Omodaka / Far East Recording (沢瀉)

Omodaka and Far East Recording are both names used by one Soichi Terada.

Soichi has been producing a wide variety of electro/techno music since 1989. Browsing through his extensive discography is much like taking a lesson in electro history. He started out like many others in the early 90s with bare-bone, sample filled dance tracks. He gradually shifted into jungle/drum and bass territory with his "Sumo Jungle" series of albums. Much of his music featured bossa rhythms and other more sophisticated elements, propelling his tracks slightly further than the usual stagnant underground house and jungle tracks.

He continued to evolve his sound into a much more lively house realm, pushing the vocal element to the forefront. With his "Monkey Turn" single, he fused his older jungle style with a new, vocal-centric sort of cyber-house, with its robotized traditional style Japanese vocal track. After that he jumped straight into a Daft Punk style of upbeat house tracks with more traditional Japanese folk vocals courtesy of Kanazawa Akiko (I highly recommend checking out the video diaries on her site.) He also slowly incorporated the current trend of using modern/retro 8-bit sounds, eventually creating songs made entirely of vintage video game music tracks. While these songs would be great on their own as instrumentals, the addition of Kanzawa's anachronistic traditional vocals makes for a truly unique mix.

So far Soichi has released only one full album and two EPs featuring his new sound under the name Omodaka. The album CANTATA No.147 is basically a collection of singles (including his excellent version of Bach's Cantata No. 147.) The Favorite Games EP is a natural evolution, pushing the vocals to the bleeding edge and even including some acoustic guitar among the retro-bleeps. Plum Song follows suit, with the same pop sound with a bit more experimentation mixed in.

Omodaka has made a very strong showing at live shows in America. As part of the otherwise all-girl Japan Nite tour, Omodaka has wowed audiences with his odd stage show featuring recorded video of Akiko singing and his own version of shrine-maiden clothing, compete with a spooky mask.

With the amount of attention his work is getting, and (perhaps) more notably the excellent videos that accompany much of his music and a growing number of high profile remixes for the likes of Ram Rider, YMCK and Perfume, we can be sure that we'll be hearing (and seeing) a lot more from Omodaka / Far East Recording in the future.

BUY OMODAKA RELEASES AT AMAZON, HEARJAPAN AND ITUNES

[Photo by Ace0fClub5]

Kokiriko Bushi



Far East Recording
Power of Terada
Twitter

Major Releases
Omodaka - Plum Song EP (2010)
Omodaka - Favorite Games EP (2008)
Omodaka - CANTATA No.147 (2006)
Far East Recording - SUMO JUNGLE GURANDEUR
Far East Recording - SUN SHOWER REMIXES
Far East Recording - NEWS AND OLDIES 1996
Far East Recording - FAR EAST RECORDING 2
Far East Recording - FAR EAST RECORDING

Plum Song


Yosawya-san


Kyotei Zinc (video mix)


Kyotei Daiski


Cantata No. 147


Fortunate 1 Mark


Live


Live @ Holy 8bit Night 1/4


Live @ Holy 8bit Night 2/4


Live @ Holy 8bit Night 3/4


Live @ Holy 8bit Night 4/4


[update 4/28/10]

Ogre You Asshole

Don't let the outrageous name fool you. If you could distill unassuming, twee feelings into sonic form, you might have something closely resembling Ogre You Asshole.

Formed around 2004, the gentle indie rock foursome has released a slew of equally modest singles, mini-albums and just-barely-full-length efforts. These are all full of the band's extremely muted and flat sonic treatments. They are the opposite end of the spectrum from, say, Ling Tosite Sigure's frenetic production or Boris' wall of sound.

This isn't to say that their songs lack punch or sparkle. In fact many OYA songs have a habit of sneaking up on the listener. Of lulling them into a quiet reverie just before launching into a more cacophonous chorus or boisterous bridge. They keep their music just a bit on the raw side, something that sets them apart for a much more average, nice and safe rock band. Manabu Deto's light and gentle voice is able to shift effortlessly into something more aggressive and plaintive, just as their music makes subtle shifts and movements.

It's this clever credibility that proves Ogre You Asshole has a large cache of talent to draw upon, and something that allows them to release consistently great indie rock gems.

BUT OGRE YOU ASSHOLE RELEASES HERE

"Pinhole"




Official Site
MySpace

Members:
Manabu Deto - Guitar, Vocal
Kei Mabuchi - Guitar
Norihito Hiraide - Bass
Takashi Katsuura - Drums

Albums:
Fog Lamp - 2009
Shiranai Aizu Shiraseruko - 2008
Alpha Beta vs. Lambda - 2007
Heikin ha Sayuu Gyaku no Kitai - 2006
Ogre You Asshole - 2005

"Shiranai Aizu Shiraseruko"


"Advantage"


"Flag"


live


[updated 10-2009]

Oreskaband

Don't let the name fool you. Japan's all girl Oreskaband, while certainly ska-fueled, isn't all ska all the time. In fact their songs are often only tangentially connected to the ska sound. Sure, they've got a bunch of horns and aren't afraid to use them, but they are first and foremost a pop band, just a pop band with very strong ska-like overtones.

