Originally formed at a college music club by the trio of vocalist/guitarist Shigeru Kishida, bassist Masashi Sato, and drummer Nobuyuki Mori, Quruli quickly became a leading force in the alternative rock movement in Japan. The group's first EP arrived in 1998, breaking away from the saccharine sounds common to J-pop and J-rock alike and moving to a somewhat more complex, sophisticated feel. Releasing album upon album (with 19 to their credit as of 2008), Quruli moved to the top of the Japanese rock listings year by year, cementing their status with a stop at SXSW in 2003 (exposing themselves to the American indie market) and Budokan soon after. A tenth anniversary compilation debuted in the Top Five on the Oricon charts in 2006, followed by additional expansion with a classically infused, Vienna-produced album (Tanz Walzer) charting strongly in 2007 and an album with full orchestral backing (Philharmonic or Die) following in 2008. ~ Adam Greenberg

Premier Japanese hip-hop group Rip Slyme got their start in 1994 when Ryo-Z and Ilmari began writing together for fun. As the duo became more ambitious, they added their rocker pal Pes to the lineup and soon were winning accolades in amateur rapping contests. With some recognition under their belts, Rip Slyme released their first album, Lips Rhyme, in 1995, and soon after added DJ Fumiya to their ranks. After some touring and studio experimentation the group released album number two, Talkin' Cheap, in 1998. As their popularity grew in Japan, the boys released a string of indie singles of increasingly hit-worthy material (notably, their collaborations with Fantastic Plastic Machine Underline No. 5 and Mata au Himade), leading to serious interest on the part of mega-label Warner. By 2000, Warner signed the band and on March 22, 2001, their first major single for the label, "Stepper's Delight," was released. By 2002, their popularity was reaching mega proportions and saw the boys winning both the Best New Artist and Best Hip-Hop Group distinctions at that year's MTV Japan Video Music Awards. Riding on that career-topping high, Rip Slyme unleashed their giant-budgeted Tokyo Classic album later that year -- becoming Japan's first million-selling hip-hop group in the process. More MTV awards followed and the band dominated the hip-hop scene in its homeland for the next several years, releasing four massively popular full-length albums, as well as a number of singles and collaborations. At the end of 2005 DJ Fumiya was out of the performance picture due to illness (with fellow hip-hopper DJ Soma filling in on subsequent Rip Slyme concert appearances), but he was back on board for 2006's ultra-popular Epoch album and for its follow-up, Funfair, in 2007. ~ J. Scott McClintock