Home / Features / Japan Releases Amazing New ‘BEATDOWN HARDCORE GUIDEBOOK’ – Author Shares Thoughts

Japan Releases Amazing New ‘BEATDOWN HARDCORE GUIDEBOOK’ – Author Shares Thoughts

By on November 21, 2024

INTERVIEW | Beatdown Hardcore Guidebook
JAPAN

What a wonderful surprise! Kazutaka Miyamoto is the author of a brand new book entitled BEATDOWN HARDCORE GUIDEBOOK that has just been released in Japan. As you can tell from that cover image, this entire book captures the essence (especially just how HARD this music is) of what is known as ‘beatdown’. Kazutaka takes the reader from the beginnings of this genre – from the days of BULLDOZE – but also to what it’s like today. But the REAL surprise to us is that Kazutaka included UNITE ASIA in his book! He talks about with us in this short interview below.

Thank you Kazutaka for answering our questions and supporting our website!

UA: Why did you want to write this book in Japan?
In Japan, there are only books that feature old school hardcore from the 80s, so I wanted to create a guidebook that covers Beatdown Hardcore bands, a new genre that has emerged since the 90s.

UA: How did you research for this book? Was it a long process? How long did it take from initial idea until the final draft?
It took exactly one year to produce the book. Initially, the book focused on the American band BULLDOZE, the founding fathers of beatdown hardcore, but also featured European Beatdown Hardcore bands such as KNUCKLEDUST and NASTY. When I came across the UNITE ASIA website, which featured a number of Asian Beatdown Hardcore bands, I checked out the bands featured in UNITE ASIA and included them in my beatdown hardcore guidebook. I wanted to create a guidebook featuring Beatdown Hardcore bands from around the world.

“I believe that the common class strata uniting as one under the Beatdown Hardcore, transcending ethnicity, is the way to oppose the wealthy and the ruling class strata.”

UA: For you to put so much heart into this book, it means you really love this style of hardcore. What do you love about beatdown hardcore?
The appeal of Beatdown Hardcore is that it is heavy and groovy in sound. The mental part is where he confronts difficulties with his strong body. Beatdown hardcore is music for the workers. The working class hero in me.

UA: The cover is SICK – what was the inspiration for the cover?
The editor chose the cover but said he designed it with the image of a New York slum – typical of Beatdown Hardcore.

UA: Out of all the beatdown bands – which one is your favorite and why?
NEGLECT, A band from New York. Neglect is called Hatecore. The band was unique in its lyrics that hinted at suicide and its live performances that featured repeated acts of self-harm.

UA: Which band is the most important and why?
Bulldoze. A band from New Jersey, beatdown hardcore began with Bulldoze’s debut album, The Final Beatdown.

UA: If someone had never heard beatdown, which album should they all start with?
Bulldoze “The Final Beatdown”, Neglect “Four Years Of Hate”, Cold As Life “Born To Land Hard”, Six Ft Ditch “Unlicensed Cemetary”, Shattered Realm Broken Ties… Spoken Lies” and Nasty ‘Love’ are essential, so please listen to them.

UA: Thank you for including UNITE ASIA in the book. Why did you choose to include us?
The concept of the Beatdown Hardcore Guidebook is to include reviews of Beatdown Hardcore bands from around the world.UNITE ASIA has a great philosophy of Asian unity. I could sympathize with that. Personally, I dislike the wealthy Japanese, who are of the same race, all of this breed racism. I believe that the common class strata uniting as one under the Beatdown Hardcore, transcending ethnicity, is the way to oppose the wealthy and the ruling class strata.

Go grab your copy HERE now! 

UniteAsia.org is an underground Asian music news website created for the sole purpose of supporting our own world. We support all bands and genres HOWEVER we do not support nor have any sympathy for homophobic, racist, sexist rhetoric in lyrical content or band material. UNITE ASIA!
Related Items