Is Prog "Big In Japan"?
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Forum Description: General progressive music discussions
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=43058
Printed Date: February 11 2025 at 07:12
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Topic: Is Prog "Big In Japan"?
Posted By: avestin
Subject: Is Prog "Big In Japan"?
Date Posted: October 28 2007 at 21:22
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A question for my friends from Japan and those who live or have lived there:
What is the state of Prog in Japan?
I mean all genres of it - symphonic, jazz-rock, avant-garde/zeuhl etc.
I also mean both local and international bands/musicians.
What is the exposure of it in the media, local websites etc? Is the vast majority of people like in the rest of the world, where people are unaware of it, or disregard it?
If you were to look for a prog cd, would you have hard time to find it, or can you just pop in the nearest music store and look for it?
If you wanted the latest Bondage Fruit or Ruins album, where would you go to find it?
I you're interested in the latest KBB album, would it be easy to find?
Is Kenso a common household name or not?
If you wanted to get the lesser known acts (both locally and international) where would you go? If you wanted a more known act, would it be the same?
What about shows? Are there many of those, or is it a scarce event? Are they mainly located in the major cities, or are smaller cities also blessed with shows?
Do you have many shows of foreign bands/musicians? Is there a high attendance?
What are the most popular prog acts (local and intl.)?
So, I'd like to know in general, as you can understand from those questions above, what is it like for prog listeners and prog bands like in Japan?
I am asking this, having seen what goes on in the east coast of the US and also being fascinated with the prog scene in Japan (all genres).
Thank in advance, and I hope those are not too silly questions.
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Replies:
Posted By: Shakespeare
Date Posted: October 28 2007 at 21:25
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I've never been there myself and have no idea... However, my uncle did go there a while back and he said that the CD selection there is fabulous (and he is a huge prog fan himself). [Although, I think he mentioned that most CDs there are in the mini-sleeve format (opposed to the plastic CD case type thing).] |
Posted By: prog4evr
Date Posted: October 28 2007 at 23:07
| If the two-night concert series that spawned Steve Hackett's The Tokyo Tapes (both DVD and audio CD in 1996) are any indication, then I would give a resounding 'YES!' |
Posted By: explodingjosh
Date Posted: October 29 2007 at 01:41
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^^dude, it's 2007.
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Posted By: erik neuteboom
Date Posted: October 29 2007 at 05:37
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Nice question Assaf, I would like to say something about it although I am not Japanese and I haven't lived there and neither I do at this moment To me it seems that there is a very enthousiastic kind of underground scene concerning progressive rock, almost on a religious level because the Japanese progheads really admire the Classic Prog. Some examples. In the early Nineties I got in touch with Angel Romero, a known Spanish proghead. He had pulbished an add in a Spanish progrock magazine entitled Sirius. Because of his increasing dust-allergy he had to sale his huge collection of progrock LP's, including very rare ones from Italy. I was one of the first who reacted, I succeeded to get my beloved Prog Andaluz. A week later I discovered the many rare Italian prog LP's but meanwhile a small group of Japanese progheads had bought almost his entire LP collection, hundreds of albums and for very good prices Angel told me later In the Nineties I did interviews with Japanese progrock bands Ars Nova and Gerard when they were touring in Europe. I was pleasantly surprised that they named the late fellow Dutchman Rick Van Der Linden (Ekseption/Trace) in the same category as Keith Emerson and Rick Wakeman when I asked about their influences.
Japan has always been the country that released rare progrock LP's on CD, not always legal but the European Rock Series contains many exciting releases of Italian progrock!
In Japan there is a small but very vivid progrock scene where the musicians and fans look quite androgyn, a world within a world (similar to the punk rock scene). The Ars Nova manager Numero Ueno sold me a video from his progrock live concert collection in which you can notice that special scene, it's almost from another world but great to watch Outer Limits, Gerard and Mugen in small Japanese venues, playing their socks off for an enthousiastic crowd!
The most beautiful progrock magazine is Marquee featuring mouthwatering pictures from concerts and album covers and lots of interesting information, like from CD bootlegs.
By the way, the Kobe earthquake has caused a lot of damage to the equipment of the Japanese progrock bands, it took to recover, financially and mentally !
And if you look at the past, rock - and progrock bands were always welcomed very warm, from Deep Purple and Uriah Heep to Queen, Pink Floyd and Steve Hackett, they were treated as heroes!
I am very glad with new and exciting progrock bands Interpose+ and KBB because for a long time it was very quiet in the Japanese progrock scene....
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Posted By: rushaholic
Date Posted: October 29 2007 at 07:15
| Maybe.... Alphaville is though. |
Posted By: fuxi
Date Posted: October 29 2007 at 09:22
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I lived in Japan for eleven years, and I still visit regularly, since my wife is Japanese.
