Since Asian artists get almost no love on this thread (Or in the music industry at all) I have dedicated this thread to posting some great Asian music of the past.

My first artist is one i have actually posted about before. Kyu Sakamoto is the first and only asian artist to hit number 1 back in 1964. And, he did it with the entire song in Japanese another singe ''China Nights'' got to 58 on the charts.




Leslie Cheung was a cantopop singer from the 70's and 80's. And is seen as one of the most influential Muscians of all time. In a poll he was voted 3rd most influential (Behind The Beatles & Michael Jackson)




Some rock bands from Thailand including Loso, Big Ass (Yes ) & August band




Tuan Ngoc is a Vietnamese singers from the 90's till now. Seen as one of the greats in Vietnam.

I'd like to give Boom Boom Satellites some attention. Also Cibo Matto will be releasing a new album in February on Sean Lennon's Chimera Label.

This was one of my favorite shows in the summer of 2011. Yoko still rules:

http://thelosangelesbeat....owl-62611/

During the middle 90s there were some really interesting Japanese bands in the extreme noisy end of hardcore punk, that I kind of liked, especially seeing them live. Boredoms, Space Streakings, Ruins, and Melt-Banana are the ones that come to mind. Ultra-Bide were in there too though they were NYC based, I believe they were all Japanese expats.

Melt-Banana still tour - I just missed them in December. They are really intense - kind of like if Napalm Death were cute and funny.

I also really loved the psychedelic band Ghost when they appeared here in the late 90s. Really trippy & hypnotic.

Japanese pop singers almost never cross over here though. The last one I can remember trying was Pink Lady when they had an NBC variety show on Friday nights, 1979 or 80. Boy was that awful television but I still watched it every week. Recently I saw a bit of an old episode and realized why I kept watching: the first sight of cameltoe on US television.

Japanese pop singers almost never cross over here though. The last one I can remember trying was Pink Lady when they had an NBC variety show on Friday nights, 1979 or 80. Boy was that awful television but I still watched it every week. Recently I saw a bit of an old episode and realized why I kept watching: the first sight of cameltoe on US television.

There has been attempts by some Jpop stars to cross over, but overalll it's sort of half-hearted. Their labels and management prefer to play it safe and keep the focus on their home country/region.

So there is very little promotion and no sustained on going effort to build their profiles here. So some of these artists will release an album here, and do maybe one promo video, a few live gigs, return home with no follow-up. Quite a bit of them only do live shows overseas for use as publicity back home.

That said, I think a few made serious efforts with limited success. Seiko Matsuda had a minor billboard hit in the 1990s with Donnie Wahlberg, and a couple dance hits following. Puffy (Ami/Yumi) also had a TV show here on Cartoon Network for a few years. Shonen Knife did well during the peak of grunge.

Toshi Kobuta tried to crack the US R&B market back in the 90s but didn't get much traction. So did Nokko with her english album debut.

On the underground/indie size bands like Acid Mother Temple,Boredoms,Boris,Guitar Wolf and Melt Banana have built up pretty solid followings.

By the way, Ultra Bide is touring this year : http://ultrabide.net/

If you like noise-core bands from Japan you might dig ZZZ's : https://www.facebook.com/zzzs.official

You must not be thinking straight if you forgot about these bad boys right here:

Anybody ever hear of Kimiko Itoh? She's one of my favorite Jazz singers on Earth. Originally, she was on Columbia here in The States for two albums, "For Lovers Only" in 1987 and "Follow Me" in 1989. Crystal voice, smooth and creamy like Nancy Wilson (and the two even recorded "Silent Night" together on a Columbia Christmas album called "Jazzy Wonderland.") She's in her 60's, which perplexes me where she looks so incredibly young. "Follow Me" (the song) had a successful second incarnation thanks to a movie called "Innocence: Ghost In The Shell 2" from which it's culled. She also has an awesome couple of live CD's, one at Montreaux which features the amazing Makoto Ozone (Ma-ko-to O-zone-ay) on piano and the other with her quartet. She still records to this day and is billed as being "Japan's #1 Female Jazz Vocalist." I suspect that she may be the ONLY one. Not sure.

