【コラム】低音の惑星：世界と日本のベーシスト文化史──地表の下で鳴る音

Column en Citypop Fusion Jazz Rock

18 Oct 2025

“The soul of music is in the bass.”

Text: mmr｜Theme: “Bass philosophy” that permeates the world and Japanese bassist culture

We are often captivated by melodies. However, the moment when we “feel” music is always in the bass tones resonating deep within our bodies. When the subwoofer in a club shakes the air, or when a hit hits your chest at a live house, At the center of this is an invisible gravity called the “base.”

I. Listening to music with your body, not your ears

Bass is a sound that your body reacts to before you hear it. He stands between rhythm and harmony, and determines the center of gravity of music. It is not just an accompaniment, but controls the very breath of the music.

Since the 20th century, changes in music have always accompanied innovations in bass. Jazz gives you the freedom to improvise, rock gives off a rebellious energy, Every time techno or hip-hop etched the urban atmosphere, bass presented a “new physicality.”

II. Crustal changes in the world: History of 20th century music driven by bass sounds

1. Starting with the rebellion of jazz

Listening to Charles Mingus play It sounds more than just a bass line, it sounds like a statement to society. Anger and intelligence, improvisation and construction.There is poetry in that bass tone.

Players like Ray Brown and Ron Carter He brought philosophy to the “walking baseline.” Rhythm that speaks between sounds - this is what has elevated jazz to an art form.

Yoshio Suzuki and Kunimitsu Inaba, who supported postwar jazz cafes in Japan, Enjoying this “freedom of bass sounds” with the sensibilities of our own country, Before long, they were creating their own unique groove at night in Tokyo.

2. Rock revolution: singing bass and screaming bass

In the 1960s, bass appeared at the center of rock. Paul McCartney started a revolution as a melodious bassist, John Entwistle (The Who) sought architectural beauty amidst the roar.

Jack Bruce (Cream) and John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin) Although he has blues roots, he constructed the ensemble architecturally. After that, rock music no longer lacked the “singing spirit” of the bass.

The advent of punk unleashed the harshness of the bass. Sid Vicious (Sex Pistols) rejected artifice and sounded rebellion with his very existence. And the sad melody played by Joy Division’s Peter Hook, It has been proven that the bass can be the ``subject of emotion.’’

3. Funk and experimentation: an era where bass came to the fore

The moment when Larry Graham’s slap playing style was born, The bass became the rhythm itself. Bootsy Collins’ cosmic funk, A fretless poem by Jaco Pastorius.

The bass is no longer an “accompaniment”, but has evolved into a “narrator”. Mick Carn and Tony Levin treat the sound itself as if it were a sculpture, He pushed bass into the realm of abstract art.

III. Bass map of Japan: Bassists who move between above ground and underground

1. Haruomi Hosono and translators of Japanese rhythm

Before YMO, Haruomi Hosono had already changed the center of gravity'' of Japanese pop music. A low tone that follows the rhythm of the words rather than the rhythm of English. What he established was the aesthetic ofgrooving in Japanese.’’

Hironori Ito of Tatsuro Yamashita Band, Tsugutoshi Goto, Akira Okazawa── They have created a world-class sound between popular songs and AOR. The bass guitar no longer played a role behind the scenes, but became an element that supported the “dignity” of music.

2. Underground movement: noise, post-rock, club culture

After the 1990s, the Japanese underground began to connect with bass sounds. Kentaro Nakao of NUMBER GIRL hits a groove of distortion and anger, Ichiro Yoshida of ZAZEN BOYS has elevated odd time signatures into “building intelligence.”

The bassists of ROVO and Shibusa Shirazu, Freely moving between jazz and rock, improvisation and construction, It blurred the line between club culture and live music.

The delicate bass sounds of downy and toe sounds like a poem depicting a city night. There is not a scream, but a ``breathing stillness.’’

3. Bass philosophy after club culture

In the 2000s, the bass changed its appearance once again. Shinichi Osawa brings “human bass” to club tracks, STUTS and yahyel combined typing and live music.

Current bands like King Gnu and millennium parade, The bass controls the ``narrative’’ of the song. Hama Okamoto is a nexus of tradition and modernity. It offers “musical civility” beyond playability.

