TokyoIndie » Music

Hot Since 82 in Japan – “bring it on!”

mark — Sun, 19 May 2013 03:10:45 +0000

Daley Padley is no stranger to success. The Yorkshire-man has been producing electro-house music under his own name for over ten years, having been heavily championed by legendary DJ/producers such as Roger Sanchez, (who named him ‘one to watch’ in 2007), Eric Morillo and even P Diddy. However, it is his latest guise of Hot Since 82 which has seen him take things to the next level and become a figurehead producer in the current deep house revival; releasing some of the finest underground music in the UK. His 2011 breakthrough single ‘Let It Ride’, on Jaymo and Andy George’s Noir Music label, became an Ibiza anthem and he has since enjoyed huge support from the likes of Richie Hawtin, Seth Troxler and Maceo Plex to name but a few.

As his spotless productions are fast becoming the zeitgeist soundtrack to the UK club scene, Norman Cook has decided to bring him to Japanese shores for the very first time for the Big Beach Festival on June 1st in Kanagawa. We dropped Daley a line to see exactly what he has in store for us.

It’s been quite some year for Hot Since 82! Are you excited about coming to Japan?

Thank you and of course. Hope l don’t sound cheesy now but Japan has been the one country on earth that I’ve always wanted to visit. I’m really passionate about the East; its food, lifestyle, philosophy and rich history.

Many people have you pegged as a ‘new’ artist, buy you have been producing music and playing venues like Space in Ibiza for 10 years. How does the Hot Since 82 moniker differ from your previous work?

The thing with Hot Since 82 is that it’s all been done in a very natural process, without any stress for success. I’m very lucky for it to have happened like this. I’ve seen people too hungry for glory and they’ve all fallen down on their face. I just feel very lucky and I’m enjoying every minute.

You describe yourself as “a proud Yorkshire man” and are based in Leeds. I lived there myself for 5 years and think it has one of the best club scenes in Europe. Why do you think that is?

So you know Leeds very well ha-ha. That’s great that you do as you already know the love and warm feeling you get when you get into this rich clubbing city. The thing about the north of the U.K is that people are very, very friendly and don’t really take themselves too seriously. Clubbing in Leeds is just insane; it’s a very special place and it’s down to the pure fact that the people there are grounded and really let themselves go.

The revival of classic and deep house sounds has led to some detractors, saying that dance music is retreading old ground. How do you feel about this?

That’s nonsense. l think dance music in whole is in the best place it’s ever been, It’s so healthy to see house and ‘EDM’ doing so well. In my eyes people that listen to this music are smiling and dancing all night, how can this be a bad thing? I think people are too quick to chip in and talk nonsense. Just enjoy it and hit the dance floor.

Your album is due for release this summer, how is it sounding?

It’s all sounding great, it’s not exactly my debut album…it’s more of a project with all the tracks on there being from myself. The whole concept will also be mixed like a compilation. It’s just been nice to hook up with some lovely musicians. It’s going to really rock, lm super excited, there’s all sorts on there but mainly it’s for the dance floors.

What one track are you definitely planning to play at the Big Beach Festival?

Hot Since 82 – Hot’s Groove…It really does go off!

What are you looking forward to doing whilst in Tokyo?

Awww lm too excited, just doing this interview is getting me ready for Tokyo.
I’m looking forward to everything, bring it on!

Sum up the Hot Since 82 sound in one word.

PARTY!

Thanks a lot Daley! Hot Since 82’s ‘Hot Jams 1&2’ EP on KSR Records is available (iTunes digital download only) from May 22nd. Hot Since 82 will perform at the Big Beach Festival 2013 alongside Basement Jaxx, Fatboy Slim and Maya Jane Coles on Saturday June 1st. For more information and ticket prices, please visit the Big Beach Festival website. See you there!

