Here are my personal artist recommendations. I developed a taste for the niche genres, and am here to share them. For the quick browser, I have organized the artists by genre.

Jazz

T-Square

Established in Tokyo, 1976, T-Square is the first band of a niche genre I listened to extensively. They remain my favorite artist of all time, with their city pop-esque sound and brilliant musicianship. As a longtime pianist, it is easy to be entranced by the occasional piano solos that last for several phrases, and up to a minute and a half. The songs remind me of a Sonic game I played years ago, so the nostalgia makes me appreciate the music even more.

Spotify -> click here

Casiopea

Established in Tokyo, 1976 as well, Casiopea is another jazz fusion band with a city pop-esque sound, but there are differences in approach between Casiopea and T-Square. Casiopea tends to have a more rock style, more guitar solos, and less piano solos.

Spotify -> click here

Metal

Dream Theater

Established in Boston, 1985, Dream Theater produces a starkly different sound than the previous two artists, metal. Wikipedia labels them as progressive metal, but I care only for the sound. The sounds that appeal to me are the low guitars native to the metal genre coupled with the high pitched vocals. I like to say that Dream Theater sounds like Disney music with a metal twist.

Website -> click here

Other

Rüfüs du Sol

Established in Sydney, 2010, Rüfüs du Sol is a alternative dance group. I usually don’t listen to alternative dance or much electronic dance music, but the musicality of Rüfüs du Sol creates an exception. The ever present four-on-the-floor bass drum, coupled with the range of ornaments added in production make this music extremely versatile. I study and exercise to their music, two things where most people have completely different playlists.

Website -> click here

Kevin Penkin

Mr. Penkin is an Australian composer who has written the scores to various anime and video games, most notably Made in Abyss. Made in Abyss quickly became my favorite anime, almost entirely due to Mr. Penkin’s genius. He also composed the score of an episode for the recent Disney+ series, Star Wars: Visions, for any non-anime watchers. I would heavily recommend listening to his soundtracks. I see him as a young Hans Zimmer, and wouldn’t be surprised to see his name on a blockbuster project soon.

Website -> click here