A remix like this is tricky business — “Traveling” is one of Hikaru Utada’s best moments, one that still sounds surprisingly ahead of the times in 2015 (imagine what hearing this in 2001 would have been like). Osaka’s hyperactive Hiroki Yamamura is up to the task, though, mainly because he excels at making music that is frantic and always zipping forward, leaving not much room for critical dissection. His remix of “Traveling” speeds everything up, and mainly milks the chorus for all its worth. It wisely doesn’t veer to close to the source material, but rather tumbles forward and focuses on being as energetic as possible. Listen above.
