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Tag Archives: seiho

New Seiho: “Evning (With Phoenix Troy)”

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Seiho has let people rap over his music before…but it would be best if we didn’t talk about the last time that happened (don’t call on cheeseball rappers). This, a song from the Osaka producer’s forthcoming album Abstraktsex, which takes an old Seiho instrumental (“Evening,” which is peak Seiho in all its nervous twitches and start-stop wonkiness) and lets singer Phoenix Troy go to work on it. And he sounds good! His smoother vocals match up with the velvet fidget of the music, and Troy himself exudes charm – Right Said Fred reference, nice, plus a sexiness that works alongside Seiho’s vibe. Hearing the music here sound good isn’t surprising – this track slapped a year ago, still slaps now – but hearing Seiho able to slide legit rapping into its frame is very cool. This album is going to be killer, huh?

Seiho Likes Him Some Janet Jackson: “Someone To Call My Lover (Seiho Bootleg Mix)”

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Seiho loves R&B…catch him live, or just listen to any of the tracks he’s released in the past year and that becomes clear pretty fast. This is him putting that interest right into the spotlight. His remix of Janet Jackson’s “Someone To Call My Lover” easily could have been another Seiho track utilizing a vocal sample warped to the edges of the astral plane. It even has his ridiculously tight bass lines, and a general tightness that has come to define his work. But nope, he’s acknowledging Janet big time, and allowing more of her words from the original to come across (he could have sliced this even thinner). Great remix, and another reminder to get pumped for his next full-length out next month. Listen to it…and the original…below.

New Seiho: “Clipping Music”

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I’m trying to finish (errrrrr, start) the official Make Believe Melodie’s “our favorite songs” feature, so in the meantime, enjoy this new song courtesy of Osaka’s Seiho. “Clipping Music” starts off quite sensual – some lovely, lounge-ready electronics playing over the sound of waves reaching the shore – but soon enters territory we are more used to from Seiho, albeit with a rapid stream of hand-clap noises this time around. Listen below.

New Seiho: “I Feel Rave”

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I’ve never actually been to anything that could be considered a “rave,” so forgive the generalizations I’m about to make. I’ve always figured one major draw of a rave is the opportunity to just trance out from the world around you and get lost in a moment. Osaka producer Seiho’s newest song is called “I Feel Rave,” and it captures that feeling well. Over a skittery drum pattern, a constantly morphing voice tells us “I feel you,” the words sounding like a revelation hanging above this beat. It sounds like one constant build up to an electronic release.

The other thing I associate with raves…probably unfairly!…is drugs. Regardless of whether it’s brought on by a substance or an experience, Seiho captures the feeling of entering a altered zone late in the song when, after the sound of a water droplet, the voices get extra screwy. It’s a great ending trick for another fine song from the Kansai-based beat maker. Listen below.

New Seiho: “Underwater”

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Here’s your Japanese future-pop summer jam of 2012. Seiho’s “Underwater” is another fine swirl of digitally manipulated vocals and wonky electronics, this one with a few clever seasonal touches (watery sounds!). “Underwater” also highlights two of the reasons Seiho has become one of the best young music makers in Japan today. First, his songs are never just excuses to show off what his cool equipment can do. These songs go places and have structures – “Underwater” features this great build towards a bubble-powered release, Seiho adding a dash of tenseness to his music. The other detail is the bass. It sounds so precise but also so funky…so fun…that it could have come from a Zazen Boys’ song. A friend compared it to Seinfeld, but I don’t think it’s quite slap-happy enough, but he’s write about it being laid back. Listen below.