Shibuya-kei (渋谷系) is a sub-genre of Japanese pop music which originated in the Shibuya district of Tokyo. It is best described as a mix between jazz, pop, and electropop. The word for Shibuya (渋谷) is combined with the Japanese word kei (系) which literally means "system"[1] or, in this context, "style"[2], to form Shibuya-kei which roughly translates to "Shibuya style".
Initially, the term was applied to Flipper's Guitar, and Pizzicato Five, bands strongly influenced by French yé-yé Music and its most notable proponent, Serge Gainsbourg. Other influences include lounge, and bossa nova. As the style's popularity increased at end of the 90s, the term began to be applied to many bands whose musical stylings began to reflect a more mainstream sensibility.
Some artists rejected or resisted being categorized as "Shibuya-kei," but the name ultimately stuck. The style was favoured by local businesses, including Shibuya Center Street's HMV Shibuya, which sold Shibuya-kei records in its traditional Japanese music section.
Increasingly, musicians outside of Japan, such as Britain's Momus, France's Dimitri from Paris, and the US artists Natural Calamity and Phofo are labelled Shibuya-kei.
Notable artists
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- Aco
- Buffalo Daughter
- capsule
- Cibo Matto
- Chocolat
- Coba
- Cornelius
- Cubismo Grafico
- Cymbals
- Fantastic Plastic Machine
- Flipper's Guitar
- Hazel Nuts Chocolate
- Hi-Posi
- Kahimi Karie
- Miniflex
- Kenji Ozawa
- Phofo
- Pizzicato Five
- Plus-Tech Squeeze Box
- Scha Dara Parr
- Kensuke Shiina
- Sonic Coaster Pop
- Strawberry Machine
- Takako Minekawa
- Tatsuya Oe (Captain Funk)
- Towa Tei
- YMCK
- Yoshinori Sunahara
- Yukari Fresh
- The Zoobombs
- For more artists, see Shibuya-kei musicians
References
External links
- Keikaku - Independent and little known Japanese Artist profiles, reviews, interviews and articles in English.
- allmusic Guide to Shibuya-kei
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