Japanification 日本化 – the process of becoming or wishing to become a member of Japanese society, but also a term used to describe the transformation of an economy into one that follows the steps of Japan. For the UK (and the world), as we chart an uncertain course into the future, the nation of Japan appears to offer us a glimpse of our future. A society that has taken on the challenges associated with the lost 30 Years 失われた30年 and nevertheless pushed forwards. The mirror images between the UK and Japan are also seen in music, as a nation also influenced by post-war US music Japan has a long history of rock music dating all the way back to Group Sounds in the 60’s. This counter-cultural music movement spread into a fully fledged psychedelic, prog and alternative rock scene. However, whereas in the UK the light of rock and roll has arguably diminished, in Japan the guitar is still king and rock and roll lives on. This playlist mixes together my favourite selection of alternative rock music, there is much more to discover and if you would like to learn more I recommend Julian Cope’s (of Teardrop Explodes) book Japrocksampler.
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