On this episode of the Japan Station podcast, we're talking with music journalist Patrick St. Michel. He'll be telling us about Japanese pop music, Perfume, the city pop boom and one of his latest articles which focuses on the rise and fall and rise of eurobeat.

About Patrick St. Michel

Patrick St. Michel is a music journalist who specializes in Japanese pop music. His articles appear regularly in publications such as The Japan Times and Pitchfork.

Topics Discussed

How it was that Patrick St. Michel got interested in Japanese pop music
Discovering Perfume while on the JET Programme
The appeal, image and sound of Perfume
The influence of Yasutaka Nakata
The explosion of popularity in K-pop around the world
Comapring K-pop vs. J-pop
How J-pop often ignores musical trends from the West
How "City Pop" exploded in popularity online
How Mariya Takeuchi's song "Plastic Love" went viral
Interviewing Miriya Takeuchi
How the internet has made it possible for niche music to succeed
What eurobeat is
How it was that Patrick St. Michel was able to interview DJ Boss in order to do a story about Super Eurobeat
The resurgence in popularity the eaurobeat genre has seen in recent years
How eurobeat has become a part of online/meme culture
About visiting Tokyo's club Ageha
The influence of Super Eurobeat on contemporary younger musical artists
Da Pump's "U.S.A."
How rock continues to be popular in Japan
DJ Boss's views on Super Eurobeat and its evolution
How Avex goes about producing songs for the Super Eurobeat series
Patrick St. Michel's music recommendations: Hikaru Utada (Bad Mode), Soichi Terada (Asakusa Light), Star Kids, 4s4ki
About the Make Believe Melodies blog and email newsletter
And much more!

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If you enjoy Japan Station and want to ensure that we're able to produce more episodes, then please consider becoming a patron on Patreon.com. For a minimum pledge of $1 a month you'll get early access to all JapanKyo podcasts, bonus content, and more. And for $3 a month, you'll get access to Japanese Plus Alpha, a podcast produced by me (Tony Vega) that focuses on the Japanese language and all of its fascinating quirks. Also, all pledges get a shout-out on the show and my undying gratitude. Thank you in advance!

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Links, Videos, Etc.

Follow Patrick St. Michel on Twitter, subscribe to his newsletter (Make Believe Melodies), and check out the Spotify playlist he mentioned with his music recommendations.

To read the article Patrick wrote about Super Eurobeat based on his interview with DJ Boss, use the link below.

The Eurobeat boom, boom, boom, boom means the '90s are back

Don't forget to check out the latest episode of Ichimon Japan.

How do you say trombone in Japanese? (About the World War II Katakana Word “Ban”) | Ichimon Japan 59

Special Thanks

Opening/Closing song: Oedo Controller (大江戸コントローラー) by Yunomi featuring Toriena (Used with permission from Yunomi) To listen to more of Yunomi’s music, check out his Soundcloud page or YouTube channel.

Japan Station cover art: Provided by Erik R.

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Full Show Notes

Get the full version of show notes at https://www.japankyo.com/category/podcasts/japanstation/

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