Kyoto’s Native Rapper excels when it comes to the small details. Last year’s triumphant Mass Maker EP hit immediately for its celebratory mode centered around netlabel artists, but subsequent listens also reveal a release full of strange little details and sudden vocal twists. This latter point feels more pronounced on Keep It Real, an album…
“Imasara” marks the first time in Native Rapper’s young career…that I know of at least…where he has had to accommodate another voice beside his own, electronically manipulated one. Lulu joins the Kyoto producer on this twisty-tury love song, and it is a good test to see if his music can work alongside a voice not…
#20 Cicada Formula It’s easy to recreate the past, as no shortage of Japanese bands borrowing from ’80s city pop and ’90s acid jazz have shown in recent years (and, really, globally…this is all Daft Punk’s fault). Cicada’s earliest work slid in nicely to this safe but oftentimes overly familiar space. But Formula decided to…
With Native Rapper, it isn’t just about what he’s rapping about — the Kyoto artist’s songs seem just as interested in pushing the sounds of words, pitching and slowing them down and turning his voice into Play-Doh. Newest song “Motor Pool” thrives on this, Native Rapper gleefully manipulating his voice over a relatively laid-back beat,…
Knew this was coming and already got excited about “Track Maker,” but now via Trekkie Trax comes the Mass Maker EP, which I believe is Kyoto artist Native Rapper’s first proper collection of songs. I want to try to write about this later, but if you liked “Track Maker” or still vibe out as hard…