Draco – Live at Samarat 2008

It gives me great pleasure to present as the last guest mix this month an exclusive live set from one of the most fascinating bands I saw when I lived in Japan, Draco. They aren’t your usual band, a combination of traditional instruments and electronic musicians but with a little twist, as with most Japanese things.

I discovered them at the Kaikoo Meets Revolution party (organised by our friends from Pop Group) in Yokohama in April 08 where they were one of the headlining acts in the afternoon. I was already familiar with the electronic half of the band (Numb and Saidrum) and so was really curious to see what this new project was about. The show left me speechless, one of the most fascinating and engrossing experiences during my time there, and since then too. Below is a low quality video of some of that show, to give you a little taste.

Draco are composed of electronic producers Numb and Saidrum, sitar player Kenji Inoue and tabla player Masaki Yoshimi. The former are best known for their work in the techno and house scenes, pioneering albums for the Revirth label and live shows based around the Korg ZERO8 mixer which they helped to R&D, while Kenji is a renowned Japanese sitar player who studied his instrument in India and combines traditional sitar playing with a style that resembles how the Japanese shamisen is played, and Masaki is one of Japan’s best tabla players who also studied in India. Together the four formed Draco following a session organised for a DVD documentary in 2007, Boycott Rhythm Machine II Versus. This led to them recording an album, ‘Zero’, which they released in 08 and is unfortunately rather hard to get a hold of outside the country. Following this they continued to perform live at festivals and venues around the country also incorporating visuals into the mix for a truly unforgettable experience. For those interested, Draco means the star that shines magnificently in the northern heaven sky.

I’d been wanting to try and get them on the show for some time now and once more thanks to the wonders of Twitter, I managed to get in contact with Numb and with a little help from our good friend Tatsuki they agreed to send us some Draco live recordings to use for a guest mix. We settled on the live at Samarat, also from 2008, which is a perfect example of the impact their live can make, at least without being there in person.

Massive thanks go out to Tatsuki and Numb for their help and to Draco for letting us air this live show. For more on them check their myspaces: Draco and Numb & Saidrum.

Download Draco live at Samarat 2008 (right click and save as)

Raid System special pt.3 – Ken One

We conclude our special on the Raid System label and collective with a mix from their latest member and close friend of the Rhythm Inc and Turntable Radio family, Ken One. Regular listeners will remember Ken from the many live sessions we did with him on Turntable Radio and more recently the Skratch Evolution special we ran at the beginning of the year featuring exclusive live sets from the man himself and the cream of the Japanese underground. If you missed them you can catch all 4 of them here and the rest of them on Turntable Radio.

For the first two parts of our Raid System special, featuring Broken Haze and XLII respectively, click the following links – part 1, part 2.

A short introduction to the man runs something like this… Ken is without a doubt for me one of the most interesting and underrated scratch DJs to come out of the Japanese scene in the last ten years. A true underground soldier he did his thing in the battle scene, like most scratch DJs, before moving on and focusing on both his own music and working with various other underground Japanese musicians and labels like MC Kan, Olive Oil, DJ Baku, Back to Chill or the Pop Group and Steppin’ Ahead label. A quiet person he’s always found at events around Tokyo both on stage and in the crowd. His music has primarily been focused on the scratch end of things but married with his love of hip hop and electronic music, resulting in rather unique productions that bridge from the insular scratch music niche to more experimental sounds. In fewer words, he’s a dope DJ and producer you need to check. Find more on him at his myspace and over at TTR where you can listen to his music and the many specials we organised together while I lived in Tokyo.

For this mix Ken put together 22 minutes of absolute fire covering many of our favourites here at Rhythm Inc tower, all mixed and cut up in an absolutely flawless style. This is a great taste of his live sets and the perfect way to round up the Raid System showcase. Look out for more from him, XLII and Broken Haze on the label in the coming months.

Now though, sit back, crank up the volume and take a trip through the Tokyo underground.

Download Ken One – Raid System special pt 3 (right click and save as)

Tracklist:
1. OLV Sound Cuts / DJ KEN-ONE
2. Sambap Ho / Soloal One
3. Radiant Industry / Jamie Vex’d
4. Nylon Polymer / Daddy Kev
5. Unknown Beat from Ricci Rucker’s Japan Limited Mix
6. Rebuild – Machinedrum remix / Broken Haze
7. Terror In Dub / D-styles + Mr Henshaw
8. Oh Jesus / Himuro Yoshiteru
9. J-RAP / Tamaki Roy
10. Podgy Swing / XLII

Raid System special pt.2 – XLII

We roll on with our new series of guest mixes from Japanese label and collective Raid System. Following last week’s firing shot with Broken Haze (catch it here if you haven’t yet) we continue with XLII (pronounced schlee), a Tokyo-based European expatriate whose music we’ve featured in previous shows and who was also part of the Skratch Evolution special earlier this year.

