From: Wesley (wesleyc_at_cox.net)
Date: 2003-04-04 01:04:41
Features :: Jazztronik, Costco in Japan, Chara
Metropolis has another piece on Jazztronik, and Tokyo Q talks about
Costco in Japan (with some photos of this Japanese take on Western
abundance). the previous Jazztronik interview at Metropolis:
http://metropolis.japantoday.com/tokyo/440/music_beat.asp
and, Chara's playing stuff from her new album, including a Migu
(Cornelius' drummer has a new album) song, on her online radio program:
http://chara.i-radio.fm/
-Wesley
-- source: Metropolis City Guide by Don Crispy Jazztronik Japan has no lack of DJs: if anything, the country groans under a glut of ambitious young men (and an amazing absence of women) who have traded in their Fender guitars for Technics turntables. But few of them boast the instrumental and compositional skills of Ryota Nozaki, aka Jazztronik. Nozaki's fusion of jazz and dance music is hardly novel. Japan's own UFO, for instance, have been pursuing this line of exploration for over a decade now. But few approach it with the musical depth that Nozaki does, a depth that has seen his records gain the respect of greats like UK DJ Gilles Peterson. Next Friday, Nozaki debuts his latest effort, Set Free, on influential Japanese house imprint Flower Records, with a live performance at Yellow in a night that will also feature a DJ set by Shuya Okino of the Kyoto Jazz Massive DJ unit, which like UFO has been indefatigable in its efforts to further club jazz. Notwithstanding the crowded field, Nozaki, 26, makes music that stands out. Set Free has many of the textures familiar to listeners of UFO, Kyoto Jazz Massive, or jazz/breakbeats explorers like Britain's 4Hero. Breezy Brazilian bossa nova vocals, jazz keyboards, hip-hop, breakbeats and other cutting-edge rhythms are just some of the colors that make up Jazztronik's palette. But the organic fullness of Nozaki's arrangements set them apart from much of this music, which often amounts to a sax solo played over a thumping house rhythm track. Yet, in fact, that's exactly where his journey began. "I first discovered the blending of dance and jazz music at club Blue," he told Jazznin magazine recently. "I walked into the place and there was a DJ performing with a live saxophone player. I was surprised and thought to myself, 'Wow you can do this kind of thing and it really works well.'" Previously, Nozaki had developed his deck skills spinning hard house and trance, but that night at Blue, he says, "showed me that there were other things out there--really interesting things." Nozaki's university studies in classical music and film soundtrack composition, not to mention his accomplished piano playing, give him a leg up on most DJ/producers, who often don't even read or write sheet music. But at the same time, Nozaki's music doesn't sound overly studied. "Froro," for example, is a frothy, irresistibly funky house number that references Afrobeat, while the DJ's densely textured jazz piano work flavors much of the album, from the mellow, tropical atmosphere of "Muddy Muddy" to the urban, hip-hop inflections of "The Piano." With music dividing into ever-narrower categories, Nozaki says he hopes it gets to a point where there are no boundaries. "I want to take many different musical styles and put them together," he says. "In Japan everything is so divided. The DJ only DJs, the band only does live music. I want to help the two come together more. That's how we can take music and the party experience to the next level." Set Free Jazztronik Album Release Party_at_Yellow, 4/11, 10pm, ¥3000. Tel: 03-3479-0690. www.club-yellow.com http://metropolis.japantoday.com/tokyo/recent/clubs.asp Costco: Machida http://club.nokia.co.jp/tokyoq/weekly_updates/tqoole/tqool.html -- The Eclectic Sounds of Japan [Sound::Lounge] http://groups.yahoo.com/group/soundlounge/