Enka Music

[Onigiri]

I recently hear some enka songs, and I like it very much. Does any one else listen to them? I have been interested in Rikki (The singer for Suteki Da Ne from Final Fantasy X). Can any one suggest a singer?

[Mori]

I don't know if Rikki can be considered Enka...

Enka is just too terrible for me ^^;
I mean, some guy whining about his lost wife or something like that, and then this kind of music...it just sounds like...um...*runs away*

[Twisted]

Although i will probably never embrace it, i do like to listen to it occasionally.
Kiyoshi Hikawa is currently very popular in Japan and i recently heard a song from the Rinken Band. It's quite entertaining.

[Musashi]

Check out http://do-enka.com/index2.html for their video list. Connection can be tediously slow, but it's worth waiting for (at least for an enka fan ;))

[thomas]

It's a pity Mike Cash discontinued his website Oldies.jp. Apart from oldies and jazzy stuff he offered hundreds of enka songs ranging from the 30s to the 70s for download.

[ax]

is there no mirror thomas?

ax

[thomas]

Unfortunately not. Try to contact Mike (here's his site (http://www.japanreference.com/cgi-bin/jump.cgi?ID=2787)), if you're kind he might send you a CD with selected songs.

:)

[tasuki]

Originally posted by Twisted
Although i will probably never embrace it, i do like to listen to it occasionally.
Kiyoshi Hikawa is currently very popular in Japan and i recently heard a song from the Rinken Band. It's quite entertaining.

Can the Rinken Band really be called enka? I thought they were Okinawan folk...

[MHtrStevie]

I thought that too... I was under the impression both Rikki and Rinken Band were examples of modern Okinawan folk styles.

Although I've heard some enka songs which involve more traditional instrumentation (Takashi Hosokawa seems to do that a lot), others feature strings, guitars and even "big band" instrumentation with lots of horns and such. Maybe that's where the confusion came from...

[Twisted]

Oh, you guys are probably right. I've never much looked into traditional Japanese music. I figured if it's not popmusic, it's Enka.

[Rocketdive]

I like Enka, old singers like Kiyoshi Maekawa and Saburo Kitajima ^^;

[Lil'Anij]

Well, I just tried out some enka of diferent artists, just took on what I could lay my hands on.
The were very different. Some of them sound quite nice, but others, well, they sound rather funny.
In Dusseldorf I saw a live performance of two enka... They sounded godd to me, but I can't remember the titles ^^

[Dutch Baka]

Traditional Japanese music... ENKA. what do you know about it, what do you think of it, I actually don't know anything about Enka, but would like to know a bit more about it. and let other people hear it. Something different than Jpop/Rock :-)

Searching for Enka, on you tube, I have found a couple of songs:
Kiyoshi Hikawa (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VbaJEsTYrk&search=enka)
What is he wearing? But he is the most popular Enka singer .

shimatani hitomi - osaka no onna (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8i-xHnqTArI&search=enka)
Nice song, and she looks pretty good!

Mizumori Kaori - Gonosen (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB4xFatLXjM&search=enka)

nakazawa yûko- junjou koushinkyoku (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S6i89N0kouA&search=enka) Really like the intro, and she looks nice

Read more about Enka (http://www2.gol.com/users/hefej/enka.htm)

I hope that we can talk more about Traditional Japanese music, and not only the YOUNG!!! pop and rock music that is most on this Jpop section. So please share your opinion, and give us some great songs, or stories.

[Coshh]

I have never listened to the Enka yet. :bluush:

EDIT: I have listened to the links you posted, Dutch Baka; thank you very much! :thankyou: :happy:

Kiyoshi Hikawa - I find his voice a bit harsh, actually, and I don't like some of the vibrato :auch: (ummm... his coat reminds me a little of Daigo Stardust, in fact, but... hehe... )

Shimatomi Hitomi - I like her voice! :cool: But it's not as good as Utada's, I think... I like the guitar tone in this song though.

Mizumori Kaori - she has a lower voice, which is nice (I tend to prefer lower voice) but I find her high notes a bit nasal... :sorry:

Nakazawa Yuko - she is my favourite of the ones you posted! :) I really love her voice, it sounds so smooth and effortless! :cool: :singer: (and yeah, the intro is cool! ^^)

Thanks for this; this is my first listening of traditional Japanese music! :p

[Precious4e]

hmmm i watched some of the clips.....totally reminds me of the songs my parents listen to (except they listen to Chinese instead of Japanese). Gives me a retro feel.... everytime i listen to these songs i picture my parents or even grandparents when they were at my age dancing at some disco....well not disco... more like...dance halls??

