J-ska
Encyclopedia
Japanese ska or J-ska is ska
(スカ Suka) or ska punk
music made in Japan
by Japanese artists
with lyrics
in the Japanese language
or in English
. It is, along with its counterparts elsewhere in the world, part of what has been called the "third wave of ska [..that...] combines the traditional Jamaica
n Club
sound with metal
, punk, folk
, funk, and/or country
."
), the group Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra
is arguably the original and best-known J-ska ensemble.
175R
, Beat Crusaders
, The Boom
, Fake?
, Hi-Ho/Good Bye
, Inoran, Kemuri
, Kojima
, Ken Lloyd
, Lisa
, Mad Capsule Markets
, Mongol800
, Tsu Shi Ma Mi Re
, The Roosters
, Shaka Labbits, Tak Matsumoto
, Potshots, Yum!Yum!Orange, Yukihiro Takahashi
and Ore Ska Band
are other artists that perform J-ska (but not necessarily J-ska exclusively).
Japan has had a proliferation of album-making J-ska bands. Besides those mentioned elsewhere in this article, one source lists the Clippers, Coke Head Hipsters, the Drops, Duck Missile, Fruity, Gelugugu, La Ppisch, Life Bal, Mustang AKA, Nicotine
, Oi-Skall Mates, Piala, Potshot
, Rude Bones, Shoulder Hopper, Scafull King, Skatroits, Sprocket Wheel, Dallax
, The Rollings, Step by Step, Sk@ymate's, Skapontas, Tropical Gorilla SPYZZ,and Young Punch. Some like Muramasa☆ and Gollbetty
can be found on YouTube
.
horned
-based ska idiom
". Another remarks "from traditional ska to ska-punk, Japan has a thriving scene that is ready to invade America
.
A source at MIT
describes:
In Japan, both J-ska and traditional Jamaican ska enjoy some popularity. An article in Jamaica Observer quoted a Japanese music seller as saying:
A J-pop authority remarked that some see:
Although the J-ska scene is centered in Tokyo there are J-ska venues elsewhere in Japan, even in smaller cities such as Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture
.
in most of the world, it is congruous with the practice of considering J-pop to encompass other genre
s which are often regarded as separate from pop music in the United States and Europe, among them J-rock, J-urban and electronic dance music
.
The consideration of J-ska as a sub-genre of J-pop may be due, at least in part, to bands typically considered J-ska releasing songs with a definite pop music sound. Sometimes, this genre-spanning occurs within a single song. For example, Snail Ramp (a "typical ska punk" band from Tokyo
) has a song called Hotaru no hikari featuring Air
. For the most part, this is a ska punk version of Auld Lang Syne
with Japanese lyrics. Sections of the song, however, divert from this musical form and instead have a sound akin to boy band
music.This sort of stylistic departure, when it occurs in American and European punk music, may be regarded as ironic
and may even be so in this case.
According to the filing scheme used at Tower Records
in Tokyo, all J-ska is classified as hardcore
, even that with the laid-back sound that typifies early Jamaican ska music from the early 1960s.
Clips attempt to open in Windows Media Player
.
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
(スカ Suka) or ska punk
Ska punk
Ska punk is a fusion music genre that combines ska and punk rock. It achieved its highest level of commercial success in the United States in the late 1990s. Ska-core is a subgenre of ska punk, blending ska with hardcore punk.The characteristics of ska punk vary, due to the fusion of contrasting...
music made in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
by Japanese artists
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
with lyrics
Lyrics
Lyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
in the Japanese language
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
or in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. It is, along with its counterparts elsewhere in the world, part of what has been called the "third wave of ska [..that...] combines the traditional Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
n Club
Nightclub
A nightclub is an entertainment venue which usually operates late into the night...
sound with metal
Heavy metal music
Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...
, punk, folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
, funk, and/or country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
."
Artists
Having been formed in the 1980s and enjoying international success (including extensive touring in the United States and EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
), the group Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra
Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra
, commonly abbreviated by fans as Skapara or TSPO, is a Japanese ska and jazz band officially formed in 1988 by the percussionist Asa-Chang, and initially composed of over 10 veterans of Tokyo's underground scene...
is arguably the original and best-known J-ska ensemble.