Soil & "PIMP" Sessions feat. Shiina Ringo (Japanese) / Kimiko Kasai (Japanese) feat. Herbie Hancock

Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO):

Pink Lady:

I absolutely love Towa Tei and his style of production. He produced and was a member of Deee-Lite, going on to make his own albums, remixes, etc. after their breakup.

One of my favorites by him is GBI (German Bold Italic) featuring Kylie Minogue.

He has a cool sense of rhythm, often drawing from Latin percussion.

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Since YMO was mentioned, I had to give a shout out to it's most famous member, Keyboardist and Composer Ryuichi Sakamoto - his musical range spans Pop, Classical, World Music, Funk, Electronic/ and Experimental/ Avant garde, and beyond...

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his diverse collaborators include Bootsy Collins, Thomas Dolby, Iggy Pop, Jill Jones, Youssou N' Dour, David Sylvian, Ingrid Chavez, Robert Fripp, Adrian Belew, David Byrne, Tony Williams, Aztec Camera, Victor Bailey, Alva Noto, etc...

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[Edited 1/15/14 17:06pm]

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Electronica Artist Cornelius:

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Cornelius - Drop

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Cornelius - "Music"

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Cornelius - "Breezin"

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CoCo Lee

Girl's Generation

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Jazz and Rock Fusion guitarist Kazumi Watanabe is one of Japan's premier guitarists. The grandmaster has worked with Marcus Miller, Wayne Shorter, Steve Gadd, Omar Hakim, Sly and Robbie, Kenny Kirkland, Richard Bona, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Peter Erskine, Jeff Berlin, Bill Bruford, and Patrick Moraz, among others

Kazumi Watanabe, with Tetsuo Sakurai and Jimsaku -"You Can Do It"

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Kazumi Watanabe (with Jeff Berlin, Bill Bruford )- "Sayonara"

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Kazumi, with Marcus Miller - Unicorn

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[Edited 1/15/14 13:36pm]

I remember a few of my relatives had Hiroshima albums

This jam right here could outjam anybody.....

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Renowned Composer/Keyboardist Yoko Kanno is probably best known to anime fans, since she's scored countless of excellent soundtracks for animated shows and video games--in effect, she's brought talented, mature compositions and music to the anime and game world--her compsotions span Jazz/Classical/ Pop/ rock/ Folk and World Music...she's also the keyboardist and leader of Big Band group, The Seatbelts......

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There's a lot of great music here! I love Asian music.

My favorites are:

Yutaka Ozaki (one of my favorite rockers period)

Check out "Seventeen's Map," "Shelly," Scenes Of A Town," "Rules Of The Game," "The Night," and "Graduation." I think his first three albums are masterpieces (esp. his debut) I haven't heard his others yet but am looking forward to it.

Hikaru Utada

I know she's really popular but I like her music a lot and her development from album to album. My favorite album is "Deep River" because it mixes her more experimental styles with her early R&B influence.

Kyu Sakamoto

Not only the great Sukiyaki but tons of great songs he has!

Yumi Matsutoya

A very very great songwriter with catchy songs, I love her music style.

Faye Wong

One of the coolest singers ever, kind of like Hikki I love her development from album to album. She became more and more experimental as time went on.

Ayumi Ishida

A lot of catchy songs, my favorite is "Blue Light Yokohama."

Shiina Ringo

Great rock music!

Mai Kuraki

Maybe a lesser Hikaru Utada but I still love a lot of her songs.

Teresa Teng

One of the greatest Asian singers, she's been a big influence on Asian popular music.

Ayumi Hamasaki

I don't like her voice really but she has some nice songs.

Leslie Cheung

Awesome singer, I was first introduced to his music through his theme song for John Woo's A Better Tomorrow.

