Re: jap trad & dance

Elson Trinidad
Tue, 24 Feb 1998 17:35:28 -0800


At 07:09 PM 2/23/98 +0200, JUUSO PAASO wrote:
> A customer at Kosmonaut Rekords, a shop were I work, asked for music
>that combines traditional japanese music (instrumental, but singing's
>ok too) and modern dance music. I thought over it and about all I could
>come up with was Dimitri From Tokio EP on Disorient, and it wasn't that
>japanese after all. Then there was a Asian Dub Foundation EP, I think,
>that had something in that fashion, but that's not much. So could you
>guys come up with something?

I doubt you will find much. for something like that, don't bother with
anything from Japan since
there is such a wide gap between traditional Japanese music and modern
music, which is specifically westernized. You'll have better luck finding
latin/Brazilian music from Japanese artists!

And the "Asian Dub Foundation" is more of an Indian, not Japanese/east
Asian origin.
Anything that "Asian" from Britain really refers to the Indian
subcontinent. But I totally
dig what British Indians like Talvin Singh and the ADF are doing; they're
not doing the
sound which that person is looking for but they are definitely into the
spirit.

The closest you'll find is one song, Photek's "Ni Ten Ichi Ryu" which is a
drum n bass tune which samples a Japanese taiko drum. It's not really
Japanese music per se, nor is it really danceable, but it's an amazing
piece of music.

I've personally done (and am still doing) stuff which combines
hip-hop/jungle/trip-hop/acid-jazz music with music from China, Japan the
Philippines and other Asian/Southeast Asian countries...but it can't be
found in stores (yet?)

Elson