"Japanese artists weren't too popular in the U.S. when I was there--they were seen as businesslike and non-creative," says Kay, who was born in Los Angeles to Japanese parents. "But I'd been exposed to a lot of creative Japanese artists--YMO, RC Succession and so on--and I just wanted to prove the consensus wrong." UNSOUND, he says, is a logical extension of his student ambitions--with a twist.

"Artists here look so much toward the West," he complains. "[After coming back to Japan] I realized that I needed to expose Japanese talent to people here as well. Now with the Internet, I have the perfect medium." The Internet, as he points out, transcends geographical and linguistic barriers, and UNSOUND currently scores about 5,000 hits, or "visits" per day, from both Japanese and English users worldwide.

Kay compiles UNSOUND with the help of a group of art directors. For everyone, it's a labor of love. No one is paid for their efforts, including the 20-odd bands who can be found on the site at any one time. Kay keeps UNSOUND up-to-date by checking out clubs and maintaining the contacts he developed as a DJ.

It's not only young fans who are falling under the UNSOUND spell. "Gil Kay has just screened for me his magnificent Web page," wrote counterculture guru Timothy Leary in an introduction to UNSOUND a few months ago. "It allows the user to construct and deconstruct sounds and images. This is the breakthrough I have been hoping for . . . This is the future."

Leary was referring to UNSOUND's latest feature, which enables the user to view works by both musicians and visual artists in the site's "Sound" (audio) and "UNSOUND" (visual) sections, and request more from the artists they like. Kay will then take the three most popular artists from each section and compile them into Quicktime movies--the "Sound" artists become the soundtracks, and the `UNSOUND' artists go into the video tracks.

"There is a definite synergy between sound and vision," says Kay. "When visuals are shown with audio, the original artworks look and sound very different. A new dimension in each of the originals is uncovered, and the movies you create may inspire the artists themselves and give them new directions."

When UNSOUND made its Web debut in October 1994 it was, along with the Japanese Independent Music Archives, one of the first Japanese independent-music sites. Like UNSOUND, the JIMA site has both English and Japanese versions. It also boasts particularly good information on a series of acid-jazz albums produced by scenemaker S-Ken, as well as interesting tidbits such as ambient trance material from an outfit called Interferon. With sites like these lighting the way, major record companies are finally realizing the Internet's potential to promote local musicians. And if Japan has rightfully earned ridicule in the past for its tardiness in getting wired, online music sites put together by fans, indie labels and musicians are now blossoming. But be warned--with the right equipment, a few hours' Net-surfing around local talent can prove addictive.

UNSOUND can be seen and heard at http://www.atom.co.jp/UNSOUND/. For JIMA, go to http://www.atom.co.jp/INDIES/.
And while you're at it, check these out:

A Selection of Japanese Music Sites on the Web

Surgedrive For indie bands such as Nukey Pikes--in English and Japanese

Shrine to Shonen Knife A good example of a Japanese-music Web site put together by dedicated overseas fans. With links to other Shonen Knife sites with imaginative names like John's Shonen Knife Page.

Tokyo Record Stores Japan Edge: Mainly techno music.

Tokyo bands, clubs, happenings

Ele-Bugi page Japanese hip-hop:

The Boom Home page

Pizzicato Five Home page

Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) home page

Ken Ishii Japan's best ambient techno artist

Trattoria Well-done home page by indie label Trattoria, home of acts such as Cornelius

Yashiki Gota Former Simply Red drummer and all-round wizard

Music Mine links page created by up-and-coming indies distributor

Underground Music Web

Bonsai's Jpop Page. Lots and lots of links to Japanese music sites

Yellow Magic Orchestra