TOPIC: Why do you listen to Japanese music?

[SoniaAlexandra]

well the japanese music I hear are the opening and ending themes from the animes...
and i love it!

[Blitzwing85]

I have only just started to get into Japanese music this week.
I have loved Japanese culture and history my whole life but for some reason it's took me until now (almost 25 years old) to really find out a lot more about it.

I started learning the language and i asked on a different website for peoples favorite artists from Japan. I'm busy filtering through about 50 that were mentioned and so far liking more than half. Some of them being:

Miyavi
MUCC
Buck-Tick
Nujabes
DJ Krush
Sex machineguns
Guniw Tools
Char

But, my music taste before the introduction of Japanese music was very varied. Favorite bands being the likes of Depeche Mode, Daft Punk, Pink Floyd, The Cure, The Prodigy, The Gorillaz, Metallica, Skinny Puppy etc etc.

I'm finding that a lot of the Japanese bands are very talented musicians. Some of the music is very well structured and atmospheric. Some of the bands i've started listening to certainly seem to go down a slighlty Industrial/Gothic route, neither of which i'm hugely fond of...but i find myself liking the way the Japanese artists do it.

1 thing i'm really not fond of is that there seems to be a lot of Emo type bands that remind of too much of western bands such as Lost Prophets...i detest that sort of music. But, i just quickly move on from those and there are a lot of good bands out there.

Looking forward to discovering more.

[diego187]

yeah, I started listening to Japanese music because I noticed that you can have a pop song but they are well structured and talented. For example Gackt, and the bass on songs like Seki Rey or Mizerable.

Also, that's not the only reason I hear Japanese music. I found my favorite band called Envy (a more underground band) who use to be Hardcore and now it introduced post rock to its songs. A band totally different from what I have found in any other country. It's sound can be compared to Explosions in the Sky or Mono, but with screams and all their songs with a simple formula but very effective that leads to and ascending climax.

YouTube - Envy - A Warm Room

So in conclusion, In Japan I found even mainstream music very well done, compared to music in USA and Mexico. Though of all the music I hear probably only 30% is in Japanese and 70% english and 0% spanish (Mexican music sux so hard).
And yeah, I don't mind to tell other people that I hear Japanese music because all the above stated and more.

[Kawatta]

Originally Posted by diego187

yeah, I started listening to Japanese music because I noticed that you can have a pop song but they are well structured and talented. For example Gackt, and the bass on songs like Seki Rey or Mizerable.

Also, that's not the only reason I hear Japanese music. I found my favorite band called Envy (a more underground band) who use to be Hardcore and now it introduced post rock to its songs. A band totally different from what I have found in any other country. It's sound can be compared to Explosions in the Sky or Mono, but with screams and all their songs with a simple formula but very effective that leads to and ascending climax.

YouTube - Envy - A Warm Room

So in conclusion, In Japan I found even mainstream music very well done, compared to music in USA and Mexico. Though of all the music I hear probably only 30% is in Japanese and 70% english and 0% spanish (Mexican music sux so hard).
And yeah, I don't mind to tell other people that I hear Japanese music because all the above stated and more.

Thanks alot for putting me onto Envy just now, Im hugely into Post rock and this track fits perfectly, i'll have to find the rest of this album, and check the older hardcore style
Arigatou!

[Anemone]

After finding L'Arc~en~Ciel through Fullmetal Alchemist and the theme Ready Steady Go, and wanting to find and listen to more, it's now something that is part of me, because it's most of what I listen to and music is a good part of my life...but I don't like [i]all[i] of it. I don't like a lot of the pop groups or singers, but I'm willing to try anything.

[diego187]

Originally Posted by Kawatta

Thanks alot for putting me onto Envy just now, Im hugely into Post rock and this track fits perfectly, i'll have to find the rest of this album, and check the older hardcore style
Arigatou!

I'm glad you like them! after posting here I made a topic for the band showing their sound at the different records they have.

Other amazing songs like a warm room can be found on Insomniac Doze, I recommend:
-Further Ahead Of Warp
-Scene
-The Unknown Glow (15 minutes long, but god, they are worth it.)
-Night In Winter

[HarajukuLima]

I can't see being ashamed of loving a band quite like X-Japan.

[Aota]

I haven't been on here in a WHILE. Wow.

Hm. Well, I haven't listened to J-Rock, etc lately because I've been broadening my horizons musically. My reason for why I listened to it in the first place? Same reason as me not listening to it as much nowadays. Looking for new things.

[YukisUke]

I'm not ashamed of m interest in J-Pop and J-Rock. If someone asks me what type of music I listen to, I'll tell them straight up. If they don't like it, they can go f**k themselves!! LMFAO!!

[kawaiicandie]

why do i listen to j-music?

well, i live in japan and it's readily available to me, for one, and i hear much more of it on the radion/tv/while shopping than any foreign music... like, even the big hit songs like lady gaga or whatever, we get them late... i kinda have no idea what's popular back home right now...

also, i got really into visual kei since i got here. i really enjoy the pop-punk style, and the crazy aestethics fit into my likes just fine so it's really fun. people think i'm weird for liking visual kei, but whatever (people think it's weirder for me to like visual kei than my good 29y.o. friend who is obsessed with johnny's bands... go figure....)

and finally, im struggling so hard to learn japanese that i guess i think on some level, if i keep listening to japanese music, it will help me learn it? lol.

also, i believe some other people mentioned it before but, i feel japanese music has a childish, happy side to it, which is really fun for me. i like the cheesiness.