If you’re like me, sometimes all it takes is one listen to feel that a certain album or artist should have made a bigger mark. When I listen to Yow Okazaki’s Damage, with its fusion of hip-hop, techno, ambient and French Pop-influenced acid jazz, I think: now here’s music that merits a certain introduction.
Damage was the collaborative debut of one-time model and actress, Yow Okazaki, and arranger, Takumi Iwasaki, who I wrote about (in what feels like eons ago). Featuring a kaleidoscopic amount of early ‘90s influences, Damage brought us close to the inspirations and aspirations of who many in Japan were pegging to be the next “big thing”.
Born on June 17, 1974, in Yamaguchi, Yow took a circuitous route to music. It was in Tokyo’s fashion runways and on commercials, movies and television shows that talent scouts sent Yow to express herself. In 1992, she made her big splash appearing in the film 喜多郎の十五少女漂流記 However, in her spare time, Yow would venture to cinemas developing her love of French cinema and music. At night, late night hangs at nightclubs and house parties introduced her to acid jazz and house music.
In due time, Yow absconded from her modeling career, pushing herself to take vocal lessons, hoping to become a singer herself. It wasn’t until Yow auditioned for Japanese record label, Pony Canyon, that others realized that she had the talent to pull off a creative renaissance.
It was Takumi Iwasaki who met with Yow and urged her to pursue all the influences she had fallen for. Working partly with lyricist Kanata Asamizu, Yow was encouraged to write in that polyglot way she heard music: part Japanese, part French, and part English. And rather than pursue the “cutesy”, lolita-esque, J-idol route taken by other models-turned-singers, Yow stuck to her guns and took a more “adult” route, honing in on cultivating a sexy and sophisticated sound and image.
When I listen to Damage I’m easily reminded of (friend of the blog) Noriko’s own troubles trying to find an audience for her work as POiSON GiRL FRiEND or earlier, when Yukako Hayase had to navigate similar uncharted waters. In 1995, no one quite knew what to do with a female musician trying to mix very personal writing with the more “impersonal” sound of digital pop music. Album opener, “私が欲しいなら” (If You Want Me) featuring pitch-perfect production by Japanese ambient dance group, Master Mind, gives you a taste of what Yow wanted to accomplish.
Over baggy, French house-influenced rhythms, Yow hovers between so many worlds, slotting over music that was of the same lineage that another like-minded artist, Björk, tapped into. It’s that larger world of new form “electronica” that informed songs like “淋しい唇” (Lonely Lips) as heard in arrangements Takumi made for Yow. The electro-reggae of “夜の瞳 ～Mes Yeux Du Soir～” (Eyes Of The Night) keeps the listener guessing – just what kind of surprises did Yow have for us?
The sultry New Jack Swing of “東京は恋のアジト” (Tokyo Is The Hideout Of Love) perfectly complements Yow’s impressive laidback vocalisms. Where other singers might be tempted to do too much…oversinging that is…Yow works to her strengths, rolling in sophisticated takes that fit her songs’ moods. When we hear the album’s single “突然、炎のごとく” (Jules Et Jim) bifork the record, one can sense where the label heads might have failed her. Someone unaware with the rest of the album might be forgiven into thinking that all you’ll hear from Yow is something approaching a Swing Out Sister release.
Damage’s strengths come in songs like “水の中の小さな太陽” (A Small Sun In The Water) that take risks with her vision. On such a track, Master Mind’s ambient production finds a way to live in Yow’s even more dramatic, personal lyricism. The lovely electro-reggae heard in bits of the album lands even more impressively on tracks like “子猫と宝石と…” (A Kitten And Jewels And…), a gorgeous sun-tinged love song that reminds me of Fishmans’s parallel sonic world.
As the album ends on the fantastically, bouncy, hip-hop-influenced “パリ発” (Departing From Paris), I have to apologize for not sharing more of her story. In our world where we think there is more of that story to glean somewhere else, some things to this day remain a mystery. And it seems, what little info we have from Yow comes through her music –- one pointing to future styles others would experiment with — and one that, in hindsight, others should have graced Yow with more string to play with.