NEW RELEASE: "Hatsubai Chushi" by Zibanchinka

Call And Response's latest release, the debut album by Kagoshima garage/postpunk quartet Zibanchinka, is now available in a limited release. Currently it can be bought from Enban in Koenji, and I'll be introducing it to other independent outlets over the next few weeks. A wider release will follow as soon as possible, but in the wake of the March 11th earthquake, the distributor is having an extended attack of jitters over a band name that means "subsidence".


The album is called "Hatsubai Chushi" ("Stop Sale") and features 15 tracks for 1,800 yen (plus tax). I'll post new details of stores where the CD is available as they come, and for those unable to get hold of it via Enban or its web site, here's the song "Watashi no Nakami wa Almond" to whet your appetite:

Zibanchinka: Watashi no Nakami wa Almond by callandresponse

And here's the song being performed live at a Call And Response event in Tokyo a couple of years ago:



Enjoy!

May 6th Fashion Crisis DJ set lists

From what I can remember, here are the set lists for the three DJ sets I played at Fashion Crisis last night. The first one had a lot of pretty heavy Japanese underground noise punk, the second was more 80s electro, and the third was a bit more 60s and 70s influenced.

1st set:
Binocular Depth Inversion 1 - Squimaoto
Golden Ball - Stereolab
Ikkyokume - Nisennenmondai
3.2.1.0! Explosion - Ni-Hao!
Hikaru Mirai - Limited Express (Has Gone?)
Sess - Artless Note
Mad Cheergirl - The Mornings

2nd Set:
Coco Pino - DAF
Get Innocuous - LCD Soundsystem
The Robots - Kraftwerk
Los Ninos Del Parque - Liaisons Dangereuses
Ana - Videosex
Odbrana - Idoli
One After 909 - Laibach

3rd Set:
All Along the Watchtower - XTC
Sono Ki ni Sasenaide - Candies
Anata ni Muchuu - Puffyshoes
Nagisa no Hors d'œuvre - Zibanchinka
Yummy Yummy Yummy - 1910 Fruitgum Company
(I've got) Levitation - The 13th Floor Elevators
Dead Finks Don't Talk - Brian Eno
Mannequin - Mir
I Want More - Can

"May The Fourth Be With You" set list:

Here's my SF-themed set list from last night's Star wars party at Shibuya Echo. Thanks to the lovely people who came along, and yeah, the ELO track was for you, Miha and Matt.

Video Trailer Mix - Sigue Sigue Sputnik
starship.6 - Plus-Tech Squeeze Box
The Force - The Droids
Fred Vom Jupiter - Andreas Dorau
Cosmic Surfin' - Yellow Magic Orchestra
Gingakei Made Tonde Yuke - Candies
Voices Green and Purple - The Bees
I Told Her on Alderaan - Neon Neon
Twlight - Electric Light Orchestra
Twilight - The Raveonettes
I Come from Another Planet, Baby - Julian Cope
Science Friction - XTC
Spooks in Space - Aural Exciters

Fashion Crisis (May 2011)

May Fashion Crisis will be our last show with electro-hip-hop MC N'toko for a while, since he returns to Slovenia at the end of the month. However, as a send-off from the Fashion Crisis crowd, it looks like turning into a bit of a Balkan special, with fellow Slovene electropop idol Kaki making her live debut, and the usual DJ culprits no doubt digging further into the depths of Yugoslavian 80s new wave.

Place: Koenji One
Date: May 6th
Time: 8:00pm-last train
Cost: FREE

Live:
- N'toko
- Kaki

DJs:
- James Hadfield (Time Out Tokyo)
- Ian Martin (Call And Response Records)
- Rally (The Mornings)

2:46 - Aftershocks: Tales From the Japan Earthquake

Available here, now.

Written in two days by people from all over the world, edited and put together in a week, and now on sale with Amazon donating all proceeds to the Japan Red Cross, the #quakebook project finally reaches fruition.

I'm in it, as are many, many others, including Famous People like Jake Adelstein, William Gibson and Yoko Ono. Read more about it here and here.

Kyushu Pop Festival 2011 lineup confirmed

This year's Kyushu Pop Festival will once again be held at Shinjuku Motion, and will feature nine bands either from Kyushu directly or with roots in the area.

Place: Shinjuku Motion
Date: May 21st (Sat)
Time: 4:00pm-11:00pm
Cost: ¥2000 adv/¥2500 door
Bands:
- Zibanchinka (Kagoshima)
- Hyacca (Fukuoka)
- MacManaman (Fukuoka)
- cynicalsmileisyourfavorite (Kumamoto)
- bctnx (Fukuoka)
- She Talks Silence
- Dotama Kachi World
- Fallopian Disco Force
- Jebiotto

Zibanchinka "Hatsubai Chushi" Pre-Release Party

Zibanchinka will be giving fans in their hometown of Kagoshima the first chance to get their hands on their debut album "Hatsubai Chushi" tomorrow (April 8th). Information is on the band's web site here. The album will be in shops next month, in time for Zibanchinka's next visit to Tokyo.