Hypnosis Mic -D.R.B.- Rule the Stage (Wicked Requiem VS Fling Posse)
Synopsis:
The day has finally come for Wicked Requiem to see who their first opponent will be in the Division Rap Battles. To their shock, the division they're going against is reigning champions Fling Posse. They know that the odds are stacked against them. At the same time in Shibuya, Ramuda Amemura has been ordered by Chuohku to do whatever it takes to defeat Edogawa as they are a major threat.
Wanting to destress before the big battle Kaoru Shinozaki and Kanra Akemi head down to one of their favorite spots to relax. To their surprise, Gentaro Yumeno and Dice Arisugawa are there as well who at first glance confuse Kanra for Ramuda with Dice even asking her if she's related to Ramuda. Suddenly, they are surrounded by a gang who demand that Dice pay the debt he owes them or pay the price. The four of them then team up to defeat the gang.
Meanwhile, in his studio, Ramuda goes through the files of Wicked Requiem given to him. To his horror the photo of the little sister he long thought dead stares back at him. Realizing that he was lied to about his sister's death leaves his studio in a rush. Running into Yuriko Kuromiya who warns him that if he tries anything during the fight, she'll make him regret being born. With his emotions already in a state of disarray Yuriko's words send Ramuda over the edge. He attacks her and the two begin to fight.
Finally, the day has come for the two teams to battle. Just before he is supposed to step on stage Ramuda is met by Ritsuko Okada who tells him Chuohku has given one last order. He is to capture Kanra and bring her back. Failure to do so and his teammates will pay the price. Now with the battle just on the horizon, Ramuda must choose between his posse or the little sister who he failed to protect all those years ago.
23:56 How To Destroy Angels - A Drowning (Vikmir Remix)
23:52 Hiatus - Save Yourself
23:46 Jens Buchert - Aquarel
23:46 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
23:42 Minus Blue - Too Far To Speak (Original Mix)
23:36 Orange Music - Leave It All Behind (Vocal Mix)
23:31 Gushi & Raffunk - Sound Of You (Beat Ambasada Remix)
23:25 Night Loungers - A Little Lazy Morning In Paris (French Kiss Vocal Mix)
23:21 Gary B - Stronger Love
23:17 V Dimension - Silence Of The Mind
23:13 Lorenzo Al Dino & Deep Josh Feat. Cope - Lullaby (Deep Josh Into The Lounge Mix)
23:08 Jens Buchert - Helios 3 (Mind Flux Mix)
23:02 Weekend Players - Higher Ground
22:57 Roberto Sol - Tomorrow (Extended Mix)
22:52 Velvet Dreamer, Tim Gelo, Diana Moon - Sky Is Falling
22:48 Stargazer - Because
22:43 351 Lake Shore Drive - Underwater Lights
22:38 Anthony Hicks - Cruisey Summer
22:35 Lenny Mac Dowell Feat. Jazzamor - Je Te Veux
22:29 Solanos - After The Rain (Original Mix)
22:25 Jessie Frye - Eighteen
22:20 Solarflow - Come Into My Space
22:15 Vargo - Precious (Part Two)
22:09 Don Gorda Project - Symbolic Interaction
22:03 Fragmentorchestra - The Muse
22:01 Counting Clouds - Daylight
21:57 Israel Medina - Stepping Out
21:53 Citrus Jam Feat. Judith Erb - Do You See (Rainbow Mix)
21:52 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
21:48 Zoe Moon & Miyoki - Mannequin
21:44 Greenfinch - My Blood For Your Love (Feat. Aphrow)
21:39 Ayla - Open Your Mind
21:36 Soulchef - Road Trip
21:32 Andrea Revel - White Noise
21:28 Five Seasons - Dreams Come True
21:23 Saba Rock & Sandy Cay - Outta Sight (Original Mix)
21:18 Deechiller - City Lights Soul 2 Sax Mix
21:13 Hotel Riviera - Give Me A Little Time
21:09 Liam Van Dyke - Cafe Del Mar (First Class Lounge Cut)
21:04 Emotional - I Found It Again (Tom's V-Mix)
20:59 Sunbeams - Uko
20:55 Mia Lemar - Colourful Life
20:53 Two Feet - Her Life
20:49 Anthony Island - Promets
20:43 Christa Vi - Small Way Through (Cosmonaut Grechko Version)
20:42 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
20:35 Morcheeba - Let Me See (Sonic Warrior ‘Beat’ Mix)
20:30 351 Lake Shore Drive - Xtc
20:24 V I F - Silence Of The Heart (Original Mix)
20:21 Jentarix Feat. M.k.touch - Reincarnation (Original Mix)
20:16 Dj Pippi & Ann West - On This Island (Feat. Ann West)
20:09 Charlie North - Saltwater (Ambient Mix)
20:05 Howard Maple - Springtime
19:58 Lounge Jam - Mistery
19:54 Calar Del Sole - Cafe Del Mar (Lounge Remake)
19:50 Karen Souza - Dreams
19:48 Fobee - Sea Of Love
19:45 Kraak & Smaak - Echo Park
19:41 Carl Kennedy - Room And Ripple (Boutique Mix)
19:37 Santerna Feat. Vadim Kapustin - Feeling Like A River (Chillout Mix)
19:33 Soro Sori - Starry Light (Vocal Dub Version)
19:28 Peter Pearson - Drifting Along
