With Bandcamp Friday’s return, it is time to start highlighting a couple of Japanese artists and labels in an article. In the past, there were suggestions done in a sort of a shortlist or series of tweets. But it has been time to put it all into an article to spread the word some more. Be sure to check out the articles published in August and September.
Bandcamp Friday is a way you can support artists that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The upcoming edition of Bandcamp Friday is planned for the 1st of October. Time to focus on five suggestions with short introductions, so you can directly dive into the music.
Ms.Machine
While being active since 2015, the three-piece rock band Ms.Machine caught the attention of many after releasing the debut album in the first month of 2021. If you look at it, you will notice that the members of Ms.Machine are influenced by Scandinavia. If you listen to it, you will clearly feel that the heaviness of the music makes the air thick and the repetition makes it almost hypnotising.
Haco
In June of this year, vocalist, lyricist, composer, and sound artist Haco released a new album, titled Nova Naturo, filled with summer vibes. For this album, Haco drew inspiration from mythologies surrounding ideas of rebirth, combining elements that might be unexpected and this all can result in a sense of relaxation.
Re:O
Singer-songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist Re:O started as a solo musician during the pandemic in 2020. Currently, she has released a couple of songs that she describes as dark, ambient, cool and crazy (among other keywords) and hopes to be able to release an EP soon. Read our interview that we had with her last summer.
MOMOCURLY
MOMOCURLY has been mentioned a couple of times on AVO Magazine, where the warm fusion of jazz and pop, European and Japanese music, came together. After the release of Cosmic Lips, the duo is planning to come with their second album at the start of 2022. To support that release, vocalist and keyboardist Momo decided to release her first solo jazz album.
Get Your Genki
It is not an unknown name anymore, since Get Your Genki has been releasing music compilations but also separate releases since the end of 2018. The German-based label is known for putting out indie music from Japan of all kinds of genres. Soon we can expect a new compilation. In the past, we had an interview with the founder Christian.
It is good to know that on Bandcamp Fridays, an average of 93% of your money reaches the artist or label (after payment processor fees). On other days, an average of 82% reaches the artist or label. Who are you going to support on the upcoming Bandcamp Friday?
