This is a new young band called "Orange Range," whose style is a mix of influences, is getting VERY popular in Japan due to many reasons.

Debuting in 2003 from the Japanese-American location of Okinawa, Orange Range is composed of six boys (five 21 years olds and one 19 years old) and they look tough, cute, and flashy.

Okinawa is a strange place. The south islands are occupied by many American military bases. The boys from Orange Range are all from a city called "Koza" where the ground zero of US militarily bases is located (75% of US bases in Japan are here). Around this place, many G.I.'s hang out in bars and live music clubs. People get drunk and get into fights. Whites, blacks, and Okinawans go out all night. Asian chaos meets wild Westerners. The clubs in Okinawa mix all genres of music from rock, garage, and punk to Okinawan folk music.

So it's not difficult to see how the sound of Orange Range is a result of this hot Asian champuru (means "mix" in Okainawa language.)-mashup Mecca.

They got a lot of attention fast, partially because they signed with a major label like Sony, and performed songs for movie ("Ima Aini Ikimasu"), drama (“Fire Fighter”), CM (soft drink “Match”) and anime theme songs ("Bleach","Naruto"). And because they are very cute young-looking boys. But also, their sound is pretty familiar and super catchy, with references to US/UK pop (Spice Girls, Kylie Minogue, Shampoo), rock (Kiss, Queen, Bon Jovi) J-Rock/Pop (B'z, Mr.Children, Spits), to video games (!?) (Mario) and Comedian (?!!) theme songs (Drifters).

It's sort of fun thing to find out how deeply and obsessively some people are bashing Orange Range, pointing out the "original" tracks and songs they've stolen from. It almost makes you wonder if the detractors are actually enjoying the music in their own way.

On the other hand, many other listeners who simply love Orange Range because either don't know the original references, or simply don't care. But there are some folks claiming that "ripping-off" should no longer be considered as a "bad" thing.

Either way, Orange Range is a super bubble-gum pop with a catchy alternative rap sound. That's for sure.

But if you think about it, J-culture (and pop culture in general) has been nothing but the technique of re-using other cultures. The beauty of J-pop entertainment comes from this point.

The problem should be focus to the responsibility of the music industry people (Japanese record label staffs). Did they know that this band would get bashing because of the rip-off or they are too used to have artist coping other musicians?

Same as for what Tsunku does (did?) with Hello! Project idols like Morning Musume. We, as music junkies, simply enjoyed his (and the industry adults who do business) intention of copying and arranging so many nice sources and arranged to come up with fun pop music in Japan. Sometime, it turns out to be much better piece than the original. It's exciting to watch how pop culture is consumed among different genres, country and time of music source. In this sense, J-pop scene is one of the most interesting cultures to watch.

When an amazing band called "Happy End" (formed by prodigies named Eiichi Otacki, former YMO member Haruomi Hosono, Shigeru Suzuki, and Takashi Matsumoto who later became a lyric writer made almost ALL j-pop music from Pink Lady to Seiko Mtasuda to recent Johnny's groups) was created in Japan in 1970, they invented the Japanese pop music scene en mass.

Eiichi Otaki, a genius who had a heavy influence from Western pop music wiz Phil Spector, discovered "real Japanese pop music". (See this)

Later, Ohtaki and his gang influenced the so-called "Shibuya-Kei"music scene (Flippers Guitar / Pizzicato Five) during the 90's. Same for the "Visual-Kei" phenomenon, which started from the impact of bands like X-Japan (European classical music/hard rock influenced) and Buck-Tick (UK new wave/Goth influenced).

The sound of Orange Range is a total mixture of EVERY kind of music. According to their interviews and official bio, the members were influenced by all music genres. And they are saying that they do copy the kinds of sound that gave them influence and much enjoyment. Their talent is to choose what to mix how to arrange it (via. their own style) to match the taste of modern people in Japan.

Shameless? Yes. But they were born in the times that had access to ALL kinds of music (from Beatles to the Beastie Boys) at the same time.

This band is not the only one that arranges other musician's piece anyway. SO why they get bashes badly? Perhaps, because they are so young, quickly got a success, selling out and got a little attitude.

It’s one’s preference; it’s okay for “artist” type musician to seek for the perfect world, but pop is interesting culture. Simply, it’s two different things. One (commercial pop) is the world where many layer relationships are constructed in, and the other (art) is the one-way street world of the artist’s mind.
 
Pop is great, as trashy as they become, there are more chances to show us the sweet surprises. We can enjoy many aspects: the behind the scene of producer’s intentions, purely and happily used musician/idol’s ambitions, and fan’s illusions toward the fictional world. And we can watch the live experiment of what western culture has turned around in Japanese mind.

Mainstream j-pop becomes stimulating when band like Orange Range or any pop idol (with smart producers) appears.

Please check out their results and judge for yourself!

– J.Tack

<<Resources>>

How to sample Orange Range tracks:
(japattack recommend: #10, #1, #7, #9, #17, #3 , #5, #4)
http://bit.sonymusic.co.jp/servlet/PackageSpecialPage?
TEMPLATE=package_special_page.html&SELL_ID=80307744&
PACKAGE_ID=SRCL05850

(japattack recommend: #3, #2)
http://bit.sonymusic.co.jp/servlet/PackageSpecialPage?
TEMPLATE=package_special_page.html&SELL_ID=80307744&
PACKAGE_ID=SRCL05885

http://www.songjapan.com/search.php

These are almost mash-ups!:
Compare Orange Range's "Shanghai Honey" to "Wannabe" and Bon Jovi's "Lay Your Hands On Me"
http://www.geocities.jp/anatawadarewatasihadoko
/neta/shanhai_waonyama.mp3

Compare Orange Range's "Locomotion"(*) to Shampoo's "Trouble" and Kylie Minogue's "The Loco-Motion"
http://www.geocities.jp/anatawadarewatasihadoko
/neta/loco_lotion.mp3

Compare Orange Range's "Kirikirimai" to B's "Zero"
http://www.geocities.jp/anatawadarewatasihadoko
/neta/zerozeromai.mp3

Compare Orange Range's "Zung Zung Funky Music" to The Drifter's "Drifters' Zundoko Bushi"
http://www.geocities.jp/anatawadarewatasihadoko
/neta/zunzunbusi.mp3

All of avobe.
http://www.geocities.jp/aqweb00/1743.mp3

*Orange Range's ”Locolotion" is credited as “music by Gerry Goffin” officially.

Quote translation from an Amazon Japan review by anonymous
A wonderful fool rock of a mandarin orange
2005/01/27

I felt that finally incredibly strange musicians have came out after a long absence in the world of Japanese rock which overflowed of the pretentious seeker pretenders/ never realizing that they are imitations or misunderstanding the rock scene.
 
Orange Range makes me want to ask why they ONLY choose to arrange from those B-level pop music (does that sound rude?), but I felt that this is a quite interesting band that they wonderfully re-created those B-class pop music into trashy A-class pop. (This is a compliment.) I am thinking maybe Japanese music scene is not so bad if this album becomes a million-seller hit after all.
 
The lyrics are so stupid, the rhythm too pleasant, the riffs are too well done, and the baseline is unexpectedly cool. They are doing true” low-class" music very well.
 
To a young child, this may be pleasant high quality pop, and to older people may think this is a funny band that makes a fool out of Rock.

It can't be helped that the criticism toward Orange Range are only 2 extremely different types (either so good or so bad), because they are consciously doing vulgar POP band. (Again, this is a complement).

I just feel depressed to know that there are many people desperately bashing Orange Range by simply believing in propaganda that reminds me of the insular spirit of Japan.