HOT RELEASE 3/18 > GROUND – SYUIRO SEKI EP

OUT NOW on ‘MULTI CULTI’ 2024/03/18 > catalogue: MC073

A Tune ouT Tokyo ‘EP Release Feature’ by Fled Tokyo

GROUND has just released SYUIRO SEKI EP which is out now on THOMAS VON PARTY’s ‘MULTI CULTI’ LABEL based in Montreal, Canada. GROUND’s latest EP bursts through the Vernal Equinox in spirals of psychedelic dance funk calling out to magical creatures of all kinds and the people of the third eye.

GROUND – SYUIRO SEKI EP [ MULTI CULTI 073 ]

GROUND the OSAKA NATIVE is often found in Tokyo performing at WOMB and VENT. From his hometown in Osaka he launches countless releases on his label CHILL MOUNTAIN RECORDINGS.

And last August @ arkaoda Berlin was the CHILL MOUNTAIN REC TAKEOVER with none other than VOODOOHOP’s founder THOMASH.

THOMASH and GROUND

GROUND has soared to new heights from his performances at festivals from Agaitida in Okinawa, Japan to Goulash Disco in Croatia and to the Wonderfruit Festival in Thailand.

GROUND @ WONDERFRUIT FESTIVAL

GROUND is a gentle soul with deep roots in the music he produces and performs which cosmically aligns with the THOMAS VON PARTY’s MULTI CULTI mantra:

Music to trip to. Music to meditate on. Music to heal the world. Music to upgrade your DNA. Music to get your whole family dancing. Music to teach you. Music to live by. Music to die to. MUSIC TO MULTIPLY YOUR MIND.

THOMAS VON PARTY / MULTI CULTI

SYUIRO SEKI is a 4 track EP straight out of GROUND’s psyche and into ours!

Here’s the SYUIRO SEKI EP track-by-track breakdown by Tune ouT Tokyo:

The EP’s 1st track ‘NANAKOROBI TOOKI’ winds up the intricate gears of our cuckoo clocks with loose rattling parts accompanied by the pendulum which paddles the kicks until the hour strikes to which opens the little wooden door to GROUND’s inner world.

The EP’s 2nd track ‘SYUIRO SEKI‘ lets loose the introspective funk, the looping gospel vocals, and the euphoric strings. The master sets his fine tools upon loose gears by fastening most, but not all of these bolts to their origins.

The EP’s 3rd track ‘JOSYO KIRYUNI NOTTE‘ is pure hypnosis as we watch the clock hands accelerate into a spiral which becomes focused on a pinhole from which visual sounds emanate such as fused jazz, bongos, congos, a dizzy riser, and a questioning vocal everyone asks themselves sometimes.

The EP’s 4th and final track ‘MYOJONO YUKUE‘ is a high sprung yet delicate saikederikku train ride. The master is now meditating steadfast on one clock gear in search of perfect equilibrium in tone and movement while the rest of the gears gyrate and wobble in a symphony of imperfect balance and pure bliss. And yes he’s on the train with us (:

Welcome aboard the unlimited express of GROUND‘s spiral radiance into the breathing universe.

OUT NOW ON BANDCAMP:

GROUND – SYUIRO SEKI EP

MULTI CULTI – 2024/03/18 – Digital Release MC073

ground-dj.bandcamp.com/album/syuiro-seki

Tune ouT Tokyo thanks GROUND, THOMAS VON PARTY @ MULTI CULTI.

A Tune ouT Tokyo ‘EP Release Feature’ by Fled Tokyo

JAI WIDDOWSON-JONES TOKYO INTERVIEW 1/27

by Fled @ TTT / Tune ouT Tokyo

JAI’s influences from J Dilla to Nujabes

and many more including the Oscar Peterson Trio

A life-changing email from Roc Nation that wasn’t spam

so no disrespect!

JAI’s prediction on Jay-z sampling ‘Late Nights and Heartbreak’

that was heavily sampled for Jay-z’s hit ‘4:44’

Jam sessions with Fabian Yusuke of the Minnesota Voodoo Men

@ Voodoo Studios in Asagaya

Japan inspired to start writing his 1st solo record

after years of collaborations and a surge of prolific ideas

JAI’s final show @ Or Miyashita Park 2F Wednesday 1/31 20:00

live percussion + DJ set / Grateful Fled / A Tune ouT Tokyo Production

EARLY BIRD TICKETS << ZAIKO >> LINK BELO

Tune ouT Tokyo presents Grammy nominated JAI WIDDOWSON-JONES who is Oxford born and now based in New York City. He travels the world not only for collaborations, but to fuse music from cultures worlds apart. JAI is so inspired by Japan that he landed on her shores to write his 1st solo record.

JAI WIDDOWSON-JONES TOKYO INTERVIEW

:FLED / TUNE OUT TOKYO

Tune ouT Tokyo presents JAI WIDDOWSON-JONES TOKYO INTERVIEW here @ Or Tokyo Miashita Park Complex in Shibuya. Welcome JAI.

JAI WIDDOWSON-JONES:

Thank you very much for having me.

Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule and maybe you’re leaving next week?

As far as I’m aware I’m leaving next week. As, yeah, my life is all a little bit last minute, always, which I love. So yeah.

I hear you’re from Oxford, or Bristol was it?

Yeah, I’m from Oxford, but I have an apartment in Bristol.

But, you’re New York City based now?

Yeah, yeah, New York City based.

You’re also a world traveling a professional drummer?

Yes.

Who are the artists that influenced you to make you the musician you are today?

Yeah. I would say some of the most prevalent artists in my life include Bob Dylan, Jimmy Hendrix…those two I kind of see as one in the same right, I think Jimmy Hendrix was a massive lover of Bob Dylan, J Dilla, Jeff Buckley.

Also, the Oscar Peterson Trio, probably my favorite band of all time. When I first heard them, I was like “Oh my God, yeah, Canada’s finest”. Yeah, yeah, those are probably my biggest influences in general. Yeah, things I could listen to forever, forever. 

So you had a life-changing experience when you had a phone call from Roc Nation requesting permission for a sample for Jay-z?

So basically I was I was playing with a soul band and we had a show in Paris and we had only just released our album, like literally been out for, like two months or something, and we played the show in Paris and because we were based in England, we just drove to Paris, did the show, slept for like a couple of hours and then drove back. So I was driving back from Paris…having kind of just a bit of a mental journey and I arrived back at the place I was staying. I looked at my phone and I saw an email from Roc Nation. 

And at the time I had forgotten like what Roc Nation was. I just sort of because I used to manage a band of theirs, so I used to get like spam emails quite a lot and that’s how it looked like it was written, this is no disrespect, but it was written in such a formal way that my first immediate reaction was, this is like just some email spam because it was like: “Hello, please, may we have your number so we can call you. Thank you, Courtney at Roc Nation”.

And luckily, my friend who I was with at the time, I showed him and he was like dude Roc Nation is Jay-z’s record label, and I was like, “Ah, okay, that’s why I know Roc Nation”. So then I replied to the email saying: “Oh yeah, here’s my number. And then I went to sleep and I woke up about four hours later to an L.A. number calling me so of course I answered, and it was Jay Brown who is the co-owner of Roc Nation and Jay-z’s manager. And he basically just asked, you know: “Is this? You know the band that you manage?” and I said “Yes as a manager, play drums in it”, and he said “Okay cool, we would love to use your song ‘Late Nights and Heartbreak’”.

The band is called Hannah Williams & the Affirmations and he wanted to use the song ‘Late Nights and Heartbreak’ and he said “Oh yeah, Jay-z’s got his last ever album coming out. It’s top secret, but we really want to sample this song” and I said “Yeah, that’s fine, it sounds dope. I’ll put you in touch with our lawyers”, so then I put them in touch with our lawyers and they did their thing and it came about.

But you know what’s crazy about that whole story, which I only remembered like recently, I predicted that was going to happen and I’ve talked about this on a few interviews before about how it happened, but I always forget to mention this fact. 