Words: Mark Birtles

Translation: Kaori Ishikawa

The Whip to tour Japan – Interview

mark — Mon, 13 May 2013 09:25:36 +0000

The Whip are a band born in Manchester in the mid-noughties; a time where guitars crunched together with syncopated rhythms and squelchy synths – later to become labeled as the neon-glowing genre ‘nu-rave’. Their breakout single ‘Trash’ was featured on the era-defining Kitsune Maison compilation series and helped concrete the band’s raw power and energy. After their debut album founding member Danny Saville left the band to leave the Whip as a three-piece; Bruce Carter on vocals and guitar, Nathan Sudders on bass and Fiona “Fee” Daniel on drums. Returning to Japan for a nationwide tour later this month, Bruce and Nathan kindly brought us up to speed on what they have been up to.

You guys are regular visitors to Japan. Why do you think Japanese audiences identify with your sound?

Nathan: Some of the best gigs we have ever had have been in Japan because the audiences are amazing! Our music and our gigs are all about giving as much energy as possible and making people want to dance, I think this is why the Japanese audiences identify with us and they go crazy at our gigs!

Bruce: For a UK band it is such a special place to come to and we can’t wait for the trip. I don’t know why Japanese people like our music but I am glad that they do because it’s our favourite place.

As you were identified with the ‘nu-rave’ scene early in your career, does it make it difficult to move on and change your sound?

Bruce: It’s funny when you become part of a scene that you are unaware of existing until it happens. Whatever anyone wanted to label us was a good thing as it helped expose us and introduced people to the band.

Nathan: At the time we never thought we were part of the nu-rave thing, we thought we were more electro or punk funk. I think as bands get further into their career their sound always will slightly change as your influences change and you get interested in new sounds and techniques in music making, so it’s not really difficult to move on its just a natural progression.

Bruce: I guess a scene can hurt you and sometimes help you once time passes on but we always try to do what we love, that is to use the energy of live instruments and vintage synths with dance and disco rhythm, that is what we love, dance and raw power!

Do you have any amusing stories from your time in Japan?

Nathan: Wow, we have too many!!

Bruce: We don’t really sleep very much when we visit, partly from jet lag and partly through excitement and not wanting to miss anything. I remember on our first trip we played Fuji Rock and Fee our drummer and I were the last people awake at the festival and ended up sat in a London black cab which was parked at the top of a field, it was pretty surreal.

Nathan: Fee took Tom from The Chemicals Brothers hat of him at Fuji Rock festival and he spent all night chasing her around the backstage area trying to get it back. We always have a lot of fun in Japan, some of our stories have to remain a secret though!

Last year you played at the Brixton Academy with New Order that must have been amazing?!

Nathan: It was an amazing experience for us to support them as we have been massive fans of theirs since we were teenagers and they’ve had a big influence on our music. New Order were one of the 1st bands I remember to create dance music with live instruments and play live shows with a traditional band set up which is exactly what we always wanted to do. Human and machine together!

Bruce: We actually played with New Order in Ibiza at Ibiza Rocks too. Ibiza rocks is a crazy show in the pool area of a hotel full of people who like to party on the Spanish party island of Ibiza, it’s a lot of fun. We ended up partying at the villa where Freddie Mercury and a lot of big 80′s rock stars used to hang out and had a memorable night. We’re looking forward to play with New Order again in July at the foot of Joderell Bank which is a huge satellite dish and astronomy research center near Manchester.

What are you working on at the moment?

Bruce: We’re working on our third album at the moment and will be playing a couple of the songs live when we play in Japan later this month.

Nathan: Its good to try new songs out on a live audience because you get a very honest reaction straight away.

Please give us a little known fact about The Whip.

Nathan: None of us are vegetarian, FACT!

Bruce: Fee has a nice little pet dog! Oh and we all like different drinks which can be tricky. Fee likes vodka, Nathan gin and I like whiskey!

We look forward to seeing The Whip play across Japan later this month. For information on the tour and upcoming album release please visit the official website.

