Broadcast 27: Yoh Kamiyama
It’s time for my first O! Rec of the year! This time I’m recommending a few songs from musician Yoh Kamiyama, a Vocaloid producer turned pop artist with an EDM and R&B spin. I first found the artist’s music from the theme song of the anime Horimiya, and I’ve been looking forward to his music ever since. Please check out my first Japanese music recommendation of the year and let me know what you think!
Years Active: 2014 – Present (2023)
Core Members: Kamiyama Yoh 神山 羊 (singer-songwriter, composer)
Also Known As: uki3/ewe/Ukisan/Yukisan 有機酸
Point of Origin: Gifu Prefecture
Who is Kamiyama Yoh?
After being in a few bands throughout school, Kamiyama Yoh 神山 羊 started composing music as a hobby in 2014 under the name Yukisan 有機酸 on the video-sharing website Niconico, where his first song was “Taikou Train,” a song using the vocals of the Vocaloid character Miku Hatsune—which eventually gained some traction for Kamiyama when it was covered by others on the same platform. As is common on Niconico, he continued to release music without showing his face or using his own vocals until he started releasing his music on YouTube. In 2018 the musician started releasing music under his own name, with his first single “YELLOW” propelling him into further fame, and in 2020 he was picked up by the major label Sony Music Associated Records, releasing his first major label album in 2022 called CLOSET.
Building on his Vocaloid roots, Kamiyama Yoh creates pop music with interesting EDM textures, while also incorporating R&B elements and new ways to present music while using his vocals. Overall, his music is upbeat while also including a bittersweet feeling underneath, and his vocals really bring it all together in a sonically interesting way. Please enjoy my recommendations!
Closet
“CLOSET” is the title track for Kamiyama Yoh’s first major label album, CLOSET (2022). The music video features animation from Touyoigaku, the illustrator that also did his music videos for “Oyasumi, Kamisama,” “Laundry,” as well as “YELLOW.” “YELLOW” is Kamiyama Yoh’s most successful single so far, and in my opinion “CLOSET” is a wonderful successor to it—if you like one of the songs you will surely like the other. I like how texturally rich “CLOSET” is with Kamiyama’s vocals sitting close to a whisper at the beginning, brightening as the song goes on, sitting just above a fabric of synth layers that are just the right artistic touch to keep it interesting.
Gunjo
“群青” (GUNJO – “Ultramarine”) begins with a beautiful intro, giving us a moment of Kamiyama’s vocals right before a wall of instrumentals come in, surrounding us with a wonderful sonic taste of the rest of the song. Overall, the song is layered and upbeat, but holds a bittersweet feeling to it, and this vibrant music video sprinkled with rain is just the right touch to get us there. I also really love the subtle expertise shown around the bridge at the 2:38 mark; the mixture of piano with synth rhythms just sounds cool, along with Kamiyama’s vocals supporting the rhythm in a refreshing way.
Irokousui
“色香水” (Irokousui – “Color Perfume”) is the first song I heard from Kamiyama and is the whole reason why I sought out more of his music. “Irokusui” features lilting synth melodies with a light and open atmosphere that is perfectly expressed in the music video with a nostalgic memory of gazing at a loved one while in a bright blue pool at night. This is the theme song for the anime Horimiya, but the music video is a joy to watch on its own and goes really well with the song as well. The bridge in this song is one of my favorite parts around 2:57 where Kamiyama subtly uses the instrumentals in a dynamic shift, and his vocals, while not doing anything majorly different from the rest of the song, are delicately pretty and blend with the instrumentals in a way that skillfully supports the rhythm.
These three songs are just a taste of Kamiyama’s music, but it’s clear that he continues to explore what he can do with his music, so I’m excited to see what he will release next. If you want to hear more from Kamiyama, check out my favorite song from him called “Girl.” as well as “YELLOW,” “青い棘” (Aoi Toge – “Blue Thorns”), and “セブンティーン” (“Seventeen”). I love how upbeat while simultaneously bittersweet his music can be
Links
https://www.instagram.com/yoh_kamiyama/
https://twitter.com/Yuki_Jouet
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCw1U9K3S8WVWp7REGaHIW0A
Sources
https://kimchi-noodles.tumblr.com/post/189735640181/interview-kamiyama-yoh-on-his-first-album
This Broadcast was written by Erin; you can find them on instagram at @thekniterin.