J-Rock

Japanese rock, or J-Rock for short, can range from playful to hardcore, but it is certain that the Japanese music scene is always willing to try new things. Japanese rock, next to Japanese Pop, is the most popular form of music in Japan. See also Visual kei, a movement closely related to J-Rock.

Psychedelic rock

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 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 Denudes 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. Later still, Japanese alternative rock took the form of noisecore, a sound said to have been created by three bands, Merzbow, Zeni Geva and The Boredoms.

Into the 1990s, indie rock and kitschy bands like Shonen Knife, Cibo Matto, Fantastic Plastic Machine and Pizzicato Five found mainstream audiences.

Bands

See List of Japanese rock bands for a comprehensive list.

• The Brilliant Green
• Dir En Grey
• Do As Infinity
• Gackt
• Janne Da Arc
• L'Arc~en~Ciel
• Luna Sea
• The 5,6,7,8's
• The Pillows
• The Yellow Monkey
• Thee Michelle Gun Elephant
• X Japan

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