July Best : OMODAKA

It is not surprising that OMODAKA is one of the most talked about artists in the HearJapan catalogue. The music is electrifying and the accompanying videos stunning and unforgettable. To see an OMODAKA video for yourself, check out the video below! This video is from the album KOKIRIKOBUSHI (VIDEO MIX). Over 600,000 views on youtube and counting!

In this best of the month feature, I will discuss the history of OMODAKA, as well as the meanings underlying OMODAKA’s music, in hopes of introducing the artist to those who have not heard or seen what OMODAKA has to offer, and to deepen the listening (and viewing) experience of those whose curiosity has already been piqued.

On the music side of things, OMODAKA’s sound, which is characterized by the seamless mixture of Minyo (Japanese traditional-flavored folk song) and Electronic music, is the creation of two people, Kanazawa Akiko, a veteran Enka singer (she started her career over 38 years ago!), and Soichi Terada, a composer, arranger, and remixer who has been musically active since 1989. Terada studied computer science at the University of Electro-Communications, and it was while still in college that he launched his music career. He is also the founder of FarEast Recording, the label which releases all of OMODAKA’s music.

On the visual side, OMODAKA is a collaborative effort between Soichi Terada and various influential visual artists. The music and accompanying videos are created in close collaboration, with the result being a piece of art whose music and visual aspects are fully unified aesthetically, with neither aspect over-emphasized as to overshadow the other. While the videos and music are created in close collaboration, the original themes of the music usually come from Terada himself. In fact, one recurring and important theme in Terada’s music is boat racing, of all things! He channeled his interest in this sport frequently associated with gambling in Japanese culture, into a 6 part musical series, each one representing a different 1 of the 6 different colored boats in a given race. Below is the cover art for CANTATA NO. 147 which shows all 6 colors.

The song title “Fortunate 1 mark”, for example, is referring to the crucial first turn in the course, where it is said the winner of 70-80% of races is determined. The “Fortunate 1 mark” can clearly be seen in the video for this song located here:

The theme for the song Cantata No. 147 also touches on gambling of sorts. This time, though, it is the theme of the stock market, and particularly that of a stock market ticker, which Terada refers to as something like the “modern day stain-glass window”. He explains that in the middle ages, people looked up to stained glass windows adorned with their savior, while in modern times, people look up to the NASDAQ stock ticker in a similar capacity—although with money as their savior. The video can be found here: .

Other videos:

This video features Masako Yasumoto doing a glitch dance. Be sure to watch the breakdown at 2:00 and the water effects that follow!

With a one-of-a-kind mix of traditional and modern music, and stunning accompanying music videos, OMODAKA is a Japanese artist who is sure to continue to garner critical acclaim for many years to come. Check back at HearJapan regularly for developments and new releases!

Relevant links: http://www.kanazawaakiko.com

http://www.fareastrecording.com

http://denshiongaku.com/