The Greatest J-Pop Bass Line EVER

#bass #basssolo #ztmy #transcription #analysis #paulthompson
Talking about my latest musical discovery: J-pop music and one of it's greatest bands: ZUTOMAYO (ずっと真夜中でいいのに。). I'll break down one of the most incredible bass lines I've heard recently from groove, to amazing fills, to the jaw-dropping bass solo--let's check out "STUDY ME" (お勉強しといてよ) and see just why it's so amazing, and why Ryosuke Nikamoto is a name bass players all over the world should know!
Website: www.paulthompson.us
Instagram @pdbass74
Twitter @pdbass74

[@chlorine-17]

ZUTOMAYO MENTIONED 🔥🔥🗣️🗣️🗣️💯📢📢 WHAT THE FUCK IS BEING NORMAL ABOUT MUSIC 🎵🎸🗣️🗣️🔥📢📢💯

[@Starri7796]

RAHHHHHHHHHHHHH

[@cachalotreal]

u call that different?

[@tuanriccy1026]

@@cachalotreal wdym by that

[@cachalotreal]

@@tuanriccy1026 its not that different

[@VanityVazKez2534]

@@cachalotreal wow mr. mcmozart here. "YoU CaLL ThAT musIC? I OnlY Listen To REAL muSIC because iM nOt Like OthER GuYs"

[@jasond6053]

Just wait until you dip your toes into Japanese jazz, the bass in those songs is insane. And city pop from the 70s - 80s, the funk influence made that genre so unique and groovy

[@phylippezimmermannpaquin2062]

masayoshi takanaka time!

[@sarveeshbaijal5562]

Hey could you suggest a few songs ? For Japanese jazz with good bass

[@stevess7777]

@@sarveeshbaijal5562 Listen to Sea Is A Lady by Toshiki Kadomatsu

[@supremeskunk]

City Pop is my favorite music genre. Soo many fire basslines and overall melodies with changing sections. I got a 13 hour mostly city pop Spotify playlist.

[@thecoochiecrusader2185]

Casiopea’s first album is absolutely incredible

[@NicDoesDumbThings]

Japanese bassists are truly on another level. A common thing I've noticed across J-Pop and J-Rock versus their western variants is that the bass is treated much more like a front-and-center instrument rather than just being there to hold down the root, it makes the music way more interesting to listen to as a whole.

[@GuyWhoLikesTheSnarkies1435]

Slightly inaccurate though. The bassline of many equivalent Western music isn't "less pronounced" or "too low in the mix", they always stand out just as the music needs it and more often than not, they still sound iconic nonetheless. The difference is that those baselines usually occupy the given space within the sound mix comfortably, w/out having to interfere other instruments much. On the other hand, the type of J-Pop music or composition in the vein of Zutomayo style tends to fill up much of the mixing channels with a dense arrangement. This prompts the songwriter or the producer to make the bassline cut through the wall of sound by having it mixed at the lower-mid range and positioned up front and center. It's a necessary compromise or else, you won't be able to follow the music properly.

[@spanneng]

​@@GuyWhoLikesTheSnarkies1435yep about the mix, but those busy basslines are more prominent in the Oricon charts than Billboard.

[@GuyWhoLikesTheSnarkies1435]

@@spanneng I mean, that's fair. But you can still find Western songs with killer bassline w/out having to care about the chart. Dirty Loops comes to my mind but so do Cory Wong, Thundercats, Cory Henry, Anderson Paak & Free Nationals, Esperanza Spalding, Hiatus Kaiyote and Louis Cole, just to name a few.

[@ED-lk7il]

One of my favorite J-rock band that has unique bass line is... L'Arc en Ciel.

[@ThatGuyErazo]

I care to disagree. It's hard to compare anyone to the bassists that came before. Jaco Pastorius, Ron Carter, Dave Holland, Marcus Miller, John Pattituci, you name it. There were world class bassists who still have unique and electric playing from decades ago.

[@zocc116]

Japan has this new generation of female bassists like Mina, Kiyoshi, Misa from Band-Maid, to name but a few. Japan rocks. Literally :)

[@NuncNuncNuncNunc]

Japan and Brazil both punch above their weight in the bass department.

