As communicated in February, Bandcamp Friday has returned for the rest of this year (excluding June and July). And so every first Friday of the month, we can look forward to the day when Bandcamp waives their revenue share, meaning more money left over for artists and labels. That’s Bandcamp Friday in a nutshell.
And considering Bandcamp Friday is today, on 5 May, this means we will highlight some Japanese artists and labels in an article. Do you want to know who we have highlighted in the past? Be sure to check to read our articles listed here.
Anna Yamada
Singer-songwriter Anna Yamada uses a monophonic synthesiser to create her alternative electronic synthpop music. The Tokyo-based musician decided to turn her poetry into music in her late teens because she thought the paper she used for them was too little, and she began composing music to be shared around the globe. She has worked with numerous people over the years, including Riow Arai (for R+NAAAA) and Mai Nakamura (as part of Comainu). After a break of about ten years, she independently released her second solo album, MONOKURO, in 2021.
STUDS
STUDS are a three-piece punk rock band that got formed at the end of 2002. Although the three-piece has released quite a bit of music over the years, they have chosen to post a few of those on their Bandcamp page. The band mostly focuses on live performances and they pride themselves on sharing the stage with several bands from outside Japan. The band was forced to halt live performances after losing its longstanding guitarist ARATA in 2019 and they started to work with support musicians. A year later, they chose to officially add guitarist KEN to the band.
Boris
Currently touring Europe for a “Heavy Rock Breakfast”, but in case you cannot see the three-member experimental rock band live, it is possible to support them via Bandcamp. A few days back, the band announced they will release a joint album in June with US experimental metal band Uniform, titled Bright New Disease. Another suggestion is fade, with this release, the twenty-ninth studio album, the rock trio ended Boris’ 30th anniversary last year.
Hide n Mojoz
There are two musicians behind the super folk band Hide n Mojoz, namely Hidè Takemoto, known as the crazy guitar prince with the ‘magic fingers’ and singer-songwriter Mojo Ozawa, who represents the full rock’n’ roll spirit and sings in English and Japanese. Last December, the London-based duo released their debut album Beau Sky, featuring classic guitar and blues. The album can be found on Takemoto’s Bandcamp page, where more of his work can be found.
KiliKiliVilla
The Tokyo-based independent music label KiliKiliVilla is run by Abiko Shinya who was previously active in the punk bands Ging Nang Boyz and Going Steady. The label releases music coming from the underground scene, including punk, hardcore and guitar pop. New music is regularly posted on the Bandcamp page, the latest was a single by the pop punk band MEGA-X, following their 2022 debut release NEW MYTHTAKES.
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 Bandcamp Friday?