Gig schedule:

17-May O-Nest (Tokyo)
18-May Party’z (Nagoya)
19-May Club Vijon (Osaka)
21-May Voodoo Lounge (Fukuoka/Hakata)
22-May Metro (Kyoto)
25-May Shimokitazawa Sound Cruising (Tokyo)

Words: Mark Birtles

Translation: Iona Nagata

Delphic – Interview

mark — Sat, 20 Apr 2013 08:16:48 +0000

Delphic triumphantly returned to our stereos in 2012 with the release of their second album entitled Collections. The Manchester three piece, who placed third in the BBC’s sounds of 2010, took a radically different approach with their sophomore release and took cues from hip-hop and R&B rather than the dance-oriented album Acolyte. The band return to Japan as part of this month’s Hacienda music festival in Oiso, so what better time to catch up with Matt Cocksedge, the band’s guitarist, to hear about what they have been up to.

How are you feeling ahead of your return to Japan for the Hacienda festival?

Very well thank you, although I hurt my knee the other day. It will get better soon though.

What are you looking forward to doing/seeing while you are here?

We always love coming to Japan, we’re looking forward to wandering around Shibuya, eating some excellent Japanese food, and maybe visiting some arcades too. We always want to play football on that pitch on top of the skyscraper but I think you have to book way in advance, and we never do… Maybe next time though?!

As a Manchester band playing alongside such legends as Peter Hook, Happy Mondays and 808 State at the festival, it must feel pretty special?

Absolutely, it’s pretty crazy to be in such illustrious company. I think we’ve been invited to make the tea.

Your second album is markedly different from your first effort. What was the reasoning behind the change in direction?

We get bored very easily and like to do thing the difficult way… We felt that the easy option would’ve been to do Acolyte part 2, so naturally we went in completely the other direction.

Why did you choose to work with several producers on the album rather than just one? Does it echo the idea of the record being called Collections?

Absolutely. We wanted to work with people who were leaders in their particular field, and due to the diversity of the record we had to look far and wide. Many things fed in to the record being called Collections and this was just one of them, but it was always important for us to try and unify the record, so whilst we had a few producers, we mixed the whole record with Ben Allen.

Which track are you most proud of and why?

Atlas, because it was a long time in the writing (probably around 2 years overall), and emotionally it always does something to me. Plus I really enjoy playing that guitar riff.

Does being “a band from Manchester” still affect how people see you do you think?

I think it’s less of an issue now because the sound of the new record means it’s not so easy to label us. But we would never hide the fact that we’re from Manchester, we’re proud of our home city, even if we feel it doesn’t define us or the music we make.

What’s the music and clubbing scene like in Manchester these days?

BANGIN.

What are your thoughts on the original Hacienda and the influence it’s had upon music and clubbing? Did it influence you in any way?

The Hacienda obviously has an enormous legacy, however we were too young to go so any influence it has had on us can only be indirectly.

Can you sum up a Delphic live show in three words?

No. Need more.

Are there any other acts you’re particularly looking forward to checking out at the festival?

We’re just looking forward to having a dance and enjoying ourselves. We don’t like to define the soundtrack until we’re in the moment.

Any message for your Japanese fans?

Hello again! We can’t wait to be back in Japan and we are really excited to be playing for you again. We hope you’ll enjoy it as much as we know we will.

AUDIO | THE HACIENDA OISO FESTIVAL April 28th (Sat) & 29th (Sun) @ Oiso Long Beach Special indoor / outdoor venue, Kanagawa Prefecture.

Words: Mark Birtles

Translation: Kaori Ishikawa

Cold Cave’s first gig in Japan

mark — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 11:00:27 +0000

Wesley Eisold, former front-man of American hardcore bands Give Up The Ghost (formerly known as American Nightmare) and Some Girls, is back with a new project entitled Cold Cave. Drawing on influences of darkwave, synthpop and industrial, the band represents a real departure from his former work and he will be touring his new materiel in Japan for the first time this month.