[@aquamarine99911]

Wait, did you just list a number of Japanese female bassists, without mentioning Juna Serita? I gotta get a screen shot of this.

[@rkk578]

Hikaru Yamamoto as well.

[@zocc116]

@@aquamarine99911 :)

[@sr60030]

@@rkk578 my girl can definitely play

[@audibletapehiss3764]

I was about to start this video and my 14 year old daughter walked in. She's a young jazz trumpet player and J-pop fan, and just played her first solo at a concert yesterday. We watched this together and I was able to point out a bunch of useful concepts that you presented in such a beautiful way. Arigato!

[@JohnSheppard1]

Tetsuo Sakurai from Casiopea. A slap master, and just a master in general.

[@dapper763]

My idol

[@borgir9817]

thats j jazz

[@dapper763]

@@borgir9817 bro forayed into the j-pop world a bit, more so in the 80s and 90s

[@undeadElectric]

he is so cool DEFINITELY check him out

[@GuyWhoLikesTheSnarkies1435]

​​@@borgir9817 This channel has been discussing historic bass lines within the Black music in general. Paul is also a pro bass player in the industry with a strong jazz background, who has actively performed for 30 years already. You'd never go out of topic by bringing about a legendary Japanese bass player into discussion here, let's not act like jazz music is strictly a privileged music thing that never sees an overlap in the pop music scene.

[@shadowseed7146]

Japanese bass lines are the reason I've always come back to jpop and jrock over the last several years, just absolutely a pleasure every time

[@ImJustStandingHere]

YES ZUTOMAYO IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE BANDS! SO GLAD YOU COVERED THEM! Now that you are looking into Japanese music, check out Casiopea (specifically the years when Tetsuo Sakurai was still the bassist, start with their first album and the live album "Mint Jams") and T-Square, you'll find lots of amazing bass lines.

[@wouterdesmedt1736]

+1 for Casiopeia. Mint Jams is just insane, I didn't even knew it was a live album until recently.

[@kevgamble]

Sakurai is one of my favorite bassists ever. And he's putting out great music to this day, most currently with the Katsushika Trio, made up of three core members from Casiopea. kzbin.info/www/bejne/oZ-YqnyqbdiVisUsi=XI5fvVpPwBILwMWB

[@jasond6053]

Mint jams is really good, although they repeat like 3 songs on that album. I was confused for a while until I realized its the same song but live

[@ImJustStandingHere]

@@jasond6053 Haha, that's pretty normal for Casiopea actually. They have re-recorded many songs on different albums over the years, I think there are some songs like Asayake with at least 3-4 (maybe more with the newer lineups too) different recorded versions, its crazy! I like the Mint Jams versions of all of those songs better than the originals, partly because I'm a sucker for the BB2000 he used on that album and most of their albums in the early 80's

[@wouterdesmedt1736]

@@kevgamble Thanks for that video, they still got it!

[@kinobibassman4395]

まさかこのチャンネルでZUTOMAYOが取り上げられるとは思いませんでした。 本当に驚いた！

[@snottyboy9983]

ねえ 意外ですよね。 日本医大 の人が聞いてるとは。 でも歓迎します

[@kattz9051]

Zutomayo has gotten very popular in the USA in the last two years. Even more popular after doing that collaboration with Calli from Hololive EN.

[@JustK009]

That’s Jazz y’all..Darn Right!!

[@XiseTK]

Same Zutomayo has some killer bass grooves, Japan in general is having something of a music rennisance and they never slouched on letting the bass stay out front. If you are going down the rabbit hole, make sure you check out Fami-chan from LOVEBITES specifically her cover of alien alien

[@tempy-tq3ix]

They have always been good because they lean into niches whereas the west mainstream anyways doesn't

[@Amaling]

Renaissance, since when?

[@Bollard]

Yes! +1 for Fami. MINA (formerly of GIRLFRIEND and now a solo artist) also slaps!

