By the time you’re gonna read this, a part of the IDMW.Com
team will be currently overseas trying to get the best out of Miami for you
lucky fellas. We welcome this week one of the most promising emerging talents
around by the likes of Detroit based DJ/artist/producer PirahNa Head (known
for his contribution to Diviniti’s recognition), whose debut LP is
finally due to hit the streets by the middle of April. Our Single Of The
Week is provided by Steppah Huntah (another promising nu face
hailing out of France that some of you may remember for a transient appearance
last year on German label Compost Records) who, alongside Blue Smith,
delivers a stunning package titled ‘So Alive’ with a serious house remix by the
likes of Teddy G on Strasbourg label Soultronik. As for this week’s
issue, they are the works of serious groove lovers from Nik Weston with
his Japan Corner selection to Erik Rug delivering the 2nd
installment of his Waxgroovin’ Rockin’ it page for our French reading
visitors. Let’s get the f.nk out of it !
ISSUE#88
NIPPON NIK
CORNER
The final
installment of the three KJM albums
BY KJM
(the other two have been
RE KJM.....
FOR KJM...) is out this week. Watch out for a limited
edition double vinyl of
RE KJM
which dropped in limited amounts in the shops this week.
RE KJM
is chokka bloc of goodness featuring specially recorded tracks which are remixes
of older Kyoto Jazz Massive material. My personal favourite is
the broken beat vocal masterpiece by Yukihiro Fukutomi with
Ernesto on
''Deep In Your Mind''...
Elsewhere, there is other great stuff including remixes by Jazztronik
('Shine'), Toshio
Matsuura ('Behind The
Shadow'),
Aurora... which is Chari Chari under his other
guise... DJ Mitsu the Beats (''Spiredom
2004''), Monday Michiru ('’A
Calmaria’') and other great stuff.
More Especial
news is that Sleepwalker plan to release a new single ''River
Of Love'' featuring Bembe Segue c/w ''Eclipse'' which is Sleepwalker
cover version of a Kyoto Jazz Massive track. Other projects and
releases in the future include Bossa Free / ''I Am With You'' c/w ''Rise
Me up''. BF is another jazz project of Hajime Yoshizawa
and this single will be more jazz orientated versions of Hajime's own
tracks. Masa Project is a new project from one time Mondo Grosso
and now Sleepwalker Saxophone player Masato Nakamura
with a version of Pharoah Sanders ''Love Is Everywhere''
featuring Rob G & Valerie Etienne. On the flipside is a new
track ''Natural Cally'' featuring Noel McKoy.
There's a Jazztronik single 'Madrugada' with a Louie
Vega Elements Of Life mix. Some more music from Bakura (another
project from Domu) is also rumoured. A new album from
Ski is out now on Pony Canyon. It features the golden tonsils of one
Amp Fiddler.
There's some
truely amazing full of jazz dance from Soil & Pimp Horns with a
brand new 4 tracker with 'Avalanche'
being the track in particular that will certainly blow the cobwebs from winter
hibernation well away. The sleeve is thicker than a club sandwich and the
obsession with detail with Japanese labels mean that you always feel you have
something truely substantial in your hands when you have a Japanese slab of wax
with one of those ''sleeves'' in your grubby mits. One 45 which is causing lots
of chitter chatter is the debut single from Ino Hidefumi who released a
7'' of two versions. One is
''Never Can Say Goodbye''
flipped by
''Billy Jean''. Sounds dodgey but trust me its awesome ! Already
sold out on a limited pressing as we go to press but the few lucky European DJ’s
who manged to get their mitts on the 45 have been singing its praises. A new
single from Ino Hidefumi is due in the next 2-3 months.
On the broken
beat tip there's a great single from Loop with a track called
''Shadows Of The Sun''
featuring Bluey from Incognito and a tuff mix
from Yukihiro Fukutomi. On the hip hop front, Grooveman
Spot has recently released a very jazzy limited edition hip hop 12'' featuring
Common that is well worth checking and Maspyke
member Tableek recently dropped a dope hip hop 12'' (w/ a jazzy
sample from Beck ?) on the Jazzysport label.
Jazztronik
(watch out for soon to be published interview here on IDMW.Com)
releases an album on UK label Pantone which is basically 3 albums (one on
Flower
and two on
Tokuma) into one album entitled
Samurai.
Single soon to be dropped with S.UM.O.
remixes. Hold tight !
Daz I Q
from Bugz in the
Attic tells me he recently had a good tour of Japan as he accompanied
Orin Walters (Afronaught)...
Dom Servini from Straight No Chaser
as we go to press has just left London for his first Japanese DJ tour and
Mad Mats from Raw Fusion/Jugglin
has also been there recently. Gilles Peterson is set to do a
one off gig in Tokyo for Nike and then spend some family time
in Kyoto for a week or so. Recloose, King Britt, Rainer
Trüby and Satoshi Tomiie (last week-end) have also all been here
recently and people soon come include Jazzanova at
Club Yellow (04/02),
Joe Clausell at
Air, Juan Atkins,
Idjut Boys (Yellow 03/26). Meanwhile techno pioneer Ken Ishii
is currently on tour in Europe.
For Japanese releases & Especial Bags, slipmats & T shirts then try
therecordroom.co.uk
or email
skip@therecordroom.co.uk if
there is something you are after from Japan (in particular nu jazz,bossa or hip
hop) new or second hand but cannot find.
Another shop that's started selling Japanese
releases is
www.ifmusic.co.uk...
They tend to be a little more expensive than
The Record Room
but they have different stuff in stock from each other. As always, be prepared
for those Japanese price tags....!!!
INTERVIEW
