New to J-rock, teach me about it in one week

[Davey]

Okay, ill give it a try.. J-rock... what is it? who is it? where can i get it

ill give myself one week to get into J-rock... than i can tell if i like it or not!!

I really don't know anything about J-rock... Porno grafiti is that J-rock ? no thats pop isn't?

and why does some of the J-rockers i saw on the forum looks like GIRLS?

 

[isayhello]

Japanese male ideal is different (to answed your question) A male ideal of beatiful men instead of tough, of men with feminine features and skinny bodies is considered more pretty/sexy than a bulky muscly person. It really has it's origin in the kabuki theaters of ancient Japan... first women and men alike acted out on stage, but the emperor forbade the acting of women, so thus - the men had to do the female roles too. And it became popular with men who could act like females good. It was considered true beauty if a man could look and act like a woman... (not that ALL japanese think this type of guy is the greatest, but it's more commonly accepted than in the west...)

(But the jrockers aren't 'unmanly' just because they look feminine!! ) - they've got really manly voices and they act all guy-ish! :cracker:

 

[Davey]

wow i never looked at it from a kabuki way of thinking.. interesting, thanks wakra swenska flicka

 

[.::b|ue Ash::.]

Dutch Baka: All I can say is dl some music if you like em you like em, if you don't you don't. I wouldn't be too concerned with their visual appearance, at least not at this point. I've been listening to j-bands for about 5 months now and I've only seen 1 video and could really care less about the whole visual-kei thing. Sure the costumes are fun and interesting but I don't go gaga over them, if anything they are a big turn off for me, lol.

J-Pop/J-Rock sounds a bit different then what native musicians you might be used to. At least I know that's true here in America.
There are some artists that are considered J-Pop that have harder songs, and some that are J-Rock with a few softer songs.

I've only heard 4 bands that I can recall the name of, so they are the only ones I can recommend, in order...

Dir En Grey (J-Rock)
Gackt (J-Pop)
Miyavi (I'm not sure what he's considered, he's both.)
Le arc en ciel (sp?)

 

[DemonHunter]

what kind of music do you like?

 

[Kinsao]

I always want to tell people about different j-rock bands, I want everyone to like 'em because... because I do! *ahem*...... Nice to see you here Dutch!

May I direct you to this thread:
Okay, I'll finally bite...
Started by Mycernius, who wanted some information about Japanese music. There are recommendations there. (haha, my post of recomms was second one ) If you look through some of the other pages in this j-pop forum, you can also find other threads where people asked for recommended bands, but I linked to this one because it has a real variety of types of band.

As DemonHunter says, it would be helpful to know what type of music you already listen to.

*clears throat* At the risk of repeating what I said to Mycernius, here's some recomms from me anyway:
Kagrra, - they are kind of... well, impossible to categorise; they're not exactly what I'd think of as 'rock' but they're definitely not 'pop'... you can also very much hear the 'Japanese' influence in the music.

SID - very melodic (singer excellent!!!), pop-ish without being saccharine, gorgeous tunes, some tasty jazz influences.

If you like pop, try B'z!! And - Gackt (of course!).... good musician. And Glay! (I love 'em...) And, of course, L'arc en ciel...

If you like blues-rock, try Merry.

If you like classical, try Malice Mizer's 'Bara no seidou' album and Kozi's 'Izayoi no tsuki' album.

If you like dance, try Schwarz Stein, Psycho le Cemu and Velvet Eden.

If you like traditional rock music with twiddly guitar lusciousness, try Galneryus and Aushvitz.

If you like ballad-type songs, try Lucifer Luscious Violenoue.

If you like heavy metal, try D'espairsRay, Gazette's 'Disorder' album, and Deathgaze.

Dir en grey are fantastic, but their music can't be categorised.

If you want awesome music with amazing basslines.... it has to be MUCC (one of my personal faves... if not the fave at the minute).

