Japanese music

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On Wednesday 05 October 2011 23:14:44 Mikael Hansson wrote:
> Is there anything interesting besides YMO and their various solo/side-projects?
> 

If you don't mind slightly weird music, I've recently discovered a lot of cool vintage japanese bands through various oldies compilations such as these ones :
- Vanity: Finest selection 1978-81 : 
  http://www.discogs.com/Various-Vanity-Finest-Selection-1978-81/release/2574222
  Vanity was a short lived but really cool New Wave/No Wave label. On this compilation, there's a track by a Mario Agata which has a bass line very similar to "She's Lost Control" but was published apparently a year before "Unknown Pleasures"! 
- Ongaku 70 :
  http://avaxhome.ws/hraphile/vinyl/ongaku_70_lp.html
  Mostly expe/psychedelic rock on this one. Notably an excellent (but not electronic at all) track by the Yellow Magic Band, soon to be the Yello Magic Orchestra. Also one by les Rallizes Denudes, a personal favorite who sounded in the early 70s like the noisier shoegaze bands (Flying Saucer Attack FTW!) would 20 or so years later.
- Ongaku 80:
  http://holywarbles.blogspot.com/2011/09/va-ongaku-80-alternative-waves-from.html
  Same series, different times. Mostly new wave & bizarro synth pop on this one. Includes Sakamoto's famous "Riot in Lagos".

As for more recent times, besides the usual harsh noise merchants (Merzbow, KK Null, Masonna, Otomo Yoshihide ...) there's quite a few bands I like :
- Polysics : http://www.allmusic.com/artist/polysics-p477045
  (Synth-rock à la Devo)
- Cornelius : http://www.allmusic.com/artist/cornelius-p228313
  (Bubblegum pop, mostly his first album, the rest is so-so)
- Melt Banana: http://www.allmusic.com/artist/melt-banana-p200036
  (Quite a bit noisier alt-rock)
- Boredoms : http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-boredoms-p3747
- Acid Mothers Temple : http://www.allmusic.com/artist/acid-mothers-temple-p416804
  (Bizarre prog/psychedelia)
- OOIOO : http://www.allmusic.com/artist/ooioo-p311949
- Nisennenmondai : http://www.allmusic.com/artist/nisennenmondai-p1062152
 
Unfortunately there isn't a lot of electronic music in there and (except maybe for the first two) they are all quite a bit on the wild side, so there's a possibility you'll think there isn't a lot of music there at all ;)