Cold Cave was formed in 2005 and having seen a rotating cast of live members is now Wesley’s flexible solo unit based between Los Angeles and New York. He also runs the publishing company Heartworm Press which has reinforced his individualism alongside his reputation as a great lyricist. As Cold Cave, his deep and heartfelt vocals are every bit as intoxicating as the screams from his hardcore days. He has released material on a variety of labels such as his own Heartworm imprint, Hospital and the indie stalwart Matador records. His studio albums Love Comes Close and Cherish the Light Years were released in 2009 and 2011 respectively.

His Tokyo appearance will coincide with the release of his new single Oceans With No End which will be released on Deathwish Inc, which is owned by Jacob Bannon from Converge – an old friend from his hardcore days. It will also kick off his “Meaningful Life” world tour which is a prelude to two further new EPs (”Black Boots” b/w “The Meaningful Life” and ”God Made The World” picture disc). 2013 is looking like it will be a big year for Cold Cave, so don’t miss this special show!

Supporting acts will be two fantastic Japanese girl bands. ZZZ, which Thurston Moore from Sonic Youth recently chose as the most exciting emerging band he has seen, will be travelling up from Hyogo. They will be joined by the excellent experimental duo Group A from Tokyo. Join us for what promises to be a thrilling night of avant-garde music.

Dotlinecircle presents Cold Cave Japan Tour 2013

23/04/13 (Tue) Shibuya O-nest

Open 18:00 Start 19:00
Adv ¥3500 Door ¥4000

Cold Cave
ZZZ’s
group A

Advance Ticket available at:

Ticket Pia (P- code 196-305)
LAWSON (L- code 73721)
E- plus
Shibuya O-nest ticket office

Information: info.dotlinecircle@gmail.com

Words: Kato-man

Translation: Kaori Ishikawa and Mark Birtles

Vitalic Japan tour / new EP remixed by Hoshina Anniversary

mark — Sun, 14 Apr 2013 03:49:36 +0000

We here at Tokyo Indie are not ones to blow our own trumpet, but we feel we deserve to pat ourselves on the back every once in a while. A couple of months ago we were contacted by representatives from the French label Citizen Records looking for a Japanese act to remix the new single from label boss Vitalic. Without any hesitation we put them in touch with Tokyo based producer Hoshina Anniversary who, since appearing at the Tokyo Indie show supporting Drums of Death, has gone from strength to strength with tracks being featured in sets of some of the worlds top DJs as well as on the new Fake Blood Fabriclive mix album.

The result? An awesome interpretation of Vitalic’s track Fade Away mixed by Hoshina Anniversary, which is currently available for free download through Vitalic’s Soundcloud page.

To celebrate the release of Fade Away Vitalic himself will hit Japan on April 20th (Tokyo) and 21st (Osaka) and there is a chance to win tickets to these shows by visiting the Vitalic webpage for these events. To find out more about Hoshina Anniversary in our interview from last year, please click here.

VITALIC TOUR JAPAN
—————————————————————–
2013.04.20 / STUDIO COAST (Live), Tokyo
2013.04.21 / CLUB CIRCUS (DJ set), Osaka

Words: Mark Birtles

Translation: Asuka O.

Blue Hawaii – Interview

mark — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 04:12:52 +0000

Blue Hawaii, their label Arbutus Records and many of their Montreal counterparts all began with the same breath in early 2010 – an epochal change in the Canadian music scene, which most famously spawned Grimes. Blue Hawaii released an 8 song EP in May of that year inspired by their travels in Central America, entitled Blooming Summer. It frames a time of warmth and novelty, featuring dense female harmonies, tape saturated synths, guitars and drum machines. After the album’s release, singer Raphaelle Standell-Preston returned to her role in the band Braids, touring constantly, while Agor (aka Alexander Cowan) moved to Europe; treading deeper into dance music, electronics, and production.

