Classic favorite. A singer, actress, model, and TV personality, Susan (Suzan Nozaki) was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and a French-American father, and as a teenager worked widely in commercials, radio, theater, and voiceover. This was the first of two records she released on Sony with a dream team: production, arrangement, and drums … Continue reading Susan – Do You Believe In Mazik, 1980
In the spirit of the season, I wanted to share some of my favorite releases of the year. Obviously not exhaustive; just some personal highlights. Quite a few of these are giant major label releases, so I’ll be taking down those download links quickly or leaving them off accordingly. Let me know if links are … Continue reading 25 Favorite Releases of 2017
Guest post by Matt Nida (London) Sometimes the music tells its own story. I bought Yumiko Morioka’s Resonance last year in Tokyo (on the recommendation of someone who knew I’d been devouring records by the likes of Hiroshi Yoshimura, Toshifumi Hinata, Haruomi Hosono and many other names who’ll be familiar to readers of this blog) knowing nothing … Continue reading Yumiko Morioka – Resonance, 1986
Solo record from Miyako Koda (dip in the pool, Love, Peace & Trance, personal style hero). A bit hard to pin down, as there’s a wide range between tracks, but it all feels very true to Koda’s aesthetic: alternately playful and very sober, shifting readily between straight tone choir-boy-esque vocals and spoken word (spoiler alert: … Continue reading Miyako Koda – Jupiter, 1998
Not for the faint of heart, although I think the cover art should give you a pretty good sense of what you’re in for. Iconic jazz pianist Akiko Yano covers a lot of ground here, ranging from bubblegum reggae to pure, high-toned J-pop to the spronky sample relentlessness of new wave contemporaries like Devo, “Little … Continue reading Akiko Yano – Tadaima, 1981
The third solo release from YMO member Yukihiro Takahashi, with appearances from Haruomi Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Andy Mackay of Roxy Music, and Tony Mansfield, who’s worked with Lio, the B-52s, New Musik, and Jean-Paul Gaultier. Assistance from Steve Nye of Penguin Café Orchestra, Chris Mosdell, and Hideki Matsutake, who has computer programmed many of the greatest … Continue reading Yukihiro Takahashi – Neuromantic, 1981
In the spirit of the season, I wanted to share my favorite releases of the year. Not exhaustive, just some personal highlights. Happy holidays! Bryan Ferry – Boys and Girls, 1985 buy Cocteau Twins – Lorelei 12″, 1985 Francis Bebey – Akwaaba, 1985 buy / download Front 242 – No Comment, 1985 buy / download … Continue reading 15 Favorite Releases of 2015
cover image by whtebkgrnd We’re so excited to release this mix of experimental Japanese pop, up today on Self-Titled Mag. “This is a mix of Japanese pop songs, most of them with a synth funk backbone. The most exciting aspect of this era of music, though, is how unafraid these musicians were to push the … Continue reading [Mix for Self-Titled] OMG Japan: Rare & Experimental Japanese Pop
We’re psyched to share this gorgeous mix by John Also Bennett (Forma / Seabat). You can download it here. Enjoy! Tracklist: 1. Craig Leon – The Customs of the Age Disturbed 2. Hiroki Okano with Techno Mongoloid – Leela #2 (Excerpt) 3. Steve Roach — ???? (Excerpt) 4. Haruomi Hosono – Air Condition 5. Jean-Marie … Continue reading Guest Mix – Places I’d Rather Be
Another gem from the Yen Records treasure trove (Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi production, blah blah blah). Cheeky, unhurried, fairly minimal synth pop, with a dusting of tittering bleeps, bloops, and sleigh bells for dimension. Mostly dry and Disneyland plump, but of course nothing Hosono is quite what it seems. Après-Midi is far from simplistic–there … Continue reading Testpattern – Après-Midi, 1982