As far as I can tell, Japanese popular music is dominated by (a) manufactured stars and (b) a thriving "indie" scene, but very few people are interested in prog these days. However, the Japanese have subcultures for everything (there are people who do yodelling, others who go tapdancing, still others who build their own harpsichords etc.) so you can be sure that, with a well-to-do population of 120 million, many thousands of people are interested in prog as well. Big bands from abroad still sell out large auditoriums. Yes, PFM and King Crimson are very popular. In any large Japanese bookshop (i.e. the local equivalents of Borders or Waterstone's) you can buy beautifully illustrated "listener's guides" featuring "the top 200 hundred prog recordings". Last time I looked, there was one volume about British prog, one about World prog and a separate one about Japanese prog! Many of the recommended albums are available in large record stores - especially non-Japanese albums. A few years ago one 22-year old keyboard player from Osaka started a new band, Shinsekai, which is strongly influenced by Yes, Crimson, Zappa, Focus and the Canterbury Scene. A little too strongly, maybe. I wonder if they'll find their own voice! On the other hand, for about 20 years KENSO have been playing the most gorgeous instrumental music, in the tradition of Bruford and Brand X. They're simply one of my favourite bands - check out the reviews on Prog Archives! |
Posted By: avestin
Date Posted: October 29 2007 at 09:31
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Thanks for the responses, everyone and Erik and Fuxi especially.
I am interested in how is prog is in Japan since I love many Japanese bands (from all genres - starting from the symph side to the jazz-rock and up to the avant and noise side).
If anyone else has any comments, your welcome to post them as well.
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Posted By: Prog-jester
Date Posted: October 29 2007 at 10:04
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MONO
million of listenings scrobbled on LastFM Quite popular I guess 
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Posted By: avestin
Date Posted: October 29 2007 at 10:06
Yes, but are those Japanese listeners?
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Prog-jester wrote:Posted By: Yukorin
Date Posted: October 29 2007 at 10:09
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http://diskunion.net/progre/ - http://diskunion.net/progre/
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Posted By: magnus
Date Posted: October 29 2007 at 11:21
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http://www.last.fm/place/japan/+charts
king crimson are at 180, which is quite high, at least compared to Norway, where they're not on the top 500 list at all. Other than that, it's hard to interpret much out from these lists, I would guess most users are quite young people. ------------- The scattered jigsaw of my redemption laid out before my eyes Each piece as amorphous as the other - Each piece in its lack of shape a lie 
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Posted By: Dim
Date Posted: October 29 2007 at 17:52
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I think Dream theater hit the top of the charts a couple of times, but I have no idea. ------------- 
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Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: October 29 2007 at 18:49
Lot's of live prog shows taped or video'd there. And I love those mini LP format CDs often know here as the "Japanese sleeve". "Jewel" cases are evil! 
------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened... 
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Posted By: Trickster F.
Date Posted: October 29 2007 at 18:55
Age's got considerably less to do with tastes than many people seem to think. ------------- sig |
Posted By: Shakespeare
Date Posted: October 29 2007 at 18:57
You mean "filmed" or "recorded"? |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: October 29 2007 at 19:00
Both. Wasn't recorded actually taped, at least in the good old days? Of course what is video'd these days used to be strictly filmed....  Now, why do we park in a driveway and drive on a parkway?  ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Posted By: honganji
Date Posted: October 29 2007 at 20:51
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Prog is a minor genre, today. But it has been sustained by enthusiastic fans more than 35 years.
Once, Yoninbayashi, Cosmos Factory, Far East Family Band, Carmen Maki & Oz, Magical Power Mako, etc were acclaimed as overground famous artists (more than 30 years ago). Today, there are no groups like them. Sound Horizon may be one of the exceptions but it is frequently not regarded as a prog band because of their origin ....
 The most famous live house is Silver Elephant.
http://www.silver-elephant.com/ - http://www.silver-elephant.com/
Sometimes, you can see popular (?) prog bands. On October 31, Flat 122 will play at the house. Though they were already passed, Maria Kannon, ExhiVision played a live concert in this year.
Prog CDs are very easy to get. I think Japan is the leading country in case of purchase. HMV is a world wide music shop, but also it lists many prog albums though not a prog expert.
 I frequently use these Japanese shops: HMV, amazon, Garden Shed, World Disque, Merurido, Brighton Music, Disk Union, Tower Records, Piper Records, Music Term. Also Yahoo Auction is strong used CDs/LPs market.
Prog magazine Euro Rock Press is also a strong weapon (
 ) for me. This book is written in Japanese. So if you want to understand the book, you must need Japanese. But it is helpful for me. If the book is written in English, I can't read it. Many Japanese don't want to sustain such prog magazine. Here you can see the back numbers of Euro Rock Press. http://www.hmv.co.jp/search/index.asp?target=BOOKS&category=5&adv=1&keyword=%83%86%81%5B%83%8D+%83%8D%83b%83N+%83v%83%8C%83X - http://www.hmv.co.jp/search/index.asp?target=BOOKS&category=5&adv=1&keyword=%83%86%81%5B%83%8D+%83%8D%83b%83N+%83v%83%8C%83X
If you want to buy KBB, Bondage Fruit, Ruin's new albums, you can get them from World Disque, HMV, Disk Union, amazon,etc. Also if they are released from certain labels (not quite minor independent labels), you can order / buy them from small general music shop even in a local city. (maybe it took a week or so ...) I could get a CD from Airplane Label though it is a very minor independent one.
