japan
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Often, if possible, I make an effort to read original liner notes to any of the albums I share. I do so because, usually, it gives me an idea (or alludes to a certain sentiment) of what the original artist was trying to convey with their work. However, more often than not, other writers (much…
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One thing I love about conducting interviews is that these kinds of conversations always lead to new discoveries. It’s rare that I share a conversation with an artist I haven’t in some shape or form already introduced to you before. However, Makihiko Araki isn’t quite like any artist. As heard of Eiji’s wonderful mix for…
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Sometimes, it feels like all it takes is a blink to miss something important. I say this because just weeks ago, on Dec. 30, in between major holidays, news trickled out of the untimely death of a Japanese enka giant. It was Aki Yashiro – that mainstay of all sake-loving drinkers – who succumbed to…
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Tue, May 10, 2022, 10:46 AM – so many things seem improbable, but looking at this time stamp, this is one of those that will sit with me for a while. You see, it was over two years ago that I mustered up some courage to seek out Noriko Sekiguchi and see if she was interested…
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We all make decisions on what we share with others. Sometimes what we hide might run the gamut of what we feel comfortable expressing. However, in the case of virtuoso violinist Ikuko Kawai’s #2, I can’t understand why this album or the particular moment it was created in, appears as a mere footnote (which it…
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It seems one of the ongoing mantras for this blog is: “Spring where your seeds grow roots.” A perfect example of this mantra in action is the early career of Indonesian R&B and diva, Mellyana Manuhutu. And the perfect entry into a unique slice of dangdut can be found in her kaleidoscopic album, Beatify.
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Vibe with me for just a bit longer. As you can surmise, lately, I’ve been touching on a more universal kind of music. It’s this shift that’s letting me to revisit and share some of what I think has flown under the radar. And in today’s case, it’s Yoshimi Iwasaki’s daring and quite forward-thinking reemergence…
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When I wrote about Rie Miyazawa, I knew I’d have to come back to share another interesting side trip she’d take. In this case, it’s Rie’s work with Tadashi Namba and Takeshi Itoh on Tokyo Elevator Girl (東京エレベーターガール), a fascinating coda to her inspiring early ‘90s period, a soundtrack to Japanese TV drama of the…
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Do you know who I don’t envy? Pop stars. Out of all the careers or aspirations one can hold in the music business, none holds a candle to the sheer amount of stress, anxiety, work, and all-encompassing human problems that one will endure to simply make it as a pop artist. Rockers, jazz artists, and…
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Out of all the things I remember about my time in Japan, funny enough, one thing I can’t seem to forget is this: just how “French” so many things are. Walking down the street, shopping around, looking for a bite to eat (or just a place to relax), more often than not, you’re bound to…
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