Jemapur was just another Japanese electronic music producer, posting songs to SoundCloud and popping up at events sometimes. Yet, as more and more young music makers use the Internet as a platform to get their original production out, the field has become very crowded and standing out has become tough. Jemapur has made good stuff before…and he popped up on an INNIT compilation a while back, which is one of the strongest seals of approval in our mind…but he’s never stood out. Yet he might have just found his way out – he recently teamed up with singer Yuki (only info available) to form the group Young Juvenile Youth, and they’ve just put out an EP called Anti Everything that is a hell of an introduction. This brief collection is strong, and one of the year’s most disorienting listens.
All three original songs here – there is a Jemapur remix of the title track, which seems funny since dude is already in the group – deal in minimalist form, Jemapur’s electronics vamping along as Yuki sings over them, jumping between languages. “Anti Everything” is guided by a simple but chilly beat that leaves plenty of room for Yuki’s vocals, which are mostly delivered straight-forward-like save for a few instances that ramp up the drama. It’s already unnerving enough – the synths in the back practically sound like they are playing in reverse – and then Yuki’s voice starts rolling over itself, making everything all the more dizzying. “Anti Everything” is the highlight, but the other two numbers here are strong too – “Daydream” is even sparser, putting the emphasis further on the vocals. “No Red Lights,” meanwhile, emphasizes the strength of the production, a glitchy-but-reserved production that works wonders when matched up with Yuki’s car-centric lyrics. Listen to the whole EP below.