This is the first time I’ll be explaining the fact that I actually predicted that that would happen. When I joined that soul band in 2014, my brother Django who’s an incredible tastemaker, he always knows what’s going to be popular years before it is.  We were talking and he was kind of like “Why are you playing soul music? You know, you grew up on like rock and hip hop and stuff” and I was like “I don’t know, man, I just fell into it” and I said “I tell you one thing I do know about this record though, Jay-z’s going to sample it.” I said that in 2014, I said “Jay-z’s going to sample it”.

And in my brain, at the time, I thought they were. I just kind of knew it was going to happen and I thought they were going to sample like one of the drum breaks or whatever. So I didn’t know exactly how it was going to happen. But I knew that Jay-z was going to sample it and I called it. And then three years later it happened.

So hold on a second, so you get a call from Roc Nation, only the lawyer hears the song over the phone, and then the lawyers butt head for three months.

Yeah, they do their thing.

Then all of a sudden you see the 4:44 billboards in cities around the world, and then on top of that, you still haven’t heard the song yep, finally it comes out you have to download Tidal to hear it for the first time.

That’s funny technically yes, but even before that I remember I don’t remember their name, but these two guys had a YouTube channel where they like react to music and they were like up at midnight and they posted, they like listened to that album and posted themselves listening to it in full length like almost just as the album dropped. So when I woke up that the morning it was June 30th, 2017 maybe around then, June 30th…July 1st, I forget, but it was one of those, the mornings of one of those days and this YouTube channel had gone live.

So the first time I heard the song was through someone else’s YouTube channel, watching them react to it because that was the easiest way to get to it. And then afterwards, yeah, I download Tidal and me and all the band, we listened together.

So what was your reaction? What were your thoughts that first time?

I thought it was sick, really cool. やばいね because I was like, I knew that it was going to be a large sample because our label boss had said it’s a huge sample, it’s because usually your sample they’ll 10-12 seconds or whatever the same thing over and over. But our thing they basically like took our song the same structure and then essentially just like underlaid some extra 808 and kicks on top of my drum so that they kind of fused together. And then Jay-z just did his rap on top and then they looped Hannah, the singer, doing the main hook a bunch of times.

But it basically has almost the exact same like ebb and flow as our track. So it was kind of a weird listening experience as a music fan too, knowing both songs because it’s not a cover, but it feels so close to a cover. You know what I mean, so I was like “whoa”, I was proud.

It was a big hit for him…

Huge hit. It was like the song of the summer. Yeah. I think it was nominated for a Grammy and I think did we? I forget if it was that year or I think we lost to like Despacito or something like that, but I was like “Well we were nominated, so yeah”.

So your Grammy nominated. That led to a tour including my country (Canada) the Montreal Jazz Festival, Central Park SummerStage, North Sea Jazz and, of course, your first time performing in Japan at the Blue Note Tokyo in 2018.

So my question to you…did you fall in love with Japan right away?

Definitely, yes, 100 percent. I was kind of already in love with the idea of Japan before, because I’ve grown up playing video games and just kind of like loving it. I very quickly got into Nujabes and a lot of I don’t know a lot of Japanese music.  But I had never been here, but I knew I liked the idea of the bright lights of Tokyo and the kind of deep countryside of the rest of Japan. And so when I got here I tried to see as much of it as I could. And a quick side note I found out the results of the Grammy nomination as soon as I landed in Tokyo.

So I always think about that moment of landing in Tokyo for the first time and checking my phone to see whether we won the Grammy or not, which we didn’t. But it was still a good feeling. But yeah, I had a very, very strong affiliation to Japan before I got here because of growing up yeah, playing video games and stuff. And then of course, when I got here, my love with the country started for real.

What has stuck out for you the most about Japanese musical culture?

Fusion. Japan is all about fusion, like as a country Japan is. You know, I haven’t traveled too much in the east of the world as you want to call it, but Japan feels to me very like East and West together and yet I think a lot of my cultural learnings about Japan have been how everything is like together. People kind of want to work together on things and collaborate on things and fuse everything together.

So musically speaking, like culturally speaking, there’s so much fusion going on within like hip hop and within dance music, within jazz, you know, there’s there almost like there are no boundaries with genre. Every time I do a DJ set, everyone, because I’m quite an eclectic person, people always in Japan always say “Yeah, do whatever genre you want”.

You know, the set we did together. I did a million different genres, you know, and people love that here. So that’s one thing I love about Japanese music culture, it’s just fusion, fusion, all over, yeah, amazing.

JAI WIDDOWSON-JONES with TODD TERRY and AFRIKA BABY BAM / NYC / PHOTO COURTESY OF JAI WIDDOWSON-JONES

So the second time you came to Japan was last year for a tour with Africa Baby Bam from the Jungle Brothers in New York City whom you produced as well. This third time around you did a DJ set with Japanese rap legend Robochu. You have a deep hip hop connection here in Japan.

Can you tell us more about it?

Yeah, sure, well again, so when I first started, one of the first albums I got really into was The Shining by J Dilla. And if when you get into J Dilla, it doesn’t take long to get into Nujabes because they’re so similar and they’re often referred to as the pioneers of a certain style of hip hop and from Nujabes, kind of backwards, I kind of started looking into a lot more of like Japanese hip hop and the fusion of.

And when I got here with Afrika (Baby Bam), of course, he’s quite well known because of the Jungle Brothers, so I met a bunch of people from the album we made and just we did some shows together. You know you just network and you meet people. And then because I’m a producer and beat maker myself, of course, it’s very natural for me and rappers and stuff to be like “Oh, yeah, let’s collaborate”. So I’ve just, yeah, just met a bunch of different people from around the the Japanese hip hop scene.

I know I’ve met some of the guys from BAD HOP. I met some of the guys from Gagle, some of these crews, a couple more crews around Tokyo and stuff. And yeah, it’s just like there’s just so many people doing really good things here in Tokyo right now. It feels like a really good time to be collaborating on stuff.

And because I travel a lot. I have sometimes people who want to work with me because they want something that sounds a bit British or something that sounds a bit like New York. Or if I’m in New York or England, they want something that sounds a bit Japanese because I’ve traveled extensively through in all these places. So I find it myself well suited to like collaborate with people and fuse different parts together myself.

And what about crossover have many Japanese artists gone to where you were in New York or in the UK and done collaboration work at all?

I’ve met way more people here in Tokyo that have hung out in New York than I have in like London, say…certainly not Bristol. Bristol’s not a particularly well-known place. It’s quite a chill place. So I haven’t met many people that have kind of hung out there. But a lot of Tokyo people who have kind of been to New York and either found inspiration there or lived there for a while, DJing and collaborating with people.

But I don’t know too many people who are kind of doing the New York-Tokyo thing. You recently interviewed someone who was doing the New York Tokyo thing right!

Alice Iguchi.

Yeah, there you go, yeah, so there are some people like, who are kind of across both sides of the pond. But yeah, because Tokyo and New York is such similar cities. I think it makes sense. You know, if you’re a real city person and you like that lifestyle, I can understand why both New York and Tokyo would suit you.

It’s definitely, I think, a deep appreciation between both cities.

Yeah, especially as in hip hop, Tokyo’s kind of hip hop scene now reminds me of, I wasn’t there, but what I perceived New York’s hip hop scene to be kind of like 15, 10-15 years ago in terms of the thing, the way I hear how the beats sound, where it’s going. Because New York now is kind of on a little bit of a…I don’t know, some of the stuff like Ice Spice, for example, who’s huge in New York. She reminds me a lot of British grime music that I grew up listening to, you know, and I feel like that’s made its way to New York, but it hasn’t made its way over here like in Tokyo.

People are, I don’t know, everyone seems to be kind of quite like, maybe like Nas influenced or a Tribe Called Quest influenced, you know. And so too is kind of bringing its own really nice version of that. Now here in hip hop. Again, I think in terms of beats, right, so what I’m talking, you know, I’m talking about how the beats sound.