19:28 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
19:23 Loungebox - Love Is Always
19:18 Kentaro Takizawa - Gradual Life (Silent Dream Version)
19:13 Chris Le Blanc Feat. Liz June - Enjoy Your Life
19:09 Blue Six - Aquarian Angel
19:08 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
19:04 Lemongrass Feat. Skadi - Habla Mi Corazon (Original Mix)
19:00 Marcus Koch - Forever (Original Edit)
18:56 Smoke City - Underwater Love
18:50 Vargo - Get Back To Serenity (Beach Mix)
18:46 Direct Lights - Deeper (Original Mix)
18:39 Lounge\andreas - The Outlands
18:34 Arrojas - Over The Past Year
18:30 Keep Shelly In Athens - On The Road
18:30 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
18:26 Ielo - Beautiful Flower
18:21 Michael E - Southern Comfort
18:16 Kondencuotas Pienas Feat. Mill - So Pure (Lemongrass Remix)
18:11 Mop Mop - Blue Soul
18:11 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
18:06 Monodeluxe - All Night
18:01 351 Lake Shore Drive - Seabeam
17:55 Don Gorda Project - Stay On Course
17:52 Soulchef - California
17:47 Music On Canvas Feat. Tabitha - Upside Down
17:42 Pascal Dubois - Deep Into The Night (Long Island Mix)
17:37 Ian Pooley - Balance (Ian Pooley Bar Lounge Classics Mix)
17:33 Velvet Lounge Project - Contigo (Short Cut)
17:33 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
17:29 Mousse T. Feat. Roachford - Pop Muzak (Ian Pooley Remix)
17:24 Taylor Clare - The Right Track (Swift Again Mix)
17:16 From P60 Feat. Virag - You Take Me
17:16 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
17:10 Tanga - Helium
17:07 Glambeats Corp - Hollywood
17:03 Lazy Grooves - Secrets (Original Mix)
16:58 Newton - New Beautiful Life
16:55 Late Night Alumni - Mistake
16:49 V I F - Silence Of The Heart (Original Mix)
16:46 Jony Lipsey - Coming Undone
16:41 Club Salinero - Shade In The Sun
16:36 York, Asheni - Mercury Rising (Chillout Mix)
16:34 C Cil - Calm & Quiet
16:29 Stendahl Feat. Jama - Follow Me (Original Mix)
16:24 Leonie Meijer - Message In A Bottle
16:19 Man Behind C. - Pitcard (Dreamguitar Mix)
16:14 Afterlife - Falling
16:09 Edo - Heaven
16:03 Mirage Of Deep, Améthyste Spardel - I Hear Dreams (Five Seasons Remix)
15:59 Dubphonic - Trick Of Time
15:53 L' Art Mystique - Beautiful Things
15:48 Sky Sergeant - Music Connection (Dolphins Mix)
15:44 Living Room - The Essence
15:44 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
15:41 London Grammar - Metal & Dust
15:35 Deeper Sublime - La Musica Sei Tu
15:30 Worldwide Groove Corporation - Midnight In Venice (Feat. The Mystery Singer, Djlo)
15:25 Jazzamor - Lullaby (Original Mix)
15:25 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
15:21 Deeper Sublime & Coffee Machine - I've Got You (Original Mix)
15:16 Bulb - Impossible (Original Mix)
15:12 Man In A Room - L'entre Jeux
15:06 Dj Regal - The Village Calling
15:03 Minty-'s Style - See The Light
14:56 Max Melvin - Earth Inside
14:50 Kusuma Orchestra - Nightfall
14:44 Tactful - No Fear
14:43 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
14:40 C.cil - Sunset
14:34 Aural Float - Still Here (Feat. Kim Sanders)
14:30 Aiemo Feat. Kristina Frazzitta - I Need You (Vocal Mix)
14:25 Marga Sol - Love Affair (Original Mix)
14:20 Booper - Could Be Mine
14:13 Nostalgia 77 - Quiet Dawn (Bonobo Remix)
14:09 Lemongrass - All My Angels
14:04 Riccardo Eberspacher - Mi Amor Feat. Maria Teresa Pintus
14:00 Movie Chill - Wicked Game (Original Mix)
13:54 Sunpeople - Lost (Born This Way Mix)
13:50 Mystic Diversions - Float On
13:47 Thievery Corporation - It Takes A Thief
13:46 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
13:41 Mariella Narvaez - Play With Fire (Miami Chill Out Groove Mix)
13:38 Living Room - It-'s A Turning Around
13:35 Lemongrass - Forest Spirit
13:28 Max Melvin - Whatever (Sunset Mix)
13:23 S.w. - Humans And Gods
13:18 Deeper Sublime - Femme Fatale
13:11 Euphonic Traveller - Pont Notre Dame
13:08 Brook Sapphire - How I Will Feel
13:07 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
13:04 Aromabar - Winter Pagent
12:57 Cantoma - Paloma (Mudds Slender Loris Mix)
12:54 Villablue Feat. Juanita Grande - Leaving The Lights
12:48 Max Denoise, Claire Willis - All I See (Original Mix)
12:48 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
12:42 Man In A Room - Something New (Feat. Natasha Tsirou)
12:38 Spiritual Soul - Green Coffee - Ethereal Mix
12:33 Gary B - Ill Be Your World
12:28 Chicane Present - No Ordinary Morning (Original Mix)
12:28 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
12:19 Micatone - A Part Of Me
12:13 Dalminjo - And She Said (Ex-Girlfriend Mix)
