How would you define Angura?

[Peace Heavy mk II 7200]

This came up in the visual key f#ceb##k group when someone shared an article that described several flavors of the scene, which described angura as: 

 

Quote

Angura Kei – the name stems from the English word “underground”. The style is derived from a cultural movement particularly that of independent theater in Japan from the 1960’s and the fervent political unrest from which the decade is known globally.  Angura theatre is notably experimental and concerned with the Japanese mythos; that is Japanese beliefs, attitudes and cultural values. The sub-genre is also linked to eroguro and many bands bridge both lines but it is consider darker and more formal. It features the use of Japanese uniform, kimino or other types of traditional garb. Examples of Angura Kei bands are Kagrra and Inugami Circus-Dan.

 

While I do not think that this definition is entirely wrong, per say, I do think it is lacking something that I am not really sure how to word. This isn't the scene I typically follow or engage with, but to me, it always felt like angura was vkei's edgier cousin that likes to pretend he doesn't know you in public, and saying "they wear kimonos" doesn't really cut it as the hard-and-fast defining factor. (That's why people kept tagging Kiryu as 'angura' on lastfm) Shironuri alone doesn't work either, as groups like Heidi. were considered a part of this scene, but did not do that (as far as I'm aware). 

 

Another site uses this definition:

 

Quote

Angura kei is the darkest visual kei style. The clothes of the style tend to be mostly black, but with spikes and chains. Make-up is worn dark and heavy. The style has been compared to the modern goth. Just like the other two styles that have been brought up so far, Angura kei is heavily influenced by underground music with the same name. Some of the most well-known ones include MUCC, Floppy, Guniw Tools, Metronome and Nookicky.

 

This one feels completely wrong. It seems like they're describing kote, but then listed examples that don't even match the definition they just wrote????

 

---

 

So, what's a better answer?

[Tokage 5930]

if you do not pick option 3 im personally coming to your house to steal your silverware 

[GreatNorthernVK 183]

I mean, to me, back in the day, Angura was typically referring to non-traditional VK that was still a part of “the scene”, but made a point of distancing itself from some of the more superficial aspects.

 

Examples of what would have been called angura back in the mid 2000s would have been MUCC, Cali-gari, Merry, deadman, Nookicky, Metronome, etc

[libertine 125]

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Edited December 12, 2019 by libertine

[Jigsaw9 6783]

 if your band meets at least two of the below criteria:

 

- have your cover artwork be drawn by Suehiro Maruo
- perform short skits during gigs
- use melodies reminiscent of kayoukyoku in your songs
- design your outfits based on school uniforms
- have at least one song about (pre-/post-/mid-)WWII and/or nationalism

 

That's it, I cracked the Angura Code™, thank you for coming to my TEDTalk.

Edited November 8, 2019 by Jigsaw9

[Himeaimichu 1535]

I agree with @Jigsaw9. Just basically be a Kayoukyoku or Ryukoka Vkei band that wears uniforms and is obsessed with Eroguro,

Much like actual Ryukoka and Enka artists in the 1920's (From what I've read), Eroguro was pretty popular and influential to the Japanese music scene in the early 20th century. I've even found a Japanese Kayoukyoku collection CD that was titled "Ero Guro Nansensu" for sale on CD Japan or something once. 

So I would define it by bands such as Guruguru Eigakan, Inugami Circus Dan, etc. Although Inugami has less Kayoukyoku influence, they're basically part of Angura by association. 

However, I do agree there is a lot of traditional Japanese elements, but it's not the same elements that Kiryu or Memento Mori use. In general, Kayoukyoku, Ryukoka and Enka music is just traditional Japanese music, but on western instruments. It's more of the general nature of the music they play. During the era where these genres were popular, Traditional Japanese Music hadn't declined yet, and it was still popular to listen to Shamisen and Koto music, so it's natural that a lot of that kind of music would influence the popular genres. Bands like Kiryu however are more influenced by straight up traditional Japanese music, and its reflected in how they write their music. 

Although I've heard the term "Chikashitsu Kei" to refer to Guruguru and Inugami, idk how proper of a term that is.

[saiko 429]

This is the real nerd shit I crave for here in MH. Keep on!

[Peace Heavy mk II 7200]

3 hours ago, Jigsaw9 said:

 if your band meets at least two of the below criteria:

 

- have your cover artwork be drawn by Suehiro Maruo
- perform short skits during gigs
- use melodies reminiscent of kayoukyoku in your songs
- design your outfits based on school uniforms
- have at least one song about (pre-/post-/mid-)WWII and/or nationalism

 

That's it, I cracked the Angura Code™, thank you for coming to my TEDTalk.

hmm so def Kiryu then

[CELESTIAL CIEL 985]

I don't know how your lastfm profile looks like, can I just peacefully love eiji and 40 members bands...

