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November 23, 2024
 

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Ian Martin
Ian Martin is a freelance writer covering music and pop culture. He has been active in the Tokyo music scene as an indie event organiser, DJ and label owner since 2004 and has been contributing to The Japan Times music page for almost as long.
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Sep 2, 2014
The hammer and scalpel are what's needed to subvert idol-pop culture
One new act who has been creating a buzz in music-industry circles this year is quirky singer-songwriter Seiko Oomori.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 12, 2014
Chi-na aims to win fans over one step at a time
For many musicians, dreams of success take the form of a big break: perhaps a major label record contract, a lucrative tour deal or a barnstorming festival set. However, a quick fix isn't the style of Tokyo indie quintet Chi-na, who is gradually growing in stature through a steady process of connecting...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Aug 2, 2014
A deeper look at Hayao Miyazaki's nature
'The Art of Princess Mononoke' — a deeper look at Hayao Miyazaki's nature
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jul 22, 2014
Panicsmile opt for a back-to-basics approach on 'Informed Consent'
For more than 20 years now, Panicsmile has been an unsung hero in Japanese rock.
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Jul 22, 2014
Just what is so wrong about Yoko Ono?
As Yoko Ono prepares to take the stage at Fuji Rock Festival on July 26, a BBC video of her performing the 1969 Plastic Ono Band track "Don't Worry Kyoko" at this year's Glastonbury festival has racked up nearly 2 million views, largely from people tuning in to see the "worst live performance of all...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Jun 24, 2014
Without a canon, Japanese pop won't blast off
Exploring the world of Japanese music can be a baffling experience for those who don't speak the language.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Jun 20, 2014
New music label helps classic video-game composers go solo
New music label helps classic video-game composers go solo
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 17, 2014
Blonde Redhead gets comfortable with past records
Formed in 1993 by Japanese singer Kazu Makino and Italian twins Simone and Amedeo Pace, and forged in the noisy underbelly of the New York alternative scene, Blonde Redhead has charted a path that has taken it from screeching underground noise rock to fragile, glacial, minimalist melody without ever...
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
May 27, 2014
Forget drugs, monotony is the real threat to Japan's music industry
Japan has a drug problem. Everywhere you look — from the creepy, teen-host-club pop of Sexy Zone to the soft-rock balladry of Ikimono Gakari — children are being exposed to music that has been made with no obvious influence from drugs whatsoever.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 22, 2014
Marty Friedman takes a fiery break from J-pop on 'Inferno'
"When you're a 'rock' guy, there's something that makes you want to be in the business, as a photographer, working at a label . . . I mean, you're not going to be a fan of Cat Stevens and all of a sudden decide to be a roadie for Pantera or something. Rock gives you the inspiration to get involved."...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 13, 2014
Macmanaman step up to bat for the live show
"Instrumental post-rock" is probably the worst way to introduce a band, and by this point 90 percent of this article's readers will have probably fled to the sports section.
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Apr 29, 2014
Music curators deserve credit for keeping local scenes alive
The term "cultural curator" is one that tends to provoke reactions ranging from sneers to rage. It really is a horrible term in some ways, with problematic embedded associations.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 27, 2014
Finding Japan's hidden punk scenes in their natural environments
Finding music in Japan can be a nightmare, and the live-music scene in particular is notoriously difficult to penetrate. Tucked away in the basements and upper floors of anonymous buildings, often in seedy parts of town, where the neighbors will be less likely to raise complaints against noise and loitering,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 25, 2014
Babymetal aren't the latest chapter in the 'wacky Japan' story
The British are mad, aren't they? That Kate Bush with her crazy gyrating around a cello in the video for "Babushka," that daft loon Robbie Williams with his funky skeleton costume, those kerrr-azy Tellytubbies with their wacky dance routines — what is it about the British that makes them so totally...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 4, 2014
Crunch's debut mini-album aims for a 'sense of minority'
In a music scene where the border between underground and mainstream can be incredibly difficult to traverse, it's not surprising that many bands trapped in the indie-sphere bemoan their lot.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 25, 2014
Jesus Weekend will keep your family pet from a pit of despair
"Animals don't commit suicide, but this song is so sad that even animals would want to kill themselves."
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Feb 25, 2014
Keep the band, young graduates, but don't quit your day jobs
As the academic year draws to a close and a new cohort of young Japanese are dumped out the business end of the education system, so a new year's graduating class of young bands face a tough and forbidding new world.
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Jan 28, 2014
Music scene loses a legend after Plastics' member Masahide Sakuma dies
On Jan. 16, 2014, the musician and producer Masahide Sakuma died after losing his battle with cancer. He was 61.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Dec 24, 2013
Familiar obstacles stymie change in domestic music industry
While the Japanese music industry ended last year on a promise of change, 2013 has highlighted a few of the ingrained practices that are going to be a little bit more difficult to dislodge.
CULTURE / Music
Dec 24, 2013
Japanese indie bands to watch out for in 2014
While the Oricon charts tend to look more or less the same (perhaps a little worse) year in year out, the indie scene remains a haven of small delights, with new discoveries constantly cropping up to brighten your day. Here are five discoveries from 2013 that would be well worth keeping an eye out for...
Japan approves ¥21.9 trillion stimulus plan
The policy chiefs of the Democratic Party for the People, Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito — Makoto Hamaguchi (left), Itsunori Onodera (center) and Mitsunari Okamoto — shake hands after reaching an agreement on an economic stimulus package on Wednesday.
Tokyo Metro’s overseas efforts begin in earnest with London deal
Tokyo Metro will soon have a role in the running of London's Elizabeth Line, a major train route serving the U.K.’s capital city and environs.
Saitama court bans demonstrations over anti-Kurd hate speech
Kurdish people in Japan in 2015. A court injunction has banned acts that defame the Japan Kurdish Cultural Association and are disrespectful, such as putting up banner flags or handing out fliers with hate speech like “Refugees should go back to their home countries.”
China reinstates visa-free travel for Japanese nationals
Beijing Daxing International Airport
U.S. aircraft carrier returns to Japan carrying navy’s ‘most capable fighter’
U.S. 7th Fleet Commander Vice Adm. Fred Kacher speaks to reporters shortly after the arrival of aircraft carrier USS George Washington at Yokosuka naval base in Kanagawa Prefecture on Friday.
Shohei Ohtani wins National League MVP award
Shohei Ohtani celebrates after hitting a three-run home run against the Padres during the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles last month.
The slow-burn success of ‘A Samurai in Time’
A 19th-century warrior gets struck by lightning and wakes to find himself in 21st-century Kyoto in Junichi Yasuda’s surprise hit “A Samurai in Time.”
Around a quarter of Japan married couples in their 20s met through dating apps
A survey released by an organization promoting “Good Couples Day” shows that 24% of couples in their 20s met their marriage partner through a dating app.
'Tokyo Swindlers': Get deep into the minds of real estate con artists
In Ko Shinjo's "Tokyo Swindlers," a group of con artists manipulates real estate giants into falsified deals within the highly competitive, quick market.

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