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Tag Archives: MADEGG

New Madegg: “April 11”

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It just bubbles and bubbles and bubbles, until an intelligible voice sweeps. “Soup or soul,” I keep thinking it says, convinced I’m wrong even before it follows up with a melodic “hmmm hmmm.” Then the beat really kicks in, and Kyoto’s Madegg has gone and created a subtle shuffler underlined by fluttery electronic flushes that give it an extra pretty sheen. Yet this is seven minutes long…what can he be up to with something that long. Well, it is practically two songs merged into one slow burner, the beat hastening a bit in the back half as a new voice enters the picture. It manages to stay compelling until the very end…and makes me really want a new Madegg album after it finishes. Listen below.

New Madegg: “Safe Rena”

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Being prolific does not equal being good, but Kyoto’s Madegg makes it easy to think the two are simultaneous. Despite scaling back on how much music he uploads into the wild…a couple years back, you could hardly go a day without seeing a new song courtesy of the young producer in your SoundCloud feed…he’s still creating more new music than most artists in Japan. “Safe Rena” will appear on his forthcoming new album…which follows up a full-length that appeared last year, which followed up a full-length that came out the year before that…and is a lovely preview of what to expect from Madegg’s next album. The first half of the song is pure build, a series of windy electronics racing around one another, the overall feel akin to a Dustin Wong composition. Then the track blooms in the second half, a marching beat changing the vibe completely without ever swallowing everything up in aggressiveness. It’s restrained but still powerful. Listen below.

Madegg Releases New Mixtape, 3

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Madegg is a tough one to pin down. The Kyoto producer has been one of the most prolific electronic artists of the last few years, to the point where keeping track of everything he’s done has become a real challenge (shouts out to whoever is keeping tabs on that for the Madegg box set). One of the more confusing elements of his body of work is how he releases collections of songs online. I’m not talking about his full-length works with Flau or Day Tripper Records (those are easy to figure out – they actually appear as physical objects, in the biggest music retailers in Japan). I’m talking about his Bandcamp/SoundCloud-hosted EPs, or his new mixtape 3. Are these focused statements? Moments for the young music-maker to corral his best cuts of stuff he used to flood onto SoundCloud? Previews of what’s coming with his next physical release? He knows…all I can tell you is that 3 is a great collection of music from one of the country’s brightest young producers, however it came together.

That also plays into one of Madegg’s biggest strengths as an artist – he’s incredibly hard to pin down musically. He never constricts himself to one electronic style or trend, but rather plays around with many ideas…all while never sounding like he’s veering out of his comfort zone. 3 is marked by this, finding Madegg jumping from the minimal, Indian-souding skittering of “Slysteffg” to Clams-Casino-esque stuff on the more abrasive “Sun Angle.” Sometimes this sonic pioneerism manifests itself in individual songs – “III (Too Young)” is practically two songs spliced in two, while late cut “Summer Snow” jumps between twinkling prettiness to more bone-shaking passages. This mixtape highlights Madegg’s sneaky versatility – whatever he wants to call this, it is a reminder to always be excited about what he’s up to. Get it here, or listen to the song “Lie” below.

Special Lazy Sunday Afternoon Post: New Madegg And Metome

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Two Japanese electronic artists having swell years released new tracks over the weekend. First up, Kyoto’s Madegg, who shows off his range with latest song “R Beams.” It opens with some very unelectronic sounds – there is guitar playing, and a woodwind. Some electronics tumble their way in soon after, but the heart of the first half of “R Beams” is very acoustic (with a piano joining in too). It becomes a bit more menacing in the second half, yet this is one of Madegg’s most refined tracks to date. Listen below.

Also out of Kansai, Metome has a new song perfect for everyone sitting put inside as it rains this Sunday afternoon (or maybe that’s just me). “Vital Signs” is a relaxed number built around chopped-up vocals and some jazzy keyboards, the whole thing zigging and zagging about but never coming off like a whirlwind. Listen below.

New Music Round-Up: Seiho, Madegg, Magical Mistakes, yyioy, Cosmosman And may.e

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Go away for one weekend, and suddenly the Internet is full of great new music from Japan. First up, a new track from Osaka’s Seiho, who is having another great year. “Wet Asphalt” is actually one of his more linked-up tracks in quite a while – his music usually sounds like it’s snapping and popping into place, everything hitting at just the right time. This one features a pretty sturdy beat for Seiho to mess around with vocals.

Let’s stick in Kansai and check in with Kyoto wonderkid Madegg. This week, he’s showing off his ability to craft delicate long-playing songs with “Summer Snow/U Know (Slow Ver.)” It’s a well-constructed song going through several segments, Madegg making it never feel too long.

And last, Magical Mistakes, who contributed a track to Portland collective Blankstairs’ first compilation. It’s a suffocating track…those buzzy synths!…but also one tempered by some prettier notes.

Stepping away from INNIT…yyioy caught our ears last week with his head-rattling remix of Ariana Grande’s “The Way.” Well, he’s at it again with new song “We Can Do It Anywhere,” which might be a topsy-turvy remix of 112’s 1999 song “Anywhere.” It definitely lifts the titular phrase from that one…and it’s rad.

Meanwhile, if you want some electronic music that’s a bit more dramatic…and has some neat digi-voices…check out “Splash Garden” from Kobe’s Cosmosman.

And last…something that isn’t electronic at all. It’s a new song from may.e, who just keeps releasing these haunting songs featuring nothing but her voice and guitar playing. “Souvenir” is all in Japanese, but the way she subtly layers her voice results in some entrancing sounds.