Heat and Noise
Japan’s music festivals weather the competition from abroad
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| Jared Knudson |
Fuji Rock Festival
The founding father of modern Japanese rock festivals, Masa Hidaka persevered through the cancellation of the inaugural Fuji Rock Festival in the face of a typhoon to see his event enter its 12th year as Japan’s most influential rock festival, now entrenched at the sprawling Naeba Ski Resort in Niigata Prefecture.
Torrents of rain inevitably drench Naeba, but the festival is by now a well-oiled machine that stops for nothing and no one. Even Iggy Pop, who brought last year’s main stage to a standstill by inviting a boisterous crowd to join him onstage, couldn’t cause more than a ripple in the proceedings.
A quick scan of this year’s bill reveals a number of crowd-pleasing repeats, including UK dinosaurs like electro-pop duo Underworld and rave-rockers Primal Scream. But the most salient theme at FRF ’08 is, perhaps, the comeback. Recent years have seen Fuji Rock host the return of the Pixies and the Cure, but this year’s festival sees Kevin Shield’s quintessential post-punk shoegazer unit My Bloody Valentine, post-grunge comedians The Presidents of the United States of America, and Japan’s own ’70s hippy-flavored Flower Travellin’ Band.
The main focus is on rock, but Fuji always presents a broad diversity of music. And FRF ’08 is no exception, with styles ranging from the outer space funk of Bootsy Collins, who will be presenting a tribute set for the late James Brown, to the equally galactic dub of Lee “Scratch” Perry, and on to the old school hip-hop of Grandmaster Flash and the nefarious trip-hop of Tricky. Long overdue sets are also slated from ’90s slackers the Breeders and Stephen Malkmus, with his post-Pavement outfit The Jicks.
J-rock is amply represented by everyone from twee pop-rockers Quruli to arty, jazz bohemians Ego-Wrappin’ to psychedelic rockers Yura Yura Teikoku. Of increasing interest in recent years is the Rookie A Go Go stage, located just outside the festival gates, where often-worthwhile emerging Japanese acts vie for the chance to reach a mass audience.
Keep your eye out for the sets that take place at the tiny stages dotting the interstices between the main venues, where headliners sometimes perform unannounced and Japanese crowd favorites such as Double Famous get the party started. Such surprises often provide the high points of the festival.
When: July 25-27
Where: Naeba Ski Resort, Niigata Prefecture
Tix: ¥39,800 (three-day pass)
One-day pass ¥16,800
Tel: 070-5467-6732
Web: http://fujirockfestival.com
Fan site: www.fujirockers.org
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| Courtesy of Creativeman |
Summer Sonic
With tours under his belt by bands like Radiohead, Creativeman’s Naoki Shimizu launched Summer Sonic in 2000. Compared to Fuji Rock, which is inspired by England’s Glastonbury, the idea was to do something more accessible for
a younger demographic with less disposable income, along the lines of England’s urban Reading Festival. Nearing a record total audience of close to 200,000 last year, SS takes place concurrently over one weekend in Tokyo and Osaka, with bands speeding between the two cities to reach the venues in time for soundcheck.
In Tokyo, Summer Sonic occupies the spacious if soulless escarpments of the Chiba Marine Stadium and the nearby Makuhari Messe convention center, allowing festivalgoers access to the two main venues (buses are available for the weary).
A recent expansion to the shoreline of Tokyo Bay with a new beach stage has brought a welcome breath of (erm) fresh air
to the proceedings.
One can argue with the location, but the lineup puts Summer Sonic firmly in the ranks of the world’s great rock festivals. This year sees the focus on UK rock heightened even further, with headliners tracing the arc of English pop of the last four decades, from the ’70s punk of the Sex Pistols to the ’80s post-punk of The Jesus And Mary Chain, on to the ’90s big beat of Fatboy Slim and the ’00s Britpop of Coldplay.
North American rock comes in the form of bands like the irrepressible art-punkers Devo and indie-rock poster children Death Cab For Cutie, while US R&B is represented by the lone but substantial figure of Alicia Keys.
Independent rock labels will again try to find new audiences for recent signees. Storied indie imprint Beggars Banquet, for example, is bringing over Cajun Dance Party, an Arctic Monkeys-like quartet of lads who just graduated high school, while recently influential Domino will be trying to sell punters on the virtues of acts like These New Puritans, a brooding four-piece from Southend-on-Sea fronted by the twin brothers of Jack and George Barnett. Also unsigned in Japan, but lions in their home country of Mexico—and highly recommended for those who haven’t heard them—are Café Tacvba, who bring a south-of-the-border flair to rock ‘n’ roll.
Domestic talent is less evident than in past years, but ranges from the herky-jerky, Devo-inspired Polysics to the pedal-to-the-metal, humor-laden rock of Maximum The Hormone.
