I went to the fifth installment of the Tokio Shaman party today at Shibuya’s WWW, and it re-energized me a bit when it comes to following music existing just outside of the mainstream. Ostensibly, this event highlights Japan’s nascent “SoundCloud rap” community, featuring performers such as Sleet Mage, Gokou Kuyt and Tohji. Part of the…
Forget subtly — sometimes you have to just drip out the bad feelings until they’ve totally gone away (for a bit). Nara artist Ex Confusion has always let emotion all out in their music, and I Remember When stands as their melancholy masterstroke. These loops just really go into downcast territory, using a mix of…
A classic example of a song where using too many words trying to say something smart would be foolish. This is just a really great dance track, one really bringing the energy without ever letting it slip for a second. It exists in the same semi-fluttery zone as a lot of stuff you’d find on…
This is going to be very tired sometime very soon, but let’s savor the genuine thrill of history while it lasts. The Reiwa era is here in Japan, and it was a genuinely cool moment that saw celebrations all over the country and at least one guy somersault onto a boat. Shared moments — pretty…
Turns out Puni Puni Denki’s recent turn to more relaxed, near-bossa-nova sounds wasn’t just a one-off thing. Wonder Underground follows up the cafe-adjacent sweetness of “Life Is Super Dope” with three more songs begging to soundtrack your next chill-out session. Wonder Underground isn’t background music or even smooth enough to soundtrack your next homework marathon….