Sounds of the Japanese Underground
I was browsing through the Internet one day when suddenly I stumbled upon the most interesting band that I had seen in a while. The band was called Minyo Crusaders. These guys were blending Cuban and Afro rhythms with traditional Japanese songs. At first it seemed like the kind of combination that wouldn’t make much …
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 …
The diversity that exists in the Japanese underground scene is mind-boggling. You can literally hear all the sounds of the world inside Japan. From Balinese gamelan to the down-home country blues of America. It really is what makes Japan such a unique place. Of course, there is a very strong Japanese culture but part of …
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 …
Beneath the harmony of orderly lines at train stations and traffic that obeys the rules, there is an invisible chaos. Many people in Tokyo live artificial lives in front of computer screens in offices that mimic dystopic nightmares. Day after day the grind wears thin on the soul. In that space, many dream the worlds …
In the great melting pot of the Japanese underground there is a band called Toe. It consists of four members: Yamazaki Hirokazu (gt), Yamane Satoshi (bs), Mino Takaaki(gt), Kashikura Takashi (dr). Their sound has been described as math rock and post rock. Their music is mostly instrumental and weaves complex dreamscapes into melodic odysseys of sound. …
The sounds of Jazz are an integral part of Japan’s musical tapestry. Even beneath the wide umbrella of Jazz there are many sounds. Maya Hatch is a singer who croons in the tradition of singers like Cassandra Wilson and Esperanza Spaulding. Her music is earthy, uncluttered and magical. Her voice is too. Every she note …
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 …
