More Japanese Hip Hop Reviews
(albums due from Microphone Pager and Mellow Yellow next month!
Groups Soul Scream and King Giddra recently signed to FIle Records.
Expecting good things.)
Artist: Lamp Eye
Title: Gekokujou
Publisher: Vortex (Mercury/Polygram)
Catalog #: PHCL-12001
Genre: Rap
Comments:
Unexpected first release from VORTEX Records, a company which seems to
have been created around a scene occuring at a small club in Shibuya, the CAVE.
This group, "Lamp Eye," is a minor legend in the local Rap community, having
built up a large degree of attention via their activity with other skills-heavy
artists such as You the Rock and Microphone Pager. That this fine group should
be able to release a project from a label under the wings of Polygram speaks
alot about the current music market, as well as the so-called "DAYONE effect,"
a reference to Japanese Rap's sudden rise in popularity largely attributed to
groups such East End x Yuri. No matter how good this group is, however, its
unlikely that they'll find large scale success. That they are too "hard" to be
accessable is another reality of the market. That said, they have major skills,
and decent production backup from Takagi Kan, who coproduced the massive
title track to this maxi-single. Definitely a group to watch out for.
Grade: A-
Artist: East End x Yuri
Title: denim-ed soul 2
Publisher: Epic Sony
Catalog #: ESCB-1590
Genre: Rap
Comments:
The first relatively serious rap group to win large scale popular success
in Japan releases their major debut album. All their hit singles are
included, including the remarkably similar "DA.YO.NE," "MAICCA" and
"Ii Kanji Iya na Kanji." In the absence of former member "Rock-T" from
the days when this group was simply "East End," former Tokyo Performance
Doll member Ichii Yuri has filled in, providing a cute, but fairly unstable
voice to counter Gaku's slightly old school monotone style. Content-wise,
the group hasn't changed alot, with most tracks covering "everyday" subjects.
There may indeed be something to the suggestion that East End owes its recent
success to Yuri, who at the very least, has provided an accessable "pop flavor"
that the group didn't have before when they were "serious."
They have there share of detractors, many detract harshly, saying that the
group has "sold out," but there fan base is large enough that this group isn't
likely to change much in the near future.
As an album, this one's "all right." I have to admit that I haven't cared too
much for their recent singles, but there are several passable tracks and
a couple pretty decent ones.
Grade: B-
Artist: DJ Krush
Title: Strictly Turntableized (Japanese Release)
Publisher: Avex Trax (Orig. publish by Mo Wax UK)
Catalog #: AVCJ-60020
Genre: Hip Hop, Acid Jazz, Abstract
Total Time: 52:49
Track Listing:
1. Intro
2. Lunation
3. Fucked Up Pendulum
4. Kemuri
5. The Loop
6. Silent Umgah (Too Much Pain)
7. Interlude
8. Dig this Vibe
9. Yeah
10.To the Infinity
11.The Nightmare of Umgah (Sandro in Effect)
12.Don't You Miss (feel)
13.To Be Continued
14.Exit to Entrance
Comments:
Krush's second major album was released amidst substantial clamor
via UK's Mo' Wax label in mid-1994, and earned much deserved attention
for his, as usual, impressive blend of Hip Hop rhythms, unusual samples
and impressive DJ skills. The Japanese release of the same album, this
time on Avex includes no less than 3 unreleased bonus tracks, which,
while they don't add much to this release as an album as a whole, are
splendid tracks in their own right. If anything, close in feeling to the
mixes witnessed on his debut album.
Grade: A
<ben@ludens.co.jp>
Artist: DJ Honda
Title: DJ Honda
Publisher: Sony Records
Catalog #: SRCL-7726
Genre: Rap, Hip Hop
Comments:
DJ Honda, 1992's winner of the all-Japan DMC DJ contest. His next couple
years found him in Los Angeles, living in LA with his friend DJ Yutaka, doing
producing and arranging events which featured fellow Zulu nation members.
This activity, particulary his appearances in many local DJ battles, and his
activity with the Zulu Nation gained him considerable attention in the US rap
community and gained him backing from Sony Records and a posse of comrades.
His debut has carried through, an album which features guests from the widest
ranges of the rap community (but with a distinct weight on the "hard" and the
old-school). Its largely thanks thanks to these guests, that he succeeds to the
degree that he does. As his skills go, he's on point, but his bias towards old-
schooly sounds (and MCs), and use of oversused (at times simplistic) beats and
samples is what holds him back. Thankfully, the inclusion of recordings from
a DJ contest, are fabulous, and are probably what convinced me to buy this
thing... however...
Grade: B
[ Ben List <> ben@ludens.co.jp ]
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