One of my most vivid memories of high school came during video-editing class, when one kid went over to one of the bulbous iMacs we used and fired up Garageband. “Yeah, I make tracks on my computer, every week,” he said. “Love that techno.” He then hit play on a four-on-the-floor beat with a little…
Now, I’m not a brave enough soul to say the mainstream J-pop scene has undergone a paradigm shift over the last two years — save for the ongoing band boom, the Johnny’s projects and middle-of-the-road idol groups of the country continue to soak up way too much space for music that is an afterthought —…
Tokyo’s Sapphire Slows went to the first term of the Red Bull Music Academy in Paris last November, and while there she teamed up with Russian artist Dub I Prosto Erevo for the bouncy synth jam “Come So Far.” The partnership is a bit sunnier than either artist’s solo work, though a few edges stick…
North American label Rain Dragon Records put out a new sampler, full of lots of retro-tinged electronic numbers. That includes Japan’s Boogie Idol, the reason we are writing about it and…well, honestly, a song I’d just like to sink in to this week (rough times! work wise!). It sounds so shimmery and happy, a sonic…
Powaramiu fits a lot into her song “Doki Doki, Uirusu / Syourui Awaremi No Rei.” It’s backed primarily by 8-bit notes, mostly bouncy but sometimes bubbling over. Yet this isn’t nostalgia for ’80s arcade games…those familiar electronic sounds grind up against touches of modern-day dance music, while Powaramiu’s vocals come through clearly, no electronic masking…