Recent most selling artist (domestic) may be Sound Horizon. Internationally it is probably Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO. But the most popular active bands are Bi Kyo Ran, Kenso, Gerard ?????? Sense Of Wonder, Ars Nova, Outer Limits, Ain Soph are important groups. Prism is also famous in fusion scene.
Mail order lists are also useful. World Disque and Garden Shed make monthly lists. They have been great music source for me since the middle of 1980s. (Gaaaannnn, it is the reason I became old....
 ) <--- World Disque set sale list. Please see this site. This is World Disque web page.
http://www.marquee.co.jp/world_disque/d.w.frameset.html - http://www.marquee.co.jp/world_disque/d.w.frameset.html
Amazingly Tonari Masao (the leader of Datetenryu) released his first solo album!
 But I have been annoyed by decreasing children. In near future, this tendency will seriously harm Japanese subculture like manga, animation, game, of course prog is not an exception, I think.
[some of current active bands / artists]
Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO
Ain Soph
Alhambra
Ars Nova
Asturias
Bi Kyo Ran
Bishyo
Bondage Fruit
Cinema
Datetenryu
Djamra
ExhiVision
Flat 122
Fragile
Gerard
Interpose+
KBB
Kenso
Kirche
Koenji Hyakkei
Korekyojin
Kuroyurishimai
Le Silo
Magical Power Mako
Marble Sheep
Marge Litch
Mono
Naikaku no Wa
Outer Limits
Pochakaite Malko
Prism
Quikion
Romanza-Bekkan
Ruins
Senba Kiyohiko & Haniwa All Stars
Sense Of Wonder
Shinsekai
Side Steps
Sound Horizon
Starless
Unbeltipo
Vrain
Yoninbayashi
Zettaimu
etc, etc
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Posted By: NotSoKoolAid
Date Posted: October 30 2007 at 00:19
| Everything is big in Japan... have you seen the size of those people???! |
Posted By: superprog
Date Posted: October 30 2007 at 06:57
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Yukorin wrote:
http://diskunion.net/progre/ - http://diskunion.net/progre/
Disk Union at Shinjuku, oh my God. Yes i visited that place end of last year. Insane, never thought i'd find such a large place dedicated to prog and fusion. Went bonkers just goin thru the stuff (which in yen is actually very reasonable). And they have sh*tloads at Tower and HMV and this place called Recofan as well. Was told by a friend that there was a small store at Shinjuku dedicated to Kraut and psych/space rock, but didnt manage to visit it.
I wanna go back. Japan is progged!!!!
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Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: October 30 2007 at 08:19
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What I'm curious about is prog in China...
------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Posted By: avestin
Date Posted: October 30 2007 at 12:12
Not exactly prog, but an interesting article nonetheless:
"An http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/27/arts/music/27expe.html?_r=1&ei=5088&en=ec60e86cfb74a140&ex=1351224000&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&adxnnlx=1193516113-F693V2DTniDoVdXSc0efww - article describes Beijing’s small but growing experimental music scene"
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Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: October 30 2007 at 19:13
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Well, that brief sample in the article sounded ambient and good. Good article, too by the way. It's a prog world after all, it's a prog world after all... Everybody sing. dammit! Oh, and yeah, put your hands together!  Every time I hear that I just want to put my hands together and leave them that way.  ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Posted By: Syzygy
Date Posted: October 30 2007 at 19:52
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I spent a couple of very happy years in Japan (Nagoya, to be precise) and I can confirm that, while prog is very much a niche market over there it's a very healthy niche indeed! Most of the big shops - HMV, Tower, Takayama - carried a much better selection of prog old and new than their equivalents in the UK, and a few hours browsing in some of the second hand CD shops could turn up all kinds of interesting oddities. The big stores tend to carry current releases from the likes of Ruins, Acid Mothers Temple, Bondage Fruit etc but you need to go to specialist shops to find their older releases. ReR has a Japanese outpost and RIO/Avant is probably more widely available than it is in the UK. While I was over there I saw King Crimson in Nagoya (TPTB tour) and they played in a medium sized venue which was close to sold out - several other prog and metal acts also toured while I was over there.
Having said all that, mainstream Japanese music is dominated by short lived boy or girl groups (SMAP were big while I was there) and bands that reinterpret western rock - Mr Children have been releasing albums which are virtual retreads of Bon Jovi (still MASSIVE in Japan) and their ilk for more than 20 years, and doing it rather well.
So all in all, Japan is a country where prog never died, isn't a dirty word and where there is a huge underground network of frequently excellent bizarre experimental bands, and where big name prog acts still tour regularly. The popularity of Bon jovi is a little baffling, but we all have our weaknesses  .------------- 'Like so many of you I've got my doubts about how much to contribute to the already rich among us...' Robert Wyatt, Gloria Gloom |
Posted By: Slartibartfast
Date Posted: October 30 2007 at 20:19
Put your hands together.  Seriously curious about prog in China, though... ------------- Released date are often when it it impacted you but recorded dates are when it really happened...