It’s important to note. So currently this is your third time in Japan. We met at Koara, it’s actually my longest residency at nine years day for Test Press, it was really a great pleasure to meet you. Of course, you played a classic 2000s hip hop set which was really amazing. Also you played Counter Club, you played an afrohouse set there. You did WREP with the bongos or congos that…

So that was with Africa Baby Bam. We actually, yeah, we premiered last April, I think we did..we just received the master for one of our tracks that we made. So we premiered it at that show. We premiered the instrumental and (Africa Baby) Bam got up on the table and performed it. And then we kind of went into, because he’s eclectic like me, a set that was hip hop. It was little bit dance music, there was some Cumbia in there, I was playing bongos, you know he was rapping, it was great. It’s on Instagram, there’s some videos of it. So yeah WREP was good. Yeah, I’ve done a bunch of DJ sets all over Tokyo.

Including DJ Bar Bridge.

Yeah love that one.

So what was the most memorable set?

Ooohhhh, they’ve all been so good. Meeting you guys at Koara was so fun. I really enjoyed that. And then Counter Club also so many nice people.

I think of all of the sets I’ve done in Tokyo, I’d say WREP is probably the most memorable because it was the first one because up until then we were doing live shows. but that was when we were like, let’s do just a DJ show. And so that was the first one. And I think also at that time I was still a little bit jet lagged. So it was that thing where you just roll into it and it just happens in front of you. It was great.

You also did a jam session with who’s a Fabian Yusuke? The Minnesota Voodoo Men? So how did that come about?

So the Minnesota Voodoo Men are my favorite Japanese band. They’re so, so good.

They’re very similar in style to like the garage rock sounds…do you know the 5.6.7.8’s? They’re featured in Kill Bill, that they’re kind of…I think that even the Minnesota Voodoo Men maybe even released on the same label or something, but they do garage rock, but it’s American, it’s kind of American and a little bit British in its delivery, but it’s also very Japanese in it’s style. They have these really beautifully tailored Japanese suits and some of the lyrics are in Japanese too and they just they just perform with so much like vigor, yeah, I love them. All I could say is you have to go check them out live.

So Fabian Yusuke yeah, Fabian Yusuke is the leader of that band. He’s not the lead singer, but it’s kind of his project and well I was introduced to him because he also played guitar with me and Africa Baby Bam when we did some live shows around Japan last year and so Fabian and I, I call him Yusuke, Yusuke and I worked closely to make the grooves as tight as possible because it’s kind of very different to the garage rock kind of style. It’s more like you know, like following the metronome and making it sure (Afrika Baby) Bam’s got exactly what he needs to perform.

So Fabian Yusuke and I developed a very nice musical connection through that and then just a great friendship and now we’re just best friends collaborating on a bunch of different things.

Any other jam sessions you can tell us about in Japan?

Yeah, yeah, there’s a couple that come to my mind, late night after hours jam sessions in Asagaya where it’s like a mixture of like a few of us will be DJing and then I’ll get out some congos or I know a few people in Koenji and we have like a bit of artistic (scene there), some rockers and kind of a mishmash of like Tokyo, like the rock scene and the hip hop scene, electronic music scene and like painters.

So we’ve had a few late night jams at like 4:00 in the morning in Koenji and Asagaya where we’ve just kind of everyone’s just been collaborating together like that. It’s been dope! And of course, Yusuke’s studio which is called Voodoo Studios in Asagaya, we’ve had a bunch of jam sessions there. We’re actually doing one later tonight.

Nice. So it seems like you’re pretty open doing jam sessions.

If someone were able to contact you, you’d probably be able to do it.

Yeah, just when you’re a drummer, you could jam on anything you know as it as long it, the song requires drums, you can work it out yeah.

So you’d be open doing jam sessions with different people?

Definitely!

There you go Tokyo. I’ll get that. Translated quickly.

What about any dream jam sessions or any dream collaborations in Japan, who comes to mind for that?

Well, I mean, you know, if I could do it, I’d love to, I’m going to butcher the pronunciation, but Shing02 is the rapper that did some stuff with Nujabes and he’s a Japanese rapper, and he did the soundtrack to ‘Samurai Champloo’ I think it’s called. It’s an anime, I think it’s Japanese American anime from back-in-the-day.

Shing02 was the rapper on that and I just think, I really like his delivery style because to me it sounds like the perfect midpoint between like American Boom Bap and like J-Rap. And so I’d love to collaborate with him on some stuff. So if you see this, I got some beats for you Shing02. お願いします！

Yeah, yeah, and I know some people who know him, so maybe we can make it happen.

Do you have any performances remaining between now and let’s say next Tuesday of next week? Or is it just closed recordings?

Yes. I have a closed recording session in Osaka, which we leave for tomorrow. And then it’s kind of just, I think the rest of it just kind of enjoying my last week and a bit in Tokyo, yeah, between now and Tuesday.

But of course we’ll have a goodbye party for you here in Tokyo @ Or Tokyo with JAI himself doing a live performance, as well as DJing and I’ll be his back-up on this one. Right upstairs on the second floor of Or Tokyo. We’ll start at eight and we’ll end it about midnight, so everyone can catch your last train.

Yeah, exactly.

The final question so you are artistic life flows in parallel. So you’re a musician, you’re a drummer, you’re a producer, you’re a DJ, but also you’re heading into a solo career. 

You were actually so inspired, so much by Japan, you came this third time to write your first solo record. Can you tell us a little bit about that?

Yeah, that was so funny, it actually happened by accident. I was in New York and I was working on some stuff, and I wrapped up what I was doing in kind of yet mid-November time in New York and I was like, I’m kind of like, well, what shall I do next? I kind of want to stay on the road a little bit. So then I booked a flight to Tokyo, and when I got here I had a couple of things with some…I want to say clients, but I mean friends of mine around the world, and I kind of had to wrap them up, but things that I could do remotely, my finishing mixes or whatever.

So I finished them and then I just kind of, that was within my first week of being in Japan, and then I kind of let the dust settle in Asagaya and felt so calm. And then I was like again, because I don’t speak Japanese, I kind of…my head was kind of a bit clear, I couldn’t really communicate too much with everyone around me and I was like feeling really positive.

So then I just started picked up a guitar, started writing and then these songs just started coming to me and I was like great. So then I began the slow process of making my first record for me because I’m always making for other people and with other people, and I love that, but of course I have to be quite prolific in order to do that.

So when you’re prolific, you have a lot of ideas. And sometimes you have so many ideas that only one of, say you write four things, only one of them is the right thing for that person. And then you look at the other three, and I’m like “Oh, that one’s good for me”, so I’ve started doing that.

So, yes, I have no idea when it’ll be finished or released, but I have three songs written for me to sing and my voice is terrible, but auto-tune exists so we’re good.

Yeah, but it seems like you’re heading that direction in a very strong way this year.

Yes, see it feels good, I feel really good about it, I can’t wait to eventually share it with people, but I’m also not putting myself under any kind of time pressure because one thing I learned in Japan is like high quality stuff takes time and energy you know. And so I’m trying to take that with me into my own project.

Yeah, I’m sure it’ll take a kind of nature of its own and flow on it’s way.

Yeah perfectly.

Alright that it’s. JAI thank you so much.

Thank you very much.

Fled from Tune ouT Tokyo thanks JAI of course, ABI, and the venue here at Or Tokyo.

And once again don’t forget JAI’s farewell party in Tokyo.Yeah, here at Or Tokyo on the second floor. So yeah, come on down and check it out.

Yeah, Wednesday January 31st.

For a live percussion set and a DJ set with JAI himself and yours truly.

お願いします！

お願いします！

ありがとうございます！

どうもありがとうございました！

Cool, yeah, baby! Yeah nice! 

JAI WIDDOWSON-JONES << 8pm-12am >> Sayonara Japan @ Or Miyashita Park 1/31

EVENT: Sayonara Japan – Final Show @ Or Tokyo, Wednesday, January 31st, 2024 open 20:00~

EARLY BIRD TICKETS: ZAIKO and EVENTBEE

JAI BOOKINGS WORLDWIDE: [email protected]

INTERVIEWER: Fled Tokyo / TTT / Tune ouT Tokyo

Tune ouT Tokyo thanks JAI, ABI & OR TOKYO – XOXOXO

ALICE IGUCHI TOKYO INTERVIEW 1/11

by Fled @ TTT / Tune ouT Tokyo

Tune ouT Tokyo presents it’s 1st interview of 2024 with ALICE IGUCHI, Tokyo born-and-raised, now based in New York City since 2017.

