Tokyo Indie

December 17th saw the release of Ao Inoue’s first solo album, “Arrow”. Inoue is probably better know as the male MC in the Japanese dub reggae band Dry & Heavy and as such one might expect the album to have its roots in reggae. Whilst there are reggae touches in “Arrow” they turn out to be fairly subtle with the album being more drum and bass and dubstep oriented, with lots of electronic washes and vocal samples. The album’s sound however doesn’t sit in any one category, and that’s the good news, as while much of Japanese club music is plainly derivative, this album has its own character. While definitely an electronic album it retains an earthiness about it also. Tracks like “Priority Shift” manage to find a groove, whilst tracks such as “Naha” offer a more chilled dub sound really delivering an Okinawan feel.

AO INOUE 30min Sampler “ARROW” and more by Ao Inoue

You can purchase and find out more info about the release here.

Words: Sam Mokhtary

Translation: Asuka Ozutsumi