Could PC Music help introduce the British public to J-Pop?

It's been kind of difficult to ignore the talk around 'PC Music' recently - from an entire Radio 1 show devoted to it, to a flashy piece in the Guardian. The next 'New Rave'-esque flash-in-the-pan, or a tantalising glimpse of the future sound of pop? Only time will tell, of course, but one of the things I've come to admire most about the movement is both its open admiration of J-Pop, and the potential the movement has for potentially introducing it to the mainstream.

That said - I think without some subtle tweaks, PC Music - as a label or a wider 'genre' will struggle to achieve true mainstream crossover. While musically it falls neatly in line with some of the material the likes of Charli XCX are putting out, the childlike vocals present the same issue as to why I think a Hatsune Miku hit in the UK anytime soon is unlikely too. The problem: to the casual music listener, it sounds like a gimmick. A Crazy Frog-esque bit of computer wizardry cooked up in a Hoxton bedroom between trips to Pret.

There's scope though - I think - for the sound to at least on some level infiltrate into the mainstream. Whether that be through the more commercial-sounding acts like Kero Kero Bonito (who are often tagged as part of the movement, but take a far more straight-up pop approach), or a collaboration/sample by an already well-established EDM artist, it feels like a track could hit it big, if - and isn't this always the way - it was lucky enough to be picked up by daytime Radio 1.

Part of me wonders - considering the groundswell around movements like this is often largely subsumed by the music blogging community, that following this early handful of pieces, more and more will natural snowball and follow. Just as with the dreaded triumvate of hipsterdom: pulled pork, craft beers and street food in general, it seems only a matter of time between reading something on an achingly hip indie blog and it popping up in Time Out, Shortlist and the likes. It's a 'concept' that thrives on its own perceived freshness - until everyone moves on to the next thing, that is.

That said, if even one person listened to a PC Music track, or read about Charli XCX praising Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and then went on to listen to some actual J-Pop, I'd count that as a victory.

If you're interested in sampling a little PC Music first hand, the newly released compilation disc from the label itself is well worth checking out. Or you could just listen to Kero Kero Bonito, because she's awesome.

Noisey: ''Trying to Make Sense of British J-Pop Fans''

Via: http://noisey.vice.com/en_uk/blog/trying-to-make-sense-of-british-j-pop-fans-kyaru-pamyu-pamyu-shepherds-bush

As it stands, this piece is the top-ranking article when you search for 'j pop uk' on Google. When I first read it, I found it tackled the subject pretty well, and certainly seemed more invested in the aesthetic of just why people like J-Pop than many similar pieces. But that said - and as some people mention in the comments of the piece itself - it also falls a little far from the mark in terms of addressing the wider genre and giving it the respect it deserves.

As is so often the case with Western pieces on J-Pop, there remains a fine line between being genuinely 'into' the scene/culture/whatever you want to call it, and dismissing it as part of the whole 'Weird Japan' rhetoric. This piece felt like it fell somewhere in-between, and as someone who attended the Kyary Pamyu Pamyu gig in question and thoroughly enjoyed it, I continue to maintain that it's too easy to get caught up in the whole 'THE COSTUMES' angle - despite it being the easiest, most story-worth angle to take with it.

I've always had a bit of a love/hate relationship with VICE/Noisey - for years I disliked the brand and the culture/aesthetic it tried to capture (although I'm a lot fonder of the Noisey content as for the most part, it skews more away from some of the Gonzo/'hipstser' excesses of the wider brand). But at the end of the day, I kind of feel like even if it misses the mark in some areas, pieces like this are to be applauded regardless as, after all - don't they saw all publicity is good publicity? In the case of J-Pop coverage in the UK, I'm inclined to think so.