The Greatest J-Pop Bass Line EVER
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- Опубліковано 10 тра 2024
- #bass #basssolo #ztmy #transcription #analysis #paulthompson
Talking about my latest musical discovery: J-pop music and one of it's greatest bands: ZUTOMAYO (ずっと真夜中でいいのに。). I'll break down one of the most incredible bass lines I've heard recently from groove, to amazing fills, to the jaw-dropping bass solo--let's check out "STUDY ME" (お勉強しといてよ) and see just why it's so amazing, and why Ryosuke Nikamoto is a name bass players all over the world should know!
Website: www.paulthompson.us
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ZUTOMAYO MENTIONED 🔥🔥🗣️🗣️🗣️💯📢📢 WHAT THE FUCK IS BEING NORMAL ABOUT MUSIC 🎵🎸🗣️🗣️🔥📢📢💯
RAHHHHHHHHHHHHH
u call that different?
@@cachalotreal wdym by that
@@tuanriccy1026 its not that different
@@cachalotreal wow mr. mcmozart here. "YoU CaLL ThAT musIC? I OnlY Listen To REAL muSIC because iM nOt Like OthER GuYs"
Just wait until you dip your toes into Japanese jazz, the bass in those songs is insane. And city pop from the 70s - 80s, the funk influence made that genre so unique and groovy
masayoshi takanaka time!
Hey could you suggest a few songs ? For Japanese jazz with good bass
@@sarveeshbaijal5562 Listen to Sea Is A Lady by Toshiki Kadomatsu
City Pop is my favorite music genre. Soo many fire basslines and overall melodies with changing sections. I got a 13 hour mostly city pop Spotify playlist.
Casiopea’s first album is absolutely incredible
Japan has this new generation of female bassists like Mina, Kiyoshi, Misa from Band-Maid, to name but a few. Japan rocks. Literally :)
Japan and Brazil both punch above their weight in the bass department.
Wait, did you just list a number of Japanese female bassists, without mentioning Juna Serita? I gotta get a screen shot of this.
Hikaru Yamamoto as well.
@@aquamarine99911 :)
@@rkk578 my girl can definitely play
Japanese bassists are truly on another level. A common thing I've noticed across J-Pop and J-Rock versus their western variants is that the bass is treated much more like a front-and-center instrument rather than just being there to hold down the root, it makes the music way more interesting to listen to as a whole.
Slightly inaccurate though. The bassline of many equivalent Western music isn't "less pronounced" or "too low in the mix", they always stand out just as the music needs it and more often than not, they still sound iconic nonetheless. The difference is that those baselines usually occupy the given space within the sound mix comfortably, w/out having to interfere other instruments much. On the other hand, the type of J-Pop music or composition in the vein of Zutomayo style tends to fill up much of the mixing channels with a dense arrangement. This prompts the songwriter or the producer to make the bassline cut through the wall of sound by having it mixed at the lower-mid range and positioned up front and center. It's a necessary compromise or else, you won't be able to follow the music properly.
@@GuyWhoLikesTheSnarkies1435yep about the mix, but those busy basslines are more prominent in the Oricon charts than Billboard.
@@spanneng I mean, that's fair. But you can still find Western songs with killer bassline w/out having to care about the chart. Dirty Loops comes to my mind but so do Cory Wong, Thundercats, Cory Henry, Anderson Paak & Free Nationals, Esperanza Spalding, Hiatus Kaiyote and Louis Cole, just to name a few.
One of my favorite J-rock band that has unique bass line is... L'Arc en Ciel.
I care to disagree. It's hard to compare anyone to the bassists that came before. Jaco Pastorius, Ron Carter, Dave Holland, Marcus Miller, John Pattituci, you name it. There were world class bassists who still have unique and electric playing from decades ago.
I was about to start this video and my 14 year old daughter walked in. She's a young jazz trumpet player and J-pop fan, and just played her first solo at a concert yesterday. We watched this together and I was able to point out a bunch of useful concepts that you presented in such a beautiful way. Arigato!
