On the first Friday of every month, Bandcamp holds Bandcamp Friday. Except…not this month! The next installment of this is in December, but turns out you can actually discover music and support artists at all times, not just designated days. So let’s keep this feature rolling for November.
Adding a little spice to this edition is that last week Japanese independent music market event M3 held its fall edition in Tokyo. Artists from all over sold new releases at the event, and a decent amount of them have trickled on to Bandcamp. Including…
BUBBLE-B — MAPO TRACKS
Musical goofster BUBBLE-B has a knack for transforming the mundane into manic dance-pop. To list personal favorites would go on way too long, but anyone capable of transforming restaurant drink bars and names of car models into enjoyable (and funny as hell) songs deserves to be celebrated.
MAPO TRACKS shows how this playful attitude can be applied to dance music. Save for male vocals appearing on songs about the titular Chinese dish bookending the collection — generated by Synthesizer V, a piece of software popping up a lot in Japanese electronic music this year — these are instrumental cuts, presented by BUBBLE-B as “interesting tracks for DJs.” That’s an understatement when you hear him crafting acid house around dogs barking (“WANWAN RAVE”) and floor-focused rush out of guys on a roof yelling things (“SAIHATE YOUTH HOSTEL). Personally, I’m wowed by his ability to corral various noises made by cashless payment options available to Japanese consumers and somehow make it into a dizzying electro cut (“CASHLESS DANCER”). It’s hilarious…but also totally grooveable. Get it here.
Various Artists — kaomozi compilations vol.3
Internet-centric label KAOMOZI has emerged as one of the most exciting providers of experimental music in Japan. In just over two years KAOMOZI has shined a digital light on off-kilter pop, ambient headtrips and jazzy brainwreckers among so much more. Its latest compilation offers a wonderful entry point into KAOMOZI’s eclectic soundscape, highlighting a little bit of everything while still carrying the adventurous spirit defining all its offerings. Get it here.
Guchon — Raccoon Hill EP
We’ve reached the midpoint of the decade, and there’s one Japanese music declaration I’m willing to lay down as the 2020s hits the halfway mark: nobody has brought more positive vibes to the country than Guchon. The long-running producer and DJ seemingly went up a level since 2020, dabbling in different mutations of dance music but always keeping the serotonin levels spiked. His latest EP, via London’s Feelings Worldwide, only keeps the joy up, with three original tracks of high-energy house, highlighted by the euphoria of the title track. Get it here.
NUS_0x40 — Nakayoshi Island EP
The ‘90s kids have truly come of age because nostalgia for like, the first Playstation has emerged online. A particularly interesting take on this variety of remember-when is from the music that people associate with video games from the late ‘90s and early 2000s. YouTube has become rife with playlists capturing jungle and liquid funk among others originating from games, while artists like London’s Pizza Hotline turn to this era for inspiration in their own tracks.
Here’s a Japanese effort at capturing the same game-born atmosphere, made up of a collective of electronic artists interested in the fast-paced console sounds of the Heisei era. Nakayoshi Island features speedy dance tracks that work as both nostalgia rush and club workout, less about being stuck in the past and more about seeing how these sonic elements can work in the present. Get it here.
Various Artists — ADVANCE+
Sticking with video-game-based throwbacks…here’s a whole set of songs made by using a Game Boy Advance! Besides showing just how deep the sound sources from this portable unit could be, it’s a delightful showcase of how underground artists approach song construction, ranging from laid-back grooves courtesy thalor to the club mania created by Idaten. Get it here.
Okuyukashiki — Denoincho 2
One last example of how to approach memories of the ‘90s. Why worship at the altar of media nostalgia when you can smash it into a bunch of tiny bits? Fukuoka’s Okuyukashiki takes samples from ‘90s anime and transforms them into hard-hitting gabber and hardcore, fashioning the past into something pulverizing now. Get it here.
AFRICAN SUMMER TIME — MONOLOGUE
Indie-pop project AFRICAN SUMMER TIME makes electronic-dappled songs featuring guest singers that help deliver some of the shiniest melodies in the Japanese independent scene at the moment. Its latest moves between swift pop jaunts and more easy-going numbers carried by sing-speak vocals, with something approaching buzzy bossa nova for good measure. Get it here.
Hazy Sour Cherry — Hazy Horror Party
Halloween remains fresh enough where a whole concept EP about a spooky night soundtracked by good-time rock makes sense. Tokyo indie-rock quartet Hazy Sour Cherry made a soundtrack to an imagined horror movie with Hazy Horror Party, though the chug-a-lug melodies of these songs and general silliness of it all (lots of references to monsters dancing, something called “The Dracula Bop,” multiple skits) make it less scary and more of a swell time. Get it here.
Wanpaku Slayer — Color Me Blood Pastel
The cute and the grotesque exist closer than one might initially think. See the world of kimokawaii or the unsettling elements lurking within an otherwise Harajuku-bright artist like Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s music. Wanpaku Slayer explores this closeness on Color Me Blood Pastel, a set of songs using the fizzy sound of “kawaii bass” and cheerful vocals as a foundation, but thrilled at ripping it apart with the inclusion of heavy metal interludes and guttural shouting. Yet it never comes off as just shocking, but rather interested in how the two sides can work together to create something special. Get it here.
Masayoshi Iimori — Tras EP
Trekkie Trax staple Masayoshi Iimori links up with a trio of fellow electronic heavyweights on the Tras EP. A steely trio of songs perfect for those seeking to rave in colder weather, it’s also a reminder of the force the now-vet of the Tokyo community brings to his sound while highlighting how he plays with others. Get it here.
Various Artists — Nekomata Shojo
Internet-based label Nekomata offers a high-energy set of remixes and bootlegs, transforming cutesy pop and anime samples into high-energy affairs jumping from Jersey club to breakcore without losing the kawaii nature. Get it here.
ind_fris — This side to that side, That side to this side.
A rare entry around these parts where I urge you to hunt down the physical release if at all possible, though I think you’d literally have to be in Japan to do so. This is the latest entry in Kankyo Records “INCENSE & SOUND” series, which pairs various scents with musical releases. This time around, they’ve enlisted project ind_fris to create a soundtrack for an imagined day driving around in the sun…with the physical cassette coming with an air freshener intended to make the songs here all the more invigorating.
Still, just hitting “Buy Digital Album” gets you one of the year’s better electronic experiments, with ind_fris creating midtempo driving tunes drawing from jazz fusion and dance music to create a chipper set meant for motion. Elements of New Age sounds sneak in, but are given a boost by the beats propelling everything forward. A relaxing cruise, scent included or not. Get it here.