12:08 Faro - Our Balloon
12:08 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
12:04 Velvet Lounge Project - Contigo
12:00 Pat The Cat - Hotel California (Feat. Rachel Moreau)
11:55 Cathy Battistessa - Two Eye's
11:49 Man In The Moon Feat. Oli S - Feel My Love
11:49 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
11:44 Simon Le Grec - I Need U (Smooth Mix)
11:40 Lissa - Some Of Me (Feat. Philip Nolan)
11:31 Vladi Strecker - Meditation In The City (Smooth Evening Cut)
11:27 Beth Orton - Daybreaker
11:27 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
11:23 Mystique - Essences (Rico Van Basten Chil Mix)
11:18 Soundset City - Smooth Delight
11:13 Cane Garden Quartet - Chillaxin'
11:09 Xerxes & Phoenix - Scarecrow
11:04 Soulstice - Andromeda
11:00 Urban Phunk Society - The Visitor
10:55 Marc Hartman - I Can't Stop
10:46 Electric Moonlight - Celebrating Love
10:41 Solar Moon Feat. Jen - Inside Out
10:36 Schwarz & Funk - Cala Llonga (Original Mix)
10:32 Comfort - In Travel
10:31 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
10:26 Dub Mars - Between The Lines
10:21 Dave Ross - Journey In A Space Tube
10:18 Randy Crawford - Give Me The Night (Chill Night Mix)
10:13 Simon Le Grec - I Need U (Smooth Mix)
10:08 Deeparture - Dambes
10:04 Lotus - New Day Rising
10:01 Moods - Comfortable (Feat. High Hoops)
09:56 James Vincent Mcmorrow - We Don't Eat (Dinka Bootleg)
09:52 Mo-'jardo - Summer Rain (Original Mix)
09:48 Marga Sol - Breath
09:44 Cling - Abandoned
09:40 Anthony Hicks, Melody. - Chase The Sunshine (Feat. Melody)
09:36 Andru Donalds - Hurts To Be In Love
09:31 Purple Avenue - American Boy
09:24 Boot Cut Rockers Feat. Mica Wanner - Sunflowers
09:19 Axel B - Sunset Love
09:15 Melorman - Ten
09:07 Jozef Kugler - Shaggy (Original Mix)
09:04 Nor Elle - Deep Breeze
08:57 Azymuth - Morning
08:53 The Smokering - Flying Colors
08:48 Simon Le Grec - Feelings (Piano Mix)
08:41 Sharion - Pleasure
08:35 Gods Blue Chest - Close To The Sun
08:35 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
08:31 Chris Le Blanc - Glass Reflections
08:27 Milosh - Another Day
08:22 Roberto Sol - Tomorrow (Extended Mix)
08:17 My Island - Maledives Beach Lounge (Palm Garden Mix)
08:12 Bebo Best - Out Of Myself
08:07 Polished Chrome - 2night
08:02 Edx - Falling Out Of Love (Lounge Mix)
07:59 Jens Buchert - Les Alpes
07:54 Kool&klean - I Smile
07:50 Euphonic Traveller, Zach Alwin - Planes Over Ushuaia
07:46 Pat Appleton - Ageless
07:42 Climatic - For No Reason At All
07:36 Florzinho, Florzino - Music Is The Universal Language (Instrumental)
07:31 Florzinho - Maha - Amba
07:27 Mr Vaud - Life In The Night
07:23 Acoustique Parfum - Petite Eto
07:23 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
07:17 Smith & Mighty - Maybe It's Me
07:13 The Urban City Myth Club - I Feel It
07:10 Cataldo - Do It All Night
07:04 The Maxwell Implosion - The Upper Left Hand
07:00 Francis On My Mind - Never Be The Same
06:57 Garden City Movement - Foreign Affair
06:53 Jazzamor - He-'s Not There (Original Mix)
06:49 Weathertunes - Grand View
06:46 Benatural - Dancefloor Red (Original Mix)
06:42 Candee Soulchillaz - Lily Was Here - Ibiza Del Mar Cafe Chill Mix
06:37 Jeff Bennet's Lounge Experience Feat. Alexandra - Sympathy
06:31 Vargo - Intuition (Touch My Hall Mix)
06:30 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
06:26 Reunited - Sun Is Shining (Out Of Sight Remix)
06:20 Cafe Americaine - Infrajam (Loungebar Mix)
06:16 Chris Coco - Summer Sun
06:11 Spooky - Dub Addiction
06:10 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
06:03 Triangle Sun - Karelia (Original Mix)
05:58 El Segundo - Blue Marlin (Juan Padilla Serve Chilled Remix)
05:55 Pochill - By And By
05:49 Lafoliedamour - You
05:49 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
05:45 Ladder & Rachel Rubinger - Your Mind
05:43 Mimi Page - My Vanilla Sky
05:37 Blank & Jones, Elles De Graaf - Closer To Me
05:28 Duo Varial Feat. Enaïd - Fly Away
05:22 The Ls Project - Le Voyage De La Vie
05:17 Soma Sonic - Rien
05:14 Cicada - Elle Et Moi
05:13 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
05:07 Deeparture - Ocean Drive
05:01 Schwarz & Funk - Fate Of Destiny
04:57 The Chiller - Chiller (Original Mix)
04:52 Martin Liege - New Brand (Blue Nebula Mix)
04:52 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
04:46 Blu Martini - Better With You (Miguel Musso Mix)
04:42 Michel Petit - Rhode Island
04:38 Blank & Jones - Summer Sky
04:34 Bessie Boni - Mystic Revelation (Feat. Gianna Partner)
04:33 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
04:28 Frank Borell - Icarus (Electric Slide Mix)