Tetsuo Sakurai from Casiopea. A slap master, and just a master in general.
My idol
thats j jazz
@@borgir9817 bro forayed into the j-pop world a bit, more so in the 80s and 90s
he is so cool DEFINITELY check him out
@@borgir9817 This channel has been discussing historic bass lines within the Black music in general. Paul is also a pro bass player in the industry with a strong jazz background, who has actively performed for 30 years already. You'd never go out of topic by bringing about a legendary Japanese bass player into discussion here, let's not act like jazz music is strictly a privileged music thing that never sees an overlap in the pop music scene.
まさかこのチャンネルでZUTOMAYOが取り上げられるとは思いませんでした。
本当に驚いた！
ねえ 意外ですよね。 日本医大 の人が聞いてるとは。 でも歓迎します
Zutomayo has gotten very popular in the USA in the last two years. Even more popular after doing that collaboration with Calli from Hololive EN.
Japanese bass lines are the reason I've always come back to jpop and jrock over the last several years, just absolutely a pleasure every time
YES ZUTOMAYO IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE BANDS! SO GLAD YOU COVERED THEM!
Now that you are looking into Japanese music, check out Casiopea (specifically the years when Tetsuo Sakurai was still the bassist, start with their first album and the live album "Mint Jams") and T-Square, you'll find lots of amazing bass lines.
+1 for Casiopeia. Mint Jams is just insane, I didn't even knew it was a live album until recently.
Sakurai is one of my favorite bassists ever. And he's putting out great music to this day, most currently with the Katsushika Trio, made up of three core members from Casiopea. ua-cam.com/video/kn5yIt8sbTc/v-deo.htmlsi=XI5fvVpPwBILwMWB
Mint jams is really good, although they repeat like 3 songs on that album. I was confused for a while until I realized its the same song but live
@@jasond6053 Haha, that's pretty normal for Casiopea actually. They have re-recorded many songs on different albums over the years, I think there are some songs like Asayake with at least 3-4 (maybe more with the newer lineups too) different recorded versions, its crazy! I like the Mint Jams versions of all of those songs better than the originals, partly because I'm a sucker for the BB2000 he used on that album and most of their albums in the early 80's
@@kevgamble Thanks for that video, they still got it!
That’s Jazz y’all..Darn Right!!
"Study Me" is simply my favorite song
Not to mention her other OUTSTANDING songs, such as Kira Killer, Kansaete Kuyashiiwa, and so many more!
@@orbitalclockwork Exactly! I listen to almost every song of theirs
Same Zutomayo has some killer bass grooves, Japan in general is having something of a music rennisance and they never slouched on letting the bass stay out front. If you are going down the rabbit hole, make sure you check out Fami-chan from LOVEBITES specifically her cover of alien alien
They have always been good because they lean into niches whereas the west mainstream anyways doesn't
Renaissance, since when?
I have listened to ZUTOMAYO for quite a while, but haven’t listened to study me for a while.
I had never noticed the bass line this deeply - I just grooved to it
Thanks Paul for playing that song "Plastic Love". The bass line sounded so good I had to look it up. The song is great and was actually made in the 80's.
Its a "citypop" classic highly reccomend looking into the genre from the 70s-80s of urban Japan
The original by Mariya Takeuchi was made in the 80s, and a lot more "classic citypop" sounding. The version in the video is a more recent cover where the bass gets a much bigger spotlight. Both amazing versions though.
been a long time fan of zutomayo. "Hunch grey" by them was one of the first basslines that got me into bass
Me too❤
I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE BASSISTS KNOW ABOUT ZUTOMAYO!!!
THEY'RE MY FAVORITE FUCKIN BAND EVERRRRRR!!!
I never thought I would see the day you made a J-Pop video! There is SO much more melodic and interesting bass lines in Japanese music than Western (at least modern western), and thats part of the reason I like it so much more. They really know how to bring out the instrument to its fullest potential!
Japanese musicians really go deep in their craft and the music they produce is crazy good. J-pop and fusion does not get exposed much especially with k-pop invasion these days, but there are some really mad cats over there if you dig great music.
