Doberman

Doberman is a dancehall artist. The name is also used for other acts, including a Uruguayan rock band and a Japanese ska group.

Japanese ska band

The Japanese Doberman begin in 1998, when the members first come together while studying art at Osaka University. The band does not fully emerge until the following year and develops as a nine-piece group with a sound rooted in ska, especially 2 tone and neoska, while also drawing on authentic ska traditions. The line-up and formation place them in Japan’s ska scene, and they become associated with both 2 tone and breakbeat-informed tags.

Their recorded work begins with the mini-album Ska Before Sunrise in 2000, followed by the single Tsuki in 2001. In 2002 they release three consecutive singles: Leap for Joy, Moonstruck Drunker and Game. That period also brings their first nationwide tour in Japan. In October 2002 they are in talks with The Specials about a proposed two-band tour, titled Specials vs Doberman, although it does not happen.

In February 2003 they issue their first full album, Zara Zara Texture, and then tour Europe. On that trip they play in Italy and Spain and appear at the ska event Street Beat Festival, alongside bands including Banda Bassotti and Capdown. For many of the members, this is their first time outside Japan. A year later they release the single Shashou wa Nekorondamama, which also receives a promotional video. They tour Italy again in April, appearing on Italian television and radio and in press coverage, then return to Japan to headline King of Ska, described as the largest ska event in western Japan.

In May 2004 they release their second album, Kieta Kyouken to Sore ni Matsuwaru Uwasa, and soon afterwards begin another countrywide tour. Later that year, an exhibition titled Doberman Europe Tour 2004 presents photographs and video from the tour, alongside the event Moonstruck Jamboree Special. They also appear on Kansai TV’s Standup! programme over a four-week period, during which their European tour is shown and their earlier single Leap for Joy is promoted. In September they contribute a new track, My Ska Generation, to a Fred Perry compilation, and in November they perform with The Busters at 2tone Time, another major ska event in Japan.

Their releases continue in 2005 with the single Akai Taiyo/Megami no Ju and the full album Cu d'Etat. The band tours Japan through 2006, also appearing at Festa de Rama, a peace concert held on the Hiroshima bombing anniversary in both 2005 and 2006. Their latest album in the available record is Zah Zah Zah!, released in 2006.

Doberman’s style combines ska with 2 tone and neoska influences, and their touring history includes performances in Japan, Italy, Spain and other parts of Europe.

Uruguayan rock band

Another Doberman is a rock band from Uruguay, formed in mid-2002. After about a year of rehearsing, they begin performing with a hard rock sound influenced by AC/DC, The Cult, Deep Purple and Guns N’ Roses. In 2004 they win a competition organised by Pepsi and Channel 10, chosen from more than 500 bands.

By 2014 the band returns with its fourth album, Insoportable, a hard rock release with 12 new songs. It features original members Andrés Mozzo on guitar, Germán Seoane on guitar and vocals, and Matthew Kramer on drums and vocals, alongside new members Alejandro Llambías, known as Llambo, on vocals, and Fernando Lopez, known as Rengo, on bass and vocals. The group keeps the raw hard rock character associated with the Montevideo band while exploring new sounds.