Happy End

Great rock band from the 70's.

Yellow Magic Orchestra

Great electronic music, I love them almost as much as Kraftwerk!

Misia

Great Japanese soul singer! My favorite song is "Everything."

Ryuichi Sakamoto

One of the top popular musicians of all-time, up there with Prince, Stevie, and McCartney as one of those artists who just writes tons of great music and lots of styles and plays a lot of instruments.

There's a lot more Asian music I love but at the moment I am thinking of artists that are in my head. There are video game soundtracks and movie soundtracks by Asians that I love too. Music from the Shin Megami Tensei series and Final Fantasy series is really good. For movies I love Fumio Hayasaka's scores as well as Akira Ifukube's. I also like a lot of the music that Hayao Miyazaki (director) uses in his anime films, especially that last song at the end of Spirited Away.

Great thread!

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Guitarist Fareed Haque with his band, Garaj Mahal

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Yutaka Yokokura, with Patti Austin - "Lovelight"

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Yutaka - "The Look On Your Face"

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Ashwarya Rai (Indian)

ryo Fukui

The Kim Sisters

Have you heard of the Kim Sisters and their remarkable success story? Composed of Sook-ja, Ai-ja and Mia (also known as Min-ja), they started singing in Seoul during the Korean War (1950-1953) as little children to entertain American GIs and later became national sensations in the United States with their unique combination of singing, dancing and playing more than 20 different musical instruments. Mia Kim, now living in Hungary, talked about this larger-than-life tale of three penniless sisters ― actually two ― who conquered Las Vegas and played more than 20 times on ``The Ed Sullivan Show” through this interview.



Q: Please tell us about the background of the formation of the Kim Sisters
A: During the Korean War, we lost our homes and we didn’t have any money. We came from a musical family ― my father (Lee Bong-ryong) was a famous composer, my uncle (Kim Hae-song) was also a noted composer and my aunt (Lee Nan-young) was a singer ― therefore even as young girls we were always singing and had a natural talent in this field. My father and my aunt decided to form the Kim Sisters, so one day my aunt came to me and asked if I would like to take part in the group. I was a very shy girl, but I had to say yes because at that time it was a matter of survival. In a way we can say that my aunt adopted me and the Kim Sisters were born in 1954.

Q: Are you saying that you are actually the cousin and not the sister of Sook-ja and Ai-ja?
A: That’s right. I’m their first cousin. You know, my aunt wanted it that way (”sisters”), but we actually felt like sisters.

Q: How did you become famous among the U.S. troops?
A: My aunt had an American record that contained two songs, ``Ole Buttermilk Sky” and ``Candy & Cake.” Although we couldn’t speak a word of English, we memorized these two songs and sang them to the GI troops along with my aunt. They just loved us. Our pronunciation was bad, but they knew the melody and always said, ``More, more, more!” We didn’t know more songs, so we kept repeating these two over and over again. That’s how our career started. The soldiers told us we should go to the U.S., because we could make a lot of money there. They also told us that when they would go back to the U.S., they are were going to spread the information about us and one day we would perform in America. We were entertaining the U.S. troops every year and we waited and waited, but nothing happened, so eventually gave up on the American Dream.

Q: Well, it seems you only had to wait a bit longer. When did you get your first contract in Las Vegas?
A: It was in 1959 when Tom Ball was producing an Oriental show in Las Vegas and booked us into the Thunderbird Hotel. He told us, ``I will sign you girls for four weeks. If you’re successful, I will renew the contract, if you’re not, you can pack and go back home.” He was a tough-rough businessman who brought us to America and made us a big success.

Q: Such a big success that you were featured on ``The Ed Sullivan Show” in the same year?
A: After performing at the Thunderbird Hotel, we went to play at the lounge of the Stardust Hotel. We were lucky because the ``The Ed Sullivan Show” was shot there and our agent managed to get us a part in the show. This is how we became a nationally known act. You know, Ed Sullivan really loved us, so he invited us back to his show more than 20 times.