[@mr.nicehat7525]

"Study Me" is simply my favorite song

[@orbitalclockwork]

Not to mention her other OUTSTANDING songs, such as Kira Killer, Kansaete Kuyashiiwa, and so many more!

[@mr.nicehat7525]

@@orbitalclockwork Exactly! I listen to almost every song of theirs

[@noahharris6001]

Can’t for get MILABO!

[@gregcappochin7298]

been a long time fan of zutomayo. "Hunch grey" by them was one of the first basslines that got me into bass

[@29.97_]

Me too❤

[@iamthinking2252_]

I have listened to ZUTOMAYO for quite a while, but haven’t listened to study me for a while. I had never noticed the bass line this deeply - I just grooved to it

[@ez_is_bloo]

I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE BASSISTS KNOW ABOUT ZUTOMAYO!!! THEY'RE MY FAVORITE FUCKIN BAND EVERRRRRR!!!

[@briandfre]

Thanks Paul for playing that song "Plastic Love". The bass line sounded so good I had to look it up. The song is great and was actually made in the 80's.

[@lachlanteh4313]

Its a "citypop" classic highly reccomend looking into the genre from the 70s-80s of urban Japan

[@dontnoticemesenpai6745]

The original by Mariya Takeuchi was made in the 80s, and a lot more "classic citypop" sounding. The version in the video is a more recent cover where the bass gets a much bigger spotlight. Both amazing versions though.

[@Cybrtronlazr]

I never thought I would see the day you made a J-Pop video! There is SO much more melodic and interesting bass lines in Japanese music than Western (at least modern western), and thats part of the reason I like it so much more. They really know how to bring out the instrument to its fullest potential!

[@anamrake]

Japanese musicians really go deep in their craft and the music they produce is crazy good. J-pop and fusion does not get exposed much especially with k-pop invasion these days, but there are some really mad cats over there if you dig great music.

[@Cybrtronlazr]

@anamrake yup I wish it got more exposure because it's my favorite genre. They mostly use real instruments and bring out the best of them. Most j-pop IS fusion, but then you also have bands targeted towards fusion enthusiast, like UK Rampage or Casiopea, and they absolutely kill it.

[@donovangallaway3632]

Japan is legitimately a decade ahead of us musically. ZUTOMAYO is great

[@CarsonW518]

Bro, thank you youtube for recommending this. His enthusiasm keeps making me glee. Not just because it's about J-pop. But he is going into it and like chef about food.

[@DmitryIsc199]

Finally pdbass got into high culture :) Generally Japanese respect bass in all terms, I'm glad that more and more people are paying attention to it!

[@XXLHoneyBiscuit]

I feel like this guy is always staring into my soul

[@StevenStevenLAD]

as a fellow westerner, im happy more people like you are becoming aware of ZUTOMAYO! i flew out to japan just to watch one of their live concerts during their most recent fall/winter tour and it was by far the BEST concert experience i've ever had, and props to the fans who come to support the band and make the atmosphere absolutely magical. i dont know japanese but there was a screen somewhere on the stage that showed visual instructions on how to coordinate the light sticks (light-up rice paddles in this case) and were clear enough that even a foreigner like me could understand. i cried tears of joy in their last act of their show because they were performing their hearts out and the passion was overflowing to the crowd!! :)) not even an exaggeration to say im happy to be alive during a time when ACAne and ZUTOMAYO exists 💓🙌

[@MrFiremagnet]

Japanese bass lines are the epitome of everything I aspire to be able to do with this freaking instrument. So melodic yet doesn't take away from the solo instruments in some songs, and a perfect lead instrument in other.

[@neiru3928]

Watching this video makes me appreciate Zutomayo's songs more. Great recommendation from YT today.

[@tsingtsai1416]

best bass channel， hope update everyday， love from China❤

[@exdrummer198]

💯

[@zeth4107]

Zutomayo is my favorite artist rn. I played Study Me on bass with a small group at my last concert in higschool, and it was the best performance i’ve ever done, and i was very happy of it. The bass solo was very challenging and very fun when you can pull it off, It took hours of practicing to even get consistent with it.

