New Book Spotlights Japan's Hardcore Techno Underground
Published by Never Sleep, ‘Manga Corps’ captures the chaotic spirit of a bygone rave era.
Summary
- A new book published by Never Sleep chronicles the story of J-core, Japan’s hardcore techno scene.
- Manga Corps delves deep into the visual culture of the subculture, featuring an extensive archive of rave posters, flyers and artifacts from the early ’90s through today.
J-core, Japan’s hardcore techno scene, has always thrived in obscurity. Emerging in a time when extreme subcultures were pushed to the margins, early ravers and hardcore enthusiasts took to the underground, establishing a foothold in the DIY venues, back alleys and fringe clubs of Osaka. Here, a new sound was born: one where the unapologetic abrasiveness of Dutch gabber became one with anime emblems, cyberpunk aesthetics and gaming culture.
Manga Corps, a new 200-page graphic anthology, turns back the clock with an extensive archive of rare flyers, handbills and visual detritus from Japan’s hardcore moment. Authored by artist and hardcore anthropologist Gabber Eleganza, the book traces the sights and sounds of this unique subculture, from the 1993 licensing deal between Avex Trax and Rotterdam Records that sparked it all to the Sega-sponsored game-raves of the early 2000s.
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The first of its kind, the book offers an unfiltered glimpse of the unforgettable albeit under-the-radar scene that shaped the future of electronic music’s visual culture. Manga Corps – An archive of Japanese rave artifacts is now available via Never Sleep for $35 USD.
