Modern Girl & Sniper is a techno-pop duo formed by Michiko Yoshino and Juri Goto. Their brand of electronica is a hyperkinetic soundscape of varying styles, heavy on breezy, playful lyrics and feel-good jazzy rhythms. While their debut album, Let’s Modern Hyper, was released on August 18, 2010, under the label, apart.RECORDS, they had already attracted a sizable following in Japan by that time, thanks to their eternally sunny number, “Rainbow Jyunrei” (Rainbow Pilgrimage). Picked up as the theme song for the pachinko program, Pachislo Battle League (Pachinko Battle League), “Rainbow Jyunrei” aired via SkyPerfec TV, a major Japanese satellite TV service, and became an instant hit, understandably among pachinko geeks all across the nation.
Gifted with a wide vocal range and a buoyant stage presence, Michiko shines with her husky voice when singing downtempo jazzy numbers, as much as she bedazzles during spacey sound-storms, registering all the right stratospheric notes without making you wince. Convinced that she is the reincarnation of Mistinguett, the late 19th century French singer of Moulin Rouge fame, Michiko’s taste in music has always been eclectic, ranging from kayokyoku (Japanese pop songs) to disco legends, such as Earth Wind & Fire and ABBA. “I always had a loud voice so I was naturally attracted to vocalists,” she says. After winning considerable recognition at music contests during her formative years, she resolved to become a singer, but the need to pay rent became an overwhelming priority as adulthood encroached, prompting her to shelve her dream and enter into the world of TV program advertising as a graphic artist. Despite winning acclaim for her work for major projects, such as online campaigns for the cyberpunk classic, Ghost in the Shell, the fire inside her still remained and she fled to New York to find inspiration. There, she lost herself in the chaos of random parties, received some human-interest press coverage, and made some new friends who grokked her cosmopolitan aura before returning to Japan with a firmer resolve to make her dream come true. But not much happened until she met Juri Goto, a towering freelance musician who radiates some solid Austin Power vibes, rather surprisingly.
Born to music lovers, Juri went through a childhood that revolved around a demanding musical education, which he describes as being nothing other than Spartan. Although he entered into the prestigious high school run by the Tokyo College of Music, he dropped out after seeing the light of technopop glory and became a freelance musician, specializing in tunes for games and commercials. He met Michiko when he was part of a team of composers charged with creating ringtones. Before they knew it, worlds had collided, sparks had flown, and Modern Girl & Sniper had burst onto Tokyo’s electronica scene, making waves with their mind-bending primary-color vibes.
Check out the music video for their tune, Baby Boom.
