10.Current Japanese rock music scene and musician

     Japanese music scene has changed as the era and culture has changed. Musicians can make their songs known to people more than before because of internet. Before spread of internet, they should act many things to be known by people. It is so hard to do act because there were limited means, and those needed so much costs or hard to use, for example news parer, magazines, radio and TV, or hold live steadly. For obscure artists, to become popular was beyond their reach. but now, on the web, they can use the means like YOU TUBE or USTREAM to show their works. Shinsei kamattetyan is one famous example to become popular with internet. They distribute their songs on the blog or their live on the Niconico movie and you tube. With radical performance and unconventional character, they become topic of conversation and popular.

　　Sales form of music also has changed in these days. Nowadays, CD is not sold as well as before. It is rare that CD sales amounts to million. Instead of CD, now distribution of music's digital data on the network is popular. Also, songs are sold with the form of serial number that by input in the appropriate site, people can get the music data, or USB that contains music data.


    In Japan, Loud rock music has been popular these days.  Loud rock is one of the genre of heavy metal. Vocal uses shout, growl or grunts to make songs intense and heavy, and express their feelings. Guitar and bass melody also hard. Means of using electric sound is often used. Fact is famous group of loud rock, and they mainly performe in the U.S.  Their sounds many elements like metal, dance, electronica and exteam, so very distinctive.

In Japan, Fear, and loathing in Las Vegas has become popular. They major debut in 2010, by releasing first CD on only tower record, but they become popular soon. Their tune take in not only element of loud rock like death growl and heavy sound, but also elements of trance like synthesizer, dance music and Auto-Tune that control vocal's voice, so it can hear like future music.


  Soft and clear voice vocal's bands also popular. These bands has vocal that has high tone and clear,  like juvenile voice. Their songs sound pop music rather than rock music. But their voice is so characteristic and beatiful therefore we can listen to the song comfortablly.

   SEKAI NO OWARI is such band. But, their lyric is often so sad contrary to thesound. The gap is interresting.

  　　CreepHyp has high tone voice, but not beautiful but tasteful. It is intresting that music promotion Video as well as songs.

source:
神聖かまってちゃん official site  http://www.kamattechan.com/
wiki http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%82%AF%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%83%97%E3%83%8F%E3%82%A4%E3%83%97
        http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fear,_and_loathing_in_Las_Vegas
        http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/FACT

9.Label

　　　For musician and artists, it is important which record label they choice to become popular or famous. There are many record labels, and each one has own special characteristics. Musicians belong to some label, and it show how the artist like, or what kind of music they play. rebel is means for showing states about themselves. Also, sales style depends on  record labels.


    The name of "record label" is associated with label paper which is recorded the credit of name of music, artist, and company. From that, the word means company that sell the CD, or section of the company. Record labels that have a long and distinguished history have value of brand. Sometimes new label is established for making new image of CDs or artists. Also, for only one musician, new label is often establish.

 
    Sony Music Entertaiment is one of biggest company assosiated with music. The company is sony group that main corporation is SONY, consumer electronics maker. The company were established in Japan, in 1968. This company's label is separated main three part and other some miner parts. Following next labels are the first group. Sony Music Records, which is a company of  making CDs, and it has own label, Sony Music of main label,gr8!re cords of rock music label, VVV Records of visualized band's label and so on. For example, MAN WITH A MISSION, UVERworld, YUI belong to this label.

SME Records is the same as above, mainly rock music as label of SME Records. Galileo Galilei, Poｒnograffiti belong to this label.

Sony Music Associated Records is also the first group label, and mainly treats idol group and J-pop.
     Next labels are second group. EPIC Records Japan, one of label of this group, treats mainly J-POP, and belonged by Aqua Timez, Nothing Carved In Stone, and SCANDAL. E\DefSTAR Records and Ariola Japan also belong this group.
     Third group, Ki/oon Music has many rock, techno pop, abd hip-hop musicians. In the sony group, this label is regarded as orizinal. As artists, NICO Touches the Walls, KANA-BOON, Chatmonchy, ASIAN KUNG-FU GENERATION, FLOW, which are very popular in Japanese music scean, belongs this label.

