Japan has always had a special relationship with soulful music.
Jazz cafes and Blues bars dot the road anywhere you go in Japan.
The viral “City Pop” genre is inspired by American funk and groove. Classical 1970s Japanese Jazz artists like Ryo Fukui are blowing up on Youtube.
And, Jamiroquai is a source on inspiration for many, if not most, modern aspiring Japanese musicians.
Soul seems to be everywhere. But, the country isn’t home to any club dance culture. No “true” religion or gospel either, which are the roots of soul.
Another common lyrical topic – socioeconomic divide – isn’t relatable for most, with Japan’s middle class being one of the largest out of any country.
So, what makes Japan so interested in Soul?
SOUL’S HUMBLE BEGINNINGS IN JAPAN
Jazz originally got its start in Japan thanks to imports from the Philippines, which was an American colony at the time, around 1910. In an instant, Jazz became wildly popular. Not even government intervention could take it away from the people.
Despite being labelled as “enemy music” during WW2 (to the point an official edict was issued to destroy all jazz records), most people ignored the demands and disobeyed the state.
As the fighting stopped and the world began to heal, WW2’s end marked huge changes for domestic media flow. Japan was rebuilt and occupied by American troops and, naturally, most of the music that civilians could listen to came from the troop’s radios – only adding oil to the fire.
The troops wanted to hear their Jazz, and when the economy began to pick up in the 1970s, Japanese residents were able to dedicate more time and resources towards learning Jazz. Some cite the technical nature of Jazz as the reason the genre took off even further, connecting the art of playing to Japan’s obsession with fine craftmanship.
The 1970s were an explosive time for the arts in Japan – many movements from this time continue to have a lasting effect even today.
This era cemented Japan’s love for everything funky, soulful, and technical.
Here is a wonderful article explaining more Japanese Jazz history with song recommendations in chronological order.
There are loads of theories giving reasons to why Jazz had such a grip on Japan even before the occupation, such as the “flow state” of Jazz being likened to historical Zen Buddhist practices.
But, who knows for sure! What we do know – Jazz now serves as an important foundation to many modern J-pop songs and chord progressions.
Let’s fast forward to the modern music scene in Tokyo and Osaka.
THE MODERN SCENE
Why is there a tradition Soul resurgence with the new generation? Aside from an already existing affinity for Jazz, there are two major players lifting up the genre.
RECORD COLLECTORS
Japan has never been big on streaming, with CD and DVD sales reigning top for all of the 2010s to now.
Recently, vinyl collecting has started to outsell even the CDs.
Vinyl bars, a love of collecting, and a hyper awareness for audio quality are all behind the vinyl resurgence.
Because vinyl tends to favor more on the side of soul, disco, funk, and hiphop, newer listeners are more inclined to join in on the fun of soul.
And, for DJs looking for rare samples, these deep cut soul records are imperative for their art. (think Nujabes!)
DJs
As I said earlier, clubs and dancing just aren’t big in Japan. You will be judged for going, unfortunately. There are certainly places that aren’t full of horny devils, but please be careful if you visit.
On the other hand, DJing is alive and well. DJs don’t make music for the club, and they don’t play in clubs often, either.
DJs usually perform in stores after closing time. Many of the clothing stores along Cat Street in Shibuya will open their floors at night to friends and customers for intimate DJ and chill sessions. The same goes for restaurants, bars, and record shops.
It’s a great way to socialize and gain more customers by creating a community, so it works well for both the store and DJ. Many freelancers in the beauty, apparel, and music industries are DJs by night.
On a personal account, I also think it replaces the need for harder drugs to justify a social gathering, since that’s not easy to get here. Good beats and maybe a beer will suffice for getting people gathered and enjoying their time together on the same wavelength.
MODERN SOUL RECS
There is no lack of soul coming out of Japan. In fact, new funky soul bands are selling out arena tours.
Check out my recommendations for the best modern soul sounds, and let me know if you enjoyed any of them. I also wrote about more modern funk picks here, with a bigger focus on new funk fusion genres.
SUCHMOS (funk, city pop)
Suchmos marks the start of modern soul era, going viral in Japan from their song used in a TV commercial in 2016. They make trendy and groovy tunes all while being respectful to music craftmanship of the past.
In this song, Suchmos shares a sample with Jamiroquai’s song “Alright“.
LUV (neo-soul, disco, city pop)
Luv is the newest amongst modern soul, making their debut this year. This song recently went viral on English TikTok for good reason. All the members of Luv are in college at the time of writing this.
GELOOMY (neo-disco, funk)
Geloomy is an extension of Hiyn’s world, the vocalist of Luv. He has a few other Soul/Disco bands besides Luv and Geloomy, and is a funky mastermind.
They always look like they are having a blast in their videos, and I love them for that.
KROI (funk, hip-hop, R&B)
I can talk your head off about how I think Kroi is the coolest band to grace the earth, but I won’t do that here. Seriously, look at their entire discography because they do not miss.
FUJII KAZE (jazz, blues)
Fujii Kaze is currently one of Japan’s biggest and most important musicians. He is inspired by the catchy soulful sounds of Michael Jackson and several other overseas musicians like Jamiroquai and Bill Withers to name a few.
He is about to release his first English album, Prema, and has signed with Republic Records for the release (also home to major artists like Taylor Swift). To see his full story, check out an intro I wrote about him here.
❤️❤️❤️
If you get the chance to visit Japan, check out all the record stores, Jazz bars, local concerts, and DJ sessions. You can be a part of the revolution, too (:
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