@anamrake yup I wish it got more exposure because it's my favorite genre. They mostly use real instruments and bring out the best of them. Most j-pop IS fusion, but then you also have bands targeted towards fusion enthusiast, like UK Rampage or Casiopea, and they absolutely kill it.
Bro, thank you youtube for recommending this.
His enthusiasm keeps making me glee. Not just because it's about J-pop. But he is going into it and like chef about food.
Japan is legitimately a decade ahead of us musically. ZUTOMAYO is great
Finally pdbass got into high culture :) Generally Japanese respect bass in all terms, I'm glad that more and more people are paying attention to it!
Japanese bass lines are the epitome of everything I aspire to be able to do with this freaking instrument. So melodic yet doesn't take away from the solo instruments in some songs, and a perfect lead instrument in other.
best bass channel， hope update everyday， love from China❤
💯
If you’re looking for more Japanese artist Sheena Ringo is my absolute favorite. She incorporates a tone of big band jazz sound into her music. Especially on albums like Sunny. Shoso Strip is also just a masterpiece
YES!!!! I'm so glad you got around to checking out some Jpop music! I don't know what they're feeding the bass players over there in Japan but for some reason their bassists are more likely than not to be monsters that always crank it up to 10 where as other bass players would be simple. My theory is that it comes from the heavy jazz tradition that really solidified with the explosion of fusion and city pop that blew up over there from the 70s onwards. While you're on this journey, I really recommend checking out the rabbit hole that is Japanese arcade video game music, with the real impressive stuff being in the fighting games. Games like MvC2, CvS2, KoF96, Vampire Savior, Melty Blood, Daytona USA, etc. are all killers that I've spent hours just listening to.
Watching this video makes me appreciate Zutomayo's songs more. Great recommendation from YT today.
Japan is killing it right now, and have been for the last 30 years.
Another to check out is Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. Absolutely phenomenal!!
Zutomayo is my favorite artist rn. I played Study Me on bass with a small group at my last concert in higschool, and it was the best performance i’ve ever done, and i was very happy of it. The bass solo was very challenging and very fun when you can pull it off, It took hours of practicing to even get consistent with it.
Awesome video! Love J-Pop and 80s City Pop...Argentina, Chile and other South American countries are having an incredible neo-soul revival at the moment as well (artists like NAFTA, Abril Olivera, Florencia Andrada)...Music really transcends borders :)
So glad to see you cover Jpop basslines! They're some of my favorites ever!
My kids got me into J-pop and vgm (which I then steered into jazz covers of vgm) and we have Zutomayo, Yoasobi and The Consouls pretty much playing all the time in out house! I’ve been dropping comments everywhere about how brilliant the music is compared with ‘Western pop’. The Japanese bassists (I’d add Juna Serita) and the guy who played for Fuji Kaze’s nor Tiny Desk Concert), drummers (Senri anyone?), guitarists, keys players and vocalists (Lilas, Toaka and Shintaro from Penthouse) are always technically very high level and the compositions are much more complex and involve interesting intervals, key changes and time signatures. Indeed a wonderful rabbit hole worthy of exploration.
As a zutomayo fan, I very much appreciate that you appreciate their music, it’s art :)
The joy of discovering your hobby interest being practiced in a part of the world and in a way you're entirely unfamiliar with. I know nothing about music but I know this feeling very well.
I've been listening to japanese music for some 15 years now and it got me into bass and had a huge influence on my drumming and songwriting. Toshiya from dir en grey especially had me listening to more of the bass in music. Their song cage was the first I learned, such a cool bassline!
Paul - love your commentary! You have an infectious enthusiasm. I love the bass in music and you make it come alive. Thank you!
So great! Thank you for the Zutomayo introduction
Thank you for these analytic breakdowns! Being a fan of this style of music, I've heard the tracks before, but I've never been strong in my ear training, so your run-downs of how the solos and fills function in the context of the songs help me greatly in learning how they do what they do, and how I should apply it in my own writing.