　　
　　　JVC KENWOOD Corporation, audio and sound instruments maker, has label. Victor entertaiment, JVC Entertaiment and Teichiku Entertaiment are that label. Victor has some label, VIctor, INVITATION, SPEEDSTAR RECORDS, FlyingStar Records, and so on. Sakanaktion, Southern All Stars, Kazuyoshi Saitou, THE BACK HORN belong this label.

　　There are many labels. It has own charactaristic. It is intresting that examine which label does the artists that you like belongs to.

Amiri Baraka breaking news

   Yesterday, Amiri Baraka  died on January 9 2014, aged 79. He was an African-American writer of poetry, drama, fiction, essays and music criticisum. And he is a radical black thinker and campaigner. He has another name, LeRoi Jones.

   He was a member of US Ari Force, but by an anonymous letter accusing him of  being communist, he was given a dishonorable discharge.

    He was known as radical person. In his work of  "Black Art", he expressed need to commit the violence required to establish black world, and declaimed "we want poem that kill," slogans such as "Arm yourself or harm yourself." he use poetry as a weapon of his action rather than as an escapist mechanisum. He once arrested for having allegedly carried an illegal weapon, and was sentenced to three years in prison. When the election of president of United Stats of America, he ardently supported Barak Obama with hope that the first black president could change the white society of U.S., but the hope did not come true, he wrote critical poetry for Obama.

   He was well up in music, and wrote many criticisum of the sound. Blues People : Negro Music in White America(1963) is a volume of jazz criticisum and received Obie Award. Moreover, he contributed to the AIDS benefit album, Offbeat: A Red Hot Soundtrip, collaborated with hip-hopT The Roots on the song "Something in the Way of Things (in Town)" on 2002.

    Amiri Baraka died January 9, 2014, at Beth Israel Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey.

8.Famous Japanese Musician and Producer

   There are many way to become famous concerning music. In overseas or domestic, as musician or composer or producer, for technique of playing instrument or beautiful voice or character of the person. In this article, I show famous Japanese rock musician from the point of active in foreign country and producing.

   Nowadays, Japanese musician tend to held live or performance abroad. Formerly, Japanese artist tried to advance to overseas no more often than recent days. Japanese artists who succeeded in becoming famous in foreign country are not so much before. Sakamoto Q is famous for SUKIYAKI, and he sold thirteen million CD's around the world, this record has not been broken yet. But, the number of bands or artist, whose stronghold is overseas or who often held their live abroad, are increasing these days. I show some example of rock musician who is active in foreign music scene.

     B'z is rock band which is famous in both domestic and overseas. that is made up of two members, Koushi Inaba, vocal and lyricist, and Takahiro Matsumoto, guitar and composition. They debut in 1988 with the song of " Dakara sono te wo hanashite".

They did not succeed in CD single sales at the first. 4th single CD became the number 7, then 5th single, "Taiyou no Komati", became number 1 of ranking of Oricon. After that, they have achieved many big recods in Japan. As the number one record, all sales of single CD - almost 35 million - , the number of single CDs that became number one on the oricon ranking - 45 works -, all sales of CD album - almost 46 million -, and the number of the million sales CDs - 41 works - . And, they awarded Japan gold disk grand prize, Japan yusen grand prize, and so on many times. Moreover, they  are only group that is inducted into a hall of fame of Hollywood Rockwalk.
　

Then, I show famous Japanese producer, Tetsuya Komuro.
Tetsuya Komuro is a musician and producer, and made komuro boom. He has own group of TM Network, famous for "Get Wild", and performance, while he offered many artists.

 

 

 For example, Arisa Mitsuki, Ryouko Shinohara, trf, hitomi, YUki Utida, H Jungle with t, globe, Tomomi Kahara, and Namie Amurro. They achieved big hit or million sales, thus people called the series of hit songs or artists, who were given song of komuro, "Komuro boom" or "Komuro family". 
Now, he is not popular like before, but he has been big artist yet.

