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geisha.3

As promised last month, I’ve readied a new issue of my GEISHA ezine. It’s now posted, and you can access it by clicking on the “ge3” icon near the bottom of this page. Hope you enjoy it. I’ll have another issue out next month.

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Japanese Mac Mods

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The Japanese love to modify their Macs.

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TB.30

It’s Friday, so of course time for a new TOKYO BOY to get posted. Includes a pic taken at the TIFF today of the Q&A that followed the screening.

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Hong Kong Nocturne

444-FEAT1As planned, I went to see a movie being shown as part of the Shaw Brothers retrospective at the Tokyo International Film Festival. HONG KONG NOCTURNE starring Cheng Pei Pei (better known these days as Jade Fox in CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON) was a musical done in the 60s by a Japanese director, who was remaking one of his own movies, but this time setting it in HK. It was a really fun film with great tunes and costumes. A really funny scene was when a girl is tricked into going to Tokyo, thinking she’s going to become a star, only to meet up with a pinkueiga (infamous Japanese softcore films of the time) director, complete with beret and Hitler style moustache. Oh my. The director and Cheng both showed up at the end for a Q&A session. Cheng brought her daughter along, who did the English translation, and it was amazing how much she looked like her mother in the film.

I just wish I would have been able to see more films at the festival, but this being Japan, the scheduling of course sucked, with every movie being shown during the day, with the latest showing at around 7 at night. Is this a festival only for university students and the jobless?

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Moph

Yesterday while I was in Shibuya I had a coffee at a new cafe in the renewed Parco. Called Moph, you can check out their website for more info on the place (and a better view of the layout). Tomorrow I head back to Shibuya to see a movie at the TIFF, and then I’m thinking of doing some roaming in Aoyama and Harajuku.

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Milo Store

Check out pics of the latest addition to the A Bathing Ape (BAPE) empire in Aoyama, the Milo Store. Also check out the rest of the site, as this design company as designed most of the BAPE stores, as well as lots of other cool places.

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New Records

The plan for today was to catch a film at the Tokyo International Film Festival, but I got to Shibuya only to find out that the movie was sold out, so I ended up doing some record shopping instead. I learned my lesson and bought a ticket for a film on Friday. Part of the Shaw Brothers retrospective, it’s a HK musical from the 60s called HONG KONG NOCTURNE. Looking forward to seeing it. Here’s what I picked up today.

Picked up at the new Apres-midi Selecao store (curated by the owner of Cafe Apres-midi) in Shibuya’s Parco:

The Cinematic Orchestra – EVERY DAY – I’d been wanting to hear this for a while, every since I heard a single a few months ago, and I finally got the chance as it was in a listening booth. Great atmospheric Portishead type stuff.

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Wunder – WUNDER – I have no idea what this is, and I just picked it up because I liked what I heard at the listening booth (it’s great because at the store there are chairs in front of certain booths, so you can sit down comfortably to listen to the CDs). Imagine Jim O’Rourke type explorations, but a bit more melodic. Sore of like a more experimental Cinematic Orchestra. The only info in the sparse CD packaging is that the CD is from Germany.

Picked up in the sales bin at Zest Records in Shibuya for 400-500 each:

Czerkinsky – VARIATIONS SUR NATACHA – Remixes of songs from his CZERKINSKY album.

Suba

Various Artists – SUBA TRIBUTO – Suba was the hip producer in Brazil who produced among other things Bebel Gilberto’s first album. He dies in 99, and this is a tribute album with collaborations, remixes, lives, etc. I’m listening to it right now and it’s really good. The new Brazillian sound.

Various Artists – ASIAN LOUNGE – A 2 CD compilation on the Irma label. Chillout stuff with Asian flavour.

Picked up at Disc Wave in Ikebukuro:

Ajico – COMPLETE SINGLES – Band made up of UA and the main guy from Blankey Jet City.

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minimix

couv14

For those wondering what today’s picture is refering to, Minimix is a tiny (postcard sized) French-Japanese zine that comes out 4 times a year. I’ve been picking it up (on the 7th floor of the Tower Records in Shibuya) since I first moved to Tokyo 4 years ago and still enjoy it. It usually has a few photo essays, some rants from French/Japanese taxi drivers, an interview session between French/Japanese journalists, and more, all in a fun little package. You can order it from the website, as well as read some of the content there.

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This Is a Magazine

Another flash e-zine I found, called This is a Magazine. This one has lots of stuff in it, and I guess you can also buy a print version.

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TB.29

Just posted a new TOKYO BOY log. A few pics from my day in Shibuya yesterday with friends. As mentioned, the new Cafe Apres-midi store really is nice, and I do wish I could get some new CDs from there.

I also want to note that Momus has posted a new entry in his record making log. This one details his collaboration with his “reproducer”. Just makes me even more anxious to hear the new album. I should get a preview at the live show he’ll be giving in 2 weeks at a record shop in Kichijoji. Definitely looking forward to it.