04:24 Lung - In Bloom
04:20 Peter Pearson - This Way To A Dream
04:12 Philippe Bestion & Karin Nobbs - Morning Light
04:12 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
04:07 Airstream One - Southern Light
04:00 Aimee Sol - Anything You Want (Sunshine Deluxe Edit)
03:56 Jason Bradberry - Seven Days (Gridlocked Remix)
03:52 Living Room - Space Traveller
03:52 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
03:48 Dharma - Probedas
03:44 Chris Reece - Island Of Love
03:39 Stigma - Eternity
03:35 Atb Feat. Melissa Loretta - White Letters
03:29 Shakes Seven - Angel
03:23 Man In A Room & Civilian - Night Mail (Velvet Dreamer Remix)
03:20 Weathertunes - Siddharta
03:14 Aandra Feat. Ayako Higuchi - Green Tea
03:06 Under The Sun - Waves Of The Sun
03:01 Eriq Johnson & Movox Feat. Marga Sol - Noname Story (Original Mix) (Original Mix)
02:56 Atb - 9 Am
02:53 Superhumanoids - Bad Weather (Tropics Remix)
02:52 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
02:48 Emotional - My Way (Jazzomatic Mix)
02:42 Emotional - I Found It Again (Tom's V-Mix)
02:38 Elektrohandel - Somnia Dulcia
02:34 Amber Mark - Conexao
02:33 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
02:28 Lenny Mac Dowell - Solar Energy
02:23 India Arie - Always In My Head
02:19 Seoan - Far From Paradise (Heaven Voices Mix)
02:14 Waldeck - Aquarius (Straight]
02:05 Bob Harz - What We Are
02:03 Deeper Sublime - Someone Like You
01:57 Majestic 12 - Alone Again (Trüby Trio Treatment)
01:52 Blank & Jones - Sun Starts Smiling (Eclectic Mix)
01:47 Smooth Deluxe - Medina
01:44 Late Night Alumni - Epilogue
01:40 Lemongrass - Lucky (Feat. Suzy Duffy)
01:34 Vargo - Intuition (Touch My Hall Mix)
01:27 Velvet Dreamer - 1000 Miles Away (Simon & Florzinho Remix)
01:23 Setsuna - White Light
01:16 Lagoon - Bare Your Heart
01:16 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
01:11 Karen Gibson Roc - We Can Shine Together
01:05 Green Lemon Feat. Magica Fe - 11 O'Clock (The Man Behind C. Edit)
01:02 Josh Mobley - Shades Of Blue (Feat. Sonji)
00:58 Chris Le Blanc Feat. Miss Luna - Into My Dream
00:53 Late Night Alumni - Summer Lies
00:49 Mandalay - Follow Me
00:47 Peter Pearson - Still On My Mind
00:42 Minus Blue - Be As One (Klangstein Edit)
00:42 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
00:38 Velvet Lounge Project - The Secret Of Your Heart (Anthony Island Remix)
00:35 Twins In Mind - I Hear Your Voice
00:31 Sinan Mercenk - France
00:23 Atrium - Sea Of Desire - Beach Del Mar Cafe Mix
00:23 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
00:18 Skysurfer - Circling Elements Feat. Lovay (Down By The Sea Mix)
00:11 Solanos - Sambado
00:08 Sven Van Hees - Pastel Paradise
00:03 Billie Marten - Out Of The Black (67th Hour Remix)
00:02 Jingle - Radiosun.ro
I’m overjoyed to write again about Music for Dreams’ “Serious Collector Series,” not only because this run of compilations has produced some of the best vinyl sets of the past few years in the form of Jan Schulte’s Tropical Drums of Deutschland, Moonboots’ Moments in Time, and Basso’s Proper Sunburn, but also because the newest such collection, Oto No Wa: Selected Sounds of Japan 1988 - 2018, features a trio of curators who have all influenced this blog in significant ways. Listed first on the breathtaking cover is Ken Hidaka, who in addition to having a storied career as a DJ, journalist, and international record label liaison, has had a significant hand in coordinating many of my favorite reissues from the past few years…things such as Gigi’s Illuminated Audio on Time Capsule and Yutaka Hirose’s Nova + 4 on WRWTFWW, not to mention facilitating serenitatem…that spellbinding collaboration between Yoshio Ojima, Satsuki Shibano, and Visible Cloaks released last year on RNVG Intl. Then there’s Max Essa, one of the premiere practitioners of the balearic beat, whether it’s remixing tracks into euphoric seaside cruisers or producing expansive original works such as “Panorama Suite” for Is It Balearic?, the Lanterns LP for Music for Dreams, or his recently concluded trio of EPs for Hell Yeah Recordings: Themes From The Hood, The Cad & The Lovely, Haz Zan Roc, and The Great Adventure. And finally comes Dr. Rob, a far-ranging musical adventurer and gifted wordsmith whose reviews, interviews, mixes, and stories spread across Test Pressing and Ban Ban Ton Ton showed me entirely new ways to write about music, with his expressive poetics, deep references, and inimitable sense of cleverness rising far beyond standard music criticism and going a long way towards inspiring the creation of this very website.