Q: What do you think, was the success formula of the Kim Sisters?
A: Firstly, our timing was perfect. When we started our career in the U.S., there were no Oriental acts as such. We were the first Oriental band that could play Western music and was good at it. We were singing, dancing and playing more than twenty different instruments. Also, we created entertaining stage personalities, you know, the three of us had particular roles. Sook-ja was tall and sexy, Ai-ja was the funny comedian and I was Ai-ja’s partner in comedy with a deadpan expression. So Americans loved us immediately. We were very fortunate.

Q: After the Kim Sisters became famous, did you have concerts outside the U.S.?
A: Of course, we were constantly travelling and had only two weeks of vacation in a year. We performed in Canada, Italy and many other European countries.

Q: What about your home country, South Korea? Did you go back as a well-known, popular girl group?
A: Oh yes, we did go back in the 1960s and it was like a house on fire. The Koreans knew that we made a big success in America, so everybody loved and respected us. Sook-ja and the Kim Brothers went back again to perform, but at that time I was not involved with the band.

Q: What was the reason that you quit the band?
A: In 1967 all three of us got married. I married a Hungarian musician, Tommy Vig, Sook-ja and Ai-ja married two Italian men. My aunt was a very wise lady because she always told us, ``Don’t get involved with a man, because if that happens, your career will be over.” She was right, you know, the priority was instantly changed and after I gave birth to my son, I wanted to be a full-time mother. Also, as we had husbands in our lives, we began to have disagreements and conflicts, so I moved to Los Angeles with my husband in 1970.

Q: What happened to the Kim Sisters afterwards?
A: First, Sook-ja and Ai-ja replaced me with their own older sister. She performed with them for a little while, but as far as I know, she also quit. Then they invited their brothers (the Kim Brothers) to the act and played in Las Vegas until the early 1990s.

Q: What did you do after you moved to Los Angeles?
A: I was a full-time mother and sang only occasionally in my husband’s big band. So in the ’70s, singing became a hobby instead of a job.

Q: Why did you decide to move to Hungary in 2006 with your husband?
A: America has changed. It used to offer great jobs for jazz musicians, either composing, playing or working for movie studios. Those days are gone. If you’re not a rock’n’ roll star, they don’t recognize you. My husband thought the quality of music is very low in the U.S. and decided to come back to his home country. As you may know, he was a child prodigy playing the drums and immigrated to the U.S. after the Hungarian Revolution in 1956. He has childhood friends here as well as musicians who were close to him. He was invited many times to Hungary during the communist rule to perform on radio and to hold jazz concerts with his big band. So we very often visited Hungary in the past.

Q: Do you have any plans to do a reunion concert?
A: No. Unfortunately we drifted away and I do not keep contact with Sook-ja and the Kim Brothers. (Ai-ja died in 1987 of lung cancer.) But I still play occasionally with my husband in Hungary. He will have a concert this fall in Budapest introducing his new big band jazz album that has recently come out and I am going to perform with him.

David Teszar is a contributing writer to The Korea Times from Hungary. ― ED.

In the original lineup of Immature, there was a Filipino member Don "Half Pint" Santos. You can see him in the movie House Party 3.

Philip Woo, who is Chinese, was keyboardist in a funk band with Kenny G. called Cold, Bold, & Together and also Maze feat. Frankie Beverly.

Jack Soo, most known for acting on the sitcom Barney Miller, was signed to Motown in the 1960s. He recorded For Once In My Life before Stevie Wonder, but Motown didn't release Jack's version.

The Kim Sisters

[Edited 2/28/14 15:13pm]

apl.de.ap from A.T.B.A.N. Klann/Black Eyed Peas is half Filipino & half Black

Jackie Chan has released several albums in Hong Kong.

[Edited 2/28/14 14:52pm]