I’m not sure why Taquwami has decided to focus on creating miniature journeys as of late, but the producer has really struck on something good. His “Aj Mo Ka” introduced the multi-part concept, and now “Ka Ao Um” takes it even further (and appears to be bundled alongside the former on an upcoming release). It starts off discombobulated, but grows into something very…dare I say…epic by the end. Listen below.
Been a second since writing about the hazy indie rap scene starting to emerge (or at least become more clear) in Japan, but that’s more because the artists in it are branching out to platforms not as friendly towards our brand of blogging. If you have access to a streaming music site, go seek out…
The duo of KiWi dabble in a lot of sounds that have been ever present in Japan’s electronic music scene for the last few years — spine-cracking bass, trap-appropriate beats, fast tempos — but they’ve managed to stand out thanks to their flair for the dramatic. The KiWi project features a legit story, with characters…
Tokyo indie-pop outfit have fleshed themselves out a bit in recent times, going from a fuzz-shrouded indie-pop band who sounded like they were recording under several blankets to a band who, on “Dreaming Boogie,” break out the saxophone. Coming from the soon-to-be-released Strings, “Dreaming Boogie” finds the group embracing lusher sounds, from the aforementioned sax…
Our look at the Good On The Dancefloor collective marches on today with the slipperiest in regards to genre labeling, AAPS. The only constant running through the three tracks up on their MySpace is “noisy.” “To Pieces” takes a modern rock guitar riff and submerges it in distortion to give it a much more sinister…
CUZ ME PAINのプロジェクトFaron Squareと:visitedは最近目立った活動がないのですが、主要な人物であるYyokeが新しいプロジェクトを始めました。White Wearは去年からリミックス等を手がける等の活動はしていたのですが、ようやく最近になって初のEPがリリース。A Black From White SpaceというタイトルのEPに収録された３曲からは:visitedと近いスタイルを感じます。そのうちの２曲はダンサブルなビートが特徴的で、アンビエントなシンセサイザーがドリーミーなのですが、ユニークなコード進行やレイヤーの仕方によって、心地悪くならないギリギリを攻めているかのような独特な雰囲気を醸し出しています。タイトルトラックや”Clear City”で聴ける陰のようなボーカルはCUZ ME PAINアーティストならではのもの。注目すべきはオープナーのBlack Dawnで、この曲はほぼビートが使われておらず、ダンサブルというよりアンビエント。Yyokeからこのような曲を作るとは思ってなかったのですが、このような挑戦がこのEPからは聴けるのでオススメですよ。ダウンロードはこちらから。
Glitz can sound really interesting when parts of the charm feel just off. That’s something rarely — sometimes, but rarely — found in the current crop of smoothed-out rock performing well in Japan’s mainstream. The project Abenie shows how a little bedroom-pop charm can go a long way. “Metropolis” moves at a dazzled-by-the-lights pace, and…