[Uncle Frank]

This type music was around in the 70's when I was in Japan. Like elevator music always in the background , I ignored it. Now, it awakens so many memories of the good old days, I could listen to it forever.

Frank

:cool: :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool: :cool:

[Coshh]

I liked the last one, Nakazawa Yuko. I could listen to that. :music:

[Dutch Baka]

I don't like all of them, but listening to it so now and then is pretty cool!!!

I wanne do Karaoke!!!!!!!!!

[Coshh]

lol! I love karaoke... even though I don't do it very often. :bluush:

I don't know that this is the right thread, but... when I think of "Japanese traditional music" I think of things older than Enka which is more like a type of "grandparents age music" if you get my meaning. :sorry: I'm interested to hear "old" Japanese music... can anyone recommend any groups that play traditional music that is "traditional" in the same way that European classical music post-20th-century would be considered "traditional"? :clueless:

[Dutch Baka]

Merged the this 2 threads to 1 main Enka thread :wave:

[yelou]

Hello Everyone,
I am a fan of Enka. Enka is the japanese traditional Music.
The problem is that I speak Japanese a little...
So, someone can help me to translate these 2 songs of Enka please :
A)
youtube.com/watch?v=hsWRRhxL838
My favorite singer : Otowa Shinobu San :rose:
( there is subtitle if it can helps you )
B)
youtube.com/watch?v=UY7Z_fie0SQ&mode=related&search=
My other favorite singer : Yoko Nagayama :rose:

If you need, I can help you for French

Thanks a Lot

ps : Sorry, but I don' t understand why the post is shown 2 times in
two differents part...

[ricecake]

I too,a fan of Japanese Enka music.My favorite singer was and still is Aki Yashiro,her early 1980's hit song titled " Funa-Uta " has long-lasting impression on me.

I can't help on French language translation,my Japanese music CD copies come with Chinese translated lyrics.

[yelou]

If the translation is in English, it is ok for me :)

[leonmarino]

Enka rocks!! One of my fave songs is Kaette Koiyo (http://www.hi-ho.ne.jp/momose/mu_title/kaette_koiyo.htm). I couldn't find a YouTube clip.

I would love to help you with the translation but I think my Japanese is not that good. :relief:

[yelou]

leonmarino : Never Mind :-)

[miki78]

Hmmm i'v never heard Enka and i know nothing about it could someone point me in a good direction to listern to some please ?

[Kyoko_desu]

I don't like Enka because of the vibrato (in Japanese, "kobushi"). It's mostly for middle aged or older people here, but we sometimes sing one at karaoke for a good laugh.
:-)

[Dogen Z]

Enka is like American country and western songs in both tempo and themes. You need to acquire a taste for it--It's hard to like at first hearing but you might get used to it. I like to hear it occasionally (like country and western)...

for example, here's the song from the ending credits of Kill Bill, vol 1 (the vid clip is Lady Snowblood, which Kill Bill is loosely based on).

Ma3kdneCvcY

[ASHIKAGA]

I agree with Ocean. The way Enka is perceived in Japan is somewhat similar to that of C&W in USA. I used to hate Enka when I was younger but now that I am older, I GET it.

Like C&W music, where you have your Shania Twains, Gretchen Wilsons and Kenny Chestneys stuffed together in the same bin with your Johnny Cashes, Emmylou Harrises and even Bill Monroes, each Enka singer has a different degree of "Enka-ness" in them.

If you are a newcomer to the wonderful world of Enka, I suggest you start with the traditional, old skool singers from the olden days. That was before they started using synthesizers, rock guitars and western dance rhythms to make it more modern.

I should also add that one can detect a touch of Enka in a lot of today's J-Pop/J-Rock if they listen carefully. The lines between those genres are surprisingly thin and sometimes even intertwined.

To me, it's all 歌謡曲 (Kayoukyoku / Popular music). :-)　

[AJBryant]

I love enka. Big fan.

Kitajima Saburo and Yoshi Ikuzo are my main faves, but I also adore Sakamoto Fuyumi. Mmm.


Tony

[Dogen Z]

With apologies to Ashikaga, here's the new enka.
He's hit in Japan and has a really great voice. :cool:
7gPqvhCEZ40&feature=related