N.Y.C. is where ALICE IGUCHI found her new sense of belonging in the underground electronic scene. Since then, sharing music as been her new international language of choice driven with her colorful fusion of sounds.

ALICE IGUCHI performs on continental America, Europe, & Asia where she gets her ‘inspiration‘ from North American diversity & cultural freedom, European dancentric culture, her performances across the globe from Burning Man to WOMB and by KEN’s vision for his SelVa “jungle party on the dance floor” experience this Saturday, January 13th @ WOMB in Tokyo.

ALICE IGUCHI graces the main room of WOMB this Saturday, January 13th for the SelVa 2nd ANNIVERSARY with an opening set 11pm-1am. Get your advanced tickets from the WOMB link interview end!

ALICE IGUCHI TOKYO INTERVIEW > > > > > > >

:FLED @ TUNE OUT TOKYO

In your Tokyo teenage years your were a guitarist in a rock band. Now based in New York City, you perform melodic house & techno worldwide.

What brought you into a life of music and later dance music?

ALICE IGUCHI:

I remember growing up listening to US pop and jazz music in my dad’s car since I was little, now thinking back I think that was the start of my music journey.  In my early teenage years I used to go to rental video store in my neighborhood every week to rent a bunch of UK & US rock / pop CDs to find new music.  I was always fascinated by western music culture while everyone around me in the school was into J-POP.

Also, I was discovering more electronic infused sound while I was in college such as Massive Attack, Radiohead, Sbtrkt, Thievery Corporation.

The moment when I recognized ‘House music’ for the first time, I just fell in love. The track I heard was ‘L.O.V.E.’ from Motor City Drum Ensemble, I still remember the moment I was asking so many questions to my friend who showed me this track, like ‘what is this music? Do you know more of this kind of music?!’. 

What inspired you to move to N.Y.C. in 2017?

What inspired me to move to N.Y.C.– was when I saw how people were expressing themselves so freely– through art, fashion, music… you can feel that just walking by the street.

It was also mind blowing for me to see how diverse this city was, including people. I never felt so accepted growing up in Tokyo, we are always taught how to be the same & fit in the society, it makes you feel insecure otherwise. When I realized that was not the only way to live in this world, I just decided to move. It felt like this city accepted me as who I am.

As a N.Y.C. based international DJ, were you able to make a big initial splash paving your way easily or did you work your way through some up-and-downs?

I am not sure if there was ‘a big splash’ after I started DJing, it felt like more gradual, started from playing for friend’s house parties to playing at small music bars and opening small events. After a couple of years in I was invited to do a residency at ‘Do Not Sit On The Furniture’ in Miami, & after that it gave me many opportunities to play for more shows, playing for festivals like Miami music week, Art Basel and Elements festival.

It has been 7 years since I started playing music in this electronic music scene in N.Y.C. and I strongly believe in us as DJs, or any other artists to take time for the process of achieving especially what you want & even enjoying the struggles on the way.

Very few people speak Japanese in the U.S. so you were immersed in this foreign language.  New Yorkers are also known for their strong accent laced with street slang which is tough to understand by other English speakers.

Was English something you spoke fluently before going to N.Y.C. or did you learn over there?

After I left college, I went to a language school in The Philippines. I was always dreaming about traveling abroad & see the world outside of Japan. When I met one of my friends from college who went to a language school there for a couple of months he came back as an English speaker– surprisingly. I was able to achieve a good fundamental English after being in the school for 3 months.

But of course, I had some struggles in N.Y.C. as there are so many people with different accents from all over the world which then took me over a year to fully understand & being able to have deep conversation. I was putting out myself in the non-japanese communities & I think that has helped me a lot.

One of my good friends from the music community told me after a few years I moved there, when we first met and talked for over an hour in this boat party, he couldn’t understand 70% of the things I was talking! LOL

Were your language abilities a big factor to establish yourself in America?

The very basic English skill is definitely important, maybe it is a big factor to establish & express yourself.

But more importantly, your courage to put yourself in those places, the willingness to express yourself, & not being afraid of communicating with the English speakers. That is the biggest factor to survive in the foreign countries & establish yourself there.

You certainly have your feet wet on both sides of “the pond” crossing the Pacific Ocean with American culture on one-side & Japanese culture on the other. They align to some degree & clash in many other ways.

In terms of the dance music scene in America, what do you appreciate about it?

First, I have a big appreciation for the diversity of electronic music. I was exposed to so many different kind of house / techno since I moved there–

There is a history how the electronic music came to our lives, starting from Detroit techno & Chicago house, then how it integrated in N.Y.C.– as I knew more I fell in love more.

I also appreciate how big this music scene is, there is so much big electronic music happening in the U.S., being able to find new artists, sound, trends.. it is never ending fun as a music lover.

What change, if any, would you like to see over in America?

Personally, I would love to see more artists from Asia. It feels like the scene in the U.S. or other asian countries doesn’t have much import and export in music.

I have seen so many great local artists all over the world and I hope there will be more opportunities to exchange the artists all over the world.

Last December you attended the perennial global-gathering Wonderfruit Festival in Thailand.

Was that your first Wonderfruit Festival experience?

Yes! It was my first Wonderfruit Festival experience & I absolutely loved it! It was also my first festival I attended in Asia.

I was amazed how clean & well designed the festival was. There was this pretty market section where you are able to buy some great organic products, drinks or art from local stores from Chiang Mai, it was one of my favorite experiences there!

What are some Wonderfruit Festival memories that still resonate with you to?

I had an opportunity to play with one of the resident DJs from the Polygon stage in Tokyo in June and that was one of the reasons I made it to the festival this year– through connecting with their team which gave me the reason to go to Wonderfruit Festival & see their beautiful stage this year.

Experiencing their beautiful sound system & their music creation was definitely something & it still gives me chills– especially the last night closing b2b set from Viken Arman + Acid Pauli.

Viken Arman + Acid Pauli played ‘One Love’ from Bob Marley in the end, all the people on the entire stage & dance floor were singing the song together– the song didn’t leave my head for a week! Haha–

Seeing this Polygon crew from London putting so much effort to create this outstanding high technology stage in Asia, I could say it is not easy work, but seeing their passion & dedication was something that really inspired & resonated with me. Anything we can imagine is possible to make it real.

When you perform in Europe, but you also attend other events & festivals such as the Garbicz Festival & other festivals & renowned clubs.

How inspirational are they to you as an artist?

Experiencing the music scene in Europe has been taking a big part of my inspiration in the last couple of years.

After I have played for Sisyphos event in NYC, I had opportunities to play at their well known club in Berlin in the last two summers. It was eye opening experience for me, no one is taking photos, everyone is just into dancing, 3-days of non stopping music on the weekend– I saw how the electronic music was deeply rooting in their culture.

The ticket prices for events and festival are inexpensive, felt like it was welcoming everyone despite your income level. I mean, I realized that is how the music should be! 

Do you embody any of this inspiration to grow as an artist?

Attending two festivals last summer reminded me how I loved music to the core. Everyone in the festivals were happy, enjoying the moment– it was beautiful to witness that.

I was also surprised with the level of music creation & the quality of the sound systems. Seeing all of those great artists play inspired me to be better, making more effort to polish my skills as a DJ & also how to be able to express myself more through music.

From wonder fruit to washoku.  Many Japanese miss their sublime subtle flavors & high quality standards of Japanese ‘washoku’ cuisine.

Since living in N.Y.C. what Japanese foods do you crave?

Hmm… the first few years in N.Y.C. I was always craving for some grilled fish in the morning! Also a good ramen place that opens after 11pm which doesn’t exist in N.Y.C..

Why no one wants to eat ramen after drinking? People eat pizzas after clubbing, but it does not replace a good ramen.