There are so many other bands I could recommend! (D, Kra, Kagerou, Jinkaku Radio, Rentrer en Soi...) but I don't want to confuse you any more than I probably have done already!

If you post the types of music you're most interested in, I'd be more than happy to upload some examples for you.

 

[hebiichigo]

The reason some of them "look like girls" is because they are in Visual Kei bands.
See here about Visual Kei.
Umm.. that's it from me..

 

[Anchyyy]

Dutch tell us what bands do you like and we can maybe recomend you some from Jrock that... (i won't say the same cuz Jrock is better) sound like the band you are listening ^^

Beside that i strongly reccomend you to listen X Japan. Probably you've heard of them. The vocalist(Toshi is amazing) so is Yoshiki (piano,drums), hide (guitar) and the same goes also for Pata (guitar) and Heath (bass). You should really try them. If your interested tell me i have their whole discography!

Dir en grey-Sometimes it suprises me how a small man like Kyo can sing so good and make such noises The band is awesome really, even tho most of people say the like their old stuff better, because the last album is not so good. Well i like it a lot and it doesn't matter to me what they say!

Rentrer en Soi-Thw vocalist is pure gold! His voice... amazing. And i like the drumming. So insane and fast. Try them too.

Their are tons of other bands to listen....

- Malice Mizer
- Moi Dix Mois
- Panic Channel
- Straightener
- hide
- Glay
- Gackt
- Pierrot
- Psycho le Cemu
- Aya
- bis
- Kagrra
- Mucc
- Nightmare
- Madeth gray'll
- SID
- Vidoll
- Shulla
- The Back Horn
- 12012
- Alice Nine
- Antique Cafe
- Kozi
- L'arc en ciel
- KuRt
- Due'le Quartz
- Gazette
- Kagerou
- Duel Jewel
- Penicillin
- Dope HEADz
- Plastic Tree
- Porno Grafitti
- Luna Sea
- baroque
- Merry
- Jinkaku Radio
- Girugamesh
- La:Sadies
- D'espairsRay
- Auschvitz
- Laputa
- Lareine
- Schwarz Stein
- Velvet Eden

Haha i'm done

 

[Child_prey]

If you want to get to know Jrock, X-japan is one of the bands you should listen to first. they are legends. their music is 80-type of rock...
If you like something heavier, Dir en grey.
Something in the middle (pop-rock), Gackt.
Gothic-like, malice mizer, moi dix mois.

Just some bands to get you started.

Enjoy the world of JRock

 

[advigilo]

you can also try wikipedia for jrock bands or some info

 

[Child_prey]

Dir en grey-Sometimes it suprises me how a small man like Kyo can sing so good and make such noises The band is awesome really, even tho most of people say the like their old stuff better, because the last album is not so good. Well i like it a lot and it doesn't matter to me what they say!

:

People are crazy!!! How can they not like Dead tree... But I have to admit, Gauze was the best, but they still got it!
Kyo isn't human, not with that voice.

 

[Anchyyy]

Kyo isn't human, not with that voice.

Ohh i should agree with that i guess Its true! And yeah their new stuff is still amazing for example i love Clever Selazoid. Can't wait for their new album or single!!

 

[Kinsao]

.... and (@ DB), it's worth remembering that j-rock is, well, rock (duuhhh!)... if you're into something like electronica, dance, techno, jazz, traditional, drum n bass, soul, ambient, etc. etc. etc.... then you might need to ask other people... sure there's all sorts of music in Japan same as any other country and it has its own music scenes of all types... here it seems we mainly talk of rock, pop and some metal and punk. There are a few (*thinks* Mycernius and Lastmagi) who have knowledge from other genres of j-music.

 

[.::b|ue Ash::.]

I don't understand how some people can say that Dir En Grey's old stuff is better (though the music is quiet different, almost punk in a way perhaps those people like that kind.)
Their newer stuff is much harder, they are on the vurge of a rock/metal j-band (if there was such a thing) it's all just j-music. lol.

