Feel the Sprouting #3: Denpa, the Spunky Scourge
A warning before I launch into this week’s column: none of the links I provide contain totally explicit images - though you’ll see some underwear flying around, literally and figuratively. They are mostly safe to view at work. However! Make sure you do not play any of these music clips within earshot of anyone who knows Japanese, because while these songs sound innocent, the lyrics are often tremendously explicit (in the first song, “yours is so big, I’m worried it won’t fit” is probably the least embarrassing line your Japanese-speaking co-workers can overhear). I also take no responsibility for loss of brain cells that may result from listening to any of the songs I mention.
With that said, this week’s column is about the polar opposite of last week’s subject matter. Yes, we’re going to be talking about a relatively young form of J-pop known as denpa.
To understand what denpa songs are, you have to understand what the term comes from. Denpa (電波) means “electro-magnetic wave” in Japanese, and denpa-kei (電波系), or denpa-type, is a term for the kind of strange people who seem to be listening to something that only they can hear (in other words, picking up some weird radio waves). It doesn’t just apply to the kind of weirdos who run around wearing tinfoil hats, though, it has come to extend to people who live off in their own little dream worlds and have trouble communicating with the real world (mostly otaku). So, in essence, denpa songs are songs made to appeal to these types of people.
As with such vaguely defined subculture concepts as moe, the definition of what makes a person or a song denpa can vary wildly depending on who you ask, but generally accepted features of denpa music are:
1) Music and vocals that are politely termed “overly enthusiastic,”and often intentionally horrid.
2) Lyrics that have no meaning (I know translators who’ve lost years of their life to denpa songs).
3) Frequent use of sound effects to fill space, usually sung (examples: “chu chu!” and “yaaaaaay!”).
4) An uncanny ability to get stuck in your head.
Most sources point to the opening of Maid in Heaven, an erotic game released in 1998, as the first denpa song. Conveniently, you can listen to it on YouTube if you really want to hear a maid singing about how thoroughly she’s going to sex you up.
The song that really defined the genre, though, came attached to another erotic game in 2001: Ren’ai Chu! You can hear more of the archetypal denpa stylings in that song: chintzy music, cheerfully clumsy harmony, constant repetition of cutesy noises (chu!), and a knack for sticking around in your brain. The Ren’ai CHU! song was the creation of a singer named KOTOKO, who gave the song its “unique” personality over the constant protests of her producer and composer. For better or worse, it was wildly popular and spawned a legion of imitators, including early earworms Da Pantsu! (2002) and Miko Miko Nurse! (2003).
The denpa style dominated the erotic game arena, creating minor celebrities out of poor singers, and it wasn’t long before it started leaking its way into more mainstream media. In 2004, Tsukuyomi Moon Phase inflicted Nekomimi Mode on the world, and these days you have the Lucky Star opening, which makes me want to murder baby rabbits every time I hear it.
But despite my constant insulting of the denpa genre, it’s not TOTALLY without merit. Denpa has evolved into a form of new wave/techno, and there are songs that actually have musical merit and have competent singers providing the vocals. I can’t name many of them at the moment, but there are also a few that are funny enough that you can forgive them for their faults (prime example: the music for Sega’s game for the Nintendo DS, Feel the Magic, which never fails to make me chuckle).
If, God forbid, you’re actually interested in hearing more denpa music, try checking out the works of ave;new, I’ve Sound, and MOSAIC.WAV - I’m pretty certain that you’ve never heard anything like it.
See you next week, and until then, I think I need to clean out my ears with a power drill.
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November 8th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
I once worked in a design studio with an anime addict who listened only to this and the very ear-splittingly lowest of cutesy j-pop, loud enough to leak terribly from his headphones. I eventually asked my Japanese co-workers what they thought of his music tastes. They replied, in that wonderfully quiet Japanese manner, that they’d like to take their wacom tablets to the back of his head.
November 8th, 2007 at 6:54 pm
*looks at all the I’ve stuff on his hard drive*
Yeah, I’ve scared my wife with some of it before. For some reason, though, I find it energetic to listen to when I’m working on comics.
February 13th, 2008 at 8:28 pm
Like all genres, there’s good and bad songs in denpa as well - I think some of the I’ve Sound anime themes aren’t so bad. The very first I’ve Sound compilation is somewhat of an earsplitter, though, but had a few interesting songs nevertheless.
I do love Kawada Mami, KOTOKO, and Shimamiya Eiko though. And perhaps even MELL.