Tag: 80s
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Mami Yamase: A Retrospective Look Into the Idol that Went From Cute to Punk
“Holding hands with trembling little fingers, searching for hidden signs, holding onto unforgettable memories” — lyrics from “Go! (ゴォ！)” by Yamase Mami. The magnificent ’80s! A decade where Japanese music reached a new peak compared to previous decades, with the influence from iconic and important figures as Yellow Magic Orchestra, Masataka Matsutoya and many more,…
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Hide’s Visual Kei Vanity Project: The Strangeness of Seth et Holth (1993)
“Everything is wrong in this place. I wonder what will become of us?” Seth et Holth is a 45-minute film conceptualised by Hide, the guitarist of the band X Japan. Released in the early ‘90s around the band’s commercial peak, It’s one of the most bizarre films involving a musician that I’ve ever come across.…
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THE SUSUMU HIRASAWA FILES VOL.3- BEFORE THE FREEZE
The year is 1984, and the world is moving incredibly fast. Everyone is carrying a Walkman, listening to new music and AOR, and adjusting their eyes to the bright neon lights that weren’t on these streets before, or at least not in this density. Young people frequent clubs, go on late-night drives in stylish cars,…
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‘I had no idea about the resurgence of Sunset Road’: An Interview With Reiko Takahashi
One of City Pop’s greatest mysteries has finally come to an end. After the 2018 release of Victor Records’ City Pop compilation album, DJ Notoya Presents: Tokyo 1980s Victor Edition, which included the seminal track ‘Sunset Road’, artist Reiko Takahashi has racked up a new generation of fans online. A defining track of the 2020s…
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FILM: POST-APOCALYPTIC PUNK: A look at Gakuryū Ishii’s Burst City (1982)
“The city is our ally and we are its warriors. Reject the darkness now and explode with the city!” If I ever owned a dive bar, the film Burst City is what would be constantly playing on the TV at any given moment. Released in 1982 and directed by Gakuryū Ishii (formerly Sogo Ishii), Burst…
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Tokyo Flashback: Remembering P.S.F. Records
In the early ‘80s, Hideo Ikeezumi (1949-2017), at this point a bulk buyer for a large record store chain, became increasingly frustrated with the limited and unadventurous selection found in most Japanese shops, and decided to open his own. At Modern Music in Tokyo, Ikeezumi specialized in carrying free jazz, psychedelic rock, avant garde and…
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THE SUSUMU HIRASAWA FILES #2:THE P-MODEL DAYS
New Year’s Day 1979, Hirasawa family house in Kameari, Tokyo. The members of freshly dead Mandrake and Susumu’s brother, Yuichi, sat around and discussed the band’s future. Progressive rock wasn’t cutting it anymore for Mandrake, and the growing pains connected to the genre’s decline in Japan propelled them to change their artistic direction. At the…
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INTERVIEW: MITSURU TABATA -The Final Tabata
Photos by Alex Zucco From Boredoms to Acid Mother’s Temple, Mitsuru Tabata has an impressive and influential decades-long career of solo, band and collaborative projects, working alongside notable and renowned figures in Japanese and English music. Combining traditional Japanese folk-music and early post-punk in Noizunzuri, post-hardcore noise rock in his 20 years with Zeni Geva,…
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Japanese Alternative’s Guide to JP New Wave
Welcome to JP ALT’s introduction to Japanese new wave. New wave, or “new music” emerged in the late 70s and found prominence in the early 80s. While its roots are heavily tied to the new romantic movement which overwhelmed the UK in the 80s, Japanese new wave is often forgotten in the new wave history…