Quite a groovy selection this week on what's on offer here on IDMW.Com.
For all of those lucky ones living in NYC who may not now the Rude Movements
posse, then it's time to get yer eyes into it what they're doing (interview),
as they have their monthly residency awaited this Tuesday at APT featuring their
Dutch alter egos at Kindred Spirits label as guest DJ's. Our Single
Of The Week comes from hyper active Louie Vega featuring Blaze
as remixed by Joe Claussell and its title – 'Sunshine' – as well as its
concept should heat our hearts, bodies & souls while getting ourselves ready to
entering the Winter on the North Hemisphere of the globe. Meanwhile, recently
married Nik Weston returns to IDMW.Com with his latest
selection of Japanese delicatessen. And if you also happen to be into French,
then DJ ADN has some more on our domestic version.
Ooops by the way, F.A.O. those you who still have not voted for the best of 2K4,
it's still time to give us a better view of what you're into while making your
selection on our forum (see Polls). Is dis dat f****** hard to ask you
some contribution of yours for once ???
ISSUE#75JAPAN CORNER by NIK WESTON
Konichi wa.Genki
des ka ??
Word up my fellow Japan lovers…..By now all 3 of the Kyoto Jazz Massive
10th anniversary 12’s on Especial Distribution should hit the streets
in the next few days and are causing int'l mayhem on my email and answerphone.
Just be patient kids ! But hey, whad’ya expect when you realise that there’s
exclusive tracks from Afronaught, Louie Vega, Domu, Dego
n kaidi, Markus Enochson, Face, Restless Soul and
Reel People etc ??? Vanessa Freeman in particular, on her guest spot
with Reel People comes up with her finest vocal effort to date that
causes shivers down your spine and much much more. We love the track so much we
had it played at our wedding last week !..A bonefide classic ? You betcha
Tonkatsu n Rice it is !! Of course, we spoke about them on the last issue of
Japan's Corner here on IDMW.Com but if you haven’t
picked up your copies yet I suggest you get your skates on. These babies wont be
around for very long and in the tradition of collectability the super thick
sleeves all have a different letter on the front spelling out K J M. Nice
touch and it means you need all 3 12’s if you don’t want the other two 12’s to
get lonely !!! The 3 x12’s are out on Especial Distribution and the CD’s of
which currently there are two of ‘’Re KJM ‘’ & ‘’For KJM’’ came out over a month
ago on the Quality label. You can buy the CD’s on the internet on a couple of UK
web sites but have a search on google first and see what pops up. The cheapest
place to buy the 12’s which should retail from 8.50 GBP is
therecordroom.co.uk .don’t pay
more than 10-12 pounds or so . . French music lovers can buy the 12's at
Betino’s in Paris in a week or so… I saw the album CD's on one UK website going
for around £ 21-22.00 with tax but not shipping but like I say have a dig around
first.
To
support the 10th anniversary releases Kyoto Jazz Massive went
on a 21 date DJ tour of Japan & also got a band together with one of the biggest
events taking place at Yebisu Garden Place in central Tokyo (that holds about
700 people ).They put on their first ever live shows and members of the KJM
band included Vanessa Freeman, Bembe Segue and Hajime
Yoshizawa… Speaking of which Hajime’s latest single and the 12th
release for the Especial label ‘Verao No Ar’ has been flying off the shelves so
if you haven't got a copy yet then contact the address above or any of the usual
London shops which all have the release in stock… Hajime is currently in the
studio working on new Sleepwalker & solo material. The next Especial
Distribution single in the new year will be from New Zealanders Joe Dutchie &
DJ Fitchie. The tracks ‘Seconds’ & ‘Ground Swell’ should be out in
February/March 2005.
Other releases of late worth a mention are the monster remix 12" on Doughnuts
with great renditions from Sunaga t & Calm… Calm by the way has
recently released the last of three Key Free 12's out on his Music
Conception label and a subsequent album of the same project. He also found time
to release a sneaky promo only giveaway 12" of a special mix of the Shinning
Of Life in a flutemental mix that Frankie Valentine has been doing
backflips over. It was given out at a Calm show of an event in a club in
Sapporo in Hokkaido and has been seen on the Japanese equivalent of Ebay going
for £70… Blimey !!