I really liked the respect you brought to this video. It reflects the open mind you went into J-Pop with. You recognised the influences but didn't get stuck on them or insinuate it was derivative, and you even gave a very good crack at pronouncing the Japanese words properly, and most importantly you sought and found a connection with the musicality - it's appreciated!
So glad to see you cover my favorite band and my favorite song!! ❤️
I reallly like this style of video
clear diction, slower paced one takes, the call and response style examples, the EFFICIENCY of the script writing/idea expression
its just very very clean execution that leads you along,
runs counter to the hyperactive pushing style or the very detailed word only stationary style
Its a great change of pace
I'm glad to see such a well crafted experience
Wow, super informal loving this new style of content! Do more!!
I love ur attitude! finally a video about ZTMY that is actually educational! thank u very much for breaking down this solo!
Dude! Thank you for educating me again! 🔥
Since i heard zutomayo first time i say
This is asbsolute art
Wow, I was OBSESSED with Study Me for a while but couldn't explain why. Thank you for this analysis.
THANK YOU BRO. This stuff is so killing. I got a back-catalog to go through. Excellent job on that solo!
Never knew about them til this video. Thanks for putting me on to them, professor
I didn't knew about Zutomayo, their music sounds really great!
It's just straight bangers
I love ZTMY so much, I started listening to them the day STUDY ME launched as a single and i quickly fell in love, picking up instruments and so much more for this seemingly underrated band i decided to become devoted to.
I learned Japanese to understand their songs and plan on getting ZTMY tattooed onto my nape, so it genuinely brings a tear to my eye to watch my favorite band grow so exponentially in such a short amount of time, gaining fans worldwide.
To see a video appreciate the songs in the same fine detail I appreciated them to, is so.. weird.
ZTMY made me cry with just their instrumentals because of Frisson, and I quickly learned the lyrics in both languages to scream them out at night and that feeling never goes away.
I appreciate ZTMY for saving my life multiple times both by just sound and lyrics.
I feel like this guy is always staring into my soul
happy to see zutomayo getting more recognition over here
So glad you've gotten onto J-pop, I love this music!
Are you a fan of BEYOOOOONDS by any chance? They've got a song called "Hey BEYONDA"
@@MORISENSEIISGOD No but I am fixing that post-haste, thanks for the rec :)
@@beyonder7776 If you're looking for beyooooonds songs with great bass lines I'd suggest "Gannen bungee jump (元年バンジージャンプ)" and "Koshi tanta turn (虎視タンタ・ターン)". Would also recommend the channel CentaurBuzzBass who has a few bass covers of BEYOOOOONDS songs as well as other Jpop.
just a twoo of us??
Exactly what i was thinking
As a Zutomayo listener for a while now, I have to say - I knew which tune it was before even clicking on this video. I can't help but say though, that this was an excellent analysis, thank you for this. よろしくお願い致します！
Bro has not heard casiopea - domino line
The live version is crazy
Mint Jams has some of the grooviest tastiest lines of all time 💪🏻🙌
Thank you for being so open minded and passionate about jpop! I wish more western bass youtubers talked about it more!
I LOVE THIS SONG! IM SO GLAD SOMEONE COVERED IT
Man...you're amazing. I don't know what else to say.
Love it and everything you do 😊
This was awesome, keep up the great content.
We can sense the great respect you have here, just from the research for the introduction alone, fantastic video. Finding this after a Jamiroquai bass video, maybe it's not surprising that two of my favorite bands are funk and bass phenomenons!
this song inspired me to pick up the bass, im so happy to see it getting some recognition
Only Paul could get me to start listening to this music - thank you!