As far as the music comprising Oto No Wa is concerned, Dr. Rob gives some background at Ban Ban Ton Ton, where he speaks of the trio meeting after one of their Lone Star nights at Bar Bonobo and compiling an initial list of some 200 hundred fantasy selections, which was miraculously whittled down to just 20 tracks. But then, the typically unflinching Japanese record label ecosystem slashed that list to all but nothing, leading Ken, Max, and Dr. Rob to reconsider the entire experience. I like to think that this was ultimately for the better, for in reworking the concept and flow of Oto No Wa, our trio of selectors struck upon the brilliant idea to, in the words of Dr. Rob, ”plot a course from pioneers, through to younger generations who`ve picked up the baton,” resulting in a spectacular set of balearic eclecticism focused on the 90s and 00s, which are periods often missed in the world of Japanese archival reissuing. Indeed, in contrast to the environmental ambiance, city pop, fusion, and jazz so often considered, the sounds here lean much closer to the romantic seaside vibrations of Flower Records’ Silent Dream CD mixes and the Ibizan chill out comps of React, as house beats are repurposed for summer fusion sways, sun-dappled ivories seek out a panoramic horizon, strummed acoustics jangle in an island breeze, electric guitars slide across cinematic deserts, dubwise basslines stroll down white sand beaches, chamber strings play themes for impossible sunsets, and steel pans bring touches of Caribbean splendor. Elsewhere, balafons dance through tropical forests, oceanic soundbaths wash the spirit clean, deep sea explorations transmute into Berlin school magic, and ceremonial drum layers surround barely there violin reveries, with the entire experience being bookended by a pair of kankyō ongaku drifters.
Oto No Wa: Selected Sounds of Japan 1988-2018 (Music for Dreams, 2020)
Yoshio Ojima’s “Sealed,” the sole track here from the 80s, comes from the second volume of the producer’s now legendary Une Collection Des Chaînons: Music For Spiral collection and sees glowing hazes moving in slow motion…these harmonious swells mimicking the motions of some celestial sea while textures of digital crystal twinkle overhead. The vibe is hopeful and soothing, though there are moments where the swelling drones turn minor key and melancholic and the glass and gemstone atmospheres get caught in hyperspeed delay trails. But we always return to the floating stretches of major key majesty, with the music perfectly suited to scoring the motions of clouds across the sky or leaves drifting down a stream. And like many of Ojima’s tracks, there is a false ending…a fade to silence preceding a rebirth, wherein the melodic textures from before are reconfigured into mysterious forms…as if the cerulean sky scene mentioned earlier has been washed out by moody grey rainclouds. The original mix of Olololop’s “Mon” revels in washy 90s post-rock atmospherics, with increasingly free ambient jazz drumming underlying cascading pianos and plucked harps. And while the “orte Remix” by Kumi Hayashi and Takaaki Suzuki preserves many of these elements, the vibe here is more oriented towards classical chill out. The beats are rigid and slamming as they lock into a mechanized seaside swing, with the original’s jazz drumming fluidity replaced by pounding kicks, panning ride taps, and sketchy shaker patterns. Piano and harp flow into the stereo field, dropping plucked rays of golden harmony and washes of ivory ethereality before settling into a balearic dreamdance, one carried by gentle trance electronics and layers of droning bass positivity. At some point the rhythms pull away and we find ourselves in an extended beatless bliss out, wherein melodies of ocean crystal pulse around melodious harp motions, abstracted kick taps flutter on echo breezes, and pan-pipes sparkle in the distance. And later, the mix reduces to an industrial downbeat drum sway and a ceremonial hum of subdued choral mesmerism as the piano continues merging vibes of new age fusion and beachside romance.
Among my favorite cuts here is Kazuya Kotani’s “Fatima,” coming from the 2007 CD Made in Love. Seed shakers and rainsticks roll through echo machines, oceanic string panoramas shift in phase, and bongos and congas beat out a seaside beat as a cooing voice whispers sweet nothings in a way reminding me of Sth. Notional’s “Yawn Yawn Yawn (Dream… Another Reality Mix)”. Bulbous basslines bring touches of gentle dub exotica and a glorious chill out breakbeat swings with infectious forward momentum even as it lands like air, while pianos shimmer and shine via wavering chord mirages and prismatic delay leads that presage Coyote’s use of the instrument. The way everything locks in is so perfect, with hand drums bopping alongside the seaside breakbeat cruise and angelic strings glowing beneath sparkling ivory dreamspells…the whole thing coming together like some prototypical cut from one of José Padilla’s Cafe del Mar compilations or a Phil Mison curated Real Ibiza collection. At some point the drums pull away, leaving behind soft piano flutters, breathy whispers, and overlapping waves of orchestral resonance. And when the beats return, they are joined by heartwrenching chamber string progressions…a sort of swooning dance of cinematic sunset majesty before the track effortlessly glides back towards beachside chill out perfection. The B-side opens with “N.I.C.E. Guy” by Scha Dara Parra, who Dr. Rob describes in the liner notes as “Japan’s answer to the Beastie Boys.” The “Nice Guitar Dub” of the track presented here takes us into the world of the Major Force dance collective, and sees house kicks, hand drum loops, and clipped snares underlying lysergic repetitions of “feel good / checking things out” before dropping into a summery groove led by walking sunshine jazz bass, Hiroshi Fujiwara’s acoustic guitar strums, and Hirofumi Asamoto’s piano…a sort of ambient honky tonk cascade scoring some lagoon adjacent saloon. Occasionally, heavenly strings blow through the stereo field to envelop the vocal samples and there’s a strange midtro given over to urgent stick clicks and rimshots while towards the end, b-boy drum cut-ups and turntablist flourishes disturb the flow.