Formed in 2003 while the girls were still in middle school, the band has since graduated, been signed to Sony and toured the world. Perhaps most notable have been their appearance in America at Anime Expo and their two years on the Warped Tour. This earned them a massive American following and proved to the world that they could actually hack it on a real, grueling tour.

Their natural ska tendencies are strongly tempered by their overall peppy pop sound. They also drop the syncopated rhythms from time to time to simply rock out. While outwardly they portray a tough look, sporting boy's school uniforms and talking tough, their songs have a decidedly softer, more positive spin. They are more a peppy party band, which is something that really shows through in their live shows. And isn't that what ska is really all about?

BUY ORESKABAND RELEASES FROM AMAZON AND CDJAPAN

Papaya




Official Site
MySpace

Members:
Ikasu - Guitar, Vocals
Tae-san - Drums
Leader - Trombone
Saki - Trumpet
Moriko - Tenor Saxophone
Tomi - Bass, Vocals

Albums:
Penpal - 2005
Ore - 2006
WAO!! - 2007
What A Wonderful World Vol.1 - 2008
What A Wonderful World Vol.2 - 2009

24 Karats


Pinocchio


Wasuremono


Knife and Fork

New Omodaka Video: Asadoya Yunta (安里屋ユンタ)

I just received word of this, an awesome new video for "Asadoya Yunta" from Omodaka!

This one is a bit less fun and a bit more serious and arty, featuring some really interesting typography from Kentaro Fujimoto and directed by Yoshiyuki Komatsu (did I get that right?) of Power Graphixx. It reminds me a little of the video for Autechre's "Gantz Graf." (But just a little.)

The video fits well with Kanazawa Akiko's floating vocals backed by the glitched-out beats, all set in a cyber no-scape of various geometric shapes. Omodaka seems to enjoy bringing these traditional folk tunes back to life. This one is a little more abrasive and experimental then most of his other stuff, but I think the unique interpretation really works well.

If you're interested, here are a couple more videos featuring a traditional take from Rimi Natsukawa, and a really cool jazz version from none other than Ryuichi Sakamoto!

Thanks to the enigmatic pa for the tip!

Rimi Natsukawa


Ryuichi Sakamoto

Album Review: On An Ocean Amp - We Are Now Growing Fast

Sometimes cool things happen.

About a week ago I received a comment here on the A-Z. It was from Mike McGuire, one half of the electro group On An Ocean Amp. He was surprised and happy to see his band on the blog. After all, OAOA isn't exactly your mainstream major label outfit. In return, he sent me their second album We Are Now Growing Fast. Behold! The power of the internet!

Sadly, it turns out that their second album never found a home. Doubly sad because it shows a marked improvement in the band's songwriting, a transition to more traditional song structure than their self titled debut. On An Ocean Amp is more a study in sound and textures than a traditional lyrics based album. It's mostly made up of Mike's precision cut & paste beats and granular sonic glitches, with only hints at singer Kaori Hashimoto's vocals. We Are Now Growing Fast is much more user friendly while still retaining, and in fact amplifying, Mike's attention to the teeny tiny sonic details.

From the ultra swank opening "Intro - OAOA Spacelines" we are slammed face first into the pounding "Brachioplatypus." It's a short battle, fought with SNES and Genesis controllers, but it quickly sets the mood of the album. Think it's going to be all soothing synth beds and whispery voices? Think again brutha!


"Orange Beam" takes a page directly out of The Plastics and Hikashu play books. Kaori switches into robot mode, delivering her monotone syllables over the stoic beats and basslines, while clockwork twitters and buzzes fill in the corners. "Kokoro Koro Koro," one of the album's stand out tracks (which you can here on this episode of Japanator Radio), breathes life back into the music box. A scratchy gramophone background hisses out a memory of some distant heartbreak, with the flubbering beat rolling things along. A forlorn toy keyboard melody taps out some distant communication over light-years of phone lines.

Kaori adopts a more traditional tone on "Akai Haibisukasu," chirping and keening in a high drone while a shamisen is cut to pieces underneath. The cut-up continues into "Sai Kai,"an excellent Autechre-esque glitch track that stays well away from traditional glitch pit-falls. Namely, it actually has a melody, though the stuttering pots and pans certainly try and prove otherwise.

