Diego Olivas
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First off, here’s a kind thank you to Eamonn for inviting me to Noods Radio to guest on his chOOn!! radio show. Not just a wonderful curator of great things, that aren’t just bleeding-edge, forgotten, or obscure, Eamonn also runs the equally inspiring reissue label (under the same name) featuring the groundbreaking work of artists…
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Each year, as February rolls around, I keep an eye out for certain songs that speak to that all-encompassing emotion we call “love”. You see, my favorite kind of song is the universal, archetypal one, one that expresses that word’s deep meaning (in all its glory and pain). With the backdrop of Russia’s reckless and…
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Surely, he must have known. That’s all I can think about when I listen to Katsuhiko Nakagawa’s memorial album, Again, Me… Released just months after his untimely death, this best-of collection served as a memory of a young artist who seemed just at the cusp of doing one other great step forward. It’s not often…
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Where does one even start with Anthony Wong? Know that what I’m picking from his diverse catalog is just a snapshot (perhaps my favorite of his, 1994’s 明明不是天使 (I’m No Angel)) of what continues to be a fascinating career and life. And for those that know him best (and better), this is just an introduction…
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‘Tokiko Kato’ – now that’s a name. A giant of Japanese folk music, it was Tokiko who in many ways was at the vanguard, transforming Shōwa era traditional ideas into more nebulous regions throughout her musical career. But what do you say when, supposedly, such an artist ages out of innovating? Do you put their…
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In this day and age, when there’s no lack of opinions, I go back to a few personal heroes. When I think about putting yourself out there, to think beyond borders and history, my mind goes back to Patty Pravo. One always goes back and wonders: What was going on in her mind when she…
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Image by No Translation Don’t ask me why but whenever I’m tasked to write about contemporary music, or receive a listening recommendation of a current artist, I have a certain practice. I like to go back and listen to the first track they’ve ever “officially” released and then listen to the last track of whatever…
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“Prince.” Now with that out of the way, can I focus on what I think is one of J-Soul’s least heralded and easily most slept-on albums: Shinji Harada’s Doing Wonders (ドゥーイング・ワンダース)? Before you think that all this blog likes to share is background music for taking a nap or studying, I’d like to let you…
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Brace yourselves, let’s see how far I can take this review of Javier Zuazu’s Cuaderno De Invierno (or A Winter Journal). What was this album? 50-odd minutes of Spanish New Age that hovers from impressionistic piano-led instrumentals and wonderfully, minimal, warm and tender ambient mood music. Throw in one gorgeous ballad and once again, I’m…
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Be honest. How many of you know someone (or are friends or acquaintances) with a certain somebody that in the way they act, the way they dress or think, seem not of this era? I keep thinking of this thought when I go back to Toshihiro Nakanishi’s music and this selection: You Make Me Blue.…
ambient art pop art rock balearic brazilian electro-acoustic england environmental music experimental fourth world Funk fusion japan jazz minimalist mpb neo-folk neoclassical new age walearic