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Posted By: honganji
Date Posted: October 30 2007 at 21:19
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1980s are frequently regarded as lost decade for progressive rock. Japan was also suffered by such tendency. However the damage was apparently weaker than other principal countries; USA, UK, France, Italy, Germany, etc. Some of Japanese labels were very eager to reissue past gems and introduce new albums from all over the world at that time. Unfortunately they could not find any African albums.... King Records, Phonogram, Polydor and Edison were such labels. Also Marquee started own label Belle Antique. They assisted to keep prog fans. Prog fans waited next albums never released in Japan. These labels released many albums. This is the reason why many Japanese proggers know old gems prior to real prog revival. These were released as Japanese issues between late 1970s and late 1980s.
*New Trolls/Concerto Grosso 1
*New Trolls/Concerto Grosso 2
*New Trolls/UT
*New Trolls/Atomic System
*New Trolls/Tempi Dispari
*Osanna/L'uomo
*Osanna/Palepoli
*Osanna/Milano Calibro 9
*Osanna/Landscape Of Life
*Heldon/Agneta Nilsson
*Pulsar/Pollen
*I Pooh/Parsifal
*Ange/Guet-Apens
*Ange/Emile Jacoty
*Le Orme/Contrappunti
*Memoriance/L'Ecume Des Jours
*National Health/S.T.
*Mario Lavezzi/Iaia
*Alberto Radius/Che Cosa Sei
*Julian Jay Savarin/Waiters On The Dance
*Mauro Pelosi/Al Mercato Degli Uomini Piccoli
*Mauro Pelosi/La Stagione Per Morire
*Island/Pictures
*Pablo El Enterrador/S.T.
*Satin Whale/Lost Mankind
*Gong/Camembert Electrique
*East/Huseg
*East/Jatekok
*Airlord/Clockwork Revenge
*Eela Craig/Missa Universalis
*Eela Craig/One Niter
*Eela Craig/Hats Of Glass
*Pepe Maina/Il Canto Dell'Arpa E Del Flauto
*Atoll/Tertio
*Atoll/Mugiciens Magiciens
*Atoll/L'Araignee-Mal
*Gilgamesh/Another Fine Tune You've Got Me Into
*Windchase/Symphinity
*The Trip/Caronte
*The Trip/Atlantide
*Rustichelli Bordini/Opera Prima
*Maxophone/S.T.
*Il Balletto Di Bronzo/Ys
*Ibis/Sun Supreme
*Ibis/S.T.
*Latte E Miele/Passio Secundum Mattheum
*Latte E Miele/Papillon
*Quella Vecchia Locanda/Il Tempo Della Gioia
*Pierrot Lunaire/Gudrun
*Pierrot Lunaire/S.T.
*Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso/S.T.
*Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso/Darwin!
*Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso/Io Sono Nato Libero
*Banco Del Mutuo Soccorso/Canto Di Primavera
*Picchio Dal Pozzo/S.T.
*Picchio Dal Pozzo/Abbiamo Tutti I Suoi Problemi
*Richard Pinhas/East West
*Area/1978
*Mauro Pagani/S.T.
*Celeste/S.T.
*FM/Black Noise
*Heads In The Sky/S.T.
*Triade/1998: La Storia DiSabazio
.....etc, etc
Also Edison, King Records, Belle Antique tried to grow up Japanese bands at that time. So many bands could release their albums. Dada, Kennedy, Mugen, Bi Kyo Ran, Ain Soph, Novela, Outer Limits, Vienna, Starless, Black Page, Vermilion Sands, Ataraxia, Deja-Vu, Fromage, Social Tension, Kenso, Mr.Sirius, Gerard etc were such cases. Unfortunately Maguai, Galapagos, Green, etc could not make any own albums. Grand Guignol also could not record their best period.
Besides, other major labels released some interesting albums in this period. Wha-ha-ha, Inoue Keizo, Senba Kiyohiko & Haniwa All Stars, Velvet Paw, Keep, Mariah, Crosswind, Namba Hiroyuki, Lalena, etc made progressive rock albums. This is very important fact. Recent new prog bands/artists cannot make debut from major labels! Flat 122, Ashada, KBB, Naikaku no Wa, Mizukagami, etc were all released by minor labels.
[They were active more than 10 years but now disbanded or inactive ....]
*After Dinner (Utsunomiya was a great sound creator. When he left this group, After Dinner may be over... It was stopped in 1997.)
*La'cryma Christi (I hear only Sculpture Of Time is progressive rock album. La'cryma Christi disbanded in 2007)
*Lucifer (They release 6 ablums. But most of them are very rare because of original circulation. Only Marginia was easily to get. Lucifer disbanded in 1994.)