IV. Underground of the world: Counterculture connected by bass sounds

Joy Division’s Peter Hook, PIL’s Jah Wobble, and Tina Weymouth from Talking Heads. What they showed was that the bass was a symbol of “intellectual rebellion.”

In Bristol, Massive Attack and Portishead established trip-hop, In London, Burial and Kode9 redefined the bass as an “unconscious urban sound.” In Berlin, Moritz von Oswald and Electric Indigo, He elevated the bass sound of techno to the level of “architectural art.”

The bass is no longer a musical instrument, It has become a “common language of culture.”

V. Equipment and Aesthetics: Another History of Instruments

Fender Precision, Jazz Bass, Rickenbacker. Each shape indicates a difference in musical thought itself.

The evolution of synth basses also democratized bass sounds. Moog, Roland, Novation—machines have feelings, The baseline changed from “program” to “personality.”

After Jaco, Fretless became something like a silent poet. It has been passed down as a “sound sculpture” that makes the space itself resonate.

VI. Conclusion: Bass is “society’s subconscious”

The bass is not the center of music. However, it continues to be the “ground” upon which all sounds stand.

The bass translates feelings that cannot be put into words, Slowly shaking society’s unconscious mind.

On that line that passes through the world and Japan, above ground and underground, We are still standing today.

Listen with your heart, not your ears. The planet of bass has not stopped ringing yet.

Reference discography: The world and Japan revolved around bass sounds

Artist	Work	Year	Notes	Link
Charles Mingus	Mingus Ah Um	1959	Rebellion and lyricism in jazz	Amazon
Jaco Pastorius	Jaco Pastorius	1976	Fretless Poetry	Amazon
Haruomi Hosono	Philharmony	1982	Translation of Japanese rhythm	Amazon
Mick Karn	Dreams of Reason Produce Monsters	1987	Dreams told by bass	Amazon
Kentaro Nakao (NUMBER GIRL)	SAPPUKEI	2000	Distorted urban bass	Amazon
Thundercat	Drunk	2017	Modern times where bass sings	Amazon

Chronology and illustrations: Evolution of the bass (1950–2025)

timeline title Base evolution history (1950–2025) 1950: Jazz walking bass (Ray Brown, Mingus) 1960: Rise of rock bass (McCartney, Entwistle) 1970 : Funk/Fusion (Larry Graham, Jaco) 1980 : Synth bass and city pop (Haruomi Hosono, Tetsuo Sakurai) 1990 : Post-rock and Bristol (Massive Attack, Peter Hook) 2000: Redefining the bass of club music (Daft Punk, Squarepusher) 2010 : Post-Jazz/Thundercat 2020: Hybrid bass era (AI, global bass culture)

Base structure/role illustration

flowchart LR %% Center: Bass Bass["BASS\n(bass)\n— center of gravity, groove, and harmony"] %%Primary roles Rhythm["Rhythm Foundation\n(Timekeeping)"] Harmony["Basics of chords\n(root/progression)"] Groove["Creating a groove\n(feel/nuance)"] Texture["Tone/Texture\n(Tone/Effect)"] Lead["Melody/Solo"] Design["Sound design\n(synth bass/programming)"] %% Techniques / Instruments Upright["Upright / Upright\n(Walking/Jazz)"] P_Bass["Fender P-Bass\n(rock/pop classic)"] J_Bass["Fender J-Bass\n(Multipurpose) "] Fretless["Fretless\n(Smooth tone/Make you sing) "] Synth["Synth bass\n(Bass design/sub bass) "] Slap["Slap/Tapping\n(Funk/Aggressive) "] Effects["Effects: Compressor\nOverdrive, chorus, etc."] %% Connections Bass --> Rhythm Bass --> Harmony Bass --> Groove Bass --> Texture Bass --> Lead Bass --> Design Groove --> Slap Texture --> Effects Design --> Synth Rhythm --> Upright Harmony --> P_Bass Harmony --> J_Bass Lead --> Fretless %%Context labels Scene1["Scene: Jazz / Rock / Funk / Club / Postrock"] Bass --> Scene1 style Bass fill:#222,stroke:#fff,color:#fff,stroke-width:2px style Rhythm fill:#fff,stroke:#333 style Harmony fill:#fff,stroke:#333 style Groove fill:#fff,stroke:#333 style Texture fill:#fff,stroke:#333 style Lead fill:#fff,stroke:#333 style Design fill:#fff,stroke:#333