Withering To Death is a ******* masterpeice!

 

[Hyde_is_my_anti-drug]

Okay this is just my opinion you don't have to take it to heart:
I think a good band to start with is L'Arc~en~Ciel since their sound isn't as "Eastern" or different from the Western sound as others. They have a nice blend of the two kinds of sounds.
I wouldn't recommend starting with Visual Kei Artists because they're so different and I've learned that a lot of new fans find them hard to swallow. Work up to them.
I recommend Gackt because that brings you farther from the Western sound and works up a bit towards Visual Kei. His music is also very emotionally moving and he uses all kinds of genres to get his point across.
You could try Miyavi but he's strange so if you don't like him don't get scared off J-music because of that.

Visual Kei
(But like I said one might wish to hold off on these for awhile at least until you're more at ease with J-music)
Antique Cafe is a great Indies Visual Kei band that still has a more standerd Rock feel even though they are very strange. And don't be fooled by their Pop Princess image. They're Rock. Very strange Rock but still Rock.
Okay, if you listen to Dir en Grey be careful which songs you hear first. Hearing "the wrong song" first can result in one hating Dir en Grey. Trust me, the first song of theirs my mom heard was "Child Prey" and for a very long time there after she did not like them AT ALL. I'd recommend starting with "The Final" or "Cage" those songs aren't quite so far out there. Slowly build up to the disturbing stuff like "Obscure", "Pink Killer" and "Mushi" (though "Mushi" is disturbing in a different way then the others...don't listen to it unless you're prepared to be emotionally crushed).
An easier Visual Kei band to swallow is Malice Mizer. They're very different but still not quite so...vulger or disturbing as Dir en Grey. Easier to listen over a long period of time. They also have a very unique sound and blend of Rock and Classical. One should listen to them for Musical Ed. if for no other reason.

I also recommend that you check out the Solo Projects of certain band members in these bands.
Most recommended Solo Projects:
Hyde
Moi Dix Mois

 

[Fureya Eriku]

Dutch tell us what bands do you like and we can maybe recomend you some from Jrock that... (i won't say the same cuz Jrock is better) sound like the band you are listening ^^

Beside that i strongly reccomend you to listen X Japan. Probably you've heard of them. The vocalist(Toshi is amazing) so is Yoshiki (piano,drums), hide (guitar) and the same goes also for Pata (guitar) and Heath (bass). You should really try them. If your interested tell me i have their whole discography!

Dir en grey-Sometimes it suprises me how a small man like Kyo can sing so good and make such noises The band is awesome really, even tho most of people say the like their old stuff better, because the last album is not so good. Well i like it a lot and it doesn't matter to me what they say!

Rentrer en Soi-Thw vocalist is pure gold! His voice... amazing. And i like the drumming. So insane and fast. Try them too.

Their are tons of other bands to listen....

- Malice Mizer
- Moi Dix Mois
- Panic Channel
- Straightener
- hide
- Glay
- Gackt
- Pierrot
- Psycho le Cemu
- Aya
- bis
- Kagrra
- Mucc
- Nightmare
- Madeth gray'll
- SID
- Vidoll
- Shulla
- The Back Horn
- 12012
- Alice Nine
- Antique Cafe
- Kozi
- L'arc en ciel
- KuRt
- Due'le Quartz
- Gazette
- Kagerou
- Duel Jewel
- Penicillin
- Dope HEADz
- Plastic Tree
- Porno Grafitti
- Luna Sea
- baroque
- Merry
- Jinkaku Radio
- Girugamesh
- La:Sadies
- D'espairsRay
- Auschvitz
- Laputa
- Lareine
- Schwarz Stein
- Velvet Eden

Haha i'm done

Hehe.. You forgot The Candy Spooky Theatre

 

[Fureya Eriku]

Okay, ill give it a try.. J-rock... what is it? who is it? where can i get it

ill give myself one week to get into J-rock... than i can tell if i like it or not!!