[Tokage 5930]

I still feel like there's several subdivisions you can make within Raccoon People World, personally.

 

There's the whole ''Dude, we love eroguro/the Showa & Taisho era/Terayama Shuji/old uniforms & we have five buckets of white paint left over - let's start a band''-variety that people already talked about ITT which pretty much covers all those bands like Guruguru Eigakan, Kalavinka, Inugami Circus-Dan, Strawberry Song Orchestra etc. Usually they go for more of a straightforward rock and/or kayoukyoku-influenced sound

 

Secondly, there's the subset of dudes who may or may not at least partially fulfill the criteria for the previous category as well, but who also set themselves apart by being influenced by that good old 80s Nagomu Records stuff & other new wave/zolo stuff from that time period. Here's where you have the kinda 'bleep bloop' stuff like Eiji w/ his million projects, Sharaku with his, Muchi Muchi Anago and all that stuff. Usually these ones have some electronics added into the mix

 

Thirdly you have  the ''I have no fucking idea how to classify this but i am physically incapable of listening to anything not vk-adjacent and i saw two of the members hanging out with other vk musicians once so uhh... angura i guess'' category 

 

Finally, there's Elektel-Shiki

Edited November 9, 2019 by Tokage

[nekkichi 6043]

class, how do japanese stans define angura?

[Tokage 5930]

17 minutes ago, nekkichi said:

class, how do japanese stans define angura?

like this:

Quote

個人的には、ラクーンピープルワールド内でいくつかの細分化を行うことができます。

 

「おい、エログロ/昭和と大正/寺山修司/古いユニフォームが大好きで、5つのバケツの白いペンキが残っている-バンドを始めよう」-人々はすでにITTについてかなり話していましたぐるぐる映画館、カラビンカ、犬神サーカス団、ストロベリーソングオーケストラなどのバンドをすべてカバーしています。通常、彼らはよりストレートなロックや歌you曲の影響を受けたサウンドを好みます。

 

第二に、前のカテゴリーの基準を少なくとも部分的に満たすかもしれないし、そうでないかもしれないが、その古き良き80年代のNagomu Recordsのものと他の新しいwave / zoloのものから影響を受けることによって彼ら自身を際立たせる男のサブセットがありますその期間。ここには、エイジと彼の百万プロジェクト、写楽と彼のムチ・ムチ・アナゴなど、ちょっとした「ブリーフ・ブループ」のようなものがあります。通常、これらにはいくつかの電子機器がミックスに追加されています

 

第三に、あなたは ''これを分類する方法はありませんが、私は物理的にVKに隣接していないものを聞くことができず、2人のメンバーが他のVKミュージシャンと一緒に出かけるのを見たことがあります... '' カテゴリー

 

最後に、エレクテル式があります

 

[saiko 429]

Isn't "kayoukyoku" a Japanese term used for refering to J-pop?

[Jigsaw9 6783]

3 hours ago, saiko said:

Isn't "kayoukyoku" a Japanese term used for refering to J-pop?

It's basically Showa-era pop music.

[Ruri 278]

it's angura if i say so

[Himeaimichu 1535]

On 11/9/2019 at 3:50 AM, saiko said:

Isn't "kayoukyoku" a Japanese term used for refering to J-pop?

Kinda. It's basically a term for Japanese popular music from the early 20th century. I actually prefer the term "Ryukoka", for the kind of music Angura bands play, since that term more describes the kind of music that was the prototype to Enka and had Eroguro themes. The most popular Ryukoka artist arguably being Haruo Oka

 

Edited November 11, 2019 by Himeaimichu

[meat 135]

My two cent is that angura-kei is a music/ visual/ theatrical exploration of the post war Japanese identity. I think a lot of artists in the Heisei period (post-Bubble and pre-millennium, so basically the 90s), the so-called "lost generation", questioned their place in a post-modern Japan that went through a century of extremes of war and peace. Some found inspiration and identified with the existential anxieties expressed by the counter-cultural movements in the 1970s, led by figureheads like Terayama Shuuji and Shibusawa. And the raccoon people have carried that subversive and transgressive context on to the present time by toying with time: some like the Inugami, Guru guru eigakan, etc. deliberately dress in pre-1945 ways with ghost/ butoh white face paint and sing about folktales and myths, as if to remind their modern audience of an innate Japaneses-ness by digging into the past; whilst the bleep bloop raccoon people, such as Metronome, Shinjuku Gewalt, etc. are trying to reconcile the technologically fast advancing future Japan with the lost identity in the present.

 

Of course, a lot of raccoon people feel the need to dress like characters from Terayama's films and make nagomu music is probably because many were born around the 1970s and be deeply influenced by all the social upheavels then. But I think it is because of their play on time, by the subversive questioning of the past and future in a transgressive fashion, that I think set angura kei bands apart from other bands that dress in kimono or sing kayoukyoku.

Edited January 24, 2020 by meat