N'toko "Fashion is Danger" Japan Tour (March 2011)

Those with memories that stretch all the back to last autumn might recall the release of Slovenian electro hip hop artist N'toko's excellent Ex Shanti / Future Shanti mini-album on Call And Response in October. We had to dash to get it out in time for his European tour and before the release of N'toko's Slovenian language album Parada Ljubezni, which came out the following month and caused a bit of a stir in the music scene over there.

Anyway, while things on the Japan front have been quiet of late, Ex Shanti / Future Shanti was voted 4th in Slovenian alternative radio station Radio Student's Best of 2010 (with Parada Ljubezni at No.1 making it two N'toko albums in that year's Top Five), as well as being chosen as one of International Hip Hop Market's best of the year.

With all the European and domestic commitments now behind him, however, N'toko is finally ready to take on Japan with a long overdue release party and tour.


Joining N'toko for the Kyushu dates will be Tokyo jazz/hip hop/psychedelic/whatever duo Uhnellys, whose vocalist Kim recorded the track Fashion Crisis with N'toko.

N'toko: Fashion Crisis by callandresponse

The song is named after the monthly party that Call And Response organises with journalist James Hadfield, and as a play on that name and this utterly awesome song by N'toko lookalike Bret McKenzie and Flight of the Conchords, we decided to christen the tour Fashion is Danger.

Anyway, the dates and info:

March 5th @ Tokyo, Higashi-Koenji 20000V
18:00 Open/Start
¥1800 advance / ¥2000 door
Live: N'toko / Quick Explosion Scratch Hurricanes / Takashi Nakayama with LABSiCK Man-Machine ReMiX / Fallopian Disco Force / Steiner
DJs: James Hadfield / Ian Martin

March 9th @ Nagoya KD Japon
19:00 Open / 19:30 Start
¥1500 advance / ¥2000 door
Live: N'toko / ZONZONO / Yuki Kaneko x Juzo / 「Manner Off」 "Unsilence" sound performance

March 13th @ Osaka Sengoku Daitoryo
17:30 Open / 18:00 Start
¥1500 advance / ¥2000 door
Live: N’toko / Acid Peacock / Rough Chord Rudies / Red Dolphins / Unchained Punk / Bashauma

March 19th @ Fukuoka, Yakuin UTERO
18:00 Open/Start
¥2000
Live: N'toko / Uhnellys / Hyacca / bctnx / men's relaxations / Fake doll Nott (electrify set) / Perchume ☆ Mix
DJs: Ian Martin / Miyagawa Electric 808

March 20th @ Kumamoto Navaro
20:00 Open / 20:30 Start
¥1500yen
Live: N'toko / MacArthur A Contti/ Uhnellys / 101nZ / Fuckin'Shits + more
DJs: Esuda / Noizima/ Ito (ex. Jabberwocky)

The Tokyo and Fukuoka shows are both Fashion Crisis events, so I'll be posting individual info about them in the lead-up to the gigs. Also, yes, Perchume is a Fukuoka-based Perfume tribute act. And no, I have no excuse.