I really don't know anything about J-rock... Porno grafiti is that J-rock ? no thats pop isn't?

and why does some of the J-rockers i saw on the forum looks like GIRLS?

dude! You should seriously check out Asain Kun Fu Genneration and Bonbfactory. Awesome japanese punkbands=) And offcource Yumi Yumi
And I strongly advise Penicillin, Judy and Mary and Go! Go! 7188

 

[dniwer]

I don't understand how some people can say that Dir En Grey's old stuff is better (though the music is quiet different, almost punk in a way perhaps those people like that kind.)
Their newer stuff is much harder, they are on the vurge of a rock/metal j-band (if there was such a thing) it's all just j-music. lol.

Withering To Death is a ******* masterpeice!

I must agree that I LOOOOVE Withering to Death, the album is simply wonderful. I think people just like to complain when a band gets older, but I think Diru is only getting better as a band and their sound has matured and darkened over the years, which is a plus for me.

As far as recommendations I'd say start out with something light. My first J-rock band was L'Arc~en~Ciel and I'd say that they are a great 'beginner' band to listen to. Hyde's vocals are amazing and their music is great and has a decent range in song styles. After Laruku, I listened to Dir en Grey. I love hard music, so I fell in love with them as well. Um, I'd also recommend D'espairsRay and MUCC to test out J-rock.

Hope that helps a little, and I can upload some stuff if you'd like, just let me know!

 

[Davey]

Wow thanks you guys, I didnt expect so much reply's this fast.. forgot 1000post a day in J-pop section * Throws fish to I say hello*

I don't really have a favorite kind of music taste, thats why I ask about J-rock. It really depends on the moment, sometimes I like Pop, sometimes Rock, hip hop or sometimes clasic can be nice * everything except Country music... ble ble behhhh *

I know gackt yeah, i listed to a couple of songs from him, thats pretty nice.

where can I download it?

About the way they look... i talked to I say hello * tackles her, and hit her with a fish* about it, but still can't understand it well... okay the kabuki thing with that i understand they way they dress... but how can you find Mivayi hotter than Brad pitt?

and does Japanese guys really like they way they look? i think for a girl they are good looking, and the female part i can understand more about a girl like it... but that a guy like the way they look, and think Kakoii.... ☝

I'll download some of the stuff and listen to it... where can i find PV's?

btw. does Jpop suki shows J-rock music?

oww.. and metal i dont like either... but Rock is nice!

 

[DemonHunter]

dude! You should seriously check out Asain Kun Fu Genneration and Bonbfactory. Awesome japanese punkbands=) And offcource Yumi Yumi
And I strongly advise Penicillin, Judy and Mary and Go! Go! 7188

you mean Bomb Factory
more hardcore punk'ish,but they aint not bad


you allso should check

Electric Eel Shock(Rock)
10 Feet (Punk Rock/Guitar Pop)
Hizaki(Power metalish)
Gelugugu(Ska Punk)
Missa(Rock/Metal?)
Potshot(Ska Punk)
Mongol 800 (Punk Rock)
Shonen Knife(All Girl Pop Rock)
Thee Michelle Gun Elephant(Garage Rock)
Mono (Post Rock)

to name a few

 

[Davey]

I like Blink 182, greenday, linking park.. if you look in that section...

but I am also a HUGEEEE FAN of DREAMS COME TRUE.... owww i love them love them love them love them ... LOVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE THEM

 

[DemonHunter]

@Fellow Dutchman

i get most pv's from Soulseek(p2p program) and sometimes at the jpop-suki tracker or at jrock mp3 rotations

 

[Davey]

ill have a look at Jpop suki then...

Dank je wel

 

[advigilo]

we zijn altijd bereid om te helpen

 

[Davey]

woehoe.. laten we nederlands section beginnen...

joke