Music Apr 30, 2020
Taiko group Kodo makes a plea for donations amid the COVID-19 crisis
by Gianni Simone
With Japanese drumming group Kodo forced to cancel this year's tour, the group has made an appeal for donations and equipment.
Music | Sound Off Feb 14, 2020
by William Archambeault
A slew of Japanese artists are set to appear at the South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival in Austin, Texas, between March 16 and 22.
Music Mar 26, 2019
Michiyo Yagi pushes the boundaries of traditional music with her koto playing
by Katherine Whatley
I'm sitting in Koen-Dori Classics, a darkened club in the basement of a church on Koen-dori, in Tokyo's Shibuya district. The audience is small, seated in a few rows facing the performers at the front. Silence, then the performance begins. Textured sounds emanate from ...
People | 20 QUESTIONS Dec 22, 2018
Ayako Minase can put a song in your heart
by Mio Yamada
Singer-songwriter Ayako Minase's 'mature pop,' with its fun retro-influences and contemporary sensibilities, comes from the heart.
Books / Reviews Mar 17, 2013
Playing to the beat of the gods
by Stephen Mansfield
TAIKO BOOM: Japanese Drumming in Place and Motion, by Shawn Bender. University of California Press, 2012, 259?pp., $29.95 (paperback) No one can fail to be impressed by a live performance of Japanese drumming, the primal elements of stretched animal skin and wood striking a chord ...
Music Mar 7, 2013
Recochoku brings Japan further into the stream
by Steve McClure
Recochoku, a digital content aggregator owned by major Japanese labels, debuted a smartphone-based streaming service called RecoChoku Best on Tuesday. It's due to become available on PCs this summer.
Music | STRANGE BOUTIQUE Feb 28, 2013
MBV inspires Japan to keep staring at its feet
by Ian Martin
In February 2013, there were three events that shook the world: the resignation of the pope, North Korea's successful test of a nuclear bomb, and the release of Irish/British rock band My Bloody Valentine's first new album in 22 years. Dispatched with less frequency ...