When: August 9-10
Where: Chiba Marine Stadium and Makuhari Messe
Tix: ¥15,500 (one day), ¥28,500 (two days)
Tel: 0180-993-030
Web: www.summersonic.com
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| Karaja Indians |
| Photo by Helio Nobre/Ideti |
Tokyo Summer Festival
Founded in 1985 by pianist and heiress Kyoko Edo, composer Maki Ishii and musicologist Takashi Funayama, the Tokyo Summer Festival is a rambling, month-long event that structures its program around a different theme each year. These themes are often notional, as in this year’s “Forest Echoes/Desert Voices.” “At first glance, deserts and forests are completely opposite places, but on a global scale they are closely linked by the hydrologic cycle,” explains promoter Arion-Edo. “This year’s Tokyo Summer Festival takes you to a musical journey through noisy forests and silent deserts.”
Opening the festival is the vivid figure of Brazilian guitarist, pianist and composer Egberto Gismonti, whose marginal link to the theme is that he spent time living with Indians in the Amazon. But as a draw, he’s proved his popularity in Japan, where his prodigious talents have been widely recognized in recent tours.
Representing the “Forest” is a tribe of Amazon Indians, the Karaja, who will be offering performances and workshops of dance and body painting, while the “Desert” takes shape in the form of a group of Tuareg musicians from Algeria (see sidebar, p.17). They will be performing traditional sung poetry to the accompaniment of the imzad, a bowed one-stringed instrument whose traditions are preserved by only five Tuareg women. In addition to separate headlining concerts, both groups will share the stage for one night in a program entitled “The Art of Karaja Indians & The Voice of the Sahara.”
When: July 3-31
Where: various venues (see concert listings for details)
Tix: prices vary according to event
Tel: Tokyo Summer Festival Ticket Center 03-5301-0950
Web: www.arion-edo.org/tsf
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| Asian Kung-Fu Generation |
| Courtesy of Disk Garage |
Asian Kung-Fu Generation presents Nano-Mugen Fes. 2008
An intriguing
trend in Japanese music events is the emergence of the artist-led festival. World music gathering Earth Celebration, created by the Kodo drummers, and techno rave Wire, founded by electronic composer Takkyu Ishino, are two of the best known. But there’s also the Yokohama Reggae Sai, started by Japanese dancehall unit Mighty Crown, and this event, created by pop-punk group Asian Kung-Fu Generation.
Launching Nano-Mugen (Nano as in “nanotechnology,” Mugen as in “limitless”) in 2003 at rock dive Shinjuku Loft, “Ajikan,” along with record label Sony Ki/oon, have grown it into a proper arena festival.
This year’s two-day event is the most international in character yet, with English outfits Stereophonics and Ash as well as North America’s Third Eye Blind among a number of overseas acts set to take the stage alongside domestic groups like the eccentric singer-songwriter Shugo Tokumaru and the hypnotic rockers 8otto.
When: July 20-21
Where: Yokohama Arena
Tix: ¥9,200 (one day)
Tel: Disk Garage
03-5436-9600
Web: www.nano-mugen.com
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| Go! Go!7188 |
| Courtesy of Rock In Japan Fes. |
Rock In Japan Fes.
The domestic insurgent, Rock In Japan reportedly outdraws its international rivals, emerging as Japan’s largest single-location rock festival since launching in 2000. With much lower artist fees and transportation costs, the future of RIJ, created by Rockin’ On Inc., publisher of the eponymous magazine Rockin’ On, looks bright.
The festival spans three days at a seaside meadow in Ibaraki Prefecture with a lineup that takes in everything from hip-hop to punk to indie rock, with the notable exception of Ayumi Hamasaki-style aidoru J-pop (which has its own festival in the form of record company Avex’s A-Nation).
This year’s RIJ ranges from the comic rock of The 50 Kaitenz to the eclectic jazz-funk of Soil & “Pimp” Sessions to the Showa-seasoned pop-punk of Go!Go!7188 and the old skool rap of Rip Slyme.
When: August 1-3
Where: Kokuei Hitachi Kaihin Koen, Hitachinaka City, Ibaraki Prefecture
Tix: ¥10,500 (one day)
Tel: Rock In Japan
Fes: 0180-993-611
Web: www.rijfes.co.jp
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| Kodo |
| Courtesy of Kodo |
Earth Celebration
Two decades since founder Toshio Kawauchi launched a festival to “create channels for world culture to flow in new directions,” iconic taiko drum ensemble Kodo’s Earth Celebration has become a pilgrimage for world music fans everywhere.
A three-event festival hosted by Kodo at its base on distant Sado Island in the Japan Sea, the Earth Celebration combines earthshaking beats, instructional workshops, flea markets and a freewheeling spirit amid a languid island atmosphere.
Since 1981, the devoted members of Kodo have been spreading their gospel of global unity across the earth through tireless touring and via this festival. The grand finale each year sees the guests joining Kodo onstage for a collaborative performance, always with unpredictable results.
This year’s invitees come in the form of Brazilian group Olodum, which like Kodo are more than simply a band of musicians—they’ve inspired their own cultural movement in the black community of their home city of Salvador, the capital of the historically underdeveloped state of Bahia. In addition to creating the style known as samba reggae, which they bring to Carnaval each year, Olodum have offered cultural uplift programs like theater productions since their founding in 1979.