175R
175R
is a Japanese ska punk band from Kitakyūshū, Fukuoka Prefecture.Debuting in 2001, 175R has released seven singles, seven albums and four DVDs. The band's members include Shogo on Vocals, Kazya on guitar, Isakick on bass and Yoshiaki on drums. The band shared their second single with the band Shaka...
, Beat Crusaders
Beat Crusaders
were a Japanese rock band. During all promotional appearances, their faces are masked by drawings resembling themselves as printed by a dot-matrix printer.-History:...
, The Boom
The Boom
The Boom is a Japanese rock band. Its members are Kazufumi Miyazawa , Kobayashi Takashi , Yamakawa Hiromasa , and Tochigi Takao .-History:...
, Fake?
Fake?
Fake? is a Japanese rock band formed in 2001 by Ken Lloyd and Inoran. Their music has been described as alternative mixed with electronic sounds...
, Hi-Ho/Good Bye
Hi-Ho/Good Bye
"Hi-Ho"/"Good Bye" is a double A-side single by hide, released on December 18, 1996. The music for "Beauty & Stupid Tokyo Ska Version" is performed by Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra...
, Inoran, Kemuri
Kemuri
Kemuri was a Japanese ska-punk band formed in 1995. They have an upbeat sound with positive lyrics which they refer to as PMA . While the majority of the songs are in English, they do also sing in Japanese....
, Kojima
Kojima
Kojima Engineering was a Japanese Formula One constructor who entered cars in the Japanese Grand Prix in 1976 and 1977.The team was founded in 1976 by Matsuhisa Kojima. Kojima had made a fortune importing bananas, and was a motor-racing enthusiast, having ridden in Motocross himself in the 1960s...
, Ken Lloyd
Ken Lloyd
Kentaro James Shibuya Lloyd , better known as Ken Lloyd, is a British/Japanese musician and singer-songwriter. Fluent in both Japanese and English, he writes lyrics in both languages...
, Lisa
LISA (musician)
is a Japanese-Colombian singer and producer better known as LISA. In 1999 she formed the Japanese urban contemporary group M-Flo with Verbal and Taku Takahashi. Daughter of a Japanese father and Afro-Colombian mother, LISA met her fellow band members while attending international school in Tokyo...
, Mad Capsule Markets
The Mad Capsule Markets
The Mad Capsule Markets were a Japanese band that formed in 1990 and were active until 2006...
, Mongol800
MONGOL800
is an Okinawan band from Urasoe, Okinawa, Japan consisting of three members. When they were aged 19, they released their first album. They have released five studio recordings, one single, and one live concert DVD. In 2001, despite low commercial attention, they sold over two-million records from...
, Tsu Shi Ma Mi Re
Tsu Shi Ma Mi Re
Tsu Shi Ma Mi Re is an all-girl Japanese rock trio. Their style is energetic hard rock, mixing punk and pop tendencies with idiosyncratic, quirky, often funny or disturbing lyrics...
, The Roosters
The Roosters
The Roosters were a Japanese rock band that mixed punk, blues-rock, ska and straightforward rock and roll.-History:They formed in 1979 in the Hakata ward of Fukuoka. Although there were four different lineups throughout the life of the band—all centered around guitarist Hiroyuki Hanada--Shinya Ohe...
, Shaka Labbits, Tak Matsumoto
Tak Matsumoto
is a Grammy Award-winning Japanese guitarist, producer, arranger, composer, singer and songwriter. In addition to guitarist and lead composer for the hard rock band B'z, he has also had a successful solo career.-Background:...
, Potshots, Yum!Yum!Orange, Yukihiro Takahashi
Yukihiro Takahashi
Yukihiro Takahashi is a Japanese musician, who is best known as the drummer and lead vocalist of the Yellow Magic Orchestra, and as the former drummer of the Sadistic Mika Band.-Biography:...
and Ore Ska Band
Ore Ska Band
is an all-female ska band from Sakai, Japan. They have released two full albums in Japan, Ore in July 2006, and WAO!! in May 2007, as well as a self-titled compilation album for a US release, Oreskaband...
are other artists that perform J-ska (but not necessarily J-ska exclusively).
Japan has had a proliferation of album-making J-ska bands. Besides those mentioned elsewhere in this article, one source lists the Clippers, Coke Head Hipsters, the Drops, Duck Missile, Fruity, Gelugugu, La Ppisch, Life Bal, Mustang AKA, Nicotine
Nicotine
Nicotine is an alkaloid found in the nightshade family of plants that constitutes approximately 0.6–3.0% of the dry weight of tobacco, with biosynthesis taking place in the roots and accumulation occurring in the leaves...