Little Tempo is an ever shifting group of dub and reggae explorers led in part by Takeshi “Tico” Toki and his shimmering steel pan. The collective has played the world over and released an impressive number of albums since the mid-90s, one of which is Ron Riddim, a 2xLP from 1999 containing the track “Frostie.” A stoner beat moves beneath a tropical panorama of steel drumming, with hi-hats occasionally opening, shekeres scraping, and snares pushing through granular reverb, and as we drop into the groove, liquid dub basslines pulse and slide while a piano glistens in the moonlight. The ivory performance is powerful and awash in twilight romance and noir mystery, sometimes dancing in solo and other times accented by glimmering steel pan flourishes. Elsewhere, the pianos are replaced by electric guitars, which let loose bluesy slides and space western leads…the mixture of desert twang and equatorial riddim strongly evoking the dubbier sides of Tortoise. There’s a moment where the track gives over to martial snare intensity as amphibian lasers and telephonic tracers fire across the sky, with the latter sound pulling my mind to the work of Eddie C. And eventually, the track settles into a sort of bluesy reggae zone out, with subsonic basslines skanking and dubwise drums smacking while wavering steel drum mirages surround spaghetti western slides in the style of Doug McCombs. Karel Arbus & Eiji Takamatsu will of course be well familiar to readers of this blog, both for their amazing Some Backland Plaze tape on Max Essa’s Jansen Jardin and for that completely stunning rework of Cantoma’s “Kasoto” from last year. “Coco and the Fish,” taken from the aforementioned cassette, sees idiophones splashing through sea spray while enigmatic electronics swirl in the background…like a vortex of kosmische wonderment pulsating in colors of deep purple and blue, one that occasionally opens up to reveal deep house chord stabs. It’s hard to say whether the main instrument played is marimba or balafon, but either way, it’s a hyperkinetic performance exuding an energy at once meditative and ecstatic...all while phaser wisps, starshine sparkles, and hidden voices swirl in the distance.
I first heard globetrotting DJ and Flower Records alum Kentaro Takizawa courtesy of Phil Mison and his Pure Ibiza 2xCD set released by I Label in 2008, which included the “Silent Dream Version” of the song taken from the aforementioned Silent Dream compilation. Originally though, the track closed Takizawa’s album Gradual Life from 2006, and this is the version included here. Ride cymbals shine amidst glorious murmurations of ambient synthesis while percussive eco fx mimic the songs of lizards and toads. Elecrosnares rocket across the spectrum, beauteous acoustic guitar arps fall like summer rain, and further six-string solos move in counterpoint, with subdead leads mesmerizing the mind. As psychoactive threads of static surround decaying triangles, sundowner string orchestrations ascend towards the clouds, causing the heart to soar in that Sacha Putnam or Vangelis kind of way, and when the beat drops, it’s a lackadaisical sway led by rolling bongos and tapped cymbals. Guitars dance playfully over a backdrop of fourth world alien magic and ever so often, filmic string themes diffuse into the spectrum. Elsewhere, the drums wash away, leaving e-pianos to execute breathtaking descents before disappearing into a synthesized mirage. Rainsticsk flow over the stereo field as the track evolves even further towards new age bliss, with a harmonious conversation of acoustic guitar sunshine proceeding in a fantasy jungle, wherein sunlight reflects off of glistening palm fronds and tropical birds sing intoxicating songs. And after returning to the bopping rhythms and tapestries of chill out exotica, the tracks ends with guitars being replaced by pianos while mermaid pads whoosh through a sunbathed rainforest setting. Mystical percussionist Yoshiaki Ochi inhabited similar circles to Yoshio Ojima, releasing through NEWSIC and seeing his music played, like Ojima’s, at the arts center of Wacoal lingerie company, otherwise known as Spiral. In “Balasong,” taken from 1990’s Natural Sonic, balafons bounce playfully while executing Steve Reich-style pattenrs of minimalist exotica. The drunken daydream motions and otherworldly idiophone polyrhythms are occasionally interspersed by fast motion twiddles and rapid fire rolls, while at the edge of the mix gourds buzz and textures of metal sparkle…perhaps the ghostly chiming of temple bells.
Kaoru Inoue is a hugely influential figure who for decades has been perfecting his own esoteric combination of house, techno, ambient, and spiritual world music. “Wave Introduction” was originally released on the artist’s 2006 album Slow Motion before being repurposed as the opener for one of my favorite albums ever released: Inoue’s horizontal masterpiece Em Paz released in 2018 on Groovement Organic. The track features the relaxing sounds of waves crashing to shore, joined by twinkling synths, distant foghorns, and psychosonic liquid drips, which eventually transmute into a Reich-ian dream sequence awash in textures of mermaid crystal. Undulating bass arps support slow moving pads that drift like cosmic fog while rhythmic wisps of laser static tickle the mind and the whole thing takes on the feeling of a drunken dream dance that slowly moves towards ambient rapture. The influential Flower Records and its founder Eitetsu Takamiya are represented here by the highly sought after “Scuba” under Takamiya’s Little Big Bee alias. Psychedelic bubble clouds blow over Kenji Jinguiji’s slithering bass guitar romantics and the e-pianos of Plaza Fujisaki glow with a sort of new age spirituality while Hawaiian guitars slide across a sunburst sky. A hushed house beat is accented by gentle clacks and seed shaker pulses as Jinguji’s lowslung basslines lock into a balearic fusion dance replete with vocal slides up the fretboard and as the pacific breeze guitar slides swim between solar organ dub chords, spaceage arpeggiations flitter all around. I detect a definite lean towards The Orb’s early merging of dub, ambient, and techno, with a stereo field colored through by cut-off motions, resonance flares, and whalesong pads that settle into a haze of golden light. The beats cut away momentarily, leaving filtering cosmic synthetics, pulsing organ accents, and emotive basslines while stick clicks build a rainshower rhythm. Seafoam siren synths swell in strength and subsume the entire mix as angels breath rainbow mist across universal expanses and eventually, a liquid guitar slide reintroduces the south pacific chill out groove, which now features hyperkinetic click cascades.
