Categories
Music

Weekend Control

recd005I actually did quite a bit of shopping at Tower today, and picked up another album by Taichi, WEEKEND CONTROL. It’s on the Revirth label, and you can listen to the tracks here. The reason I found it was because it was sitting right next to… (see next post).

Categories
Events Music

Kiiiiiii in Concert

ki-kiiiss-rain2Patrick’s Agenda brings us news that Kiiiiiii, alongside Nihao! and Petty Booka, will be performing at Shinjuku Red Cloth on August 11. I’ll definitely try to go to this if I’m in town (it’s during my holidays, and I still don’t know if I’m going anywhere).

Categories
Music

Dress Code

jakeYesterday marked the release of ex-P5 vocalist Nomiya Maki‘s 3rd solo album, DRESS CODE (you can listen to a few tracks here). This time we see production duties handed over to Sunaga Tatsuo, which has given us a cool bossa influenced album. To my ears, it’s much better than her second effort, which didn’t do much for me. It’s another one of those albums that seems to go well with the weather/time of the year of its release; even with these unbearable warm and humid days , I swear that I felt a cool breeze when I started listening to it on my iPod. I’ve only listened to it once, and I still can’t really tell if it’s something that I’m going to listen to a lot past the initial novelty stage, but for now I’m liking most of it.

Categories
Music

Hirano Midori

poet_at_p

Right now I cannot stop listening to a track by electronic artist Hirano Midori, “Another Root,” and you can listen to it here. You should also check out her site, where you’ll find her blog and photolog, as well as info on what she’s up to. She has recently released an EP called POET AT THE PIANO, on Luxembourg’s soundsfromnowhere label, and will have some tracks and remixes on a few upcoming compilations (see her news section). She’s also hard at work on a solo record that will be released on the American label Transparent.

Update: I got a copy of her EP last night, and it’s terrific. Do try to get a copy of this by emailing the soundsfromnowhere label.

Categories
Music

Japan Release for Night Piece

Patrick lets me know that Tokumaru Shugo’s NIGHT PIECE (read about my love for this album) will get released in Japan at the start of August. It’ll still be on the Music Related label.

Categories
Music

Karly

Nomoto Karia’s first full length album, KARLY, is getting released at the end of the month (July 28), and you can now pre-order a special version that is signed and includes a DVD. More info from Patrick here.

Update: Patrick went to the launch party at the just opened Lounge O in Aoyama, and reports on it.

Categories
Music

Maximum Joy RIP

20040628maximumjoy

Patrick brings news that the Shibuya record store Maximum Joy, often associated with the ol’ Shibuya-kei scene, is closing its doors tomorrow. Everything is 50% off. There will also be a closing party (already sold out), featuring Cornelius, Kahimi Karie with Kanda Tomoki, Kaji Hideki, Naka Masashi, and more.

Categories
Magazines Music

OK FRED Raps

Issue 4 of OK FRED is coming soon, and it’ll be the “hip-hop” issue. That would explain why Robert pointed this out to me a while back.

Categories
Music

Am I

Thanks to one of the waitresses at Pause, I finally got a copy of Taichi’s AM I album last week, and I’ve been enjoying it since. I mentioned my first impressions here, and further listenings just confirm that initial feeling. The new release he was talking about when I saw him the other night is a release from GROUP, a side project he seems to be involved with (sorry, my Japanese is limited, so I wasn’t able to get much info from him). I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for it. You can view an English profile of him here (and also take a look at his new remix album out on Jet Set Records).

Update: Patrick found the following info: “Group ‘Before Turning Off The Light’, out 2004/7/2 (HMV, Tower). Group is an instrumental band of 6 apparently featuring Taichi on drums.”

Categories
Music

Remix Album by Taichi

After my big gushing over Taichi recently, I was very pleasantly surprised to see Pause selling a new remix album by him at their cash register (first time I see them selling a CD), which I quickly picked up. It’s an exclusive release from Jet Set Records, featuring 21 remixes of artists like Matmos, Tortoise, Squarepusher, and much more. At a very friendly 1500 yen, you can also listen to it at the Jet Set site. Talking with one of the waitresses, she told me that she’ll get me a copy of the AM I album (out of stock from the Soup Disk label). She also mentioned that he’s a regular there, so I might get to personally let him know how much I’m enjoying his work.

Here’s the blurb from Jet Set:

JET SET exclusive!! The best MIX CD in ’04… We know it’s too early to say that in June. But this sensible mix work by a talented Japanese artist forces us to say so… TAICHI mixes up all his favorite music,from POST ROCK /JAZZ, contemporary JAZZ (like MEDESKI, MARTIN.. MILT JACKSON) to his own experimental recordings and even ZAP MAMA, BEN HARPER…This is a milestone approaching his uniqueness in eclectic way, that so-called “popular” DJs will never reach. If you’re bored with all MIX CD cliche then looking for a mix filled with fresh ideas, don’t hesitate to take it.