"Talaria" drops the stuttery glitch entirely and moves into a sort of spaced-out new-wave direction, with a funky, jerky groove. "Interlude" is indeed an extremely peppy break half-way into the album. It's the soundtrack of robot cats chasing robot mice, only to find the robot mice are legion and have large robot dogs under their control. Then they all laugh it off and relax by the pool.

"New Clicky" is probably the album's crowning achievement. It's a slow burn while the pin-prick beats tumble over a solid kick that carries the song along. Kaori adds to the tension with her own soft yet urgent delivery, which all builds into a straight-forward dance track near the end. The tiny blips and bleeps turn it into a whirling synth pop gem.

"Pink DSP" is an orchestral hip-hop cut up, with its tightly looping bits and buzzing, obliterated vocals. "Flight of the Goldfish" again dips into 8-bit territory, mostly pounding away with a soft retro NES blurb bopping away in the background. "Natsu ga Kita" is another relentless song full of stuttering and jumping clips, but tempered with soft synths and blissed out vocals.

"Sure Chigai" is a slinky-as-hell deep house track with some beautiful vocoded vocals over classic techno beats. It would be perfect on any ambient collection from the mid-90s, and I mean that in the best way possible. "nl5" ends the album with a trip into a wash of reverb, finally awakening from some happy dream, the trip on OAOA Spacelines complete.

It's a bit sad to see such a great album lost to the ether. Luckily Mike was kind enough to make it available to the world through the internet. You can grab it here. You can also buy their first album here. Make sure to let Mike know what you think!

August Calendar - Oreskaband - Warped Tour

June 20 - August 17
Oreskaband
Warped Tour

Fri 6/20 Pomona, CA
Sat 6/21 San Francisco, CA
Sun 6/22 Ventura, CA
Wed 6/25 Phoenix, AZ
Thu 6/26 Las Cruces, NM
Sat 6/28 Salt Lake City, UT
Sun 6/29 Denver, CO
Tue 7/1 St. Louis, MO
Wed 7/2 Kansas City, KS
Thu 7/3 Dallas, TX
Sat 7/5 San Antonio, TX
Sun 7/6 Houston, TX
Wed 7/9 Atlanta, GA
Thu 7/10 Orlando, FL
Fri 7/11 Tampa, FL
Sat 7/12 Miami, FL
Sun 7/13 Jacksonville, FL
Mon 7/14 Charlotte, NC
Tue 7/15 Virginia Beach, VA
Wed 7/16 Washington DC
Thu 7/17 Cleveland, OH
Fri 7/18 Detroit, MI
Sat 7/19 Toronto, ON
Sun 7/20 Montreal, QU
Tue 7/22 Buffalo, NY
Wed 7/23 Boston, MA
Thu 7/24 Englishtown, NJ
Fri 7/25 Philadelphia, PA
Sat 7/26 New York, NY
Sun 7/27 Scranton, PA
Tue 7/29 Pittsburgh, PA
Wed 7/30 Cincinnati, OH
Thu 7/31 Indianapolis, IN
Fri 8/1 Milwaukee, WI
Sat 8/2 Chicago, IL
Sun 8/3 Minneapolis, MN
Wed 8/6 Calgary, AB
Fri 8/8 Boise, ID
Sat 8/9 Seattle, WA
Sun 8/10 Portland, OR
Wed 8/13 Fresno, CA
Thu 8/14 San Diego, CA
Fri 8/15 San Francisco, CA
Sat 8/16 Sacramento, CA
Sun 8/17 Los Angeles, CA

Source: J-Revolution

July Calendar - Oreskaband - Warped Tour

June 20 - August 17
Oreskaband
Warped Tour

Fri 6/20 Pomona, CA
Sat 6/21 San Francisco, CA
Sun 6/22 Ventura, CA
Wed 6/25 Phoenix, AZ
Thu 6/26 Las Cruces, NM
Sat 6/28 Salt Lake City, UT
Sun 6/29 Denver, CO
Tue 7/1 St. Louis, MO
Wed 7/2 Kansas City, KS
Thu 7/3 Dallas, TX
Sat 7/5 San Antonio, TX
Sun 7/6 Houston, TX
Wed 7/9 Atlanta, GA
Thu 7/10 Orlando, FL
Fri 7/11 Tampa, FL
Sat 7/12 Miami, FL
Sun 7/13 Jacksonville, FL
Mon 7/14 Charlotte, NC
Tue 7/15 Virginia Beach, VA
Wed 7/16 Washington DC
Thu 7/17 Cleveland, OH
Fri 7/18 Detroit, MI
Sat 7/19 Toronto, ON
Sun 7/20 Montreal, QU
Tue 7/22 Buffalo, NY
Wed 7/23 Boston, MA
Thu 7/24 Englishtown, NJ
Fri 7/25 Philadelphia, PA
Sat 7/26 New York, NY
Sun 7/27 Scranton, PA
Tue 7/29 Pittsburgh, PA
Wed 7/30 Cincinnati, OH
Thu 7/31 Indianapolis, IN
Fri 8/1 Milwaukee, WI
Sat 8/2 Chicago, IL
Sun 8/3 Minneapolis, MN
Wed 8/6 Calgary, AB
Fri 8/8 Boise, ID
Sat 8/9 Seattle, WA
Sun 8/10 Portland, OR
Wed 8/13 Fresno, CA
Thu 8/14 San Diego, CA
Fri 8/15 San Francisco, CA
Sat 8/16 Sacramento, CA
Sun 8/17 Los Angeles, CA

