Ian Martin - The Japan Times

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Ian Martin

Ian Martin is a freelance writer covering music and pop culture. He has been active in the Tokyo music scene as an indie event organiser, DJ and label owner since 2004 and has been contributing to The Japan Times music page for almost as long.

For Ian Martin's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE

Feb 25, 2011

Nationally themed gigs make no sense in a post-Web world

March is almost here, and on the music calendar that means eyes are on the South by Southwest (SXSW) music showcase in Austin, Texas. For many Japanese bands and for much of the local press, SXSW means the festival's Japan Nite event.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Feb 11, 2011

Miila and the Geeks take Tokyo 'riot grrrl' sound international

A small girl, stylishly dressed in a short, black-and-white dress crouches hunched over a microphone, spitting out vocals that might be English or might be Martian for all the audience can tell beneath the thick overlay of distortion; a sax player with crazy hair is engaged in some kind of intense, seemingly...

CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE

Jan 28, 2011

Japan's indie acts need to break domestic scene's 'glass ceiling'

There's a feeling in the air these days, not least on these pages, that Japan is becoming more culturally insular. Japanese video games are losing out to South Korea and the West in the race to explore the online frontier; animation, once the standard-bearer of "cool Japan," has retreated into a self-congratulatory...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Jan 21, 2011

The Mornings reveal new depths on debut

"I was in a mosh pit at (Tokyo concert venue) Koiwa Bushbash when Shingo landed on top of me and dislocated my shoulder."

CULTURE / Music

Dec 31, 2010

2010's many charts tell a confusing tale

As seems to be becoming commonplace with these end-of-year roundups, the big music story was once again the rise (and rise) of AKB48 and their rapidly multiplying sister groups, SKE48 (named after their home at Nagoya's Sunshine Sakae building), NMB48 (after Namba in Osaka) and "mature" proto-porn, postgraduation...

CULTURE / Music

Dec 10, 2010

Fukuoka harbors hotbed of new talent

Despite its far westerly location (being closer to Seoul than it is to Tokyo), the Kyushu city of Fukuoka has for a long time been one of the musical powerhouses of Japan.

CULTURE / Music

Dec 10, 2010

In addition to groups such as Garorinz, Folk Enough, Nontroppo and MacManaman, Fukuoka's indie scene is still a hotbed of musical creativity. Here are some other bands worth paying attention to.

CULTURE / Music

Nov 5, 2010

Japan Music Week sets lofty goals for the live scene

With plans for a weeklong series of shows featuring 500 artists from 40 countries performing in 50 venues — and a target of 20,000 attendees — it's clear from the get-go that Jon Lynch has ambitious plans for Japan Music Week. But there are still moments when he catches you out.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Sep 17, 2010

Tokyo Boredom was originally a massive thank-you to indie music fans. Dedicated punters who paid at least ¥2,000 every week to get into shows were treated to a free gig when all the acts at the event pitched in to pay for it.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Jul 23, 2010

Hikashu to take 'pataphysics to Fuji Rock

On the face of it, the lineup for this year's Fuji Rock Festival has not been kind to Japanese artists, with representation on the higher profile stages confined to such stalwarts as melodic punk rocker Ken Yokoyama and dance duo Boom Boom Satellites. The lack of any real challenge to these oldies' dominance...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Jul 16, 2010

Former band members unite to help cancer-stricken Karn

It was a piece of news that passed unnoticed by much of the music world, but for fans of 1980s music, and in particular for a small group of Japanese musicians, the news that former Japan bass player Mick Karn was suffering from cancer came as a terrible shock.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Jun 18, 2010

Back in Japan, Hotel Mexico rides the wave

Much is often made of the differences between popular music in the East and in the West, either praising the former for its inventive takes on Western styles, or deriding it for making cheap imitations. The truth, however, is that music travels so easily between nations and continents these days, and...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Jun 11, 2010

Halcali "Tokyo Groove"

When teen stars grow up, their careers always face a difficult journey into adulthood (just ask Macaulay Culkin). So, with playground hip-hop unit Halcali now well into their 20s, "Tokyo Groove" presents us with one disc featuring original songs and another of covers and collaborations, in the hope of...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Apr 2, 2010

Shoko Nakagawa "Shoko-tan Cover 3: Anison wa Jinrui o Tsunagu"

Given her image as the ultimate otaku idol — not only a singer, but also a manga artist and occasional anime voice actress — it's tempting to suggest that "Anison wa Jinrui wo Tsunagu," Shoko Nakagawa's third volume of anime song covers, is a better representation of the pop star she is than...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Mar 26, 2010

Yuki "Ureshikutte Dakiau-yo"

One of the most striking features of former Judy and Mary singer Yuki Isoya's career is the way that she has maintained a unique sense of her own identity throughout the body of her solo work. Pick almost any song from any of her five studio albums and, with its squeaky-yet-powerful vocals and vaguely...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Feb 19, 2010

Umibachi skirts industry suits for newest release

"Basically women are body conscious and men play with their joysticks. The woman is in the more powerful position. The idea is about woman and man, sexual and urban."

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Dec 25, 2009

The decade's most influential

Last week, The Japan Times picked Hikaru Utada as the most influential artist of the past decade. This week, our writers ask various figures in Japan's music scene who they thought were the most influential artists of the noughties. We asked them to choose one Japanese artist and one non-Japanese artist,...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Dec 11, 2009

Hazel Nuts Chocolate "Cult"

Coming four years after its predecessor, 2005's "Cute," this new album by Hazel Nuts Chocolate, the solo project of singer and former capsule collaborator Yuppa, marks the end of a long wait by fans. However, the familiarity of the early tracks on "Cult," like the lo-fi tropicalia of "Moon Song" and...

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Dec 4, 2009

2009: Cracks in the facade

A year of tragic deaths, amusing scandals and a series of increasingly senile looking attempts by the music industry to cling onto its outdated business model — that was 2009.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Music

Nov 20, 2009

Haimidori "Umuhito Umareruhito

In this debut album, Tokyo experimental five-piece Haimidori show obvious echoes of 1980s Bristol post-punks The Pop Group in the discordant sax farts, as well as the mixture of funk, punk and strangled vocals; but, they are by no means limited by those influences. "Umuhito Umareruhito" is less a roller...

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.

[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Things may look perfect to the outside world, but today's mom is fine with some imperfection at home.

How 'Reiwa moms' are reshaping motherhood in Japan

By Mai Yoshikawa

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Vol. 35: Travel in time — and stay there

Vol. 35: Travel in time — and stay there

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