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Akira Takasaki


Member

NA- Misako Honjoh - guitar, backing vocals  
1975- Akira Takasaki - guitars, vocals  
1977- Lazy - guitars  
1981- Loudness - guitars  

Studio musician

2010 Mari Hamada - guitars  

Guest musician

1983 5X - guitar  
2012 Mari Hamada - guitars  
2016 Mari Hamada - guitars  
2018 Mari Hamada - guitars  
2018 Amorphis - guitars  
2023 Mari Hamada - guitars  

Personal information

Born on: 22.02.1961

He started his career as a guitarist, winning a TV contest for young music talents at the age of 14. He was rapidly put under contract to be part of the pop-rock band Lazy, of which drummer Munetaka Higuchi was also a member. Lazy produced five successful albums at the end of the 70s, but Takasaki's musical style, oriented towards hard rock and heavy metal, did not gel with the band and in 1981 he decided to make his original band, Loudness, alongside bandmate Higuchi. The many heavy metal albums produced by Loudness brought him international fame and vast critical acclaim. He is the only member of Loudness that has been in the band since its inception, producing more than 20 studio albums in 25 years. Takasaki has also continued the production of solo works, starting with Tusk of Jaguar in 1982 and is now committed to a new side project called Ji-Zo. In 1998 and in 2002, he was also directly involved in the reunion of Lazy for the release of two new studio albums and for a tour. Takasaki found enough time to start Killer Guitars, a company co-founded and managed with fellow guitarist George Azuma. He is responsible for several of the guitar designs.