If you got tongue from David Bowie, it might change your life. It certainly brought one Japanese pop star-actor-composer-musician into the limelight. In "Merry Christmas, Mister Lawrence," the slow-motion screen kiss between Bowie and Ryuichi Sakamoto was a turning point in his career. Of course, it

20th-century music, Abstract electronica, Ambient, Eclectic, Layered, Lyrical, Psychedelic

In the new wave of Japanese contemporary music, Akira Nishimura is the front-runner for the "heterophonic concept." Using droning melodic variations, Nishimura creates a spacious kind of zen spikiness that can either calm the soul or mystify the mind. Nishimura exhibits a particular concern with t

20th-century music, Contemplative, Eclectic, Ethereal, Hypnotic, Layered, Silence, Spiritual

Though his parents are Indian and he was born in England, Talvin Singh isn't claimed by either cultural heritage. In England he's considered Indian, while in India he's viewed as a Brit. But Singh feels this cultural fence-straddling lends itself to flexibility, not exclusion. He likens himself -- a

Clever, Composed, Eclectic, Hypnotic, Jungle/drum 'n' bass, Layered

Intertwining instrumental sounds, texts, and environmental samples, Charles Amirkhanian creates dreamy and disjointed durations of immersive experience. A synthesis of electronic and acoustic effects, voices and background noise, his compositions strive to capture listeners' bodies and minds in tonal

Collage, Dreamy, Eclectic, Intense, Layered, Musique concrete