Coastlines, the duo of Masanori Ikeda and Takumi Kaneko, are huge favorites around here and given that I reviewed their cover of Ralph MacDonald’s “East Dry River” when it was originally released as a 7” back in 2018, I’ll present a modified version of my words from that time: Joyously ascending piano chords and deep vocal bass percussions set the scene before we smash cut into a smooth coastal fusion jam, as tambourines and toms pound beneath radiant piano strokes and synthetic steel drum dances while four four house kicks and luscious sub-basslines move the body. Angels bring touches of pure euphoria as they rain down from the sky, and elsewhere, fretless bass solos wiggle above the island rhythm dreamscape…the Motohiko Hamase-style note clusters and liquiform slides trailing under subtle ping-pong delays while colorful hand drum accents evoke slow-motion dancing on some fantasy beach. There’s a brief moment where everything washes away, leaving lush piano chords and sparkling steel pans adrift in solitude, and later, after returning to the seaside house rhythms and melodic textures of jazz fusion fantasy, we are treated again to a crazed fretless bass solo, one that grows ever more frantic and chaotic before finally dispersing. Though beloved producer Susumu Yokota is no longer with us, his memory lives on via his profound influence and his intrepid bridgings of academic ambient and techno body pressure, not to mention archival projects such as the Jon Tye-assisted Cloud Hidden from 2019. “Uchu Taniyo” is taken from Yokota’s 1999 album Sakura and begins with a voice pushing through clouds of reverb as ritualistic percussion builds from the depths. Hand drums and wooden clacks lock into a ceremonial dance kissed by cosmic fx and growling ambient forms swirl into the stereo field…these morphing tremolo gurgles imbued with atmospheres of melancholy. Voices continue babbling as a violin enters the scene, letting loose folksy melodies and post-classical whispers that barely break through the layers of rhythmic repetition. And as the track comes to an end, the exotica drum webs fade out as frogsong electronics decay into the void.
The vibe continues to spread out towards horizontal ambiance in “Time and Space,” a track exclusive to this compilation from the duo of Isao Kumano and Kenichi Takagi, who are often found working with Alex from Tokyo in Tokyo Black Star, but who here appear in their “secretive” Chillax guise. Crystallized sequences, smoldering static waveforms, and hazes of ocean either intertwine as chiming melodies ascend on unseen currents towards a sun soaked sea surface, and I can’t help but think of the underwater kosmische of Iury Lech and Miguel Noya, as well as the seafloor ambient excursions of Shelter on Profondeur 4000 and Private Agenda on Île de Rêve. Soft focus chord bursts breath ambient house ether into the mix while tick-tocking arps build slowly in the background, eventually growing in strength and taking over the mix as the vibe flows from deep sea drifting to Berlin school melodrama, wherein searing filter motions surround the spirit and vocoder cyborgs chant amidst subsuming chord decays. I’ve said much about Takashi Kokubo across this blog, though thus far everything has been focused around his hugely influential Get at the Wave. And given how well mined that album is by now, I’m quite thankful that Ken, Max, and Dr. Rob have opted instead for “Quiet Inlet,” a track appearing on Kokubo’s Eternity from 2006. Waves lap gently against the shore of some hidden island scene...a place of peace and picturesque beauty known only to the fish, reptiles, and birds. A calming piano lullaby enters the scene, marrying Satie-like ambiance and Riley-ian minimalism while digital colorations and e-piano bubble clouds flit all around. A choir of angelic sirens bathe the mix in vocal radiance while bell trees mimic sunlight refractions on the ocean’s surface and after a false ending, the dreamscape ivory cascades, pointillist e-piano melodies, and heavenly choirs return, with everything shrouded by pearlescent pad layers and gaseous blankets of reverb. Windchimes blow on a sea breeze and periodic swells of mermaid magnificence work into the mix and as the sampled waves continue their motions, they lull the mind towards daydream visages of the titular seaside paraiso.
✘ - not interested (but will probably still listen to)
🙏 - dying for
1. Momichupa Opabbu ♂ Time 2 ✘
Release Date: 2021/01/08
Cast: Ono Yuuki x Satou Takuya
Synopsis: Adaptation of the second volume of the series of the same name.
2. Dear + Comics February Issue 2021 Etoiro Koizoushi 💡
Release Date: 2021/01/17
Synopsis: Special CD released along with fifth chapter of the seventh volume of the series.
3. Given 5 Cheri + March Issue 2021 💡 *any reason why Hiiragi’s giving the finger? 💀
Release Date: 2021/01/20
Cast:
Furukawa Makoto + Saitou Souma
Hino Satoshi + Yasuaki Takumi
Tamaru Atsushi
Masuda Toshiki
Hamano Daiki
Synopsis: Special CD released along with the fifth volume of the series.
4. Hirano to Kagiura Comic Gene February 2021 Furoku Drama CD ✘
Release Date: 2021/01/20
Cast: Shimazaka Nobunaga + Matsuoka Yoshitsugu
Synospsis: Extra from the series of the same name.
5. Tashiro-kun, Kimi tte yatsu wa. ✘
Release Date: 2021/01/20
Cast: Masuda Toshiki x Matsuoka Yoshitsugu
Synopsis: Ebihara gets mugged by Tashiro, his junior in college. They somehow end up hanging out together after that, and Ebihara slowly begins to realise that Tashiro may not be as frightening or as weird as he appears at first glance.