*Sirius ~ Mr.Sirius (Sirius is a band led by Miyatake and Mr.Sirius is his solo. He is now busy to make umbrellas ....)
*Picaresque Of Bremen (Pop, pop, pop. Maybe they are more pop than your image of progressive rock. Anyway the lead vocalist Tochizawa Yukari was really cute excellent singer!)
*Providence (Because of the leader's transfer from Sapporo, Providence could not continue...)
*Teru's Symphonia (I'm sad I can't see Hirayama's name recently.)
*Velvet Paw (They were no doubtly one of the most hopeful new bands before debut. Unfortunately they became pop when they released 1st album fom CBS Sony. But I don't think 1st and 2nd are boring.Formed by only 5 girls! Velvet Paw disbanded in 1995.)
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Posted By: erik neuteboom
Date Posted: October 31 2007 at 05:15
Good story to read Honganji  I remember that I read the French progrock magazine Harmonie in which you could find a special Japanese progrock section in every issue so I discovered many Japanese progrock bands. The Japanese progrock bands have always had a special connection with the French: Musea re-released the Japanese prog and organized the Ars Nova and Gerard tour in the late Nineties, one op my personal progrock highlights, especially when I met my Japanese hero Toshio Egawa, the ultimate Japanese keyboard-wizard who played in Novela, Gerard, Sheherazade and some other bands (I am sure Honganji knows those other bands ).
About the European progrock bands re-issues by Japanese labels: one of my treasures is the digipack version of E Tutto Comincio Cosi by Italian band Sensitiva Immagine on the Melos Project label (1991, Edison & Marquee). I read about it in Harmonie, it was described as very early Genesis inspired, I ordered it immediately and a few years later I added it to Prog Archives, it is a very acclaimed Genesis inspired band
(Musea has rereleased it with two bonus tracks).I also remember that for a long time Japan was the only country were you could get CD's from fellow Dutchmen Earth & Fire, quite expensive but many were pleased with the opportunity. How ironical: at this moment you can buy a 3-CD set with the early Earth & Fire albums for 10 euro's
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Posted By: fuxi
Date Posted: October 31 2007 at 08:37
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I don't really understand the appeal of GERARD. To my feeling (as with many Japanese bands) everything about them shouts out KITSCH.
On the other hand, what I've heard of Yonin Bayashi certainly sounded fun, and (as some of you may know by now) KENSO are simply my favourite prog band (from ANY country) from the past twenty years. On the prog fusion side, I'm surprised no-one has mentioned the guitarist Kazumi WATANABE. Some of his albums are bit too close to elevator music, but his collaborations with Bill Bruford, Jeff Berlin, Patrick Moraz and Chad Wackerman are well worth hearing. In the past decade or so, Watanabe's been playing a lot of "unplugged" stuff. I don't know what he's done in the past few years. The problem with Japan-only releases is that they rarely cost less than $30 (or £15), which makes me reluctant to just go out and buy... |
Posted By: honganji
Date Posted: October 31 2007 at 15:36
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--->fuxi Yes, Japanese CDs are usually very expensive. Maybe worst in the world. New CD albums are frequently priced more than 3000 yen (1 USD = 115 yen). What an annoying problem .... Watanabe Kazumi? Aaaaa, he is usually put into jazz. So I forgot to mention. Reissued CDs are cheaper. You may be able to get them around 1500 ~ 2100 in Japan. (However shipping cost is apparently more expensive than other countries .... )
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Posted By: Syzygy
Date Posted: October 31 2007 at 19:00
When I was over there I found CDs to be reasonably priced, not exactly cheap but generally a bit less expensive than in the UK. Of course, exchange rates may have had something to with that, and I was mostly buying reissues rather than new CDs. ------------- 'Like so many of you I've got my doubts about how much to contribute to the already rich among us...' Robert Wyatt, Gloria Gloom |
Posted By: superprog
Date Posted: October 31 2007 at 23:22
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when in Japan, i noticed that imports are actually cheaper than Japanese-pressed cds. but in any case when u buy these Jap editions in Japan the prices are still decent.
its only when they're exported then the price gets marked up a lot more...........
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Posted By: erlenst
Date Posted: November 01 2007 at 18:35
| I have been there two times, and it was like I died and came to heaven as far as used record shops go !! I got a lot of rare LPs quite cheaply, and you can always be sure that the previous owner has treated it well. |
Posted By: cucacola54
Date Posted: November 01 2007 at 21:29
well i just want to thank Japan for all the Mini LP releases, lots of re-releases of RPI, and Canterbury.. the packing is great, an exact replica of the original LP, and all remastered.  ------------- Most listened albums last week 
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Posted By: honganji
Date Posted: November 02 2007 at 05:25
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--->erik
Thanks erik. In comparison with your great efforts, this is very small contribution...
 1990s. Internet system made us change drastically. Once proggers were dotted. Frequeltly isolated. But now internet helps us to talk about this kind of music. It assists to keep the movement very well.