I don't keep up too much with music channels on UA-cam, but this video got recommended to me probably because of Zutomayo. Great video! On an unrelated note, I think you're really clear and articulate when you speak, so it was a pleasure to watch this :)
Your playing skills are unbelievable!!🤘🤘🤘
ty 4 this video man!!!!!
amazing bass chops!
as a fellow westerner, im happy more people like you are becoming aware of ZUTOMAYO! i flew out to japan just to watch one of their live concerts during their most recent fall/winter tour and it was by far the BEST concert experience i've ever had, and props to the fans who come to support the band and make the atmosphere absolutely magical. i dont know japanese but there was a screen somewhere on the stage that showed visual instructions on how to coordinate the light sticks (light-up rice paddles in this case) and were clear enough that even a foreigner like me could understand. i cried tears of joy in their last act of their show because they were performing their hearts out and the passion was overflowing to the crowd!! :)) not even an exaggeration to say im happy to be alive during a time when ACAne and ZUTOMAYO exists 💓🙌
Love it, love Zutomayo, good video man keep it up 👍
Woah! Thanks for the introductions. Great playing by yourself too. Oh, and enjoy those late nights! Lol
Awesome!!! So Amazing!!! Thank You!!!
insane video i did not expect you to make this
ZUTOMAYO YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, so incredibly happy the word of zutomayo is being spread and also you should check out Nareai Serve too
(also they are releasing a new song May 23rd, of which is called Truth in Lies and soon the 4th anniversary of Study Me)
i LOVE kickback and this checks all the boxes too for me so thank you 👍
I spent a few years immersed in Jpop. you are correct: it is a hodgepodge of classic, eclectic influences turned up to 11. My friends thought I was crazy but I enjoyed my alternate musical reality. At least until ADHD inevitably sent me in another direction.
I love zutomayo! I randomly discovered them one day when I saw a preview of their animated mv for Study Me before it released, and I thought it looked so cool I counted down the days until it released. They've become one of my favorite bands.
thank you for sharing!
When you drop the tempo on that bass solo, it's got such a late 70s vibe to it. Nice playing, at either speed. And that Stingray sounds real sweet!
I absolutely love your love for bass and willingness to dive into such a diverse array of genres! Someone else mentioned it, but Casiopea is another great Japanese band you should check out
Just randomly came across this vid but omg your Japanese pronunciation is amazing!! It's so rare for UA-camrs to even attempt, let alone get Japanese right, so just wanted to say that I really appreciate you doing so!
thanks for this!
just wait until he discovers Anri and Kingo Hamada🙏
loove Zutomayo one of my fave songs is from them glad they're getting recognition
"My favorite song-"
Oh, which one is-
2:14 PURE ADRENALINE
-oh yeah, that one.
why this is the first time i heard about this channel? this is great content
🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
Paul, I'd love it if you could check out Tomohito Aoki. He's my favourite bass player, who sadly is no longer with us due to Acute Heart Failure and passed away in 2006. He was on a lot of the works by DIMENSION, and Toshiki Kadomatsu, along with his Solo work. Also did a lot of stuff in the VGM world. He was also influential in the design of the Atelier Z basses. I will have to check out the ZUTOMAYO band as I'd never heard of them before. 👍👍Great Video!
yayy zutomayo recognition!! after hearing Kan Saete Kuyashiiwa it changed my life
Damn! Is Right. Great post and I knew Nothing about Zutomaya and appreciate my Coat getting pulled. As usual, Great Playing too
study me has been my favorite zutomayo song since 2022. Glad to say it still being enjoyed by others.
Phenomenal video, very entertaining and educational. SUBBED AND LIKED
the first time i heard this song my jaw literally dropped at the bit before the second chorus
i knew it would be about time left as soon as as i saw this vid!!!!
Excellent video, greetings from Brazil 👋
This is literally my favourite band of all time. Love their songs to death.
Finally someone actually made a video bout zutomayo's basslines.
I love that friday night plans got mentioned! Love their hits.
thx for inspiration
First the other video talked about its rise and now this... Guess I'll listen again to all of its songs for the nth time.
This song was randomly in my reccomendeds. I don’t play bass lol. This guy is really likable though. I just like the way he talks.
i also saw this video all over youtube for a period of time, watched it, and thought it was a cool song
I started listening to Zutomayo 2 weeks ago. The sounds are raw.