Dan's Playlist Playground: Nourishing My Roots
My name is Dan Shier (He/Him) and I'm one of the board members of Queen City Pride. I've been with the Pride Festival for 9 years now and am a passionate volunteer and advocate for the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. I've also been an ongoing volunteer with the Regina Folk Festival and have designed the park signage for RFF since 2012.
Growing up, I didn't always listen to the top 40 songs on my local radio stations. As someone who is part Japanese, I was drawn to a different kind of music than what everyone around me was listening to. I received mixtapes (and mix mini discs) from my relatives in Japan of all the current pop songs of the time. I would listen to the same few songs over and over because that's all I could get my hands on. Back then, it was really hard to access music from another country. Music licenses and regional restrictions on copyrights meant I couldn’t just download the latest hit from a music store or walk into HMV like everyone else. These days with the globalization of the music industry and the popularity of K-pop and J-pop spreading across the Pacific, it's become much easier to enjoy this kind of music and I continue to enjoy Japanese and Korean music today. I see it as a way of keeping my roots nourished and cared for while I find myself longing to visit that part of the world once more.
"Likey" by TWICE
Reason: Twice is a Korean girl group composed of 9 members. While their primary genre is k-pop, a lot of their albums are released in both Korean and Japanese. For me, "Likey" was the gateway for my introduction to Korean pop music. What drew me to this song, even more, was that the music video was filmed in Vancouver, BC. It was perhaps the perfect blend of Japanese/Korean/Canadian that got me hooked and Twice remains one of my favourite Korean groups.
"Feel Special" by TWICE
Reason: A more recent song by Twice, "Feel Special" is an uplifting song about getting up when the world is putting you down. I find myself listening to every new Twice song that comes out on constant repeat and it never gets old. I'll cruise around in my car, music turned up loud, and singing the lyrics not caring if anyone is watching (even though I don't know Korean).
"Sugarless GiRL" by CAPSULE
Reason: CAPSULE is a Japanese electronica band that was a staple of my time spent at the University of Regina. I can't remember how I discovered them but once I did, they took over my playlists and listening to them gives me flashbacks to late nights in the print media studio cramming to get projects and assignments finished. CAPSULE's sound has evolved from their earlier 2000s albums (which had a very electronic take on French/Japanese 50s 60s sound) to more recent albums that are more abstract electronica. I really enjoyed the variety and CAPSULE would eventually introduce me to Perfume, another Japanese music group produced by the same record producer, Yasutaka Nakata.
"ねぇ" (Nee) by Perfume
Reason: Perfume is by far one of my top Japanese music groups and I have the Spotify stats to back me up on that. This three-part group not only has some catchy electropop songs but their meticulously choreographed music videos and concerts are one-of-a-kind. Every Perfume song is super rhythmic and while this is a playlist, I highly recommend looking them up on YouTube to see how they perform each song with precision and timing. Their songs are so happy and bright and I think that's what I love about them. There were songs that helped me when I was hyper-focused on a project or working out but also songs that were calm and relaxing.
"Future Pop" by Perfume
Reason: Perfume has also been around for such a long time (they formed in 2000) and their techno, bitpop, unique Japanese sound continues to keep me looking forward to their next release. Future Pop is another favourite of mine that's a bit more recent. I like how it kind of starts slow and relaxing but then really builds up into something exciting and inspiring. I hope it's telling of the evolution of this group from their early beginnings to an always influential music group that's pushing the envelope when it comes to blending music and performance.
"the Love Bug" by m-flo, BoA
Reason: m-flo is a late 90s early 2000s Japanese hip hop/techno group that I feel could be compared to Daft Punk but a little less electronic and more Japanese :p I grew up with m-flo when it was just two members: DJ Taku and MC Verbal. At the time, they were producing songs in collaboration with other popular vocalists. These songs were part of the "m-flo loves..." project and included other Japanese artists I was listening to at the time which is perhaps how I stumbled upon m-flo and from there discovered other artists and their music. I really liked m-flo for their use of hip hop in their songs; it was something unique that I don't think other artists were doing and the use of occasional English lyrics was cool, too. The group also features a 3rd member, Lisa, who rejoined the group in 2017.
"きらきらキラ" by Kyary Pamyu Pamyu
Reason: Kyary Pamyu Pamyu (KPP) is the personification of what I think a lot of folks think of when they imagine what the hyper-cute, kawaii, Harajuku, weird Japan looks like. KPP is also produced by Tasutaka Nakata from CAPSULE and therefore shares a lot of similar sounds in that techno, EDM, J-Pop genre. But KPP takes things to the extreme with her fantastical outfits, acid-trip style music videos, and sugar-high colours. Her music was even featured in the 2016 motion picture "Sing". While KPP isn't my go-to artist, I did have a point in my life where I obsessed over the music and whenever it comes on I enjoy the memories it brings back. We all need something sweet once in a while, right?
"POSITIVE feat. Dream Ami" by tofubeats, Dream Ami
Reason: Tofubeats... I don't know, it's hip hop, house, techno and the beats are really good. I don't know much about them other than I think I discovered their music while watching Japanese commercials and really liking the background music for one of the ads. Some of the songs are slow and relaxing, some of them go for that French cafe or villa sound while others are totally modern electro pop. I really like the variety. This is another group that likes to partner with other artists for vocals and I think that's something I really like about it is it sounds likes like you're listing to a whole compiled playlist of different artists but the sound and style all go together.
"First Love" by Hikaru Utada
Reason: Back in the 90s, I was often given the Japanese music I should listen to by others. I didn't know who the different artists were but I trusted my relatives to create tapes and discs for me to take back to Canada with me. While these songs don't compare to the sounds of today (I think Kpop has become the popular genre even in Japan) it's still really nice to listen to these throwbacks and remember some of my first Jpop songs. Hikaru Utada's story is really cool; she was born in the United States to Japanese parents. She started writing music at an early age and traveled to Tokyo with her father often. She often mixes English and Japanese lyrics in her songs and is known internationally for writing and producing four theme songs for the video game series Kingdom Hearts.
"Around the World" by Monkey Majik
Reason: MONKEY MAJIK is a pop-rock band that was formed in 2000 in Sendai Japan that features two Canadian brothers who are the lead vocalists and guitarists, and two Japanese members who cover drums and bass. I get goosebumps whenever I listen to their song "Around the World". It throws me back to one of the last times I got to travel to Japan. I really, really like the songs that incorporate both English and Japanese lyrics interchangeably throughout and I feel like I'm having a unique experience listening to it as someone who can understand both the English and Japanese parts. It's also kinda cool that the music is a bit different from the usual Japanese pop I'm used to listening to. There's a bit of Western flavour to it.
"poker face" by Ayumi Hamasaki
Reason: Ayumi Hamasaki is like my Britney Spears. Her first album came out in 1998 and she became immensely popular during her career. She would appear on talk shows, commercials, product endorsements... pretty much everywhere. I think that while my peers were all over Britney, I was probably in my own world following Ayumi instead.
"Dreamland" by BENNIE K
Reason: BENNIE K is a female duo that started in 1999. Vocalist Yuki and rapper Cico met in Los Angeles and their musical style is mostly urban. Again, another group that likes to mix English and Japanese in their music. Dreamland and many of their other songs are upbeat, happy, and energetic.
"サンライズ" by BENNIE K
Reason: I'm finishing off this playlist with サンライズ (Sunrise) to leave us on a high note :) thanks for listening!