I skipped last month because I was too busy with various bands’ tours but I’ve made the December one into a sort of end-of-year review focussing on some of my favourite bands and releases of the year, as well as a couple of things from previous years that I either only discovered recently or came back to in a big way this year. Anyway, here’s the pod:
Because of the earthquake last week, there's been too much going on lately to post event info, but here's the flyer for today's Fashion Crisis Fukuoka Special:
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.
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.
"...music that draws from electropop, Bollywood, and French house while keeping the darker, more aggressive and underground attitude of old school hiphop (I'm talking about guys like Public Enemy, Erik B and Rakim), EBM, industrial, goth."
The result is a sometimes dark, always playful, mini-album that fuses hip hop with 1980s electro and technopop sounds, and a post-punk attitude.
Partly recorded in Japan during his stay in the country through late 2009 and early 2010, Ex Shanti / Future Shanti also features the track Fashion Crisis, named after the Call And Response event, and recorded with guest vocals by Kim from Uhnellys.
N'toko is on tour in Europe at the moment, and will be touring Japan starting on March 5th next year.
An extra special Fashion Crisis new year party tomorrow (Saturday 16th) with an expanded lineup, some super guests and some old friends. Hot on the heels of his ace DJ set at December's event, Slovenian electro/hip hop sensation N'toko will play a live set. Guest DJs abound with sets by DJ Petit of electro disco group Frap Frap Fraps, Nakayama Takashi, formerly of Skyfisher and currently playing with his group LABSiCK Man-Machine ReMiX, and a debut DJ performance by Kim from prog/jazz/hip hop duo Uhnellys. Regular DJ James Hadfield is off in terrorising Kansai people with his taiko group, but DJ Ian Martin and house band Candles will be there as usual, along with frequent guest live act Back in Tokyo.
Call And Response is a Tokyo-based independent record label and event organiser, specialising in post-punk, new wave and assorted experimental pop trash.
