Asuna and Jan Jelinek

Most of the artists presented here have been purely Japanese. This duel, however, deserves mention on Up From the Underground. Signals Bulletin is the child born from a collaboration between German experimental electronic musician, Jan Jelinek and Japanese ambient-drone artist Asuna.  It is a slow sweet voyage on a sea of sound waves. The minimal synth tapestries … Continue reading »Asuna and Jan Jelinek

PIKA☆

PIKA☆ is the master of noise. A drummer from Osaka, she has spent her entire life banging out rhythms in a kind of stream of conscious self-expression. I love how unpredictable the sound is. I also love how imaginative it is. You could call it alternative rock, maybe even math rock, although it doesn’t meander … Continue reading »PIKA☆

WONK

Experimental soul is how WONK describes their music.  It is a blend of hip-hop, soul, beats, blips and mysterious sounds.  It really is different, unique and somewhat indescribable. Experimental soul doesn’t come close to telling anyone who has never heard of WONK what to expect.  On their website they try to describe their own sound … Continue reading »WONK

Kyoka

Japan has always been a haven for electronic music creators. Deep within the underground new sounds are constantly being innovated as artist push imagination to the limits. For the most part, like many things in Japan, the electronic music scene is male-dominated. That’s why it is refreshing to see this magnificent woman rise up. Kyoka’s … Continue reading »Kyoka

Noiseconrete x 3chi5

So here we are, exploring territory the Japanese underground is most globally known for, sounds from way out in left field. It’s no surprise that Japan is full of strange and wonderfully bizarre music. Life in the big cities can be stressful and regimented. Many people live under the old adage that the nail that … Continue reading »Noiseconrete x 3chi5

Shamanz

Shamanz was formed in 2011 by singer, songwriter, and guitarist TAMA TSUBOI.  His aim was to spread an acoustic based sound that could crossover genres and race. Their songs feature bilingual vocals. Each one is a fusion of Latin, reggae, pop, soul, Japanese music, world music etc. The current lineup consists of KAI PETITE (Hentai … Continue reading »Shamanz

King Gnu

King Gnu can be seen in and around  the Japanese jam session scene.  In particular, members of King Gnu were regulars at the jam session, Battle of Study, an event where musicians from all over the country would get together for a biweekly jam.  The session was started by Motoharu Fukuda, former saxophonists for the band … Continue reading »King Gnu

Kyotaro & Rikuo

Sometimes the best place to find the greatest underground music is on the streets of Japan. There, you can see the boldest and the coolest musicians in town. Finding a good ban on the streets of Japan can be a treasure hunt but, when you do find one, that hunt will pay off. Kyotaro & … Continue reading »Kyotaro & Rikuo