Combining letters from the names of the instruments they play — piano and cajon (a South American box drum) — to create their handle, Pia-no-jaC's stripped-down keys and percussion setup has netted the Tokyo duo a fair amount of attention.
Debuting in the fall of 2008 with "First Contact," the act instantly found a fan base for their unique art-jazz blend. With praise and sales figures increasing, they aimed to make a bigger splash in Japan's jazz and alternative- music scenes in 2009, issuing another album of originals and two very fun "Eat a Classic" records featuring reinterpretations of famed classical pieces by the likes of Ludwig van Beethoven and Frederic Chopin. They also managed to squeeze out a DVD, "First Movies," before the end of the year.
Having already sold more than 350,000 copies of Pia-no-jaC product, the prolific pair show no signs of letting up. They put out a collaboration with Hokkaido house DJ Daishi Dance, "Piano Project," this summer; this was quickly followed by the band's fifth studio effort, "This Way Up," on Sept. 1. Expect "Eat a Classic 3" to surface in late autumn as well.