japan
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Timing. Isn’t that what life’s all about? If you’re there at the right moment, it all works out. If you’re there late, you’re at someone else’s fate. If you’re there too early, all that effort might not be for naught. If you’re speaking about Japan’s Kusu Kusu (and their album, 世界が一番幸せな日 (Sekai Ga Ichiban Shiawase…
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There is no harder thing for a music reviewer to do than categorize music that’s, quite simply, uncategorizable. Especially so when it’s trying to pigeonhole or describe Chito Kawachi’s jaw-droppingly, unclassifiable 1993 debut, チトチック/クラクラ (CHITOTIHC/KULA-kura).
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Sometimes there isn’t any time better than the right time to share something. And in my case, it’s now or never, for East Pulse’s Asian Mirage, a fascinating curio or one-shot release by Japanese jazz flutist Toshiaki Yokota and multi-instrumentalist extraordinaire Chito Kawachi, who we’ll get around to later.
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Isn’t it always those late night thoughts that can push you to do something meaningful during your daylight hours? I say this because lately I’ve been ruminating on something: if ever this blog runs this course, I’d hate myself if I never took the time to document in some way those that had some way…
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You know, sometimes the hardest part is making a decision. And in my case, it’s selecting the crown jewel amongst so many diamonds. But the choice has been made. The choice is Toshinobu Kubota’s absolutely personal heartfelt ode to the Caribbean and its diaspora: Kubojah – Parallel World I.
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I know some have posted this question to me before: “How do you pick what to share on the site?” I wish the answer was easier than: “vibes”. Yet, sometimes it’s not even that. Sometimes, it could be something far more ordinary, and dare I say, less placeable. It could be just one song that,…
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Sometimes, I think we’re all in need of some kind of palette cleanser. At the cusp of summer, the urge is to find more in-between season music. It’s with this in mind, that I’m breaking one of my cardinal rules for this blog and choosing to cover music closer to our station in life. It’s…
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You know, there’s something strangely meditative about filling out a Discogs credit list. I find it so, because you feel like you contributed to artists getting their proper accreditation and also you getting a fuller picture of how something got made. So, when I finished populating Maria Kawamura’s 「春の夢」 – サンクタス – (or Spring Dream…
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While I was writing about “Korea’s Madonna”, mentally, my mind going elsewhere, as well, thinking about that other Madonna: the late, great, Minako Honda. Putting myself, mentally in their shoes, I kept thinking about how as a young woman (especially of that ‘80s era) all the nonsense they must have gone through to simply: a)…
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When I went about curating my latest mix for LYL Radio, a phrase kept guiding me forward: “atmosphere as culture”. If any of you are like me, I imagine one of your passions might be exploring how much music can drive culture and vice versa. Some of that urge to simply “dig deeper” might lead…
ambient art pop art rock balearic brazilian electro-acoustic england environmental music experimental folk-rock fourth world Funk fusion japan jazz minimalist neo-folk neoclassical new age walearic