The two decided to make their second album, Untogether, in 2012; they began recording on New Years Day in Vancouver and intermittently worked on the project until summer broke in Montreal. The result is one of Tokyo Indie’s favourite albums of 2013 so far – a record that drips with icy ethereal sounds and some of the most forward thinking production we have heard. After hearing the album we simply had to catch up with Raphelle and Agor to find out more about how they set about making such a breath-taking record.

Your sophomore album, Untogether, has just been released. It is a fantastic record! The arrangements and textures on Blooming Summer were good, but I feel you have really come into your own on the new record. What do you think you have learned since your last release?

Because of the long break between the two records, there was a feeling of self-consciousness that went into making Untogether. It could be summed up as that decision one faces when he is presented with many options – which is the thing to choose? We could have chosen to make a pop album, but we weren’t feeling that way. We were intrigued by “process” as a concept, and as a result, wrote songs and chopped up productions bit by bit. The conclusive feeling is one of separation, a hallow dustiness — these were our true emotions during the creative process, not the blissful pop of “Blooming Summer”. We gave into this feeling, and one thing I think we’ve learned is that it is a very self- conscious path – while insightful it is delicate – and in the future we feel a push back towards the joy of a simple, unified arrangement.

I read that you used Ableton to create music and then mastered on reel-to-reel on your last album, is it the same for this album?

So happy you brought that up. The process of transforming the last record into analog really melded its sound together, fitting with the theme of that whole album. The music on Untogether is far more pure of tone, spacious, and all electronic. If we chose to master it in a similar way, it probably would have sounded warmer and more harmonic. A funny story – when the vinyl came back for the test pressing, Agor wanted so badly to use that version as the digital. That is, record the vinyl sound back to the computer and release that as the primary copy of the album. It was the last chance at bringing the sounds all together, but as we said, it’s perfect the way it is as the feeling of space and weightlessness between sounds reflects the mood we were in while recording it.

You both came from different bands to work on Blue Hawaii, how did the project come together?

We met at the loft-venue Agor was living at. Our band was always kind of a side project but as we grow we are starting to explore new sounds and ideas that could only come out through this project – so it’s exciting and we want to continue down this road.

You are often mentioned in the same breath as Grimes, and musically you share a lot of influences. What is it about Montreal which is such a breeding ground for this kind of ethereal pop? Is there something in the water?

Montreal is this perfect little meeting spot for all different kinds of artists. It’s unique because most people in the music and art scene aren’t from there. It’s like a home which we can define with the kinds of shows we want to do and the aesthetic we go for. It makes us happy that many different kinds of genres can work together so well – often electronic, but really anything. People being friends and wanting to live well is the main glue that holds it all together.

Are there any drawbacks being so closely associated with the current darling of indie though?

Claire is a really dear friend. We were best friends in high school and have always understood each other. Simply in being herself, she’s brought a lot of energy to the community. It affects people differently, but speaking for myself, I’m so inspired and respect and love her to bits.

Finally, I have read that you are very keen to come to Japan, are there any plans to grace our shores in the near future?

It’s a huge dream to come to Japan. The culture, cinema, art, language, is all so beautiful – we dream about it often. Maybe we will be able to come next January. We’ll see. Thanks for asking such lovely questions! ±_±

Words: Mark Birtles

Translation: Iona Nagata

Taquwami to support How To Dress Well

mark — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 05:02:54 +0000

Tokyo Indie and Dotlinecircle are pleased to announce the supporting artist for the How To Dress Well live show coming on March 13th. We are proud to be showcasing one of Japan’s hottest underground talents, Taquwami.

After his tracks went viral on Soundcloud in 2011, Taquwami impressed many with his high profile slot supporting Clark and Lapalux last year and his hip-hop influenced experimental electronic stylings are certain to provide the perfect foil for How To Dress Well’s hazy R&B sounds.