Source: J-Revolution

Onmyo-za (陰陽座)

Onmyo-za (or Onmyouza) is a rather unique metal band. Right from the start, if you see them you'll notice that they don't dress in the typical leather, jeans or t-shirts. Instead they wear large flowing robes more suitable for ancient Japanese priests, the perfect match for their long flowing hair. Second, their stage-names all contain double meanings related to cats (Kuroneko means "black cat," Karukan is a brand of cat food, Tora means tiger etc...) Also, instead of playing a modern form of metal like death metal or nu-metal, they stick to classic metal, very much in the vein of Iron Maiden. Their songs highlight the dual vocals of Kuroneko (female) and Matatabi (male) as well as dual lead guitars, which is another Iron Maiden throwback. They are much like Sex Machineguns in both sound and tendency to tread the fine line between seriousness and humor. Many of Onmyo-za's songs are about magic, demons (oni), spirits (yokai) and dragons.

Their take on classic metal also includes a few metal ballads in which Kuroneko really gets to strut her stuff and sing in a more traditional style. These songs are almost poppy in a way, softer yet still full of guitars. Onmyo-za isn't afraid to turn things down a notch for every time they turn it up. Many of their slightly tamer songs would be a perfect fit for an opening to an action-based anime series. In fact they did have a song in the opening to Basilisk.

While fans of epic, sweeping, melodic metal will find a lot to love in Onmyo-za's classic sound, those who like their music a bit more on the friendly side will also find a lot to grab hold of.

BUY ONMYO-ZA RELEASES HERE

Nemuri (睡)



Official Site

Members
Matatabi ("silver vine") - Bass and Vocals
Kuroneko ("black cat") - Vocals
Maneki - ("welcoming cat") Guitar and Chorus
Karukan - (a cat food brand) Guitar
Tora - ("tiger") Drums

Major Releases
KIKOKU TENSHO - 1999/12/05
HYAKKI RYORAN - 2000/12/24
KOJIN RASETSU - 2002/01/10
FUIN KAIRAN - 2002/07/24
HOYOKU RINDO - 2003/01/22
MUGEN HOYO - 2004/03/03
GARYO TENSEI - 2005/06/22
MAOU TAITEN - 2007/07/25

Kokui no Tennyo


Kappa Odori (live)


甲賀忍法帖 (live)


Kumikyoku Yoshitsune ~Akki-Hogan~


Mezame (醒)


Tsuki ni Murakumohana ni Kaze (first single)


Kouga Ninpouchou (甲賀忍法帖) (Used in Basilisk OP)


Basilisk OP

Ai Otsuka

Ai Otsuka is not your average idol. Sure, she's cute and she sings a lot of ballads, but she isn't afraid to rock out and look silly and just have fun. He voice is rather childlike and fits well with her childlike antics, whether it's bowling with Power Rangers or slapping around a bunch of happy fat dudes. Her music often reflects this playful attitude and manages to portray a very real personality behind the glamor of being an Avex robotartist.

BUY AI OTSUKA RELEASES HERE!

On An Ocean Amp

On An Ocean Amp is an experimental electronic duo. Formed in Texas in 2000, the two have since parted ways, at least geographically, with singer Kaori Hashimoto now living in Tokyo and everything-else-man Mike McGuire sticking it out in Texas. With a single album released in 2003 and only a couple more songs afterward, it would seem as through things have slowed way down for OAOA.

Which is too bad, because they can make some great music. While many experimental Japanese groups end up following the tired out Shibuya-kei sound, OAOA follow their own path, some parts Nobukazu Takemura, some parts Takako Minekawa, some parts totally original. Many songs sound like broken robots playing some sort of staggered ragtime, others sound like Aphex Twin cast-offs that have grown into something all their own. Over it all, Hashimoto's mid-range voice is sprinkled like an exotic spice. They've also remixed music for the likes of Eel and Mac Donald Duck Eclair.