Talking about 1990s scene, this decade is divided into first half 5 years and latter half 5 years. Windows 95 apparently changed internet as convenient tool. Prog scene was slowly ,gradually and steadily revived in the early 1990s. Dream Theater / Images And Words. Anglagard / Hybris. Maybe they were one of the key albums. But I felt true revival started around 1994. It is 1 year prior to Windows 95. Progresive rock was still maniac kind of music even in the first half of 1990s. But many hopeful bands / artists appeared in this period. Also internet made them easily to know. If there were not this system, prog scene must be very smaller than today. Latter half 5 years were close to recent scene. Many interesting albums appeared here and there.
By the way, Japanese late 80s and early 90s scene was very hard period. Many charismatic bands disbanded / became inactive. Later some of them were reunited. Also there are some releases. But all of them stopped releasing albums or disbanded in this period; Pageant, Outer Limits, Vienna, Sense Of Wonder, Killing Time, Rosalia, Velvet Paw, Mugen, Mr.Sirius, Asturias, Kennedy, Novela, Senba Kiyohiko & Haniwa All Stars, Picaresque Of Bremen, etc. On the other hand, new remarkable prog bands began to release interesting CD albums. Ars Nova, Koenji Hyakkei, Optical*8, Tipographica, Bondage Fruit, Ground-Zero, Marge Litch, etc are such groups. ''Step Across The Border'' This phrase helped Japanese prog musicians and fans to enjoy new kind of progressive rock. There appeared many interesting groups / artists / albums .... Japanese scene seemed to go its peak of progressive rock movement.
But unfortunately the movement was enexpectedly baffled by the leading book of progressive rock. Because prog magazine Marquee gradually turned to mainly write another kind of music rather than most of readers wished for prog. Old proggers left from this magazine. So Marquee rapidly became not for prog expert book. Editor must keep the essential policy. Editor must try to find new dimension. But editor must not run for only his hobby. This editor must publish another magazine as another name in the middle of 1990s. Because of this strayed position, Marquee lost confidence as a leading prog magazine. There might be 3 or 4 years blank for Japanese to appreciate true prog magazine. Finally Euro Rock Press was published by the request of frustrated proggers in the late 1990s. It is ironically published by Marquee Inc.! Here is the original policy of Marquee Moon. But this 3 - 4 years blank was really regrettable. Local proggers could not know what happened in Japanese scene. Can you believe it? Marquee's shop World Disque introduced us many Japanese albums in its monthly sale list. But this was the only source. I felt this period was harder than the middle of 1980s.
When I noticed Japanese scene, major labels were no longer to grow up new prog bands and artists. So there have been few cases of debut album by new bands from major labels since the middle of 1990s. But independent labels became more active to release hopeful albums. This tendency continues to current scene. Major labels release only experienced bands and artists. Indeed, they keep at least required level. I wish majors try to grow up new comers as well as 80s King Records were so. But current scence is assisted by independent labels: Poseidon is the most well-known label.
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Posted By: erik neuteboom
Date Posted: November 02 2007 at 09:10
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Thanks for the compliments Honganji About Poseidon, it has a ditribution deal with the French progrock label Musea (like Interpose+) and I just noticed that promising new band Ashada is on Inter Music and Musea Parallele, again that linke between Japan and France! I wonder or progrock bands still play in venues like Silver Elephant and Eggman where bands like Outer Limits, Pageant, Mugen< Gerard and Vienna performed? Here's a picture a friend made after I had interviewed Gerard, they
gave me a limited edition of the CD Meridian, with their autographs
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Posted By: honganji
Date Posted: November 02 2007 at 09:50
Silver Elphant give many chances for prog bands to make live concerts.
Here, I could find 3 progressive rock concerts in November.
November 4; Progressive Live 2007 - Analog Kidz, The Great Rollingflower, Hamosvorten (I don't own any albums by them!!)
November 24; Progressive Live 2007 - Hanjushin no Gogo, Kinzokuebisu (Ooops, They are very differnt types each other!)
November 28; Progressive Live 2007 - Enigmatic Drive, Takeon (I don't know them at all.)
I remember Gerard have performed at Silver Elephant. But I can't remember Vienna did.
Gerard will give four concerts between December 12 and 16 in Nagoya, Osaka and Tokyo. Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka are different island cities from mine!!
Also there's live in Otaru on February 17, 2008. Otaru is next to Sapporo. However it is far from my city (130 km or so....) |
Posted By: erik neuteboom
Date Posted: November 02 2007 at 09:57
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Honganji, I just checked a fax I once got from Numero Ueno, Vienna played at Power Station, do you know that venue? Wow, Gerard live in December, if I had the money I had bought a ticket to Tokyo |
Posted By: honganji
Date Posted: November 02 2007 at 19:25
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Power Station?
It was already closed in the end of June, 1998.
Mmmm, Tokyo is very far. I didn't know that was already closed.
