Five Japanese artists and labels to support during Bandcamp Friday (May 2022)

We can look forward to another edition of Bandcamp Friday on the 6th of May. It is time to highlight 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. Since August of last year, the suggestions were done in specific articles. Be sure to check out the articles published in the last few months, they are compiled in the Bandcamp Friday tag. It seems to be the last edition (for this year) unless Bandcamp will announce something else in the near future.

Bandcamp Friday is a way you can support artists that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Time to focus on five suggestions with short introductions, so you can directly dive into the music.

Dragdown

Het uit Tokyo afkomstige Dragdown incorporeert verschillende genres zoals metalcore, deathcore, hardcore, heavy metal en harde rock, gecombineerd met teksten met een ironisch, deprimerend en satirisch tintje. Onlangs brachten ze een muziekvideo uit voor het nummer Helm, die mogelijk werd gemaakt dankzij een crowdfunding campagne.

Koldwaltz

Previously this alternative rock band was active under the name Hielo, but since the end of February this year the five-piece band has been active under the name Koldwaltz with roots in the alternative sound of the 90s – such as grunge, post-rock but also (Japanese) classical music – under the theme of horror and suspense. In March, the EP Wilhelm Cantata was released with five tracks.

Open Reel Ensemble

As the name Open Reel Ensemble suggests, this music group, formed by Ei Wada, Haruka Yoshida and Masaru Yoshida, uses reel-to-reel tape recorders as musical instruments and the group members create this music by placing their hands directly on the reels and tapes. Recently, they released the song Magnetik Phunk in three versions.

BLOOD PICK ME

The alternative noise shoegaze band BLOOD PICK ME recently celebrated the second anniversary of the rather mysterious band by releasing new music for 3 consecutive weeks, these songs are now compiled together under the title SSS on Bandcamp. The music is made with a DIY mentality, which means that they do everything themselves from producing to mixing.

Specific Recordings

In recent years, French indie record label Specific Recordings has gained notoriety among fans of Japanese music and vinyl, as they have released several European versions of albums from Japanese artists. From NECRONOMIDOL to Haru Nemuri and recently BALLOND’OR and Sari (ex-NECRONOMIDOL).

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?