CRZKNY, Skip Club Orchestra, DJ Fulltono Share Draping 8

Another month, another edition in the Draping series, which brings together three of Japan’s most prominent footwork creators to offer up new tracks bouncing off one another. CRZKNY gets 8 off to an intimidating start (though the actual most disorienting noise comes at the very start, with what sounds like a dog lapping up water…

Fatalistic: Magical Ponika’s “We Are Anyway Die”

Let’s actually back up a bit and start on a more optimistic note. Tokyo artist Magical Ponika has been kicking around for a little bit now, in the same zone as other underground Japanese rappers seemingly inspired by the whole “SoundCloud rap” thing . Initially, she delivered bright candy-shelled numbers that put her own spin…

New The Vegetablets: 3

Simplicity wins for Nagoya’s The Vegetablets. That’s how it tends to go with indie-pop of all stripes, Japan-based or otherwise, but with this duo the lets-make-some-music! vibes just come across more clearly, as their songs are both simplistic but deeply charming. 3 follows an album from last year that got The Vegetablets some international glances,…