.10.02 - NHK Special Drama ''Sagi no ko'' Original Soundtrack (w 勝井祐二/Katsui Yuji from ROVO) (OST)

2020.04.19 - MUSIC UNITES AGAINST COVID-19 (VA)

2020.04.30 - body (SEVEN'S CODE ver.) (Not released)

2023.06.07 - LASTMAN -Zenmou no Sousakan- Original Soundtrack (with 木村秀彬/Hideakira Kimura) (OST)

2023.06.25 - LASTMAN -Zenmou no Sousakan- Original Soundtrack Vol.2 (with 木村秀彬/Hideakira Kimura) (OST)

2025.12.24 - LASTMAN -FIRST LOVE- Original Soundtrack (with 木村秀彬/Hideakira Kimura) (OST)

https://lit.link/mouseonthekeys

https://www.mouseonthekeys.net/

https://www.instagram.com/mouseonthekeys

https://www.youtube.com/@mouseonthekeys8893

https://mouseonthekeystokyo.bandcamp.com/

http://twitter.com/mouseonthekeys

https://www.facebook.com/mouseonthekeys/

http://www.myspace.com/mouseonthekeys

https://www.instagram.com/akira_prmtscrm/

https://www.instagram.com/daisuke_niitome/

https://www.instagram.com/takumi.shiroeda/

https://x.com/kiyotatsushi

https://www.instagram.com/kiyotatsushi/

https://lit.link/tonkou