[@glyfleball]

I would NOT have expected zutomayo to blow up this much ever since I started listening to them freshman year of high school 😂

[@Nyxtia]

I really liked the respect you brought to this video. It reflects the open mind you went into J-Pop with. You recognised the influences but didn't get stuck on them or insinuate it was derivative, and you even gave a very good crack at pronouncing the Japanese words properly, and most importantly you sought and found a connection with the musicality - it's appreciated!

[@BelugaTheHutt]

Thank you for these analytic breakdowns! Being a fan of this style of music, I've heard the tracks before, but I've never been strong in my ear training, so your run-downs of how the solos and fills function in the context of the songs help me greatly in learning how they do what they do, and how I should apply it in my own writing.

[@ChungiteApostle]

YES!!!! I'm so glad you got around to checking out some Jpop music! I don't know what they're feeding the bass players over there in Japan but for some reason their bassists are more likely than not to be monsters that always crank it up to 10 where as other bass players would be simple. My theory is that it comes from the heavy jazz tradition that really solidified with the explosion of fusion and city pop that blew up over there from the 70s onwards. While you're on this journey, I really recommend checking out the rabbit hole that is Japanese arcade video game music, with the real impressive stuff being in the fighting games. Games like MvC2, CvS2, KoF96, Vampire Savior, Melty Blood, Daytona USA, etc. are all killers that I've spent hours just listening to.

[@stephencooney1768]

So glad to see you cover Jpop basslines! They're some of my favorites ever!

[@LanceHKW]

Paul - love your commentary! You have an infectious enthusiasm. I love the bass in music and you make it come alive. Thank you!

[@froz3ncat]

As a Zutomayo listener for a while now, I have to say - I knew which tune it was before even clicking on this video. I can't help but say though, that this was an excellent analysis, thank you for this.　よろしくお願い致します！

[@NonJohns]

I reallly like this style of video clear diction, slower paced one takes, the call and response style examples, the EFFICIENCY of the script writing/idea expression its just very very clean execution that leads you along, runs counter to the hyperactive pushing style or the very detailed word only stationary style Its a great change of pace I'm glad to see such a well crafted experience

[@RyoCanCan]

I've been listening to japanese music for some 15 years now and it got me into bass and had a huge influence on my drumming and songwriting. Toshiya from dir en grey especially had me listening to more of the bass in music. Their song cage was the first I learned, such a cool bassline!

[@RaichuKFM]

This is a really fun video, and it was very cool to hear the solo slower while you illustrated so much of what it was doing. I first heard Zutomayo a year or two ago, and this has really brought to focus for me how much the bass does for so many of my favorite songs of theirs.

[@amusicment4829]

So great! Thank you for the Zutomayo introduction

[@regurgam8518]

So glad to see you cover my favorite band and my favorite song!! ❤️

[@povilasl5383]

I love ur attitude! finally a video about ZTMY that is actually educational! thank u very much for breaking down this solo!

[@millenniumtree]

Japan is killing it right now, and have been for the last 30 years. Another to check out is Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra. Absolutely phenomenal!!

[@OrbitalDeathRay]

THANK YOU BRO. This stuff is so killing. I got a back-catalog to go through. Excellent job on that solo!

[@mcbill7352]

Bro has not heard casiopea - domino line

[@parkerallen1773]

The live version is crazy

[@RespectThePep]

Mint Jams has some of the grooviest tastiest lines of all time 💪🏻🙌

[@samuellin745]

I don't keep up too much with music channels on KZbin, but this video got recommended to me probably because of Zutomayo. Great video! On an unrelated note, I think you're really clear and articulate when you speak, so it was a pleasure to watch this :)

[@khalonkelsey3455]

I love ZTMY so much, I started listening to them the day STUDY ME launched as a single and i quickly fell in love, picking up instruments and so much more for this seemingly underrated band i decided to become devoted to. I learned Japanese to understand their songs and plan on getting ZTMY tattooed onto my nape, so it genuinely brings a tear to my eye to watch my favorite band grow so exponentially in such a short amount of time, gaining fans worldwide. To see a video appreciate the songs in the same fine detail I appreciated them to, is so.. weird. ZTMY made me cry with just their instrumentals because of Frisson, and I quickly learned the lyrics in both languages to scream them out at night and that feeling never goes away. I appreciate ZTMY for saving my life multiple times both by just sound and lyrics.