By the way, surely Vienna gave a live at Power Station on January 15, 1989. It was the last concert for them. Because Vienna said their disbandment
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Posted By: oroboross
Date Posted: November 03 2007 at 11:58
| Dream Theater sells out every time they go to Japan. And they know all the lyrics. It's the same with other progmetal bands. |
Posted By: erik neuteboom
Date Posted: November 03 2007 at 17:07
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Indeed Honganji, it was Vienna live at the Power Station in 1989. |
Posted By: BroSpence
Date Posted: November 03 2007 at 23:25
| My former roommate was from Japan. He was a big music fan (a composition major too). He was mostly into noise rock, punk and art-rock-like stuff, but he was well aware of Ruins and liked them. There was another awesome band he liked and played for me a bunch of times called Rovo. They were similar to Mahavishnu Orchestra. I know there was a band called Rovo from the US. It was not them. They're Japanese. |
Posted By: avestin
Date Posted: November 08 2007 at 14:24
Have a look at this band from China
http://www.miyadudu.com/english/index.htm - http://www.miyadudu.com/english/index.htm
------------- http://hangingsounds.blogspot.com/" rel="nofollow - Hanging Sounds http://www.progarchives.com/ProgRockShopping.asp" rel="nofollow - PA Index of prog music vendors |
Posted By: fuurinkazan
Date Posted: November 09 2007 at 05:58
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I lived in Japan for a good portion of my life, and I must say the prog scene in Japan has its pluses and minuses. CD stores both new and used as well as the plentiful CD rental shops are very well organized, and usually have a good selection of the more popular prog bands. As mentioned, in Tokyo, the areas around Shinjuku and Ochanomizu stations have a vast number of used CD shops some of which specialize in only prog. Shibuya also has a number of big box CD stores 6 or 7 storeys tall. There is of course a loyal prog following among a certain kind of listener, much as there is in the west.
On the downside, prog both domestic and foreign gets very little radio play, and is seldom featured at the in-shop listening stations, so people probably find out about it mainly through word of mouth or on the internet. All in all, prog is probably slightly less well known than in the U.S. or Britain. Avestin asked: What are the most popular prog acts (local and intl.)? I decided to look into this question a bit more. I've compiled lists of the bestselling prog CDs based on the sales ranks given on the Amazon Japan web site. I'll only list the most popular CD for each band. International bands 1. Led Zeppelin - "The Song Remains the Same" 67 2. Pink Floyd - "Dark Side of the Moon" 1212 3. King Crimson - "The Court of the Crimson King" 1245 4. Queen - "Made in Heaven" 1679 5. Radiohead - "Airbag/How am I driving?" 1741 6. Muse - "Absolution" 2019 7. Dream Theater - "Systematic Chaos" 3342 8. Tool - "10,000 days" 5586 9. Deep Purple - "Made in Japan" 8182 10. Porcupine Tree - "Nil Recurring" 8285 Led Zeppelin and King Crimson appear to be actually more popular in Japan than in the U.S., while the other bands are all less so. Other bands that are popular in the west such as The Mars Volta, Jethro Tull and Blackfield finish further down the Japanese list. Blackfield in particular seem virtually unknown in Japan, surprising given the high ranking of Porcupine Tree. Japanese bands 1. Sound Horizon - "Elysion" 282 Not listed on progarchives yet, but given by Honganji as a prog band. They do elaborate rock opera stage shows with an emphasis on the vocals sort of akin to Ayreon or Andrew Lloyd Webber. 2.Envy - "abyssal" 778 3.Dir en Grey - "Dozing Green" 793 More gothic metal than prog and perhaps a bit poppy for some tastes, but they do have some prog-like traits: a certain dramatic character, shifting moods within the same song, themes other than love. 4.Yellow Magic Orchestra as HASYMO - "Rescue/Rydeen" 845 A weird mix of synthpop and vaguely atonal bits a la David Sylvian/Japan. 5.World's End Girlfriend - "The Lie Lay Land" 2049 Post-rock which alternates between prog-like guitar riffs, children's songs, dissonance and new age. "Garden in the Ceiling" recalls Genesis's "Musical Box" or Kate Bush. 6.toe. - "new sentimentality" 2132 7.Boredoms - "Vision Creation Newsun" 6551 8.High and Mighty Color - "Amazing" 9454 An eclectic band, not yet reviewed in progarchives. Their tracks vary widely from symphonic goth metal a la Nightwish to pop to hard hip hop often all within the same song. They show flashes of prog influence on tracks like their hit "Ichirin no Hana" and "Aozora ni furu yuki." 9.Mono - "Gone: A collection of EP's 2000-2007" 15102 10.Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO - "Acid Motherly Love" 26362 Jimi Hendrix-like psychedelic jams. Guaranteed to send you tripping back to the 1960s. Many of the other bands honganji mentioned - Sense of Wonder, Gerard, Kenso, Ain Soph, Ruins and Bi Kyo Ran - finish not far behind. Has anyone mentioned Otomo Yoshihide? |
Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: November 09 2007 at 11:49
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Is Gerard on hiatus? Seems like it's been a bit since the last CD... No new Ars Nova until next year, too. ------------- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ipg=50&_sop=1&_rdc=1&_ssn=musicosm" rel="nofollow - eBay |
Posted By: honganji
Date Posted: November 09 2007 at 16:53
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Gerard will give 4 lives in this December. Active band.