, Oi-Skall Mates, Piala, Potshot
Potshot (band)
Potshot was a J-ska music group from Japan. They released their records on their own label, TV Freak, in Japan. Their first five albums were also re-released by Asian Man Records, an American label well known for signing Asian punk-pop bands. Their final album, Potshot Beat Goes On, released in May...
, Rude Bones, Shoulder Hopper, Scafull King, Skatroits, Sprocket Wheel, Dallax
DALLAX
Dallax is a band founded in 1998 by singer Numb and saxplayer Pe in Machida/Tokyo. Their sound is High-Energy Skacore, which sounds extremely different compared to traditional ska sounds which many other bands use. Although Numb could well be an Asiatic family member of Lemmy it would not meet the...
, The Rollings, Step by Step, Sk@ymate's, Skapontas, Tropical Gorilla SPYZZ,and Young Punch. Some like Muramasa☆ and Gollbetty
Gollbetty
are a seven-piece Japanese ska band with strong pop and punk influences.-History:They formed in 2004 in Nagoya. In 2005, they released their debut EP, "Soul Fresh!". The vocalist of the band g-yun was soon recognized by fashion magazines. With the help of her appearances in the magazines, interest...
can be found on YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
.
Characteristics
According to one music critic, J-ska "music translates well, as they have fully embraced the WesternWestern world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
horned
Brass instrument
A brass instrument is a musical instrument whose sound is produced by sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips...
-based ska idiom
Idiom
Idiom is an expression, word, or phrase that has a figurative meaning that is comprehended in regard to a common use of that expression that is separate from the literal meaning or definition of the words of which it is made...
". Another remarks "from traditional ska to ska-punk, Japan has a thriving scene that is ready to invade America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
A source at MIT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
describes:
Although far less popular than J-popJ-pop, an abbreviation for Japanese pop, is a musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in 1960s music, such as The Beatles, and replaced kayōkyoku in the Japanese music scene...
, J-rock, or electronicaElectronicaElectronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
, ska music has a definite presence in Japan. Emerging about a decade ago with forerunner bands Ska-Flames and Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra, the Japanese ska scene saw a huge popular surge in 1997 (mirroring the burst of popularity in the United States) which quickly died out. However, many Japanese ska bands continue to persist despite a lack of mainstream support. The Determinations, The Side Burns, and Blue Beat Players are Japanese ska bands popular among fans of the genre.
In Japan, both J-ska and traditional Jamaican ska enjoy some popularity. An article in Jamaica Observer quoted a Japanese music seller as saying:
Ska is very big in Japan and we have about five Japanese Ska bands in my city. We just had Prince BusterPrince BusterCecil Bustamente Campbell, O.D. , better known as Prince Buster, and also known by his Muslim name Muhammed Yusef Ali, is a musician from Kingston, Jamaica. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in the history of ska and rocksteady music...
performing there [...] Japanese people love Ska [...] in fact, they love every period of music from Jamaica.
A J-pop authority remarked that some see:
...similarities between the highly stylized "skankingSkank (dance)Skanking is a form of dancing practiced in the ska, ska punk, hardcore punk, reggae, and other music scenes.The dance style originated in the 1950s or 1960s at Jamaican dance halls, where ska music was played. British mods and skinheads of the 1960s adopted these types of dances and altered them...
" dance style associated with ska music and Japanese "bon odoriBon Festivalor just is a Japanese Buddhist custom to honor the spirits of one's ancestors. This Buddhist-Confucian custom has evolved into a family reunion holiday during which people return to ancestral family places and visit and clean their ancestors' graves, and when the spirits of ancestors are supposed...
" festival dancesJapanese festivalsJapanese festivals are traditional festive occasions. Some festivals have their roots in Chinese festivals but have undergone dramatic changes as they mixed with local customs....
. (Ska music and ska-punk have long been favorites in Japan, and today there are countless Japanese ska and ska-punk bands.) And reggaeReggaeReggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
’s syncopated rhythmSyncopationIn music, syncopation includes a variety of rhythms which are in some way unexpected in that they deviate from the strict succession of regularly spaced strong and weak but also powerful beats in a meter . These include a stress on a normally unstressed beat or a rest where one would normally be...
s are echoed in the rhythm of Okinawan music -- so much so that Okinawa music is sometimes called "Japanese reggae."