Lifeline records a co Japanese/USA based label have had a couple of 12s just
released one from Glenn Underground (who was recently on tour in Japan )
and another from Tha Blue Herb. Francois Kevorkian on remix duties
on the later no less !
The latest project from the Planet Groove camp (these guys bought us the DJ
Mitsu the beats album and singles ) is another single from Okada Taxi
featuring one track in particular ‘Tell Her’ which has Kim Hill singing
like an angel. M-flo have recently drooped 3 singles but the only one really for
our European ears is the Astromatic Charmed School 12" with a bumpin
hipity hop mix from Ugly Duckling.Out on Labsoul now. DJ Mitsu the
beats himself has been really busy of late. There’s a rumour he will remix a
Bakura track and as the beat maker and music provider of Sendai hip hop
group Gagle he’s been dropping some promo only pressure with SOS on a 7’’
and ‘Take Notice’ also on a 45. The current Gagle single whose title is
something like ‘Rapdx’ is on Warner and has already sold out but worth diggin
around for as it's got some really good instrumentals if you like Mitsu’s
jazzual style. People are getting wise to the limited pressings that Mitsu
features on so anything with his name on gets snapped up quickly. I'm the first
to admit I'm struggling to keep up ! Check his mix on the Alex Attias
single and also his treatment of Average White Band for
Soul Source which
I thoroughly recommend.
On
the hip hop front Muro has several new CD's out and one six track 12’’
called ‘Made In Japan’ with a Ben The Ace remix on the flip. USA hip
hopper K-Otix released a Japanese only EP with tracks taken from (he
tells me) his forthcoming album 48 Seasons. You need the 12" though as
there’s a party rocker in the shape of ‘Something for Japan’ as a track hidden
on the flipside.
On
the jazz tip, there’s a great new 12" from Sunaga T with 'Versillian
Samba' on Flower Recordings featuring a Five Corners Quintet mix.
The Finnish mix is good but stay with the original it's ACE ! There’s a new
jazz outfit called Big Horns Bee which have a new brass filled EP with a
version of "Mission Impossible" which is great and if you liked the killer
Soil & Pimp 12" then you’ll love this .Did any of you pick up the Izamani
7’’ with the Soil & Pimp Horns on ? Trust me you neeeeed this 7’’ !
Traditionally the 45’s are getting harder and harder to find, so if you don’t
get soon, you might miss this one forever !
Gigs wise ? Well in the last couple of months you could have seen Count Bass
D, Yam Who?, Simon S from Break Reform, Ernesto,
Fertile Ground, Two Lone Swordsmen, Glenn Underground,
John Digweed, Satoshi Tomiie, DJ Spinna, Ananda Project,
Kenny Bobien, and Kenny Carpenter arrive, tour and leave. In the
next few weeks, the likes of Beastie Boys, Chemical Brothers,
Mark De Clive Lowe, Kerri Chandler, Carl Cox, Laurent
Garnier, Frankie Knuckles, Timmy Regisford, Danny Krivit
all due to arrive and perform. And if you’re around Tokyo the first week of
January you might even bump into me ! I'm spinning at On Off club on 01/07 with
the Soul Source crew, and then with DJ Mitsu the Beats at a new
club called Fur the following night and Club Fai on 01/10 with Kei Kobayashi.
Till then, see ya, and if you got 5 minutes spare check out
engrish.com- most amusing !!
Gambete !
NIK WESTON – MUKATSUKU TOP 10
SUNAGA T Versillian Samba (Flower)
REEL PEOPLE Tomorrow Never Comes (Especial Distribution)
DA
LATA Ronco de Cuica (Especial Distribution)
SLEEPWALKER Eclipse (Quality !)
GAGLE Rap DX (Warner/Japan)
V/A Monster rmix (Doughnut)
CALM presents KEY OF LIKE – for Cisco EP Flutemental Mix (Music Conception)
GAGLE SOS (Jazzy Sport/45)
OKADA TAXI featuring KIM HILL Tell Her-(Planet Groove)
K-OTIX
Something For Japan (CD-R)
INTERVIEW