6. Yamashii Koi no Hajimekata ✘
Release Date: 2021/01/20
Cast: Nakajima Yoshiki x Kumagai Kentarou *Damn, mans really became his gen’s resident rapist, huh? 💀
Synopsis: A university student Araki Kentaro has a problem than he can’t reveal to anyone. It’ about the erotic dream he’s been having, certainly caused by the fact that he was violated by his young childhood friend Azuma Haru the day before Kentaro moves to Tokyo.
“You’re awake, Ken chan?” said he, while Kentaro struggled to keep his eyes closed. What he looked like when he said so, Kentaro wonders.
“Haru was just teasing me…” Kentaro’s been trying to make him believe so. It’s been two years since then, yet the words and feelings linger, and he can’t erase them. Now Kentaro discovers Haru is in the same university as his. Is his dream going to start all over again?
7. 24-jikan Ochi nai Kiss ✘
Release Date: 2021/01/22
Cast: Kijima Ryuuichi x Komada Wataru
Synopsis: A scandalous office romance about a cool young designer and a moderately annoying businessman! At this cosmetics company, the entire design division shares a common problem, and that problem is Takumi Tokura. A manager with a history in sales and a penchant for sports festivals and living the dream, Mr. Tokura unknowingly pushes impossible tasks on the design team while spewing idealisms at company parties...
In reaction, Ryo Takizawa falls deeper and deeper into a quiet rage. That anger comes to a head after the party when Mr. Tokura announces a mandatory trip to a brothel for all the male employees. Ryo stubbornly tries to go home, but his superior tries to act like a life coach and yells that "sex is important!" This situation leads to a surprising twist! "If you're so insistent, please teach me." This superior and his subordinate mix together like oil and water, but neither can go back once they open the door to new pleasures...! (Renta!)
8. Blue Sky Complex 5 ✘
Release Date: 2021/01/27
Cast: Satou Takuya x Eguchi Takuya
Synopsis: Adaptation of the fifth volume of the series.
9. Danshi Koukousei, Hajimete no after Disc 4th. ✘
Release Date: 2021/01/29
Cast:
Kumagai Kentarou x Enoki Junya
Hamano Daiki x Ono Yuuki
Nakajima Yoshiki x Horie Shun *welcome back!
Synopsis:
[SIDE Aikawa x Mito] October. It’s almost time for the student council members to change. Mito is busy drowning himself in the preparations for the school festival in attempts to hide his loneliness.
[SIDE Hiroi x Amane] Just before Christmas, Amane proclaims that he and Hiroi should break up?!
[SIDE Neriya x Yamamoto] On one particular day, a stranger appears in front of Yamamoto who was staying at Neriya’s house as usual...
10. Kokoro—Watashi no Koi 💡
Release Date: 2021/01/29
Cast:
Toki Shunichi
Takahashi Hidenori
Eguchi Takuya
Hamano Daiki *OMG! HE RETURNS AS SOMEONE NOT KASHIMA!
Synopsis: *inteRestING
“Romance is different from love, love is guilt.”
The student (me) meets an older male (teacher) by the Kamakura sea. Sensei is a thoughtful, kind, and easy-going type whose mind you can’t read. I felt a strange attraction to him and started visiting him at his mansion that he shares with Shizuma.
They were partners of the same sex who lived without any worries nor inconveniences—at least, that’s how they seemed to me.
Forty-nine days of the memorial service after sensei commits suicide, I invited Shizuma to the sea of memories written in sensei’s suicide letter.
[リリース] Hiroko Arakaki - Lion Song (Mule Re-vision) download is now available
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"Even if you are not ready for day
it cannot always be night." G. BrooksVinyl &. Digital: https://lnk.to/SMR034
Bandcamp: https://shantimoscowradio.bandcamp.com/album/hiroko-arakaki-mule
SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/shantiradio/hiroko-arakaki-lion-song-mule-re-visionShanti Moscow Radio:
www.instagram.com/shantiradiomoscow/
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On February 25th 2022, one of my track was released from Shanti Moscow Radio.
This is the first overseas label for me.
Hiroko Arakaki - Lion Song (Mule Re-vision)The original song has been sung for the Shishimai(Japanese lion dance) which is a traditional folk dance of Itabashi-ku, a ward in Tokyo.
I put it into piano arrangement and the track was born in 2017 shared on the net, and thankfully, Argentine DJ Mule Arg remixed it. He reached out to Shanti Moscow Radio with the track, which led it to be released. Mule also remixed "The Birth Song", which I co-wrote with Kentaro Takizawa.At the time around I started to contact the label, the world situation became tenser and tenser. I've heard Shanti Moscow Radio is a global label with artists of various nationalities, including Russia and Ukraine. I imagine that the staff would be in a really difficult situation right now...Since I started to contact the label, the world situation became tenser and tenser. I've heard Shanti Moscow Radio is a global label with artists of various nationalities, including Ukraine. I can imagine the staff in Shanti Moscow might be facing difficult situation now...I'm against war (needless to say), and it is really sad that conflicts brakes out between countries. That is the last thing I want to see. I believe music is totally the opposite. You can connect people to people and countries to countries through it. Even if it is difficult for me to connect somebody now, I want to keep in mind that music is a "connectable existence". I'm glad that I was able to participate in this work and release it from Shanti Moscow Radio. Thanks to Gorje Hewek and other members involved in this record, the Shanti Moscow Radio staff, and above all, Mule who gave me this opportunity.I sincerely hope that the situation in this world would be better, where many people have been hurt and full of disbelieve, as soon as possible.Hiroko Arakaki