Although the J-ska scene is centered in Tokyo there are J-ska venues elsewhere in Japan, even in smaller cities such as Kisarazu in Chiba Prefecture
Chiba Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region and the Greater Tokyo Area. Its capital is Chiba City.- History :Chiba Prefecture was established on June 15, 1873 with the merger of Kisarazu Prefecture and Inba Prefecture...
.
Classification
While some sources (such as one of the quotes above) discern J-ska from J-pop, other sources lump them together. While this classification is contrary to the fact that ska and punk music are rarely, if ever, classified as pop musicPop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
in most of the world, it is congruous with the practice of considering J-pop to encompass other genre
Genre
Genre , Greek: genos, γένος) is the term for any category of literature or other forms of art or culture, e.g. music, and in general, any type of discourse, whether written or spoken, audial or visual, based on some set of stylistic criteria. Genres are formed by conventions that change over time...
s which are often regarded as separate from pop music in the United States and Europe, among them J-rock, J-urban and electronic dance music
Electronic dance music
Electronic dance music is electronic music produced primarily for the purposes of use within a nightclub setting, or in an environment that is centered upon dance-based entertainment...
.
The consideration of J-ska as a sub-genre of J-pop may be due, at least in part, to bands typically considered J-ska releasing songs with a definite pop music sound. Sometimes, this genre-spanning occurs within a single song. For example, Snail Ramp (a "typical ska punk" band from Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
) has a song called Hotaru no hikari featuring Air
Air (Japanese band)
AIR is a name under which Kurumatani Koji releases his songs. He started AIR two months after SPIRAL LIFE broke up in April 1996. His music is often an inspiration for other artists, and his work is noted for lyrics that take on social issues and politics and can be classified as alternative...
. For the most part, this is a ska punk version of Auld Lang Syne
Auld Lang Syne
"Auld Lang Syne" is a Scots poem written by Robert Burns in 1788 and set to the tune of a traditional folk song . It is well known in many countries, especially in the English-speaking world; its traditional use being to celebrate the start of the New Year at the stroke of midnight...
with Japanese lyrics. Sections of the song, however, divert from this musical form and instead have a sound akin to boy band
Boy band
A boy band is loosely defined as a popular music act consisting of only male singers. The members are expected to dance as well as sing, usually giving highly choreographed performances. More often than not, boy band members do not play musical instruments, either in recording sessions or on...
music.This sort of stylistic departure, when it occurs in American and European punk music, may be regarded as ironic
Irony
Irony is a rhetorical device, literary technique, or situation in which there is a sharp incongruity or discordance that goes beyond the simple and evident intention of words or actions...
and may even be so in this case.
According to the filing scheme used at Tower Records
Tower Records
Tower Records was a retail music chain that was based in Sacramento, California. It currently exists as an international franchise and an online music store....
in Tokyo, all J-ska is classified as hardcore
Hardcore punk
Hardcore punk is an underground music genre that originated in the late 1970s, following the mainstream success of punk rock. Hardcore is generally faster, thicker, and heavier than earlier punk rock. The origin of the term "hardcore punk" is uncertain. The Vancouver-based band D.O.A...
, even that with the laid-back sound that typifies early Jamaican ska music from the early 1960s.
Audio clips
Windows Media Player
Windows Media Player is a media player and media library application developed by Microsoft that is used for playing audio, video and viewing images on personal computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system, as well as on Pocket PC and Windows Mobile-based devices...
.
- Audio Ato-Ichinen by Kemuri
- Audio Circle of LifeCircle of LifeThe song was re-recorded in 2003 by the Disney Channel Circle of Stars, a group of actors and actresses who have appeared in Disney Channel television series and original movies...
by Kemuri - Audio Radio by PotshotPotshotPotshot may refer to:* Potshot , a Spenser novel by Robert B. Parker* Potshot , a former J-ska music group from Japan* Potshot Lake, Minnesota, an unorganized territory...
- Audio Tears of a Clown by Potshot
Video link
- GoogleVideo Psycho Farmers performing live
External links
- Frivolity: Japanese Ska and Punk has short reviews of various J-ska artists
- SKAspot