Japanese rock
Template:RockBox Japanese rock is a form of popular music, often abbreviated to "J-Rock (jrock)" in much the same way that "J-Pop (jpop)" is used as an abbreviation of Japanese Pop. J-Rock is one of the most popular forms of music in Japan.
History
Psychedelic rock was invented in the 1960s by American and British counterculture figures. Arriving in Japan, psychedelic rock took on a different flavor. Previously known for the drug intake of its performers leaving an impact on the hazy, drugged-out music, J-Rock performers tended to be drug-free, or even adamantly anti-drug (for example, Kosugi Takehisa, Haino Keiji, Nanjo Asahito).
Psychedelic rock first appeared in Japan in the mid to late 1960s. A few Group Sounds bands imitated their Anglo heros, including The Golden Cups, The Tempters, The Mops, The Dynamites and Jacks, whose "Karappo No Sekai" and "Marianne" were two of the first psychedelic recordings from the country.
Like in the UK and US, the psychedelic rock scene was linked to a political movement involving young, spirited students. An economic boom brought many young people to universities, where radical politics abounded. Central to this movement, arising from the late 60s Kyoto student revolts, was the band Les Rallizes Denudés and the Taj Mahal Travellers, followed by Lost Aaraaff.
In the 1970s, singer-songwriters like Kazuki Tomokawa and Kan Mikami became popular. As in the US and UK, Japanese rock spawned a folk-rock scene, there led by Magical Power Mako. At the same time, radical progressive rock was evolving, with distinctly Japanese bands like After Dinner and YB02, Kenso and KoenjiHyakkei.
From the late 1980s popular rock bands such as X Japan helped define the Visual Kei aesthetic in Japanese rock and pop music. "Visual kei" is often focused upon in the West as a uniquely Japanese part of the Rock music scene. Strictly speaking, however, "Visual kei" is not defined by its sound (which may or may not be "rock" music) but by the appearance of the bands.
A fringe movement from the late 1980s in Japanese alternative rock took the form of noise rock, a sound popularised by bands such as Boredoms.
A book on J-Rock titled jrock, ink.: a concise report on 40 of the biggest rock acts in japan by author Josephine Yun was released in the fall of 2005. The book features profiles, discographies and illustrations of some of the most popular Jrock artists of yesterday and today.
An English language print magazine entitled jrock ink magazine was announced in January 2006, promising to continue the propagation of J-Rock in Western countries.
Bands
- See List of Japanese rock bands for a comprehensive list.
- The 5,6,7,8's
- Acidman
- Asian Kung-Fu Generation
- Bleach03
- The Blue Hearts
- The Boom
- BOØWY
- Boredoms
- Brahman
- The Brilliant Green
- Buck-Tick
- B'z
- Dir en grey
- Do As Infinity
- GLAY
- Guitar Wolf
- The Golden Cups
- GO!GO!7188
- The High-Lows
- Janne Da Arc
- L'Arc-en-Ciel
- Luna Sea
- Malice Mizer
- Miyavi
- PYG
- RC Succession
- Shonen Knife
- the pillows
- Thee Michelle Gun Elephant
- The Tempters
- The Tigers
- The Yellow Monkey
- Vodka Collins
- X Japan
External links
- Cutie Morning Moon - Group Sounds.
- J-Music Ignited - J-Rock Reviews and recomendations.
- J-Revolution.com's J-Rock Section - Website for learning more about J-Rock bands.
- Keikaku - Independent and little known Japanese Artist profiles, reviews, interviews and articles in English.
- Nippop - Wide range of Japanese artist profiles in English.
- jrock ink magazine- English language J-Rock Magazine published in the U.S.