Allow me to take you back in time for a second…when I moved to Japan in 2009, one of the most reliable labels in the Kansai region was Second Royal Records. Looking back on it, they boasted one of the most loaded line-ups of artists in Japan — Hotel Mexico, Halfby, Handsomeboy Technique, Turntable Films,…
Hasami Group is one of those names that comes up from other artists in Japanese underground music. Fuji Chao covered them on one of her 2017 releases, for example. Turns out they’ve remained active, albeit without much publication. Recent EP Atsui No Haru gathers songs recorded from 2011 and 2018, making for a kind of…
Stones Taro has been on a tear this year, and Black Bread only adds to the winning streak. Released via Glasgow’s Johnny Johnny, the three-track set finds the Kyoto producer dabbling in a variety of house stylings, playing around with faded sounds and acid touches on the opening title track before getting a little thumpier…
The debut song from Dove finds a space between daily life happenings and dreamier escapes. It is the first release from Pure Voyage Records, and the number is written and composed by Le Makeup, a fact that comes through clearly in most elements of “Femm.” The music sounds suitable for Hyper Earthy or other releases…
For a second there, it looked like Lucky Kilimanjaro was going to become the new Give Me Wallets. That outfit got some buzz with retro-tinged electro-pop material, and quickly found a way in to writing J-pop songs for artists like Yuki. A solid career choice and one resulting in good pop, but it also meant…