   In Japan, famous musisians exists. I hope that you know them little bit in this article.

7. Hero of Japanese rock musician

    There are many famous musicians and artists who have achieved great work in Japan. They have made era of Japanese music history, and influenced many people and other young, and senior musicians. Especially, artists who create works and era now are impressed by old grate musicians. Now I show person who, I think,  influenced Japanese music's situation.

    Keisuke kuwata is a singer and composer of music. He act and perform in solo style, but he also a vocalist and leader of the band, Southern All Stars. He was born on February 26 1956, at Chigasaki, Kanagawa prefecture, Japan. He was a junior bowler, in his junior and senior high school days, but after entering  the Aoyama Gakuin University, He started his career of musician. He debuted in Jun 25, 1978 as a leader of Southern All Stars. The debut song was "Katteni Shindobatto" , becoming popular gradually.

 He likes humorous stories, and his action evoke a laugh, so the band was treated a comic band in their beginning. He often shows comic skit orimpression in his live. He have acted in the form of both as solo and band group. He does vocal mainly, but can play  guitar, moreover bass, harp, drums, keyboard, and so on, what is called, multiple player. Also, he had led to attach telop of lyrics when singer or bands play on TV because his singing was too fast to hear, so viewer could not understand what he sung.
    As a solo singer, he make songs that are different from that of songs of Southern All Stars. He has made songs not only for himself but also for others, and offered Ken Naoko, Akashiya Sanma, Tamori, and other famous persons. He have made many best hit songs,and his songs have   received many prize, for example, "Natsu o Akiramete" that was offered Ken Naoko had recived 24th Japan Record Prize part of composition, "Kodoku no taiyo" had recieved 36th Japan Record Prize part of  Arbam, tow works of "Naminori jony"and "Sshiroi Koibitotachi" had recieved 16th Japan Golden Disk Prize song of the year award, and so on.
  

Also "Naminori jony" is milion sold piece, and used for TV CM. While as band of Southern All Stars, he have recieved some award. "TSUNAMI" had recived 42th Japan Record Prize best award, "Chako no Kaigan Monogatari" have recieved 16th All Japan Wired Radio Best award part of most requested song, "manatsu no kazitsu" have recieved 32th Japan Record Prize category of rock-pops rock golden disc award, best vocalist award, composition award, as band they recieved 61th Kikuchi kan Prize, and so on.

"TSUNAMI" is the best hit song of Southern All Stars, and sold three milion.



Moreover, Kuwata has made a movie "inamura jane", it succeed in performance.



   In July 12 2010, he annaunced he has early cancer of the esophagus, and rested himself to cure it. It could cause that he would be able to sing, but he did rehabillitation and came back to Japanese music cean in the same year.

kuwata keisuke

 

   I like his songs and character. His song voice should have power. Please listen his song and feel his power.
　　　　　
　　
source
  
 http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E6%A1%91%E7%94%B0%E4%BD%B3%E7%A5%90

  

Nelson Mandela : Breaking News

  In 5 December 2013, Nelson Mandela died. He is a politician who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to1999, and a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, and has ｒeceived the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize.　He made effort to resolve apartheid in South Africa nevertheless being imprisoned as political criminal, so he called "unyielding soldier".

Nelson Mandela's statue : from http://eedu.jp/blog/2013/07/08/nelson-mandela-apartheid-hero-black-peace-south-africa/

   Let's see his life.
   He were born on 18 July 1918 in the village of Mvezo in Umtatu as a son of a ruler of the Thembu peolpe in the Transkeian Territories of South Africa. He graduated from the law department of the University of Witwatersrand. In his period of University student, He had entered the African National Congress (ANC), and published the African National Congress Youth League (ANCYL). He worked on unti-apartheid movement, becoming a chirman of ANCYL.
     In 1952, he set up as a lawyer with Oliver Reginald Tambo in Johannesburg, and became sub-chairman of ANC. Then he published the military organization. Because of these action, he was captured in 1962. Then he had spent tewnty seven years in Robben island as a prisoner of  rebelling against nations. In this term, he had suffered from respiratory diseases like tuberculosis, and hurted his eyes by heavy labor atlimestone pit. But, he had bee continued campaign of anti-apartheid nevertheless in the prison.
     He was liberated from the island in 1990.  He became chairman of ANC in 1991, and he acheved to abolish population registration act, indigenous land law and group areas act like being base of apartheid. Then, he was awarded Nobel peace prize in 1993. Next year, he was elected as first president of black in South Africa, by first universal suffrage there too. After the election, he effored to resolve conflict between black and white under the system of apartheid, to dessolve defference and so on. In 1999, he retired from plitical stage.