Ars Nova is also active. However I'm astonished at current formation. Once Ars Nova was formed by only female musicians. Now Ars Nova includes male guitarist and male drummer.
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Posted By: erik neuteboom
Date Posted: November 09 2007 at 16:57
Honganji, Gerard should follow the 'fresh blood element' that Ars Nova has added: a guitarist, I am sure they will be close to the level of their first two albums because to me their latest efforts sound as if they have run out of ideas 
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Posted By: micky
Date Posted: November 09 2007 at 17:05
damn... I didn't know that.... .. nice gig if you can get it ------------- The Pedro and Micky Experience - When one no longer requires psychotropics to trip |
Posted By: andu
Date Posted: November 09 2007 at 17:39
One of the best Symphonic albums of 2007 comes from Japan, I think that's a good sign o a healthy scene. I'm referring to Outer Limits' Stromatolite. 
------------- "PA's own GI Joe!" 
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Posted By: erik neuteboom
Date Posted: November 10 2007 at 05:34
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Good call, you Romanian proghead
but ... now I am waiting for your review because this looks a bit poor for such a splendid comeback:
OUTER LIMITS "Stromatolite" ratings distribution4.43 / 5
(5 ratings, only two with review  ) |
Posted By: honganji
Date Posted: November 10 2007 at 20:02
Maybe need fresh blood element.
Glass Fortress was very good album. However Sighs ~ was a little boring for me. So I don't buy next album Power Of Infinity until today.
Most favorite album is Irony Of Fate. But Gerard is no need to produce such album. I want to hear another kind also really just Gerard music.
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Posted By: erik neuteboom
Date Posted: November 11 2007 at 06:20
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What about buying live video's and live DVD's with Japanese progrock in Japan, how many are available? |
Posted By: honganji
Date Posted: November 11 2007 at 12:00
Kenso and Koenji Hyakkei released DVDs. But there are few cases to release DVDs. As far as I know, Koenji Hyakkei/Live At Doors are available. Sound Horizon's 2 live DVDs are also available. But first DVD is not good. Aramary is very good singer in CD but I hear she could not sing well in this stage. What happened on her???? Second DVD is very good. However I wonder you can accept the music or not.
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Posted By: honganji
Date Posted: November 11 2007 at 12:15
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I remember Starless!!
They released DVD in January 2006. Probably it is available.
Also Prism will release DVD in this November.
Unfortunately, Teru's Symphonia, Bi Kyo Ran, Cosmos Factory, Far East Family Band, Vienna, Yoninbayshi, etc many famous bands have no DVDs.
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Posted By: erik neuteboom
Date Posted: November 11 2007 at 13:54
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Well Honganji, once I met the famous Japanese proghead #1 Mr. Numero Ueno in Europe during the Gerard tour, he has an amazing private collection because he used to make video footage of all known Japanese progrock bands during their concerts in Japan. I had to pay a hell lot of money to get a compilation from him with bands like Pageant, Outer Limits, Gerard, Mugen and Deja Vu, I hope once he will put it on DVD, I am sure many progheads are longing for it!
I also know that Gerard has released a video entitled Chaos, I have reviewed it because I got it on DVD from a Chilean proghead. And Ars Nova is on a Progfest video (1994?) along with White Willow and Solaris, awesome
In the past you could buy Japanese prog video's at Musea but all items are out of print.
Starless was an interesting band, they turned from a hardrock band into a Heavy Prog band and made some fine albums so I am curious to that DVD Honganji.
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Posted By: chuuzetsu
Date Posted: November 28 2007 at 23:19
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When I was in Japan in the summer, I went vinyl hunting and found a store that had a very large progressive rock section. Picked up Nursery Cryme there. Anyway, I didn't want to read through all these posts (I'm new here)...but, I'll say something: I don't think progressive music is actually *HUGE* in Japan. But, there are lots of crazy cult followings in Japan. Many artists who aren't "famous" actually have many devoted fans for many years. There are many subcultures or whatever for stuff like this. It's pretty crazy. Anyway, an artist like Tatsuya Yoshida. He isn't a huge celebrity there. But, to fans of avant-garde music in Japan that are into the scene, he is a god. ------------- http://www.last.fm/user/chuuzetsu/?chartstyle=Geldropdown-small"> 
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Posted By: verslibre
Date Posted: January 18 2008 at 02:22
Wow! Do you recall the name of the store? Was it in Osaka or Tokyo? ------------- https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_ipg=50&_sop=1&_rdc=1&_ssn=musicosm" rel="nofollow - eBay |
Posted By: allan Duul II
Date Posted: January 18 2008 at 10:27
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Apart from Mono and Acid Mothers Temple and a few of their offshoots I know very little about Japanese music, isn't Japanese Zeuhl supposed to be amazing? I love AMT lol. |