As I mentioned previously, XLII is a Ukrainian-born producer, MC and engineer extraordinaire (man has golden ears trust us) currently living in Tokyo after a stint in the UK. In the time he’s spent in Japan he’s settled himself in the Tokyo underground releasing on his own label and elsewhere as well as engineering and gigging left, right and center. We first hooked up via some mutual friends when I was living in Tokyo in 07/08 and it was actually XLII who introduced me to Raid System after they picked up his last album for release alongside his own Fubar label. XLII has definitely been instrumental in helping our continuous links with the Tokyo underground since I left, so it’s nice to be able to have him on the show for a proper guest spot.

Here’s what he had to say on the mix and Raid System:

I am the lighter & rougher bastard of the bunch, so I probably bring you the lighter and rougher mix in this 3 part Raid System series. Lighter in a way that I’d play anything so long as it kicks & bumps & makes me drool (or laugh or giggle… Think Flo Rida or the mental Run DMC orchestra stab twitchout), rougher in a way that I’m not into long arse dragged out DJ transitions. So my mix style is: “Now you see it, now you… WTF?!” So, in the immortal words of Cheech (from Cheech & Chong): “We play everything from Santana to El Chicano, man.”

Which is a pretty accurate description. Whereas his first guest appearance was for his live show, for this one XLII has cooked up an exclusive mix of his own beats alongside stuff from people he’s picked up on tour and other favourites, all mixed and mashed up live in Ableton. It gets crazy, but in a good way.

XLII’s latest album, ‘Ego Friendly’, is out now on Raid System and Fubar Recordings and we definitely recommend you get a copy if you haven’t yet. It’s available worldwide via digital release. Check the promo video below and the website for details of where and how to buy it. You can also buy the album directly from iTunes right here (iTunes link).

But for now though sit back and enjoy a 30 minute ride into the mind of a true world citizen and talented producer. And stay tuned for part 3 of the Raid System special dropping next week!

Download XLII – Raid System special pt 2 (right click and save as)

Himuro Yoshiteru – Gimme Your 30 Minutes

I first came across Himuro Yoshiteru via Soundcloud sometime last year. I really liked what I heard and started following him before asking if he’d like to do a guest mix for the show. It’s at that point that I realised he was actually a fairly well-established electronic producer in the Tokyo underground, having been releasing music for over ten years now.

His output has been steady in that time, with 2 albums and a string of remixes and singles, and he’s releasing his third album, ‘Where Does Sound Come From?’ in March this year on the Japanese label Murder Channel. This guest mix for us is in celebration of this release which will be out by the time you read this. Actual copies of this mix will be available with the first batch of album CDs in Japan.

Here’s some more info on the man himself:

Himuro Yoshiteru has a remarkable ability to sculpt sweet melodies and weave them into intricate beats. He’s based in Tokyo and has had a number of releases on labels such as File Records(JP), Couchblip(AUS), Zod Records(US),Invitro(FR) and his own label TaNGRaM DiSK. His releases are mostly within the electronic music genres of drum and bass, electronica, hip hop, and IDM, with a significant jazz influence. His style is often described in the media as very playful. It is comprised of finely chopped, fast rhythms in combination with jazzy bass and bleepy synthesizer lines and 8bit sounds (like video game music). In this area he is one of the prominent Japanese musicians of this time.

As indicated by the bio above, his music has a strong electronic slant, delving deep into various styles with surprising ease and an easily recognisable Japanese flavour. It’s this same distinct Japanese flavour that makes a lot of the underground electronic and dance music I’ve come across in Japan in recent years more exciting than a lot of what comes out of the West. And this also stands for the hip hop I discovered out there. It really boils down to what I see as a typically Japanese interpretation of the standards and templates formulated in the West, an interpretation that makes these standards and templates sound a lot fresher by approaching them from a totally different angle, both sonically and stylistically.

His new album manages to combine and cover a lot of ground over a short space without feeling too forced. It is a very intense ride at times though, but rewarding when you get to the other side. From cut up to glitched out riddims, junglist workouts to breakcore assaults, ‘Where Does Sound Come From’ isn’t your average release but then again the man who made it doesn’t strike me as your average producer.