Are you able to satisfy (this craving) or any of these cravings in N.Y.C.?

After 9 years of living in NY, I am pretty OK with the food there now. There are more & more great quality Japanese restaurants in Brooklyn where I live.

Some uni (sea urchin roe) from the state of Maine is better than the ones I eat in Japan sometimes. I wouldn’t complain much besides the fact all of the Japanese food you get here costs 3 times more.

What Japanese restaurants or supermarkets do you recommend in N.Y.C?

I have been going to Osakana Fish Market which is located in Brooklyn & Manhattan, where you can buy high quality sushi grade fish & great fish.

I also like Mr. Taka & Chuko when I crave for ramen.

For a Japanese supermarket– there are actually tons all over the city! All of them are pretty good, but I go to the Tenichi Market in Williamsburg, they have some huge selection of everything.

Fantasy question time:  if you could organize an annual party in Tokyo with guests from America, or the world, who would you invite to the 1st event?

That is a fun question! haha–

I would LOVE to invite Recondite, I have been a big fan of his music for many years.

KEN is the mastermind behind both the SelVa & the Bump events @ Womb.  You’ve been a regular main stage guest, both events, since the Bump Christmas Party in 2020.

What makes KEN’s events so special for you?

He has a very specific & very different music taste from everyone I met in Japan. I believe he learned from the years of his passion for following electronic music & festivals all over the world. Bringing this ‘different sound’ & the new concept to Tokyo is something– it is sensational & that is something very special.

I admire KEN’s vision & passion for sharing something new to the music scene in Japan. Every event I played from both of his events are always very special in my heart, I am very grateful to be part of KEN’s production and journey!

Back to the near-future, specifically this weekend in Tokyo @ KEN’s 1st event of 2024 the SelVa 2nd ANNIVERSARY: Saturday, January 13th @ WOMB with DJ/producers extraordinaire Guy Gerber & Moscoman.

On the international stage, what is it like to perform with international DJs from around the world?

Always very exciting to see the artists I respect in the different parts of the world! Seeing them bringing slightly different music selections is always fun to watch too.

Any advice for the up-and-coming DJs in Japan who are thinking of jumping “the Pond” and going overseas to pursue their dreams?

Hmm any advise.. as I am still on this journey of growing, I don’t know if I could give the best advise, but something I can say is music & art is a universal language.

Music is meant to be shared. Believe in your potential & the dream you have, playing outside of your comfort zone can be scary, but at the same time incredibly exciting to connect with the world. Enjoy the process & go enjoy sharing what you have.

ALICE IGUCHI <<< main room 11pm-1am >>> SelVa 2nd ANNIVERSARY @ WOMB

Finally what time this Saturday is your set at the SelVa party in the main room of Womb?

I am playing 11pm-1am, opening the main room for these very talented producers MOSCOMAN & GUY GERBER. And GUY GERBER is very well known as the creator of the Rumors event series in Ibiza or Miami.

It is going to be a special fun event @ WOMB!

ALICE IGUCHI <<< main room 11pm-1am >>> SelVa 2nd ANNIVERSARY @ WOMB

INTERVIEWER: Fled Tokyo @ T.T.T. / Tune ouT Tokyo

EVENT: SelVa @ WOMB, Tokyo – Saturday, January 13th, 2024

BOOKINGS WORLDWIDE: [email protected]

ADVANCE TICKETS: WOMB

Tune ouT Tokyo thanks ALICE IGUCHI, KEN @ SelVA & WOMB – XOXOXO

HOT VINYL RELEASE 1/19 > KASPER BJORKE / EL AGUA ES PROFUNDA > NIGHT SOUL EP

KASPER BJORKE / EL AGUA ES PROFUNDA – NIGHT SOUL EP

MULE MUSIQ RELEASE 289 + vinyl distribution by KOMPAKT > January 19, 2023

In short, this NIGHT SOUL release is the collaboration of two highly musically spirited and gifted Danes KASPER BJORKE and EL AGUA ES PROFUNDA on TOSHIYA KAWASAKI’s MULE MUSIQ label with future vinyl distribution by KOMPAKT from 2024/1/19.

KASPER BJORKE / EL AGUA ES PROFUNDA – NIGHT SOUL EP > MULE MUSIQ RELEASE #289 > VINYL DISTROBUTION 1/19 KOMPAKT

In detail, KASPER is the eclectic producer who finds himself on a wide range of labels such as Kompakt, Live At Robert Johnson, Permanent Vacation, hfn Music, Eskimo, Compost, Longform Editions, and Correspondant. KASPER is also the romantic DJ emanating golden shine from behind the decks of Panorama Bar (Berghain), Rex Club, Robert Johnson, Fabric, and bygone Ageha, and to this day he continues weaving his DNA magic throughout the vast reaches of the electronic soundscape. His golden blazing and gleaming smiling collaborator EL AGUA ES PROFUNDA aka JACOB FUNCH is a live band musician, producer, label owner, and guitarist known from the trio ‘Late Great Fitzcarraldos’ as well as his other band ‘I Got You On Tape’.

KASPER and JACOB first crossed paths when KASPER was working as an A&R scout at Fake Diamonds Records and signed JACOB’s trio band ‘Late Great Fitzcarraldos’ for their debut release.

Since then they’ve kept in touch and now bring us their 1st collaboration NIGHT SOUL which was released digitally on TOSHIYA KAWASAKI’s MULE MUSIQ early this month with a New Year vinyl distribution by KOMPAKT from January 19th 2024.

A MULE MUSIQ RELEASE (DIGITAL + TRACK 5 ‘SABRINA’) / CATALOGUE #289

KOMPAKT VINYL DISTRIBUTION STARTS 2024/1/19

The NIGHT SOUL cover art is by the renowned STEFAN MARX depicting cats, who inspired by his spring visit to Tokyo, gifted the world an ongoing series of 2 books based upon his 360 degree drawings Leporello of Yoyogi Park and Komazawa Park out on A-GENT TOKYO. KAWASAKI-san has repurposed it as his CATS CATS CATS flyer for his year end event @ MITSUKI on Saturday 12/30.

As per NIGHT SOUL’s track audio layout, KASPER and EL AGUA ES PROFUNDA proceed with ‘PAU’ original version A1 and the ‘PAU’ remix by BELLA BOO A2 with ‘ANDREA’ original version B1 and the ‘ANDREA‘ dub version by LONGHAIR OFFSHORE B2.

Vinyl collectors please note SABRINA (BJORKE RETOUCH OF EL AGUA ORIGINAL 505 VERSION) is a digital release only.

To everyone’s delight rumors confirmed of a strobing music video for ‘ANDREA‘ set to the golden era of Ibiza in the late nineties, without cell phones nor bottle service, with a generation of youth dancing the days away and catching seaside sunsets in unknown splendor. A Tune ouT Tokyo exclusive full feature video:

KASPER BJORKE / EL AGUA ES PROFUNDA – ‘ANDREA‘ LIVE IN IBIZA VIDEO

Let’s teleport back to Ibiza in the ’90s where we arrive with enough cash to last a couple of weeks with energy to burn. As we quickly gather it’s everything we imagined and more; the sun burns a la sunny beach days, the over-stimulated yet please never end nights, and the slurried stream of friendly grins on sweaty bodies. Above the sights, sounds, heat, sweat, and tantalizing thrills are 3 people you’ll never forget: PAU, ANDREA, and SABRINA.

SABRINA, ANDREA, and PAU

PAU friends of everyone, now your friend, with the thick Catalan accent and the bouquet scent of cologne, sex, cigarettes who was also your river into the scene starting with some cafe called Del Mar or Mambo or whatever and then the never ending afterparties. While ANDREA was the most fun at first, but she realized your selfish hopes of long-term off island dreams which she dashed to the rocks as did the sea. SABRINA (digital release only) was the one met on a nervous spiritual frequency, or rebound, which lead to a blissful golden sunrise from the island’s rocky shores to the chakras.

