DJ Urban Kobbb's favorite Cornelius track is Music (playing now). Click the  button to hear Fit Song and again to hear Breezin'. |
This makes a lot of sense to me. We sometimes see Japanese culture as quirky or kitschy, and we don't take it seriously. We might enjoy the Godzilla or Samurai film, but we don't generally call it art.
We see much of pop culture in Japan as their interpretation of something that is already popular in the United States. Indeed, throughout the '80s, Japanese music was a reflection of what Japanese thought was the best of American music. The most prominent example was The Pizzicato Five, a bubble-gum pop group that was huge in the '90s.
Alternative, electronic, down-tempo artist Cornelius smashes this stereotype like it’s a piece of origami. Born Keigo Oyamada, Cornelius lists Kiss and The Beastie Boys as his major inspirations. Cornelius eschews what was once expected of Japanese music in favor of a unique style with many influences. In doing so, he has enjoyed, as his buddies The Beasties say, “More hits than Sadaharu Oh.”
The extent to which the Kiss influence exists in his music is well hidden. However, in the 2007 release, Sensuous, the references to hip hop and trip hop are unmistakable.
American hip hop, soul and dance music show up on the popular track, Fit Song. The very next cut, Breezin', could easily have been performed by the best of the European down-tempo artists. My personal favorite track, Music, is acoustic, airy and demonstrates Cornelius' prowess as an instrumentalist, as well as lyricist and vocalist.
So what’s up with Keigo Oyamada’s pseudonym of Cornelius? Does it conjure up images of that sensitive chimp in Planet of the Apes? If so, you're right on the monkey - um, money. It’s an interesting piece of Cornelius-the-singer-and-not-the-ape trivia, but if he remakes Monkey Man by The Rolling Stones, I'll say he’s taken it a little too far.
There’s no doubt about it. Cornelius is as killer as a bad piece of blowfish. His music shows creativity, style and bravery. I expect that his interest and influence will soon expand well into the Western world.
corneliusjapan.com
discogs.com/artist/Keigo+Oyamada
wpnob.blogspot.com/2006/03/keigo-oyamada-is-cornelius.html
