Big In Japan….

The last two years have seen remix culture increase as more people create songs on Mac books in their bedrooms. The competition for originality is becoming tougher and producers are now looking elsewhere for inspiration. Successful Japanese artists who are yet to break into the West are offering a new approach to remix sound. Expect to hear Japanese sounds subtly infiltrating through North American and European producers’ material.

The mass of remix producers that chop and screw other peoples tracks will move into adding slower dreamy Japanese elements. Even the names of Japanese remix artists carry with them an exotic and foreign feel; they have a uniqueness for the UK market.

The Japanese remix concept does not have the same synthesized sound approach as that of K-pop. There are also no sharp dance routines and repetitive hooking; whilst K-pop combines Western music with high-energy Japanese pop that is mass-produced each year, J-pop’s origins are rooted in traditional Japanese synth-pop music. These origins date back to Isao Tomita and synth pop. One of the pioneers of electronic Japanese music, Tomita began his career in 1956. He used synthesizers to create artificial sounds which enhanced his electronic interpretations of acoustic instruments.

Synth-pop’s cultural orgins evolved into a distinct genre in Japan and the UK in the 1980’s. Other influential Japanese bands include the Yellow Magic Orchestra who, along with Isao Tomita, can be seen as original innovators of Japanese electronic music. The band had significant impact on Japanese pop and paved the way for contemporary J-pop in the 1980’s.

Today’s competition comes from producers who experiment on their computers and electronic instruments. Stylistically, Japanese remix production skillfully blends Western and Asian values to create its own digital interpretation. Ironically the west will now view Japan as a prominent model to follow and catch up on, just as they did in the 80’s.

Traditional Japanese music utilises concrete elements which serve to represent natural sounds and the sounds of life. Expect to hear computerized, twinkly, diaphanous techniques such as fluttery harp glissandos permeating into western remix music. Traditional Japanese music is essentially meditative in character; both in terms of performance and composition. Whilst this may not be the case with remix artists producing avant-garde, futuristic sounds, this interpretation remains open to listeners.

The sonic profile of Norwegian producer Cashmere Cat is very similar to a variety of Japanese artists who haven’t quite broken through yet over here including Seiho, Taquwami, Avec Avec and Tofubeats (to name a select few).

Examples of remix artists big on the UK/US music scene who are likely to be influenced and introduce Japanese remix techniques to their material include Le Youth, Ryan Hemsworth, Chris Malinchak, Duke Dumont and Cyril Hahn.

Modern Day Japanese Remix Artists

• Hailing from Japan, Avec Avec otherwise known as Takuma has been making waves in Japan’s underground electronic scene for years now.
• Tofubeats is a singer, music producer, DJ of Japan. His real name is Kawai YuAkira.
• Seiho DJ, VJ, and producer in his early twenties—his music visions first appear in elementary school making ringtones, and then moving on to a laptop.
• Magnus August Høiberg, best known under the artist name Cashmere Cat, is a Norwegian musician, producer and DJ/turntablist.
• The majority of Hachioji P’s career has been spent using the singing-synthesizer program Vocaloid to create tunes, often employing the digital singer Hatsune Miku to provide vocals for his works. His approach could reach a wider audience, as he has become one of the most popular Vocaloid producers on Japanese video-sharing site Nico Nico Douga.
• Jemapur – An electronic music composer. Lives in Shizuoka, Japan. Founder of electronic music laboratory Lakho.
• Japanese DJ NOBU, however, is a familiar name amongst the most underground, most hardcore and most appreciative dance music fans in Japan.
• Ao Inoue- lives in Tokyo and is famous for his remixes. His tracks are popular amongst the electronica techno world music in Japan.
• Tokyo music maker Taquwami has been making a name for himself from his bedroom. The young producer has flooded SoundCloud and Bandcamp with dizzying homemade electronic songs. He released his first proper EP, Blurrywonder, via the online label Void Youth this past August and recently remixed the song “Life & Limb” by Nadja.

Japanese artists are yet to make themselves household names in the west. By 2016 their talents will be evident in UK and US producers who will use their remix skills and replicate their computer sounds.