INNITやIdleMoments等のイベントが象徴しているように、大阪のビート・シーンは非常に大盛況。Magical Mistakesの渦巻くようなサウンドや、Seihoの実験的なビートは、とてもユニークなのと同時にグルーブ感もあります。でも、”Alder”はそのような曲がブラックホールに吸い込まれたかのような印象。IdleMomentsをオーガナイズするEadonmmによるこのトラックは、極めてテンポを抑えた、スローな楽曲。ゆったりと始まり、アンビエントな空気感を堪能しているその時に、ピークを迎えます。シンセサイザーによる壁のようなレイヤーが左右にパンし、異なるテンポのボーカルが、それぞれ違うピッチで奇妙なデュエットを奏でます。ダンスフロアには不向きかもしれませんが、それ以上に、独特な音世界を堪能する事が可能。試聴は以下から。
Osaka’s Outdoorminer (also known as Cloudy Busey) has proven over the last few years he’s great at creating unsettling, late-night moods. Between his two solo projects, he’s excelled at making music for downtrodden walks home, whether they be complete with vocals or, as is the case with the Outdoorminer alias, just music. “Badmood” follows up…
Talking City 1994 is one of the Japanese bands having a really good 2013. After being quiet for more than two quarters of 2012, the Osaka band has come back strong, releasing a strong three-song EP and several great stand-alone tracks. They’ve come along way since when they first popped up, developing a more polished…
Merry Christmas (close enough!) from Make Believe Melodies. We are going to relax…I SWEAR…until after the holiday, but before kicking back and opening our presents, let’s listen to some special Japanese Christmas songs! Producer De De Mouse sets the seasonal mood just right…using Vocaloid software. He’s booted up Hatsune Miku to tackle “Sleigh Ride,” and…
「自分が歌うつもりが無い曲を書くのにいつも罪の意識を感じてる。」と語るのは、Cloud Buseyことボブ・ワイリー。Lights ＋ Musicにて新曲、”havUever”について解説しています。この曲はジャスティン・ビーバーの曲にしてもいいんじゃないか、と言い、もしジャスティンが見つけたなら提供する、との事。確かに”havUever”の輝くようなシンセとビートは、ジャスティンのボーカルが際立つような物になっています。 でもまあ”havUever”にはボブのボーカルが一番しっくりくると思います。ビッグネームのポップ・スターが歌ったらまた違った物になるんじゃないかな。Cloudy Buseyのトラックでもそうですし、特にIce Cream Shoutの”Tattooed Tears“なんかでは、ボブのボーカルは心に触れてくるような、暖かい真心を感じるような物では決してないものの、現実的で冷ややかなその表現は、同じような経験を持つ人から、より大きな共感を得られるでしょう。Cloudy Buseyの新作からも分かる通り、ボブのボーカルはどんどん説得力を増していてます。ジャスティン・ビーバーが歌っても良いのかもしれないけれど、ボブの歌う”havUever”は、独自の美しさで溢れています。
This month’s edition of the Music Alliance Pact is out now! Among the 30-plus acts from around the world on display below, we’ve highlighted Nagano’s Boe Oakner and her barely-there wonder “Cherenkov.” Check it and everything else in MAP below! Click the play button icon to listen to individual songs, right-click on the song…
It has been one of those weeks that has ended up being so busy, I have barely been able to pay attention to much new Japanese music this week. Thanks a lot work day! Anyway, next week will maybe be a bit lighter (and all things willing, this weekend can be a chance to hear…
As the image above indicates, “The Hidden Secrets” also doubles as the name for Tokyo indie-pop outfit BOYISH’s newest EP, one which was slated to come out on July 25 but as of 11:18 P.M. on that day isn’t anywhere to be seen (I guess check for an update if it appears by the time this posts). Still, BOYISH have served up a preview in the form of the title track. BOYISH tend to have two modes of twee – they either sound sorta explosive in their ennui or downtrodden and muffled. “The Hidden Secrets” is the latter, as the vocals sound mumbled and have been recorded as to me nearly unintelligible. The guitars and the beat, though, dash ahead and do an excellent imitation of 80’s indie-pop, which is what this group does oh so well anyway. Listen below.
Update: Now you can hear the whole EP below.
Diskotopia’s latest compilation feels a bit chillier than previous offerings from the Tokyo label, with more moments of unease cropping up alongside the usual body-moving flow. These aren’t new moods for anyone associated with the collective, but DSK F/W 2018-2019 Free Compilation comes off as more fitting for the coldest stretch of the years than…
Nujabes jazzy beat on this song sounds pretty rad, but the video steals the show. Some of these shots are strangely hypnotic, especially the second-to-last one. [Via JapanProbe] [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAxgpHWtLC0&color1=0xb1b1b1&color2=0xcfcfcf&hl=en&feature=player_embedded&fs=1]
I have, over the last six months, associated all things “future bass” with “kawaii” — which is to say, loaded up with chimes and xylophones and maybe the sample of an anime woman talking about cake over some stuttering electronics — that Kyoto creator Mecanika’s “WWM” feels deeply refreshing in how it avoids the sugar…
One of my biggest concerns about the online music community is the unflinching push forward. Plenty have said it before me, but the advent of music blogs, Twitter and other platforms that emphasize the all-valuable “firsties” have turned music listening into a never-ending dash. Everyday, blogs from all corners of the world celebrate new tracks…
Kuriki Nobukazu, a Japanese climber, attempted to climb Mount Everest recently. “Big deal,” you might be saying, “any schmuck with a few thousand dollars can do the same thing!” Well, dude tried to do it with no oxygen assistance. Have you ever read Into Thin Air? That’s crazy, and it appears Nobukazu does this sort…
Always fun logging on after a weekend away in the countryside and starting to sift through all the new music out there. Three songs (errrr, two songs and a mix…three is the magical number for these things, sorry) jumped out at me, and all come from artists who hail from the Kansai region of Japan….