Uwaki Disco - BE@RBRICK
Music lovers and figure collectors alike will love the NY@BRICK line from Medicom Toy. NY@BRICKs are a cat-shaped spinoff of the popular BE@BRICK line. In their first release, these figures combined music and art to inspire unique designs. The accompanying song download makes this one of Medicom Toy's most multidimensional products to date. The "NY@BRICK Uwaki Disco" figure features a whimsical design from artist MAMES inspired by the namesake song from A Crow Is White.
NY@BRICK and BE@RBRICK Collaboration Background
The NY@BRICK line is a subsection of Medicom Toy's BE@RBRICK line. Instead of using the standard bear-shaped model, the NY@BRICK line features cat-shaped figures. The name "NY@BRICK" combines the sound of a cat's cry in Japanese "nya" with the "@" symbol formatting of BE@RBRICK. The first NY@BRICKs were part of a collaboration project between artists and musicians for BE@RBRICKs 20th anniversary.
Collaboration Planning and Launch History
Medicom Toy released the first NY@BRICK models in 2016 in part of the BE@RBRICK 20th-anniversary celebration. Most of the NY@BRICK line served as a tie-in for the self-titled comeback album for Japanese rock back CYBER NEW NEW. The line also featured other musicians releasing music that year. Other musical collaborators include Kamen Joshi, Kids Day Band, and fellow SPACE SHOWER MUSIC band A Crow Is White. Each figure design involved a third collaboration with an artist or designer drawing inspiration from the paired song. The figures come with a card allowing buyers in Japan to download a version of the song. Starting in 2017, BE@RBRICK continued making NY@BRICK figures outside of the musician collaboration.
NY@BRICK Uwaki Disco
This pint-sized cat figure from Medicom Toy combines music and art in a nostalgically cute package. Designed by artist MAMES, the figure resembles a handmade child's stuffed animal. The main body is a light blue. Color-blocked sections of pink, dark blue, and purple are marked off with a stitch-like border. The figure's mismatched eyes resemble blue and green buttons, one higher than the other. On the back, the cat's tail has been replaced with a thorny vine curling upward towards its head. Around its neck, the cat wears a dark blue collar adorned with a glittering disco ball. The disco ball draw refers to the accompanying song, "Uwaki Disco" by Japanese pop-funk band A Crow Is White.
- Product Name: NY@BRICK Uwaki Disco
- Manufacturer: Medicom Toy
- Specifications: Painted & articulated plastic figure
- Designer: Mames
- Height (Approx.): 65mm | 2.6"
- Bonus: Music download code (may not work outside Japan)
MAMES Background
MAMES is a Tokyo-based artist known for creating works that feature a processing method that degrades paintings over time. They work with collaborators to create unique product designs as well as host shows of original works.
MAMES Background: History
MAMES keeps most details about their personal life private, preferring to speak through and about their work. They first adopted the name MAMES in 2005. In 2011, MAMES won the Asia Digital Art Grand Prize, an award they would win again in 2014. MAMES had their first big year as an artist in 2015 with a three-month solo exhibition in Harajuku. In December of that year, MAMES did their first project with Medicom Toy as part of the Series 31 BE@RBRICK release. MAMES's collaboration with Medicom Toy expanded to include the NY@BRICK and "Dancing Cat Button" lines. Medicom Toy has hosted solo exhibition events for MAMES with original toy designs and showcased their collaboration with textile artist Anne-Valerie Dupond. MAMES saw their busiest career year in 2019 with seven gallery exhibitions and three high-profile collaborations.
Through their art, MAMES explores the concept of the passage of time and how it relates to material objects. They cite film, surrealism, and the natural and manmade environment of Tokyo as their influences. MAMES's personal belief in a fantasy world provides them with hope in the face of everyday struggles. This imaginative quality comes through in the whimsical, child-like designs invoked in their work. However, MAMES's use of aging processes in their work combines this imagery with a sense of age and distortion.
A Crow Is White Background
A Crow Is White, also known as Karasu Wa Masshiro, was a Japanese pop-rock band. Before disbanding in 2017, the group released four mini-albums, two studio albums, and seven music videos.
A Crow Is White Background: History
A Crow Is White formed in 2010 in Sapporo, Hokkaido. Friends, guitarist Shimizu Kouhei and drummer Taihei invited bassist Yoshiyama "groovy" Jun and singer Yaginuma Kana to form a funk-pop band. They self-produced their first mini-album "Hatopoppo" in November that year. By February 2012, their self-produced, self-titled full album sold out all physical copies. That year, they joined the label SPACE SHOWER MUSIC and released their debut studio mini-album "Spectacle Gokko" in June. Their first full-length studio album "Kaijyu Bakuhatsu Gokko" debuted in June 2013 with moderate commercial success. The band received national attention for their 2014 music video for the song "fake!Fake!" In 2016, they released their second full-length studio album "Back to the Future." In March 2017, A Crow Is White performed their last concert in Sapporo before disbanding.
About Uwaki Disco
Uwaki Disco is the second song from A Crow Is White's second full-length studio album, "Back to the Future." The lyrics were written by band founding member and drummer Taihei. The band's second bassist, Ochi the Funk, composed and arranged the song. Uwaki Disco represents the band's classic style of incorporating funk rhythm and guitar riffs with a pop-driven melody.
Links
NY@BRICK Uwaki Disco
BE@RBRICK Series
Kamen Joshi - BE@RBRICK
Daidai Daisuki Dakishimetai Kids Day Band - BE@RBRICK
BE@BRICK Label