On Oct 16, 1981, Japan released the single "Visions of China".
The evocative "Visions of China" was a standout track from Japan's fifth studio album Tin Drum. With its cryptic lyrics and distinct percussion evoking the rhythms of Peking opera, the song encapsulated the band's obsession with the sounds and imagery of the Far East.
Just a few years prior, Japan had been glam rockers clad in makeup and theatrics reminiscent of David Bowie. But by the late '70s, the band—vocalist David Sylvian, guitarist Rob Dean, bassist Mick Karn, keyboardist Richard Barbieri, and drummer Steve Jansen—had cultivated a more sophisticated, experimental sound incorporating elements of electronica, jazz, and world music influences.
This new direction was sparked by singer Yuka Fujii, then the girlfriend of the late Mick Karn (and later David Sylvian's partner).
In his memoir, Mick Karn recounts how Fujii began bringing home records from Chinatown, immersing the band in unfamiliar Eastern sounds. "It was always exciting to get home and listen to what I’d bought on the strength of the sleeve design alone," Mick wrote. "The best were the instrumental tracks, for it was the unusual instrumentation that left us wondering at how the absence of guitars, drum kit, synthesizers, and anything else familiar somehow still produced commercially driven music."
The band became engrossed in these obscure Chinese records. While they avoided directly mimicking the music, it provided inspiration as they began shaping the sound of their next album, Tin Drum. "The direction that had been missing for the next album was now beginning to take shape," said Mick. The eccentric tones and textures sparked the band's creativity.
Besides the music, Japan was also fascinated by Chinese visual culture—the propaganda posters, kitchen implements, and military costumes. For David, the singer and primary lyricist, this window into Chinese society sparked lyrical scenarios imagining life under communism, propaganda, and regimentation. "'Visions of China' is about people using an image and knowing nothing about the culture, which is something that all pop music is involved in, and it’s a vacuous lie; it’s superficial and it means nothing," David later remarked, acknowledging the need to approach the subject with nuance.
Steve Jansen’s intricate drum patterns on songs like "Visions of China" and "Canton" were directly inspired by the traditional music circulating among the band. He eschewed standard drum kit elements like cymbals and kick drum to recreate the feel of Chinese percussion. "I would like to deviate from the instinct to play regular patterns because otherwise it would make the song sound too ‘normal’," Steve explained. Through technical innovation, the drummer found a way to reference another culture’s rhythmic language while retaining a pop sensibility.
The recording sessions for Tin Drum began in the summer of 1981, with new producer Steve Nye. Wanting a different sound from their past two albums, Japan purposefully crafted sparse arrangements and warm, organic tones—what Richard Barbieri described as a "hard acoustic sound with a sort of ‘dead echo’." Sterile reverb was avoided, aiming instead for the drier ambiance of traditional Chinese music.
Every sonic choice was meticulously considered to create maximum spacious impact. "Normally we work in building up textures, layers of sound, and this one’s basically the bare essentials, so every sound had to be thought about and then treated," said David of the stripped-down approach.
After basic tracking was completed, the mixing process began in September 1981. "Visions of China" was one of the last songs finalized before Tin Drum was mastered on September 30. Just a month later, it was released as the album's second single. A music video was filmed featuring Chinese lion dancers and the band recreating propaganda poster poses. Archive footage of soldiers marching provided the backdrop for Steve Jansen’s climactic drum solo.
Lyrically, "Visions of China" plays with notions of propaganda and Western fetishization of foreign cultures. In the context of Japan’s own temporary Eastern obsession, there is a self-aware spirit of critique at play in David’s words. "It’s playing with images, but in a tongue-in-cheek way," he said, conscious of the need to tread carefully when incorporating other cultural elements into pop music.
Sonically, "Visions of China" balances this precarious line. Steve Jansen’s ceremonial drumming and Richard Barbieri’s synthesized Chinese horn err on the side of pastiche. Yet the ensemble performance retains the band's distinctly Western new wave edge, never fully capitulating to mimicry. Like the lyric, the music feels more like an observant homage than any attempt at authentic recreation.
In the contemporary West, where cultural appropriation is rightfully scrutinized, Japan's brief foray into Chinese influences can feel problematic. The band themselves were conscious of the critiques they might face. "At that time I hated the way Eastern music was always used as a gimmick," admitted David. "It was never taken seriously in pop music. We wanted to introduce it more seriously, though ours too did verge on the gimmicky side..."
Yet despite these potential pitfalls, Tin Drum endures as a landmark fusion of Eastern and Western sensibilities. Today, musicians continue to weave disparate global influences into their work, often more seamlessly than Japan did on their stylistic mashup. In retrospect, Tin Drum and songs like "Visions of China" can be appreciated as an important step in the ongoing story of synthesizing ideas from different cultures to create innovative pop music.
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發表於 2024-10-17 22:08:29
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