KASPER BJORKE / EL AGUA ES PROFUNDA – NIGHT SOUL EP

MULE MUSIQ #289

2024/1/19 – VINYL RELEASE > KOMPAKT

https://newtone-records.com/

https://freestyleonline.net/

EL AGUA ES PROFUNDA AND KASPER BJORKE

Tune ouT Tokyo thanks KASPER BJORKE, EL AGUA ES PROFUNDA aka JACOB FUNCH, TOSHIYA KAWASAKI @ MULE MUSIQ and vinyl distribution by KOMPAKT.

HOT RELEASE > NIGELTHREETIMES – METROPOLIS N

ASTRAL BLACK | AST046 | Limited edition vinyl & digital release October 13, 2023

NIGELTHREETIMES aka Nigel Reynoso is the Queens, New York Drum & Bass / rolling breaks producer and DJ who recently played in Tokyo including events ‘GRATIAS @ Pure’s Sound Market in Nishi-asakusa’ and ‘DD@DD @ Débris Daikanyama in Shibuya City’.

Organizers: Koki Sugiyama & Fled Tokyo

NIGEL’s hot release “METROPOLIS N” is the latest offering from the U.K. label ASTRAL BLACK. A label, since 2013, building it’s reputation as a platform of forward thinking producers with a critically acclaimed back catalogue.

NIGELTHREETIMES’ “METROPOLIS N” is an 8 track LP that distills eclectic influences through the lens of rolling 160 BPM breaks – taking in Jazz, 8-bit game soundtracks, science fiction & jump up Drum & Bass.

NIGELTHREETIMES – METROPOLIS N / LP / ASTRAL BLACK (RECORDS)

NIGELTHREETIMES currently holds down residencies on both ‘Rinse FM’ & ‘The Lot Radio’. He initially built his reputation as one of New York City’s most versatile club DJs.

Through his 2020 release ‘Call Of The Void’ project, he began to build his reputation as a producer.

“METROPOLIS N” starts off with the rhodes tinged double header of ‘TSQ MELTDOWN‘ & ‘EARLY MORNING FROM 103RD STREET‘, the latter featuring some of the best double bass work heard on a jungle track since Roni Size’s ‘Brown Paper Bag’ back in 1997. 

On the tracks ‘ROAD2RAILS‘ and ‘PHANTOM SHORES‘, NIGELTHREETIMES ditches the instrumentation in favour of oscillated square waves, dubbed out vocal FX & 8-bit melodies, without ever losing site of the projects underlying sense of optimism.

On the album closer ‘INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION‘, NIGELTHREETIMES manages to bring together the influences heard throughout the project, tying together muted rhodes chords, squarewave basslines, flutters of alien melodies and finely tuned, slices breakbeats into a 5 minute symphony. 

The consistency and exacting production skills heard throughout METROPOLIS N elevate this project from another drop in the digital ocean, to a landmark opus from a producer carrying the torch for this timeless sound, making the project worthy of a spot alongside some of the classics this genre has produced. 

NIGELTHREETIMES – METROPOLIS N

ASTRAL BLACK > October 13, 2023 > Limited edition vinyl & digital release

BANDCAMP LINK

Fled Tokyo @ Tune ouT Tokyo THANKS:

NIGELTHREETIMES, ASTRAL BLACK, and KOKI SUGIYAMA.

MIJO TOKYO INTERVIEW

by Fled Tokyo @ Tune ouT Tokyo

MIJO is the prolific producer of Mexican techno, multi-instrumentalist, and international DJ who performed for his 1st time in Tokyo @ BONOBO / Sky Diamonds by Lucy party produced by Tune ouT Tokyo.

The interview went down in the gallery of BONOBO in Jingumae, Shibuya City just before MIJO’s 2-hour set. Endless love to SEI-SAN @ BONOBO and a big thanks to the BONOBO staff.

MIJO TOKYO INTERVIEW with Fled in the gallery @ BONOBO, Jingumae, Shibuya City, Tokyo

So far in 2023 MIJO has produced 2 tracks on his CUMBRES EP released on the DURO label, 4 remixes from labels such as Innisfallen Records to Nativo MX to Roam Recordings, and 3 single releases from labels such as Controlla to Kaput.wav to DURO. Plans for another EP release later this year, even without his studio gear!?, are in works.

MIJO is not only an unstoppable music production machine, even after the theft of his studio gear, but MIJO is an unstoppable force of positivity and humbleness. Simply put, a beautiful creative soul with a predilection for techno who was happy to perform in Tokyo for his 1st time.

MIJO TOKYO INTERVIEW

FLED TOKYO @ TUNE OUT TOKYO: Alright, Tune ouT Tokyo presents MIJO all the way from Mexico in Tokyo.

MIJO: Hola!

Hello! Welcome to Tokyo. It’s your 1st time playing in Tokyo?

Yes, I tried to make it one time before this one and I had to change my flight, for some reason, but now I’m here and I’m with my girlfriend and everything is perfect.

Wonderful. So you’ll be playing your 2-hour set from 2:00 AM at the Sky Diamonds (by Lucy) party (at BONOBO).

Yes, let’s see what happens.

That should be fun. Lots of fun.

Right now when I came in, they were playing one of my tracks, so I cannot play that anymore.

Oh, no…

It’s okay (LOL).

So let’s see, but you’ve played in Korea. You were playing in Korea…was it Open Air in May?

The AirHouse. Yeah, it’s an open air festival in the woods, very close to the beach in Korea.

And that was one of the greatest experiences of my life because I feel now that Mexican techno and Mexican disco and all that stuff are now coming up and people in Asia are now starting to listen to it and be curious about it and to really take it in so I had a great time.

Yeah, that’s wild. Yeah, I think so. Let’s see. We had some of our Tokyo favorites, Gonno and Haruka, playing as well at that festival. Really big.

You’re talking about Mexican techno. You just released on the Duro label from Mexico. Can you tell us a little bit about that release or that remix?

Yeah, I mean, Duro is one of the few labels that are putting out constantly Mexican artists and Mexican techno and remixes for maybe some international artists. But mainly it’s like a household for Mexican sound.

And they’re very good friends of mine. We grew up together and we just released a remix for Theus Mago, which is one of the biggest Mexican techno artists out there.

And it’s cool. I really like that sound. I like Duro. I have my own label called Disque Discos.

There’s a few other labels that you guys really have to dig in because I think Mexican electronic music has a very distinct sound, and it’s very driving, it’s very minimal and punky in a way.

So it’s the kind of sound that we started developing with the guys from Duro and others.

Yeah, and you’ve released on Correspondant as well?

Yeah. Maybe eight or nine years ago, I was doing a lot of releases on Correspondant, on Turbo Recordings, on Toytonics, more like European labels.

And that’s where we started making this kind of sound. And then we came back home and started doing our own labels and doing our own thing.

And now it’s like, I think, personally, I think it’s now at the level of the biggest European labels, which is our goal, is to put out music with that level of quality and to be up there with the top artists from Europe and from Asia and all that stuff.

Definitely, you guys from Mexico are coming up. I remember that probably 2018 before COVID, you (had) your tracks in Tokyo. You had (released) on the Duro label.

I had no idea, man.

Here and there in Tokyo clubs. Yeah, it’s coming up. We need someone to represent from Mexico here in Tokyo.

I’m very happy. I’m very happy to do it.

Nice. Well, can you tell us about the Mexico scene? It’s such a big country. There’s so many beaches, but there’s also Tulum, Mexico as well. Some really big parties and it’s really, I guess, an eclectic scene. Can you tell us a little bit about the Mexican scene?

I think it’s one of the greatest scenes in Latin America, definitely. I mean, comparing it to maybe Colombia or Brazil or Argentina, which are more further south, it’s not that easy to have this interconnection of artists coming all over from everywhere, basically.

So what happens in Mexico is that it’s like a hub. So all the flights can stop there. All the artists from America, from United States, they come down there. All the artists from Europe can come down there. So it started brewing like a really complex scene. We have maybe like 25 plus cities, with nice club scenes, with nice parties.