[@richbrownbass]

Man...you're amazing. I don't know what else to say.

[@WingedShell82]

As a zutomayo fan, I very much appreciate that you appreciate their music, it’s art :)

[@oldmanpence4803]

Dude! Thank you for educating me again! 🔥

[@drno2141]

just a twoo of us??

[@billclinton9973]

Awesome video! Love J-Pop and 80s City Pop...Argentina, Chile and other South American countries are having an incredible neo-soul revival at the moment as well (artists like NAFTA, Abril Olivera, Florencia Andrada)...Music really transcends borders :)

[@plootyluvsturtle9843]

If you’re looking for more Japanese artist Sheena Ringo is my absolute favorite. She incorporates a tone of big band jazz sound into her music. Especially on albums like Sunny. Shoso Strip is also just a masterpiece

[@jioshua1000]

marunoichi sadistic still my fav

[@PharaohLawLess1]

Never knew about them til this video. Thanks for putting me on to them, professor

[@Duffy_SSBM]

I love Zutomayo getting the recognition they deserver. Love this analysis!

[@Cstly]

Wow, super informal loving this new style of content! Do more!!

[@RyanonBasss]

thanks for turning me on to this tune. I look like a crazy person jamming to it at the gym now.

[@McWong888]

We can sense the great respect you have here, just from the research for the introduction alone, fantastic video. Finding this after a Jamiroquai bass video, maybe it's not surprising that two of my favorite bands are funk and bass phenomenons!

[@simondedoncker1322]

I came here because of the Zutomayo thumbnail. It always makes me smile to hear people praise music I love ❤️

[@kenjilee705]

Thank you for being so open minded and passionate about jpop! I wish more western bass youtubers talked about it more!

[@Will_M600]

the first time i heard this song my jaw literally dropped at the bit before the second chorus

[@CoffeeArtThings]

this song inspired me to pick up the bass, im so happy to see it getting some recognition

[@ckowkay]

happy to see zutomayo getting more recognition over here

[@dicard2010]

Love it and everything you do 😊

[@freeman3061]

ty 4 this video man!!!!!

[@chumpm3rker694]

This was awesome, keep up the great content.

[@ToxicMothBoi]

To hear kenshi yonezu randomly in a yt video is definetly something i never expected. Mans a legend in my eyes. All the other artists are absolute hidden gems aswell and i'm so hoping for thm to go viral worldwide

[@Starri7796]

ZUTOMAYO YEAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH LETS GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, so incredibly happy the word of zutomayo is being spread and also you should check out Nareai Serve too (also they are releasing a new song May 23rd, of which is called Truth in Lies and soon the 4th anniversary of Study Me)

[@abrahamblackman8424]

zutomayo is legendary, i’ve loved them for years

[@flamingwaffels]

I LOVE THIS SONG! IM SO GLAD SOMEONE COVERED IT

[@MrChedderFR]

i LOVE kickback and this checks all the boxes too for me so thank you 👍

[@WVRT2023]

amazing bass chops!

[@perfectworldbeholder]

Love it, love Zutomayo, good video man keep it up 👍

[@insidejazzguitar8112]

Only Paul could get me to start listening to this music - thank you!

[@IvoryMadness.]

I didn't knew about Zutomayo, their music sounds really great!

[@juniperrodley9843]

It's just straight bangers

[@Artur-Ellena-O-Pingu]

Since i heard zutomayo first time i say This is asbsolute art

[@peterli8453]

One of my fav songs of my fav band

[@steveleeatfullmeasure]

Woah! Thanks for the introductions. Great playing by yourself too. Oh, and enjoy those late nights! Lol

[@gribo.9543]

insane video i did not expect you to make this

[@porkynuggetsplays]

thanks for this!

[@rocketboo5795]

Awesome!!! So Amazing!!! Thank You!!!

