Shinichi Osawa (大沢伸一 Shinichi Osawa), also known as Mondo Grosso, is an artist currently signed onto Avex Trax's "Rhythm Zone" label. Previously he was signed to Sony Music Japan's FEARLESS RECORDS division and released albums under the title of 'Mondo Grosso', which is is Italian for "big world". He was born on February 7, 1967. Over the course of his career he has worked in genres from Acid Jazz to House, with strong influences of underground club music, though his recent work has been in the genre of electro house. ] Japan rated Mondo Grosso at #95 on their "Top 100 Japanese Pop Artists".
Osawa was originally the leader and bassist for the popular Japanese musical group Mondo Grosso, which formed in Kyoto in 1991 on the For Life Records label. However, in 1995, the group was disbanded, and Osawa worked more on his own, collaborating with many artists such as Monday Michiru, Amel Larrieux, UA, Chara, Dragon Ash and even Ayumi Hamasaki. In the midst of his collaborative work in 1997, he became a solo producer, releasing the R&B infused acid jazz and house album Closer.
He made a move from For Life Records to Sony Music Associated Records in 1999, where he began his own label. Throughout the years, Osawa acted as a producer for artists such as bird and Eri Nobuchika. His 2000 album MG4 displayed the diversity of his production, fusing jazz and house. It featured the hit song 'Life', featuring Bird. In 2003 he released Next Wave, a more traditional house album.
Osawa also provided the hypnotic array of techno music on the popular PlayStation Portable handheld game Lumines in 2005. However, he did not reappear as a composer for its sequel.
In 2007 Osawa moved to avex trax. Feeling that, in comparison to his previous albums, the sound reflected more closely his DJ sets and performances (performed under his real name), Osawa released his electro house album The One under the moniker of 'Shinichi Osawa' rather than 'Mondo Grosso'. Under this new name, Osawa has received more international attention, creating acclaimed remixes of Felix da Housecat's 'Radio' and Digitalism's 'Pogo'. He also performed at Electric Daisy Carnival, which was his first performance in America.
In 2008, he remixed #1-hit song Startin' by Japanese pop sensation Ayumi Hamasaki. The mix appeared on the album Ayu-mi-x 6 -GOLD.
1993 - Marble
1994 - Invisible Man
1995 - Pieces From the Editing Floor
1993 - Mondo Grosso Etc.
1995 - Born Free
1998 - Closer
2000 - MG4
2003 - Next Wave
2007 - The One
1995 - The European Expedition
1996 - Diggin' Into The Real
1998 - The Man From The Sakura Hills
2000 - Mondo Grosso Best Remixes
2001 - MG4R
2003 - Henshin
2008 - The One+
1995 - Oh Lord, Let Me do No Wrong
1995 - Family
1997 - Laughter in The Rain
1997 - Everyday Life / Thing Keep Changin'
2000 - Life (feat. Bird)
2000 - Butterfly
2000 - Now You Know Better
2001 - Don't Let Go
2002 - Blz
2002 - Everything Needs Love (feat. BoA)
2003 - Shinin'
2003 - 光 (Hikari / Light)