How To Dress Well return to Tokyo this time as a three piece band, with producer Thomas Krell being joined by Aaron Read and Nicholas Reed, as well as an absorbing visual show.

Join us for what promises to be a compelling night of future-music.

Timetable:

18:30 – Open
19:30 – Taquwami (live)
20:30 – How To Dress Well (live)

Ticket info:

Peatix – http://peatix.com/event/10462
Ticked Pia – P-Code 192-257
Lawson – L-Code 78413
E-Plus and direct purchase at Shibuya, O-Nest. O-Nest (booking line: 03-3462-4420)

Words: Mark Birtles

New label from the Diskotopia stable

mark — Tue, 26 Feb 2013 06:01:16 +0000

The Tokyo label Diskotopia continues to go from strength to strength on the outer reaches of where house meets bass, bass meets techno and techno meets house. In fact, Diskotopia has grown so much since it’s inception that the boys are struggling to keep up with releasing records and as a result have decided to add an off shoot label, A Kind of Presence to cope with the increased output.

“Following the Greeen Linez album release, I was getting sent a lot of music that was basically balearic and I love that stuff” explains label head Matt Lyne (also known as A Taut Line and one half of Greeen Linez) “but if we were to continue to put that stuff out on the Diskotopia label, then we would stop being so eclectic and would become more pigeon-holed in a small pocket of sound that is part of our bigger vision”. This is the ethos behind A Kind Of Presence – a place where Diskotopia can explore their softer side, a home for crossover sounds.

The boys hope the label will act as a kind of gateway to those who aren’t necessarily into straight up club music. Following the label’s hugely successful event last year with US label 100% Silk there were “many young people in the crowds that had never been to a club before and had come from more of a live-music background” continues Matt, “this interested me that we could introduce these people to new sounds in such a way, and I’m hoping to do that with A Kind Of Presence”.

To celebrate the first release on the new label, an EP from acclaimed US artist Sorcerer, the Diskotopia label returns to the club for another showcase of their talent on March 15th at Fai Aoyama.

Heading up the event will be a host of Diskotopia artists such as Fujimoto Tetsuo (who is also celebrating his new release) alongside label stalwarts BD1982, Am Rhein and A Taut Line. For more information on the event please click here.

Words: Mark Birtles

Translation: Iona Nagata

Onsen Chillout Festival

mark — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 22:26:39 +0000

If you like the idea of a music festival but Fuji Rock rocks just a little too hard and Summer Sonic is sonically over-whelming, we have just the answer to your problem. The Shibukyo music festival is a two day event of electronic and ambient music centred around the Shibu onsen village. Now in its fifth year, the festival brings together experimental musicians and visual artists who provide an altogether more relaxed atmosphere, which is a perfect accompaniment to a good soak. The centerpiece of the festival is the Kanaguya onsen which was famously used as inspiration for the hugely successful Ghibli movie Spirited Away. Musical performance, visual art and even a spot of live soba making will take place in and around the venue over the two days.

In terms of music, festival stalwarts Firo and plan+e from the PsysEx stable will be providing electro-acoustic noodlings and there will be live performances from Ironori and Coupie also. Visual exploration will also be strongly represented with no less than 7 visual artists confirmed for the festival so far, so expect your senses to be quietly stimulated throughout the weekend.

In addition to the arts there will be food and drink from Tochigi prefecture which takes you on a journey through the four seasons, talks from dance teacher Rieko Matsuda and not to mention the annual appearance of the Shibu onsen Geisha.

The Shibukyo onsen festival will take place on the 13th and 14th or April. A one day ticket will set you back 4000yen and 5500yen for a weekend pass. There are also several all inclusive over-night packages offered at the local ryokan, starting from 10500yen. For more information and ticket details please visit the Shibukyo festival website.

Words: Mark Birtles

Translation: Asuka O.

My Bloody Valentine DJ Set @ Tokyo Indie – Photos

Sam — Wed, 13 Feb 2013 09:30:01 +0000