[@cosmicpanda7043]

I absolutely love your love for bass and willingness to dive into such a diverse array of genres! Someone else mentioned it, but Casiopea is another great Japanese band you should check out

[@Twobarpsi]

Your playing skills are unbelievable!!🤘🤘🤘

[@mRidley508]

I love zutomayo! I randomly discovered them one day when I saw a preview of their animated mv for Study Me before it released, and I thought it looked so cool I counted down the days until it released. They've become one of my favorite bands.

[@disgruntledfaerie]

When you drop the tempo on that bass solo, it's got such a late 70s vibe to it. Nice playing, at either speed. And that Stingray sounds real sweet!

[@AquaSZSSoo]

Wow, I was OBSESSED with Study Me for a while but couldn't explain why. Thank you for this analysis.

[@Keen-eye]

The joy of discovering your hobby interest being practiced in a part of the world and in a way you're entirely unfamiliar with. I know nothing about music but I know this feeling very well.

[@Swagmeista9000]

study me has been my favorite zutomayo song since 2022. Glad to say it still being enjoyed by others.

[@cooldebt]

My kids got me into J-pop and vgm (which I then steered into jazz covers of vgm) and we have Zutomayo, Yoasobi and The Consouls pretty much playing all the time in out house! I’ve been dropping comments everywhere about how brilliant the music is compared with ‘Western pop’. The Japanese bassists (I’d add Juna Serita) and the guy who played for Fuji Kaze’s nor Tiny Desk Concert), drummers (Senri anyone?), guitarists, keys players and vocalists (Lilas, Toaka and Shintaro from Penthouse) are always technically very high level and the compositions are much more complex and involve interesting intervals, key changes and time signatures. Indeed a wonderful rabbit hole worthy of exploration.

[@yarukineez0]

Just randomly came across this vid but omg your Japanese pronunciation is amazing!! It's so rare for KZbinrs to even attempt, let alone get Japanese right, so just wanted to say that I really appreciate you doing so!

[@The_Jazziest_Coffee]

was going to say this too i love it when people pay respect by actually pronouncing names correctly; it takes effort and knowledge from those who know the language, but it shows who genuinely appreciates the artists they take notes from

[@OMGmyFACE]

The slow version of that solo is probably the best thing I've ever heard!

[@beyonder7776]

So glad you've gotten onto J-pop, I love this music!

[@MORISENSEIISGOD]

Are you a fan of BEYOOOOONDS by any chance? They've got a song called "Hey BEYONDA"

[@beyonder7776]

@@MORISENSEIISGOD No but I am fixing that post-haste, thanks for the rec :)

[@MORISENSEIISGOD]

@@beyonder7776 If you're looking for beyooooonds songs with great bass lines I'd suggest "Gannen bungee jump (元年バンジージャンプ)" and "Koshi tanta turn (虎視タンタ・ターン)". Would also recommend the channel CentaurBuzzBass who has a few bass covers of BEYOOOOONDS songs as well as other Jpop.

[@negi6071]

thank you for sharing!

[@Aresftfun]

loove Zutomayo one of my fave songs is from them glad they're getting recognition

[@nylesfrench3568]

Damn! Is Right. Great post and I knew Nothing about Zutomaya and appreciate my Coat getting pulled. As usual, Great Playing too

[@lorhanlonghini5630]

YEEEESSSS YES YES!!! FINALY A VIDEO ABOUT MY FAVORITE BAND!! The bassist name is Ryosuke Nikamoto, one of my favorite bassist and influences. Thank you for sharing this great content and amazing artists!

[@Crisposhot]

why this is the first time i heard about this channel? this is great content

[@pdbass]

🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@nanimuwu]

This is literally my favourite band of all time. Love their songs to death.

[@poyforfun2286]

ryosuke new fav : )

[@devondorr8212]

Finally someone actually made a video bout zutomayo's basslines.

[@fishnt6119]

yayy zutomayo recognition!! after hearing Kan Saete Kuyashiiwa it changed my life

[@monkei9250]

I love that friday night plans got mentioned! Love their hits.

[@niraldomateus2503]

Excellent video, greetings from Brazil 👋