We have Tulum, which is more like a housey and more like a deep house and these kind of stuff. But also our sound, like our Mexican dark disco, is starting to work over there (in Tulum and worldwide).

DARK DISCO / BEATPORT

And it’s been great. I haven’t been able to leave Mexico because I’ve been always full of work. I play like a residence every month in this club called Bar Oriente in Mexico City. We’re starting to play some underground raves.

You have very small bars. You have the greatest festivals with international artists. So it’s very complete and it’s very open. It’s a very open scene. Now you can… now you can go to a rave in Mexico City and usually you will have one stage playing reggaeton and the next stage is playing techno. And then the next stage is playing trap and then the three of them do a crossover.

So it’s interesting, man. It’s a very interesting scene. It’s very like Generation Z. Everyone is just whatever. It’s fun.

Yeah, that’s beautiful. Well, here in Tokyo, everyone’s a DJ. Actually, we don’t have promoters. The DJ has to bring the people, the crowd. It’s like a cult following.

Back to basics.

Yeah, everyone’s a DJ, not too many dancers. So it’s the opposite.

Okay, okay.

You had your, was it your Korg (synthesizer) stolen not too long ago?

Yeah, yeah, yeah. No worries.

Did you get it back at all? What happened there?

No, actually, some guys broke into my house. They took all my equipment, basically. They just left me with the speakers, but they didn’t take… They didn’t leave the computers or anything.

And it’s funny because just two hours or three hours ago, I was going to this 5G Music Shop here, and it’s closed because of the Mountain Day or something. Actually, I’ve saved up to buy a new synthesizer in Japan.

I hope you find your new one.

I’m trying to buy it through Amazon. It’s funny because now I just waited and I was like, okay, I’m going to get one synthesizer, but I want the Japanese synthesizer.

How are the price differences between Mexico and here that you’ve seen so far?

No, the Japanese synthesizers like Korg, like Roland, they are half price here. Yeah. And they have the new models. So it’s better, actually. I decided to wait. So I’m getting a Korg Wavestate. Hopefully they will send it, maybe. Otherwise I will go chase it down in some shop soon.

Well, it was a sad story, but whatever, man. I was actually with my girlfriend just making music with the few equipment we have left, and it’s the same you know. Nothing stops me, man, yeah.

Do you have access to studios? Like friends in Mexico, around the world? Can you get access to studios?

Yeah, usually I will go to any of my friends’ house and I can just work there. Yeah, it’s fine, man. But it was sad because I was touring in Korea and then I was playing this gig in Busan and then they sent me a picture of all my stuff gone while I was playing. So it was a bummer.

So after Japan, where are you going to be playing next? Where are you performing?

I think we’re going to Thailand. We’re going to we’re just going to travel around Thailand. I am a cook with my girlfriend we have a gastronomy, how do you say, like a food project. We are chefs and she created a menu based on on like Asian recipes and we are like like doing some kind of Mexican Asian fusion. S o we’re going to Thailand to get inspired and to get some new recipes and stuff.

And then when I go back I will probably keep playing in Mexico. I have some gigs in Tijuana…I don’t remember…there’s always stuff going. So when I come back to Mexico I will keep playing my Mexican parties.

Your pretty elusive as an artist, but your productions are pretty extensive. You already have 9 so far released this year interns of remixes and your EP as well?

I think so man. What happens is that sometimes you make the music, you make the remixes, and then you send it to the people and then you forget about them and then they just suddenly release them like one after another. So I’m always putting out stuff.

Now I will try to when I get my Japanese synthesizer I will try to work finally on a personal album, on a MIJO album, because I’ve been doing only remixes so far, but I went to do like a collection of original music and, well, that’s my plan for now.

So that means another EP might be coming this year?

Yeah, probably, I would love to do a full a full length, but now people they don’t have time to listen so much, so maybe an EP is fine.

Once again welcome to Tokyo and I’m really excited to see your set. Don’t worry, just have fun. It’s a dance floor. So I am pretty sure the energy will go round.

There’s a dance floor and there’s sound. That’s it, that’s all we need.

Maybe your equipment will magically come back.

I hope, I hope. If it doesn’t come back I fine. I’m happy I’m playing in Tokyo. I’m happy having this experience. Well, let’s bring it.

Let’s do it. Alright, here we go. Thank you very much.

Thank you.

Fled Tokyo signing off for Tune ouT Tokyo from the gallery of BONOBO @ the Sky Diamonds by Lucy party with special guest MIJO from Mexico City, Mexico.

SIERRA MADRE / A MIJO + COLOSSIO COLLABORATION – CUMBRES EP

DURO – 2023 – Digital Release

https://durolabel.bandcamp.com/album/cumbres-incl-esprit-divers-remix

INTERVIEWER: Fled Tokyo, Tune ouT Tokyo

LOCATION: Bonobo, Shibuya City, Tokyo, Japan

EVENT: Sky Diamonds by Lucy @ Bonobo, Tokyo

BOOKINGS WORLDWIDE: [email protected]

Tune ouT Tokyo thanks MIJO, DURO and SEI-SAN @ BONOBO, Tokyo.

HOT RELEASE FEATURE > REMOTIF – IN THE BLINK OF A COSMIC EYE EP

REMOTIF – IN THE BLINK OF A COMSIC EYE EP

Released on X-Kalay, July 21, 2023 > catalogue: XK030

REMOTIF is the moniker of Joe Reddick, the Bristol based DJ / producer, who through his other-worldly productions finds his eastward journey full sails ahead. He is no stranger to Asia with gigs earlier this year at ‘Seltsam’ in the Philippines and ‘Decommune’ in Thailand. Hopefully the shores of Japan lay only a few moons away.

REMOTIF is not only found performing in Bristol and London, but also around Europe for open-air psychedelic festivals such as ‘Refractor’ in Spain and weekend marathon raves like ‘5y Warning’ in Berlin.

REMOTIF

With his EP release ‘In the Blink of a Cosmic Eye‘ we pray to Kami-sama that he’ll no longer be a stranger to Japan. This pure bliss EP with intelligent dark trance and prog house euphoria releases on July 21st and is cosmically timed for the festival season worldwide.

The title of the EP is inspired by a tweet from Eris Drew that resonated with REMOTIF:

‘Every person we encounter is a little universe. As it goes, we will all be dead in the blink of a cosmic eye. I am not being morbid. That’s just real. For better or worse, this is your time. Don’t wait to be, become or live. Don’t wait to do what you need to do in this world’.

@ErisDrew – Twitter

To REMOTIF these are words to live by. He hopes the EP captures some of that ephemeral zest for life and love that a unified dance floor can provide.

‘In the Blink of a Cosmic Eye‘ is x-kalay’s 30th release from the label, catalogue XK030, complete with a digital-only remix from Youandewan on Bandcamp.

The first half finds the Bristol mainstay at his deadliest. Harnessing pure proggy momentum, peak-time scorcher ‘In the Blink of a Cosmic Eye’ comes hurtling out the tracks. Take a dose of the 1st of 5 preview tracks above.

‘It’s Inside U’ then keeps pace with more of that driving, fractal pressure. Tunnelling wormhole torque straight out the nether-realm. Take another dose of the 2nd of 5 preview tracks just above.

Comparatively restrained but no-less mind-altering, the B-side embarks on a full-blown vision quest with full length YouTube videos below:

Where breaks-fuelled cut ‘For Love or Money’ nods to early ‘90s bleep, ‘3AM in the Möbius Strip Club’ ushers into a chugging, ritual-ready space. Proper third-eye dilating stuff.

This EP has a little bit of everything from trippy dark forest goblin trance to uplifting prog euphoria to sub-heavy Detroit inspired 808 whomp to delicate, piano-laden downtempo chug to a sick, groove heavy reinterpretation by Youandewan.

After every passing moon we await REMOTIF in the Land of the Rising Sun.

REMOTIF – IN THE BLINK OF A COSMIC EYE EP

x-kalay – July 21, 2023 – Vinyl Record + Digital Release

https://x-kalay.bandcamp.com/album/in-the-blink-of-a-cosmic-eye

Tune ouT Tokyo thanks REMOTIF and x-kalay.