This mix, ‘Gimme Your 30 Minutes’, is a perfect example of this featuring all his own productions mixed rapidly and blended into one another for a 30 minute ride of electronic eclecticism that will leave you feeling a little dizzy. It’s well worth it though.

As we said above the new album is out now, and can be purchased directly right here (some Japanese required) or via the Murder Channel myspace page. It features some rather amazing artwork by LOWORKS as well. You can find more music and previous releases by Himuro on his myspace, including a couple of EPs available via bandcamp. You can also hear tracks from the album in recent shows, check the archive.

For now though strap up and enjoy the ride, 30 minutes of electronic maddizms from the streets of Tokyo.

Download Himuro Yoshiteru – Gimme Your 30 Minutes (right click and save as)

Tracklist:
Stupid party
Mrs.Loop
Beginner’s luck
Pay for what?
Enjoy alone
Strings thing
Do what you must do
Action script
Unwind and rewind
In one day #3
We,mess-age
Sort of DnB
Bold lines
Changing mind
Xylophone rush
Welcome myself
1 to 7

All tracks written, additional produced and remixed by Himuro Yoshiteru

Raid System special pt.1 – Broken Haze

Following our Skratch Evolution special at the beginning of the year (catch up with that here if you missed it) we start a new series of guest mixes from Japan, this time looking at a recently set up label and artist collective called Raid System.

I first caught wind of it last year while I was helping XLII with his bio and other bits in the run-up to the release of his LP, jointly put out by his own label, Fubar Recs, and Raid System. It’s at that point that I also came across Keisuke Ito aka Broken Haze, the man behind the label. One thing leading to another we all got chatting and following the SE2 special earlier this year I was keen to do some more features on the ever buzzing Japanese underground scenes which is how XLII and I came up with the idea to do a series of guest mixes with Raid System artists.

This series includes three mixes for now (but a fourth one is TBC very shortly) featuring Broken Haze, XLII and Ken One, a long time friend of ours and the most recent signee to the label/collective. These will be going out weekly starting today.

First up is Broken Haze, fitting as he’s the label head really. While he’s only been releasing music officially for a few years, he has managed to create his own unique blend of electro and future hip hop and made a name for himself in Japan in a relatively short time as not just a producer to watch out for but also a live performer worth catching. Filled with cut up melodies, chopped up drums, digital glitches, dark moods and at times quite heavy and industrial, his music echoes with the likes of The Glitch Mob, Prefuse 73 or Clark. His debut album was released in April 2008, entitled ‘Raid System’. He also forms half of Nerdz Era, a Japanese duo that makes full on, dancefloor friendly electro.

For this guest mix he’s chosen to showcase his own work and that of his friends, a perfect snapshot of his sound and a mix that deserves big speakers and a big sound for the full effect. Be sure to check his myspace and the Raid System site for more on him. He’s also got a track forthcoming on Jus Like Music‘s ‘Oscillations’ compilation. And if you like what you hear tune into the monthly Raid System Radio sessions, broadcasted on Ustream live from the legendary Jar Beat Records shop in Kichi Jyoji.

You can buy Broken Haze’s debut album on iTunes as well, click here (iTunes link).

Stay tuned for the rest of the series including guest mixes from XLII and Ken One. Next up is XLII.

Download Broken Haze – Raid System special pt 1 (right click and save as)

Tracklist
Intro. upon the 49th day / Ernest Gonzales
01. broken haze / block
02. mimosa / dead like me
03. la roux / bullet proof(broken haze remix)
04. joker & rustie / play doe
05. starkey / 11th hr
06. reso / armored core
07. slugabed / skyfire
08. matty g / west coast rocks (the glitch mob remix)
09. broken haze / velvet feat. buddy leezle
10. xlii / euphoric states (broken haze remix)
11. broken haze / boom it feat. LMNO
12. broken haze / reality feat. buddy leezle
13. slugabed / the system
14. broken haze / code
15. kraddy / android porn (mochipet remix)
16. b.bravo / midnite (broken haze remix)
17. broken haze / untitled

SE2 week 4 – Ken One Skratch Evolution mix

We finish our Skratch Evolution 2 special with two mixes from the official CD that Ken One released ahead of the show. Ken One takes the control here on Rhythm Inc while over on Turntable Radio it’s DJ Duct doing the honours. The SE2 special has been a month-long series of mixes and exclusive live audio from the event podcasted jointly between Rhythm Incursions and Turntable Radio. Catch up on all the Rhythm Inc episodes here which have featured Ichiro_, DJ Duct, XLII and Dolbee.

