Style recipe for Suno v5

Enka

Japanese enka from the 1970s: shakuhachi flute, koto zither, string section, melancholic and nostalgic in feel. A name-free Suno recipe that reproduces the signature sound without tripping the artist-name filter.

History

The word enka meant protest long before it meant a song of lost love. In the Meiji period (1868-1912) the word meant political texts set to music, sung by activists of the Freedom and People's Rights Movement to get around government curbs on dissenting speeches; street singers called enka-shi carried them, and in the Taisho period they picked up the violin. The modern genre took shape after the war as sentimental balladry. It rests on a minor pentatonic scale that drops the fourth and seventh degrees, sets it over Western harmony, and puts electric guitar and synthesizer next to shakuhachi and shamisen. Singers perform in kimono or evening dress and bend single syllables with a wavering ornament called kobushi. Hachiro Kasuga was later called the first enka singer, Hibari Misora became the Queen of Enka, and Keiko Fuji's debut in 1969 is credited with its modern revival. In 1961, while critics grumbled about rockabilly in the wake of Elvis Presley, Hideo Murata's Osho sold a million copies. Enka has since lost ground to J-pop, though Kiyoshi Hikawa won back some younger listeners, and in 2008 Jero became the first Black enka singer.

The recipe

Japanese enka, 1970s, melancholic, nosta…

A 38-tag, 699-character recipe carrying a female vocal, set to 60–90 BPM.

Similar styles

• Enka Pop1970s · 65–90 BPM
• Laiko1970s · 90–120 BPM
• Arabesk1980s · 80–110 BPM
• Slack-Key Guitar1970s · 70–100 BPM
• Rebetiko1930s · 80–110 BPM
• Bhajan1970s · 70–100 BPM
• Gome Highlife1970s · 90–120 BPM
• Morna1960s · 60–80 BPM