Japan

Japan formed in Catford, South London in 1974, David Sylvian, Mick Karn, Richard Barbieri, Steve Jansen, and Rob Dean developing a sound that began in glam rock before undergoing a remarkable transformation. By the late 1970s they had moved towards a more electronic, art rock sound influenced by Roxy Music and Bowie, and by the early 1980s they had become one of the most distinctive and visually striking acts in British music.

'Gentlemen Take Polaroids' (1980) and 'Tin Drum' (1981) were their masterpieces — records of extraordinary beauty and sophistication that drew on electronic music, art rock, and Eastern influences to create something genuinely new. Sylvian's vocals were unlike anything else in British music — cool, melancholy, and entirely distinctive. 'Visions of China' and 'Ghosts' became their best-known songs.

Japan dissolved in 1982 at the height of their commercial success, with Sylvian pursuing a solo career that produced several acclaimed albums. The band briefly reformed as Rain Tree Crow in 1991. Japan are remembered as one of the most artistically distinctive acts of the early-1980s British music scene — their influence on subsequent art rock, new wave, and electronic music has been considerable and lasting.