Japan’s rich history of culture and politics, especially during WW2, brought about new interpretations of Western music, and created some completely unique combinations of genres and revolutionary approaches to music on the whole. Charlotte Foulkes' ten recommendations will scratch the surface but hopefully set you into the right directions and show just how diverse and captivating Japanese music can be.
1. It Could Happen To You - Ryo Fukui
Japanese Jazz Fusion stemmed from a desire to adapt Western Jazz. Japan was a very closed-off society, never allowing immigration or a merging of cultures in their country, however, Jazz managed to permeate the country. Firstly it was the luxury liners, that the Japanese wealthy would take to indulge in fancy wine and food and travel the pacific. Their entertainment would be from Indonesian musicians, who were already fans of American jazz. The wealthy brought back their love for jazz, along with records, to Japan. It reached the mainstream during World War II and the US occupation of Japan. American GIs would ask performers to play it, and coastal towns tuned into US ship radios. While Jazz was banned by the government as “enemy music” in the 30s, the Japanese adaptations of the classics lived on, sparking Jazz Fusion. One of my favourite jazz classics, It Could Happen to You, has been adapted by Ryo Fukui, who made it funky, groovy, and upbeat.
2. RYDEEN - Yellow Magic Orchestra
YMO were trailblazers of Japanese Techno-Synth Pop from the late 70s onwards. Formed by the Keyboardist Ryuchi Sakamoto, whose work ranges from classical piano, ambient music, composing symphonies and film scores, to using unconventional instruments, like a glass house. It is safe to say music is Sakamoto’s craft. Though inspired by KRAFTWERK, this project incorporates a pioneering use of synths and they left a huge mark on the electronic genre as a whole, though their recognition doesn’t reflect this. If you aren’t a fan of this technodelic band, at least watch for the wacky visuals of their music videos.
3. Porcelain - Ichiko Aoba
Aoba is a Japanese folk singer hailing from Kyoto. Her songs sound intimate and personal while creating a beautiful atmospheric sound. Her dulcet voice soothes you without needing to even know the meaning of her words. Songs from across the world appeal to me as the language barrier can seem limiting, but in my opinion, it encourages the listener to tune into every other component of the song: the tones of their voices, the fact you don’t need to understand the verbal story if the artist can create a feeling through the rest of the music. Porcelain is the lead single off her 2020 album Windswept Adan, and the music video perfectly reflects the otherworldly spirit of her album.
4. WINDY SUMMER - Anri
One of the most well-known genres to leave Japan is city pop, a Western inspired form of “new pop music” in the 80s. Anri is a prime example of the success of city pop in Japan and beyond, with many bestselling albums. Her songs were used in Anime shows, played at parties and weddings and then used as samples in vaporwave and future funk, two genres that followed city pop, creating more fast-paced or futuristic renditions of the classics. This song I discovered a few years ago and never failed to take me into a summery mental state while Winter dawns.
5. Long season (LIVE) - Fishmans
Formed in Tokyo, 1987. Fishmans embody the psych-rock era in Japan at that time, and their live album is absolutely incredible. Alongside their experimental rock, they have made some upbeat kitsch city pop, but the former is without a doubt their most revered work. Frontman Shinji Sato combined a medley of reggae/dub, rock, funk, and hip-hop, and was determined to not produce a record that resembled a previous one, meaning this ever-evolving band took many different forms. This song (albeit 40 minutes) is from their live album, and it's a trippy psych rock experience that I’d highly recommend to listen to. Ideally in a place without distractions so this can be properly heard in all its layers and brilliance.
6. Farewell - Boris
Japanese trio Boris are a cult favourite, creating rock music of a precise genre that is consistently being redefined, which for me proves just how unique they are. This is their opening song on the PINK album, labelled as grunge, sludge/doom/psych rock, noise, shoegaze and more can give you an idea of what they sound like but the most accurate method would be to just listen and see for yourself. This is my favourite of their songs, although it may seem just like a wall of noise, it somehow really speaks to me when I am existentially sad. It incorporates heavily down tuned guitar/bass tones and exceedingly slow tempos.
7. White Awakening - Les Rallizes Dénudés
This band, similarly to Boris, are defined under many sub-genres; Doom, Psych, Noise Rock, etc. It doesn’t even get close to describing the sound of this mysterious band. They started in the 60s and were “shoegaze” far before the likes of Slowdive and My Bloody Valentine. During the time of American occupation in Japan, the frontman met his band-mates in Kyoto University, having bonded over their distaste for the Americanisation of their country. They all preferred French culture; they wore all black, smoked French cigarettes in cafes, and made music of course. Inspired by the current psych rock scene by Tokyo natives “The Mops”, they incorporated psych with their Velvet-Underground-inspired alt-rock. The politically motivated band stood against the US occupation and the Vietnam War, and the bassist was very active in protests, having been arrested and jailed for months. He was among 9 students part of the Japanese Red Army who hijacked a plane demanding it lands in communist North Korea. Unfortunately, while the rest of Rallizes tried to distance the band from the political views, they were put under strict surveillance by the CIA, and so they went into hiding, only returning for a few gigs, having been outcasted by the industry. They have only officially released around three albums, the rest of their expansive discography is only available through bootlegs or live recordings. This is one of their more melodic songs, and Version I is on Spotify but Version II is my personal favourite!
8. Long Tomorrow - Toe
This is the final song on Toe’s 2009 album For Long Tomorrow. Characterised as math-rock (among other things), their irregular time structures and melodic features can be compared to other math-rock favourites such as Slint. Toe is more unique in the sense that the chaos seems unnervingly lush-sounding, especially in this song. If you plan on checking the whole album out I strongly urge you to pay attention to the subtleties of the melodies and instrumentation, as just glazing over the album can make it sound very repetitive but I believe the beauty is found in the smaller differences in pace, tune and songs.
9. SOMETHING - Steve Marcus & Jiro Inagaki and His Soul Media
This song embodied a piece of musical history, as the first ever commercial digital recording. Made by Denon in Japan in 1971 using digital Pulse Code Modulation (PCM), which was invented in WW2 for encrypted phone lines between London and the Pentagon. In addition to being a historical song, it is a very good jazz-fusion cover of Something by The Beatles with some crisp-sounding sax, and I would strongly recommend delving into the rest of their discographies.
10. Merry-Go-Round (from Howl's Moving Castle) - Joe Hisaishi
Lastly, it would be a crime to make an introduction to the music of Japan without mentioning one of its largest pop-culture exports, Studio Ghibli. Joe Hisashi has composed the scores to some of the most famous Ghibli animation films, having been associated with Miyazaki since 84. I’d have to recommend the Howl’s Moving Castle theme, as it is my favourite film. If you want to feel completely at peace and transport to the rolling hills and beautiful scenery from the film, simply listen to this incredible composition.
Charlotte Foulkes
Edited by: Roxann Yus
Cover image courtesy of Joe Hisaishi via Facebook.
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