    Apartheid can be called his main enemy. Apartheid  is a politics which was enforced in South Africa from 1948 to 1994. Under the this politics, black could not have suffrage, enough education, and earn maney than white, live in same area. Moreover, black could not use piblic facilities like restaurant, hotel, train, bus, park, and W.C., often it separeted for white and black, and black were limited even love.

     Mandela's most great achievement is, I think, continuing show the attitude of anti-apartheid even in the prison. This unyielding spirit may be factor of his greater accomplishments. He awarded more than 200 prize, and save so many people's dignity.


     I respect him, and hope people have strong intention of protecting dignity a little.



source
         wikipedia:
            http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%8D%E3%83%AB%E3%82%BD%E3%83%B3%E3%83%BB%E3%83%9E%E3%83%B3%E3%83%87%E3%83%A9

         tozyou enzin
:http://eedu.jp/blog/2013/07/08/nelson-mandela-apartheid-hero-black-peace-south-africa/

6.Festival!!

 

　Music Festival is a kind of live and a big event in Japan! Many singers and bands and groups participate in this event. It often longs a few days, and stage is not only one. We can enjoy many kinds of bands, sounds, categories, and also atmosphere of the place. The sites are diverse, too. In doom, live house, on outdoor, sometimes on baseball field! Many people take part, so site needs wideness and some consideration of garbage or W.C. or rest places. There are many groups, whether we know or not, so there are many how to enjoy. It is good to look own favorite singer or group, search for new cool bands, and give oneself to climax of around you. 

   I have not took part in music festival yet, so I desire to do so soon :D

   Now I show two big music festivals in Japan.

    Fuji rock festival is a so big festival in Japan. It is held at Naeba sky field, and longs three days, fore days including an eve. In most previous one of Fuji Rock Fes 2013, more than 200 artists perticipate in this event, and 100,000 of spectators visit it. There are fourteen stages, and the site is so wide,  spectators have a hard time to move especially in rany day. Staff, W.C. , rest spaces and other things are often not enough to cover all people being there. In Rainyday, the ground of the site is poaced. But people can help each other, respect nature in this special condition.
 


Green stage of Fuji Rock : from http://www.fujirockfestival.com/

 There is camping and a nap space for people who take part in this event successivelly, so we can enjoy all day of festival.


camping erea : from http://fujirockexpress.net/13/?p=1235

    Also a trial is carried in this festival. It is the campaign of improvement of mannar. People have to try to solve problems themselves, to treat gabages correctly, to discreminate behavior, and not to annoy others. Eco action is also done. We have to classify garbage according to the kind. Pet botle is used for Jacket of staff, and recycle elements is used in dish of food shop.


    Summer sonic is also big festival in Japan. This festival is held in two separated places. One is Osaka, Kansai, and another is Tokyo. It called City type Festival.
    In this event, we can enjoy not only music, but also street dance, comic backchat, an exhibition of art, and tales of supernataral. Compared Fuji rock fes, this event relatively comfortable.

summer sonic 213 :from https://www.facebook.com/summersonicfestival#!/photo.php?fbid=511379212275564&set=a.143102325769923.38093.127809730632516&type=1&theater

 

 



   In Japan, thereare man other Festivals and lives, I recommend you to take part in!



source: summer sonic official HP http://www.summersonic.com/2013/
             Fuji Rock Festival official HP http://www.fujirockfestival.com/
             wikipedia