Less than a week now
before our landing (on March 3) in Miami where IDMW.com team is to get
itself ready for the Winter Music Conference. Meanwhile this issue #43 brings
you to the eastern shores of the Nippon Peninsula by the likes of our special
observer. You've guessed it ? Time for the latest out of Japan with Sir Weston.
Ooops, by the way, if in Paris this week-end, get yourself a chance to catch him
this Friday alongside Betino and Smokey for the fortchcoming edition of the Sure
Shot Club Nights @ Le Nouveau
Casino…
JAPAN CORNER by Nippon Nik (Weston)
Konishi wa !
I came back from Japan almost a
month ago and I just missed 2 Banks
of Four who did a few gigs at
The Blue Note
supported by some DJ called Gilles
Peterson. Who is he ? Speaking of
Gilles he's bang into the
recent "Samurai"
track by Ryota Nozaki
on Especial Distribution
(a sub division of Especial and not the label itself) as
Jazztronik.It weighs in at a
hefty 12 minutes (Ryota ! Go on a bloody editing course !! ) but none the less
it's his own version of broken beat. This ain't West London though... Dis is da
West Tokyo innit ?! Danny Krivit
has also been caining it and Peter
Kruder called me at the weekend searching for a copy (I kid you
not....). More copies are coming to london soon so keep your eyes peeled. as
ever this Japanese stuff is always in short supply. The other Especial
Distribution 12" is of course ''Change''
from Da Lata which,
despite the distinct luke warm reaction initially, has also been flying off the
shelves…
Jazztronik
is one of the busiest men in Tokyo of late. He's also just released a 11 track
CD album on Tokuma. There's also another 3 track 12'' single with a decent samba
version of ''Esta Com Voce''. Seek ! The most exciting Japanese record of
the week award went to Jafrosax (a project of Yukihiro Fukutomi)
for their second single on Raindog Records. The first release had the dolcet
tones of Yukimi Nagano (Koop/Stateless/Similou/Swell Session) on vocals
but single 2 has Philadelphia's finest, Vikter Duplaix ! Not only that
it's a Jazztronik reedit !! Killer jazz a la Sleepwalker also turned
up on a 12'' in the shape of Dazai Yuri Sextet. Juergen from
Jazzanova tells me he absolutely loves this EP, and too right too, it's a
killer dancefloor jazz !
Been a long time since anything has ventured out of the
Brasil Nights label but we get three 12''s... Two of these releases are
relevant... Brasil Nights vol 4 kicks in with a gorgeous Rhodes midtempo
shuffler called... er... ''Rhodes Song'' which I'm told from my man in Sweden is
a cover version but for the life of me I'm not sure who did the original. Any
ideas people as there's no credits on the label ?? The other 12'' on Brasil
Nights label to think about is Gats TKB Show. Shame really as 3 of the
versions have Gats singing in Japanese which kinda puts a damper on any of us
outside of Japan who dig this kind of stuff musically. Never mind though...
Toshio Matsuura (ex-United Future Organization ) consistent as ever
with his remixes saves the day with a bumpin latinish floorfiller with hardly
any vocal and on a big system this works well...
DJ Mitsu the Beats who's still riding on the sucess of
his "New Awakening" album is busy in the studio doing mixes etc. He's just
completed a Blue Note compilation and a Scott Jakoby remix and there's
even a soon to come Restless Soul mix on ''Away''.
I managed to cram in 7 DJ gigs in 10 days in Japan in
Kumamoto, Miyazaki & Tokyo and was lucky enough to spin with Calm,
Grooveman Spot, Watusi, Soul Sauce crew, Yukihiro
Fukutomi & hook up with Little Big Bee (Eitetsu Takamiya )
whilst I was there who told me that last year was Flower Records best yet and he
also managed to play me his fresh & fantastic remix of ''Fly Away'' by Magic
Number that will eventually come out on Stereo Deluxe Records from Nurnberg.
Yukihiro Fukutomi completed ''It's Just'' for Italian
imprint Head To Toe which should be released soon.Also check out his ''Second
Sight'' remix that's out on the Re Jazz Re Mixed compilation.
INTERVIEW
Nu
Jabes - the production & hip hop collective from Tokyo - look likely to sign
a deal with London's mighty Exceptional Records very soon and Fat Jon
from Ohio whose instrumental album ''Lightweight Heavy '' that originally
came out on Tokyo label, Dimid will also see a european release onthe
same label (