HOT RELEASE > AIRHEAD – LIGHTNESS LP

Hemlock Recordings| digital release September 29, 2023 | physical March 1, 2024

AIRHEAD aka Rob McAndrews is the London born electronic musician, multi-instrumentalist, and producer with his release “Lightness” on the U.K. label Hemlock Recordings being his 3rd on this label. “Lightness” is a mini LP with 7 tracks that let the melodies rise from the weightless drums like a leaf given flight in the autumn wind.

Rob is a longtime friend of James Blake who were former school mates exchanging music until forming early studio collaborations. Moreover, Rob has also been a long-time studio contributor for James with his pivotal guitar lick to “Lindisfarne” in 2011 and his recent contribution to James’ “Playing Robots in Heaven” this year in 2023.

How many people can say they played a crazy Moog guitar at the request of Brian Eno for James’ track “Digital Lion”? AIRHEAD can!

“Lightness” marks a subtle yet precise shift into new sonic territory, beating at a higher tempo and releasing from much of the dominant of sub bass that propelled his earlier work.

The refracted take on drum and bass was conceived while staring out over Laurel Canyon and realising the desire to float away.

Once grounded, Rob set about trying to capture that feeling by removing all weight from the drums and letting the melodies drift through.

Harmonically this is his most advanced record, drawing inspiration from studying and adapting some of the techniques from Joe Pass, Barry Harris, Ted Greene and Mick Goodrick to work for other instruments.

The overall sound is analog and highly dynamic, featuring tightly packed layers of guitar recordings and effects treatments. Clips of ethereal sounding experiments with synthetic voice software can be heard on “Still Waiting For U” and “Ghosts in CS” punctuating the sweetness with an air of uncertainty. The symphonic closing piece “Unbearable Lightness” is a collaboration with American contemporary classical composer Nico Muhly.

AIRHEAD – LIGHTNESS LP

Hemlock Recordings > September 29, 2023 Digital Release > March 1, 2024 Physical Release

https://airhead.bandcamp.com/album/lightness

Tune ouT Tokyo THANKS:

AIRHEAD, HEMLOCK RECORDINGS and OLI @ THE LIGHTPR.

HOT VINYL RELEASE > MAYUDEPTH > ANGELS FROM HELL FEAT. UMI ISHIHARA EP

MAYUDEPTH – ANGELS FROM HELL FEAT. UMI ISHIHARA EP

A ‘SHIKI KYOKAI‘ vinyl release from ‘DBH MUSIC‘ distribution >>> July 1, 2023

MAYUDEPTH, DJ and producer based in Tokyo, sent waves worldwide with her party MOTORPOOL’s collaboration with creative studio DOMMUNE and their BOILER ROOM TOKYO co-production September 2022.

She released her 1st EP ‘Sneakpeek’ in 2018 on the ‘Shiki Kyokai‘ label, run by Japanese techno sound innovator DJ SHUFFLEMASTER.

As for DJ’ing, MAYUDEPTH’s style is based on techno, mixing various genres such as industrial, electro, breakbeats, and house music. She expresses a tough and deep world view with grooves interconnecting the alternative underground scene to major Japanese festivals such as Rainbow Disco Club.

MAYUDEPTH’s 2nd EP ‘Angels from Hell featuring Umi Ishihara‘ [Shiki-Kyokai] was released featuring the A1 track ‘Love is resistance‘ music video by the talented film director Umi Ishihara:

Umi Ishihara’s poetry reading arise as the vocals to ‘Love is resistance‘. In her own words “the sounds loaded from the poetry reading will project memories and scenery from the wriggling age onto the dance floor”.

MAYUDEPTH’s A2 track ‘Angels from Hell featuring Umi Ishihara‘ is the receding undercurrent from which the A1 track ‘Love is resistance‘ thrust itself unto shore. The broken kick, the swirling pads like beach foam, and Umi’s subdued poetry reading submerge us into a deeper state of reflection.

Shiki Kyokai’s label founder DJ SHUFFLEMASTER surfs in with his dub mix of ‘Angels from Hell featuring Umi Ishihara‘. The kick returns full-throttle with the siren stabs circling like sharks who hunt prey relentlessly.

Vinyl buyers be warned! The digital only bonus track ‘Love is resistance (DJ SHUFFLEMASTER mix)‘ is a Bandcamp exclusive.

That being said MAYUDEPTH’s EP release is worth it’s weight in vinyl with ‘Love is resistance‘, ‘Angels from Hell featuring Umi Ishihara‘, and ‘Angels from Hell featuring Umi Ishihara (DJ SHUFFLEMASTER dub mix)‘.

MAYUDEPTH – ANGELS FROM HELL FEAT. UMI ISHIHARA EP

Shiki Kyokai – July 1, 2023 – Vinyl Record Release

https://mayudepth.bandcamp.com/album/angels-from-hell-feat-umi-ishihara

Tune ouT Tokyo thanks MAYUDEPTH, SHIKI KYOKAI and DBH MUSIC.

HOT RELEASE > SIMPLE SYMMETRY – PROBLEM EP

SIMPLE SYMMETRY – PROBLEM EP

Released on Multi Culti, June 5, 2023 > catalogue: MC064

SIMPLE SYMMETRY turn in an epic, mournful EP that reflects on their journey in exile. Quoting their own words “The world as we know ended on 24th of February 2022, when the brutal mechanism of continuing, massive destruction of humanity and faith has been triggered.” 

After a long-standing affiliation with Multi Culti that includes remixes for Nicola Cruz’s ‘Tzantza’ and Drugface’s ‘In The Clouds’, as well as the huge edit ‘Yalla’ for CULTED001, the Russian brothers weigh in with a heavy 12” that comes on the back of an emotional year where they defected from Moscow, their world turned upside down by politics of aggression.

SIMPLE SYMMETRY – PROBLEM EP >>> LINK HERE >>> MULTI CULTI BANDCAMP

The EP’s first track ‘Problem’ is built around a kernel of punk panic performed by Hugo Van Heijningen (of Red Light Radio, Cawd Slaydaz, Order Collective).

The anxious rage embedded in that opener finds a kind of disoriented catharsis in ‘Where I Am’, an uptempo ravey anthem that recalls the rush of CJ Bolland’s ‘Electronic Superhighway’ with a sense of angst and energy all their own. It’s the song of the soul-searching raver, finding a sense of home in the ecstasy of the dance, amidst a backdrop of oppressive fear and uncertainty.

Back in 2020, Simple Symmetry were invited to play at a small and beautiful festival in Marrakech. That was exciting in itself, but even more exciting was the prospect of finally meeting Andrew Weatherall and having the opportunity to chat with him. Like many others in the so-called electronic music scene, they were deeply influenced and captivated by Weatherall, considering him a mentor and an almost imaginary friend.

Unfortunately, that conversation never came to be as he passed away on February 17, 2020. The festival never took place; it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Several months later, while enduring the confines of lockdown, SIMPLE SYMMETRY began working on the sketch for ‘Funeral of Past Affections‘ – their earnest attempt to engage in a transcendental conversation with someone who held such profound significance for them.

Supporting them on this trip are long-time compatriots Red Axes, a natural fit for the indie-punk elements in ‘Problem,’ and Multi Culti’s mystery man Ofofo.

SIMPLE SYMMETRY‘s productions stand the test of time as they unleash their tracks upon dance floors months before releasing them. Case in point with this live recorded set for PROEKT in Tel Aviv-Yafo with their EP’s first track ‘Problem‘ played back in March.

As the world waits for this war to end let’s unite our support for our dearly missed friend’s SIMPLE SYMMETRY, who we first interviewed back in 2019 (The T.T.T. Archives), as they continue to release musical wonders from exile away from their loved ones.

SIMPLE SYMMETRY – PROBLEM EP

Multi Culti – June 5, 2023 – Vinyl Record + Digital Release

https://multiculti.bandcamp.com/album/problem

Tune ouT Tokyo thanks SIMPLE SYMMETRY and MULTI CULTI.