Why is Japanese hardcore so insanely good?..

I was gonna write something like this a long time ago, but I could never get my head around it. It is not easy to write something that is more on a personal level, but at the same time I like to analyse everything on a more ‘expert’ level, which, in this case I am not. 

FORWARD

I know a little about music technicality but I struggle to judge it that way. So it is just purely about my very subjective feelings towards Japanese hardcore music in general... So I decided to write it anyway, as it’s one of those questions I ask myself a lot - 'why do I love Japanese Hardcore so much in particular? Because it’s so good?'

Of course it is.

But why is it so good?

And here it starts...

NUMB

Personally for me, it has nothing to do with “my scene”, like you know, my local scene, obviously. It is not like anyone introduced me to it, it’s not like I had any specific sentiment towards Japan that led me to it (hmm, maybe anime could be blamed a little...). 
But in fact it’d be the other way round. The love for Japanese Hardcore made me fall in love with Japan in general and discover and educate myself a lot about this country and its culture.
Is it a kind of obsession I have with Japan and its hardcore scene?

Fuck yes, I can’t even deny it and I’m ok with that. Give me some Japanese hardcore to listen to and I am content.
But when I try to understand why it stands out for me, it’s hard to put it into words.

BRAVE OUT

I think, especially when it comes to music, Japan has a very specific approach, which is a mixture of passion, solid research and an unbelievable amount of craftsmanship put into it.

I talked to my American mate about it one day and he said that all the Japanese bands are technically top notch, but there is no heart in it and no personality to it.. What the fuck!??? Clearly he didn’t listen to much of the real Japanese stuff. There is more heart and passion in the underground Japanese music than you can find anywhere else in the world! I mean, it's a huge generalisation, but you can’t accuse them for lack of heart just because they are so good!

People have always been curious and passionate to discover the Japanese scene and I think a big reason for it was that it has been so hard to actually buy the records, they were very hard to find or/and very expensive to import. But it only adds that feeling of temptation to it, having something so rare... I don’t know. 

Obviously it changed a lot these days, when you have all the internet platforms and you can actually listen to new music more easily. Especially the younger bands that put themselves out there and they are much more accessible and actually want to be heard on the other side of the world.

For me the first encounter with Japanese punk and hardcore was probably from YouTube, when one album leads to another and at some point I heard one of those 80’s hardcore bands and it was like a pure “HOLY FUCK” moment. My head was about to explode. What the hell is that? How can you play like that? It’s something you've never heard before, and it’s something so familiar you’ve almost heard before at the same time, but with a totally new twist to it.

I think there is something to it, especially when you listen to the old school 80’s and 90’s bands. Japan has always, intentionally or not, been greatly influenced by European and American bands, but they just wanted to sound faster, louder or heavier. And they managed to do it, without lacking the essence and spirit. They just brought it to another level of madness.

There are lots of old bands, so incredibly good and they have never been released via any record label. Even in Japan. There are some self released tapes circulating somewhere and sometimes people upload them on YouTube. The quality is awful, but you can hear all the power and greatness of it even in this condition. 

GAUZE

I think in general the oldest bands had no interest, or very little to be actually put out to the wider audience. It’s just that old school punk attitude, and I respect them for it..

But talking about influence, it is funny how it went through the whole cycle. Early HC Japanese bands got influenced by UK and American bands, and now European and American bands trying to sound like Japanese bands. So they're obviously doing something right, right?

Makoto (SAND)

I’m actually writing it before I even experience a live gig in Japan. Obviously I have seen Japanese bands here, in the UK when they were touring Europe, but I think it is a totally different experience to see a show there, with the local audience. I am going to Japan this year and I’ll definitely record as many gigs as possible. At the moment I live for this.

It is always a ‘measure’ of a band, how they sound live, what energy they bring. I am pretty convinced that I won't be disappointed...