Ken One is in charge of the first Skratch Evolution mix showcasing a rather tasty and eclectic selection of tracks alongside some of his trademark routines. Regular listeners of Turntable Radio will be no stranger to the man, though for the Rhythm Inc listeners that may not be familiar with him suffice to say that Ken is one of Tokyo’s best scratch DJs, having been holding it down on the underground for near enough a decade now. You can find out more about him and his releases over on his myspace and I also recommend checking out the TTR archives for more mixes and audio from him we’ve featured over the last couple of years.

When I was living in Tokyo, Ken was largely responsible for hooking me up with a host of people and making it possible to do some of the most enjoyable live sessions I’ve recorded. So it’s a pleasure to be able to return the favour and showcase the good work he’s done with his Skratch Evolution event. The live sets we’ve aired over the last 3 weeks are a truly unique look at parts of the Tokyo musical underground that most people never get to hear.

So without further ado get stuck into half an hour of fine music chopped and mixed by Ken One. And don’t forget to check Turntable Radio for the rest of the audio from this special. Once more massive thanks and shout to Ken as well as all the artists for their support. Look out for more joint specials in the future.

Download Ken One Skratch Evolution mix (right click and save as)

SE2 week 3 – XLII & Dolbee live @ Star Pines cafe

Week 3 of our joint Rhythm Incursions and Turntable Radio special featuring exclusive live audio from Ken One’s ‘Skratch Evolution 2′ event. If you’ve missed the first couple of weeks you can catch up here for week 1 featuring Ichiro_ and here for week 2 featuring DJ Duct.

This week we have edits from live sets by XLII, Audace and Dyna alongside Dolbee and Sibitt. Over on Turntable Radio we’ve got an amazing half hour jam session featuring Ken One, Ichiro_, Naoki, XLII, Keita, Audace and Duct. Full schedule of the month-long series at the bottom of this post.

As mentioned this week’s SE2 Rhythm Inc show features edits from two of the live sets from the show.

First up is DJ Dolbee feat Sibitt on vocals. Dolbee is a rather long-standing member of the Tokyo hip hop underground, becoming a DJ and producer following a stint on the US West Coast in the mid 90s. Since then he’s produced for a range of underground Tokyo labels, including Lo-Fi Recordings and TempleADS, with the majority of his releases garnering popularity and interest in his homeland but rarely seeing light outside of Japan, like happens to many of the city’s most interesting producers.

This set features some rather unique sounding productions, on a very mellow and laid back tip and with a distinct Japanese edge to them. Complimenting the music are vocals by Sibitt, who adds yet more of a Japanese edge to the music with a mix of sung and spoken lyrics that compliment the music perfectly.

The second half of this week’s show features the international talents of XLII, Audace and Dyna a trio of Tokyo-based artists who come from Japan (Dyna), France (Audace) and Ukraine via the UK (XLII). XLII and Audace have both featured on the show before, most recently for the release of XLII’s new album and Audace’s new project Musou Productions. Having had the pleasure to meet them and become friends while I was living in Tokyo in ’07, it’s been nice to follow their output and growth. The trio often play together, with Audace adding cuts and elements to XLII’s beats, while he tweaks his productions live and shares mic duties with Dyna. Edits from their SE2 set show this nicely as well as their cohesiveness. As XLII put it to me in the past, it’s his way of trying to make the live shows more entertaining than your usual rapper and DJ or rapper and producer, and I think it shows nicely in the audio.

XLII’s recent album, Ego Friendly, is out now on Fubar Recs/Raid System with worldwide distro so finding a copy shouldn’t be too difficult. Audace’s Musou Productions debut EP, Daydreaming, is also still available – check the label site for more. Both come heavily recommended.

Dolbee and Sibitt have a new DVD called ‘Animation’ out now on TempleADS.

Get stuck into these two rather interesting live shows with a stream or direct download below. And don’t forget to also check Turntable Radio for a jam session from Skratch Evolution 2 with all the artists we’ve featured so far. Not to be missed. We’ll be back next week for the last installment in the series.

Download Skratch Evolution 2 live edits (right click and save as)

SE2 special line up:

• Week 1
  • Rhythm Incursions – Ichiro_ live
  • Turntable Radio – Ken One live
• Week 2
  • Rhythm Incursions – DJ Duct live
  • Turntable Radio – Naoki live
• Week 3
  • Rhythm Incursions – XLII + Dolbee&Sibitt (志人） live edits
  • Turntable Radio – Skratch Evolution jam session
• Week 4
  • Rhythm Incursions – Ken One Skratch Evolution promo mix
  • Turntable Radio – DJ Duct Skratch Evolution promo mix

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