Does all Japanese music sound similar to anyone else?

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I'm not sure if it's just due to the fact that I played a lot of JRPGs, but now every time a Japanese song comes randomly on the radio (even if it's not lyrically so), say, I almost always know its origin before I confirm it by looking at the composer's name.

They all seem to be sort of inspirational, uplifting... beautiful. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGs_vGt0MY8 e.g.

Could art possibly have an ethnic identity?

Yay Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence.

I don't know, not all Japanese music is entirely wonderful and deep, but I'd have to say I like the majority of what I hear. It's nice. I think music does have an ethnic identity. You can try to break it and some people do, but I notice, say, Russian music, has a similar thread in it, too, like a type of melancholy but hopefulness at the same time, too.

One thing I will say is the Japanese are EXTREMELY good at making music. Even "black people music" they made fantastically in the 70s and 80s. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAXyCKoZjt8 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVe0x8jIfdQ I've heard someone describe the reason why is because they're so detail oriented and perfectionistic.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=szF2ILxONJw[/youtube]
My favorite Sakamoto song, and my username is based after the Sakamoto/YMO song of the same title.

Anyway, I'm a huge huge fan of Japanese music. It's nice, and as you said, it's usually quite uplifting and beautiful. I don't know why I have a partiality to Japanese music, I think partially it's because they kept "old fashioned love songs" around much longer, and the whole "let's go party in the club" type music didn't get that popular in Japan until recently.

But music and ethnic identity do carry into eachother I think. Compare some Russian music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lx6LjEx6qd4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HxsXS-s5bYw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsrklSlDA7w
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bi9c_xmznvo
I think art obviously does have an ethnic identity. It's not a bad thing, but different people's music will come out differently, just as their foods, dress, customs do. Ethnic identities aren't bad, as long as you don't try to fight over them and can appreciate other's ethnic identity. Spice of life.

Anyway, if you like, I will spam this thread with all the Japanese music I like so much, Japanese music is a huge huge obsession of mine. I don't even like watch anime anymore, but I LOVE Japanese music so much.

What mostly fascinates me is whether an ethnic identity has a universal pattern distinct from others'... not necessarily nationalistic, as that would be more of a collective average, So, in other words, whether (in this case) every single Japanese is innately, ideally without nurture (an ex-pat would rationally be required, then), able to compose music - or even write language - in a similar manner (I'm guessing with writing it's much more difficult to detect, as there are so many influences... is it just influences, though?)

Oh, and melancholic Russian music? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZYhZVqODYsI - And sure, embed as many links as you want!

Even Japanese Speed Metal sounds distinctly Japanese.

The reason why japanese music, and sino asian music in general, sounds very alike and harmonic is because their ethnic music is traditionally composed using a pentatonic scale, as oposed to our western music, which is based on harmonic and melodic minor and major octave scales. This has basically two effects: there is a very limited number of playable chords, and you cannot, under any circumstance whatsoever, produce disharmonic chords. Don't believe me? Grab a keyboard, piano, whatever, and starting playing using ONLY the black keys. Notice their amount? Right, there's five, as in: pentatonic. You can use these keys with both hands, pressing multiple at the same time, it will always produce something rather pleasing to the ear, and it will definitely sound very asian.
Actually, this is one of the reasons why our western way of composing appeals to many chinese and japanese: It makes music something that can be calculated, while still allowing the composer to incorporate the traditional elements.

Shogo Hamada - Dance
Shogo Hamada - Money
Patlabor 2 (Kenji Kawaii) - With Love
Yellow Magic Orchestra - 1000 Knives
Yellow Magic Orchestra - Mad Pierrot
Yellow Magic Orchestra - Tighten Up
Two Mix - Thousand Nights

Not really related to the topic, but I thought you would like this:

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=03e_1201105234

Yep, Smoke on the Water played by a Japanese orchestra, with Japanese lyrics and instruments. Awesome.

Some of the Japanese pop sounds like generic bubblegum pop that's all over America except the singing is in Japanese instead of English

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGbwL8kSpEk[/youtube]

That song is in Korean, not Japanese. Girls' Generation (or Shoneo Shidae) did translate their latest albums and singles into Japanese to break through the Japanese market, though, with significant success.

Interestingly, they also attempted to make a break overseas in America and Europe near the end of 2011, by releasing a maxi-single of a song with English lyrics. While they promoted themselves in America in the winter of 2011/2012, their single didn't catch on, echoing past failures of other Korean acts such as Se7en, BoA, and Rain, all quite easily recognisable as mainstream K-Pop.

Then Gangnam Style happened last summer, and every South Korean was scratching their heads about how an off-beat rapper could succeed where the most slickly produced, dance-move busting, trend-following singers and groups failed. (EDIT: Well, to be fair, tight production, dance moves [the 'horseriding' dance], and following trends [Gangnam Style seems to closely follow the model of LMFAO's songs] are all present in PSY's song; but it isn't your standard K-Pop)

//tangent over.

I was going to comment on this thread's topic, but I lack the exposure to Japanese traditional music to add anything of substance to it. I find starryeyedvoyager's post to be a very enlightening one, though.

Last edited by CyclopsSummers on 22 Sep 2012, 8:42 am, edited 2 times in total.

Lack of exposure to traditional Japanese music you say?
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwxzTQiz80w[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBHLRCLS3ic[/youtube]

Enka is about as far back as I can go.

These songs from Macross aren't really enka, just older Japanese pop songs (1982 or so) but I guess it's an older example.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1kw88fOOrg[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMWh98b8Eok[/youtube]

Lastly, for the weirdest Japanese pop... Ryuichi Sakamoto's ex-wife, Akiko Yano.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRSm1osRINo[/youtube]

i do not like asian or middle eastern music. it does not seem to go anywhere in my mind.
australian aboriginal music should not be called music because i think it is just an attempt to mimic the sounds they hear in the bush.

Looks like someone shouldn't be allowed to define music....

Anyway, Merzbow doesn't sound Japanese.[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDsQshrjIO0[/youtube]

i am sorry? you talk with a twisted tongue, but unraveled, it seems to have said "you can not understand music if you do not like it" and therefore implicated that due to my musical tastes lying elsewhere, i have no ability to appreciate music in general.
i do not like the constricted rules that asian music springs from, and i do not like asian music as a result. it is simplistic and it is all black notes and it does not capture my interest in any way.
"twang... twang twang twong....twong tang tong, twon twong twai...." is not a song i am inclined to bop to so i am the dull one i guess..

It was directed to the Aboriginal Music part, not the Asian/Middle Eastern Music part, though the Aboriginal Music bit doesn't even seem to be at all related to this thread or the rest of you post unless you are implying that Asian/Middle Eastern Music is less musical because you don't like it.

Hm, I guess I do see your point. I was originally going to say that all of the Japanese music I listen to or have heard at some point sounds distinctively different. But yes, a lot of times I can tell if a song comes from Japan. A lot of times I will just think to myself "This sounds like anime music..." even if it isn't related to anime at all, like some of Ancafe's "dance rock" stuff from their later years.

I also think Mylene Farmer's music sounds distinctly French...in general, I think each country has developed its own pop sound. Or, for non-pop genres, each country has its own unique version...and the people who listen to the genre get accustomed to which country produced which sounds. Most fans of EBM/Industrial can tell when they're listening to a song that came from Germany, even though the lyrics are in English.

Ok wait, I need to make a personal exception for K-pop. It sounds exactly like American music to me, instead of having any distinct Korean sound. I don't really like it because it just sounds like the stuff I could hear if I turned on the radio.

Yep, that's why I don't like K-Pop and don't understand others fascination with it.