that’s me..rite now i’m listening to L’arc and a lil’ bit of Dir en gey..plus some anime covers from Animetal…
cheers..

-Chris, I’ll look up some of that up in my library but I’m betting the St. Louis library doesn’t roll like that. But, I’ll check anyway.

I’m not too impressed with any of the Japanese electro I’ve heard so far. Far too house driven, and crappy house at that. I like music that makes me smile and gets me all hopped up. That’s good stuff to exercise to. But then Skinny Puppy and industrial is good to cook to and Puffy is good to sew to. Damn, if I had a sound track for everyday life it would really be incoherent ><. If you find the Japanese equivalent to Puppy or Ohgr -Zingor lemme know.

With respect to anime, one song for me stands out. It is “Love Song ga Kikoeru” performed by Anri and it was the end theme to the movie “Tenchi Muyo in Love 2″ (aka “Tenchi Forever”). Since this was the end to the Tenchi Universe series (except for a manga coda), I thought the song fit the ending visuals quite well. Also, the song, for me, could stand on its own and I like the fact they used an orchestra rather than synthesizers. As for the performer, I guess you could say most of Anri’s recordings could be called Adult Contemporary/Smooth Jazz…not really to my taste, but this song I did enjoy. I believe she sang during the 1998 Nagano Winter Games Opening Ceremony.

The groups that I like are older (like me). The Far East Family Band was a progressive rock group which combined synthesizer based rock (like Tangerine Dream) with traditional Japanese instruments. One former member of the group is Kitaro. He is known these days primarily as a New Age artist, but he has also done soundtrack work. He did the soundtrack for NHK’s “Silk Road” series and for Oliver Stone’s “Heaven and Earth” film.

Another group I listened to was the Yellow Magic Orchestra though they were a little too “electronic” at times for me. Ryuichi Sakamoto was a member of YMO but had a solo career before and after. Like Kitaro, he has also done soundtrack work. His credits include “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence” (he also acted in the film with David Bowie) and “Little Buddha”.

I like Osamu Kitajima, especially his first record “Benzaiten” as it tried to blend traditional Japanese instruments with a rock feel. A followup called “The Source” did this as well with electronic instruments and traditional instruments. He also has done soundtrack work on “Captive Hearts”.

I have listened to Tomita and like some of his electronic arrangements of classical music especially on “Snowflakes are Dancing” (Debussy) and “Pictures at an Exhibition” (Mussorgsky). I was surprised to learn that he did some of the soundtrack work for an early anime I watched as a kid, “Kimba the White Lion” (aka “Jungle Emperor”).

Pink Lady…I mention them, not because I like them (though some of their pop tunes were fun), but because I remember turning on the TV one night and saw this show called “Pink Lady and Jeff”. It was a sort of a variety, comedy, music show. It was a little bizarre and a little sad (both members of Pink Lady looked rather uncomfortable and at times had a deer in the headlights look). Later I found out that two years earlier they had an amazing string of hit singles in Japan and their manager thought that a US TV show would boost them into the American market. It might have worked with a different concept, but the shows (I hear there were 6) that aired failed badly.

Sadistic Mika Band…hard rock Japanese style. I always had fun announcing their songs when I hosted a progressive rock show on the college station. “Black Ship” was a good tune.

Shonen Knife…punk meets pop meets Japan. “Let’s Knife” is perhaps my favorite album by them. I also liked their Powerpuff Girls song, “Buttercup (I’m a Supergirl)”. They also were part of a Rutles (ahh, the pre-fab four) tribute album and their version of “Goosestep Mama” is great.

Toshiko Akiyoshi…a bit of an iconoclast. She is a jazz pianist/arranger/composer/band leader. Many of her compositions show her interest in Japanese harmonies, instruments, and history. For example, “Kogun” was inspired by the story of a Japanese soldier who stayed in the jungle for 30 years since he believed that WWII was still being fought…or “Tanuki’s Night Out” about a tanuki going out and getting drunk.

There’s more, but I think I’ve rambled for too long as it is. Hope this was of some help.

After checking out some Japanese bands surface appearance I researched if my fave bands actually look as cool as their Japanese counterparts No such luck. This is why I never really look up pics of band members. My idea of what they should look like never synchs up with the reality. I was sorely disappointed to discover the front man (only man) for Assemblage 23 looks like he should be on Orange County Choppers. And the lead vocalist for Wolfshiem just isn’t doing for me what his voice does.

My question, therefore, is do these Japanese bands sound like they look, or is it all part of an elaborate act to keep audiences distracted from an otherwise boring music experience? I need the whole package to watch a band perform. Not so much for just listening, but when I throw down $35 I expect to be entertained. Anybody go to one of these Japanese band’s show or think these bands have the “whole package” dealie going on?

I’ll definitely check out the site you mentioned to try and find a Japanese equivalent of EBM. That’d be swanky if it exists. Do Japanese bands get depressed enough to do goth music?

-Julie, a lotta the DDR music is basically house and techno. Check out some Japanese house or techno to get an authentic experience. However, bad Japanese house (all house is bad IMO) is still bad house. What’s so bad about Max that you can’t admit you like it in public?

Why do I even listen to it even though I dont know what they’re saying? It’s music, if it sounds good to your ears, then it doesn’t matter what they’re saying.