When: August 22-24
Where: Ogi Town, Sado Island, Niigata Prefecture
Tix: prices vary for
individual events
Tel: 0259-81-4100
Web: www.kodo.or.jp
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| Joe Claussell |
| Courtesy of Metamorphose |
Metamorphose
Japanese raves were
once the preserve of Day-Glo tribes tuning in, turning on and dropping out to the accompaniment trance music. Then, in 2000, techno DJ Mayuri Akama sought to broaden the horizons of outdoor electronic music festivals. The result was Metamorphose, which takes in plenty of electronica but also runs to post-rock and experimental music.
This year’s ninth edition in the hot-spring town of Shuzenji on the Izu peninsula explores the diversity of dance music from its roots in Africa, as represented by legendary Fela Kuti drummer Tony Allen, to its most futuristic manifestations, as heard in the synthetic funk strains of Detroit techno collective Galaxy 2 Galaxy.
Joining legendary house DJs like New Yorker Joe Claussell, Chicagoan Theo Parrish and UK dub sound system warrior Jah Shaka will be a pair of Japan’s own certified heavyweight DJs: abstract hip-hop turntablist DJ Krush and Boredoms idiot savant Eye.
When: Aug 25-26
Where: Cycle Sports Center,
Izu City, Shizuoka Prefecture
Tix: ¥10,500
Tel: Disk Garage 03-5436-9600
Web: www.metamo.info
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| Fourplay |
| Courtesy of Tokyo Jazz 2008 |
Tokyo Jazz
In 2002, public broadcaster NHK gave storied pianist Herbie Hancock the responsibility of finding a future for jazz while maintaining its traditions. The vehicle for this mission was Tokyo Jazz, which in recent years has settled at the stylish Tokyo International Forum after experimenting with venues ranging from stadiums to convention centers. While Hancock attempted to point to jazz’ future in the way he has throughout his career—by bringing in electronic instruments, DJs and the like—the festival seems to have taken a safer course since he gave up the reigns in 2006.
There will be plenty to satisfy fans of traditional jazz at the three-day festival. Modern jazz bass legend Ron Carter and sax player David Sanborn will be performing in a program under the theme of “Masters’ Gala,” while Sam Moore of acclaimed soul duo Sam & Dave will be on stage for the festival’s annual “Tokyo Jazz meets Blue Note Tokyo” program.
Perhaps of most interest on the bill is a collaboration between two young Japanese prodigies. Hiromi Uehara, a pianist who combines technical virtuosity with an adventurous spirit, and fleet-footed tap artist Kazunori Kumagai, who has almost single-handedly sparked a tap boom in Japan, are paired in a program titled “Great American Standards.”
When: Aug 29-31
Where: Tokyo
International Forum
Tix: ¥6,500-¥16,000
Tel: Hello Dial 03-5777-8600
Web: www.tokyo-jazz.com
Honorable mentions
Electronic music events like Solstice Music Festival on Aug 9-11, Wire on Aug 30 and The Gathering later in September all draw ravers by the thousands. J-pop festivals continue to proliferate: A-nation on Aug 30-31 brings out Avex stars like Ayumi Hamasaki and Ai Otsuka; Slow Music Slow Live at the Ikegami Honmonji temple in Tokyo Aug 22-24 is a mellow affair; dancehall kings Mighty Crown’s Yokohama Reggae Sai brings together the cream of the domestic reggae crop with special guests from Jamaica on Aug 16. Finally, the not-so-secret Big Secret is Smash’s mini-Fuji, Asagiri Jam, which manages to draw thousands to the slopes of Mt Fuji at the beginning of autumn even without pre-announcing the lineup.
The visa boogie
Those hundreds of musicians arriving in Japan don’t simply jump on a plane. Equipping them with the proper visas is an intricate logistical exercise that in itself takes months of footwork. Consider the experience of promoter Arion-Edo in bringing a group of Tuareg musicians to Japan for this year’s Tokyo Summer Festival.
In order for an artist to receive a 15-day entertainment visa, promoters must first apply for a certificate of eligibility, for which a tour itinerary, artist profile, ID photo and passport copy are required. For the Tuaregs, according to Arion-Edo’s Carolin Sackmann, an arduous two-day trip into the Sahara desert had to be organized. "Most of them have never traveled outside Algeria, and do not have passports. Half of them are nomads and move around the Sahara, and to our surprise, none of them have exact birthdates. I went to Shinagawa [immigration office] and, as expected, they objected to some of the photos. I hope there is a way to get new ones soon!"
Despite widespread confusion, Creativeman’s Shiroh Onta says the process is straightforward. As in the recent instance of US rock band Velvet Revolver, those with drug offenses or prison sentences on their records are, as a rule, denied visas. Only in the rarest of instances, as for example with Paul MaCartney or The Rolling Stones, are performers with criminal records allowed in. In such cases the government of the UK will send a letter to the Japanese Foreign Ministry asking that it consider granting the performers entry as state guests. If Japan deems that the entertainer is important to bilateral relations and provides a meaningful boost to the local economy, it may issue a limited visa.
This can lead to misunderstandings. "There’s a lot of gossip about the situation, and some rock bands think we have the power to get them visas," Onta notes. "We’ve even been threatened with lawsuits."
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