Sick and in Love: Presenting Shing02

Recently I noticed that I was listening to the same things over and over again on my smartphone. That's usually a sign that life is getting dull. So I'm getting back on this blog. Put some new music up, and you know, actually search for tracks I haven't heard.

Now, Nujabes is someone I've heard of, not very new for me. He passed away in 2010 by a tragic car accident, but he was one of the biggest Japanese DJ/Producers, and get this, he pioneered the genre of nu-jazz in Japan.

Shing02, a Berkley graduate, is a Japanese rapper and producer and one of those few rappers who rap in two languages: English, Japanese. He was also a close friend of the late Nujabes, and this is a music series they collaborated on, called Luv(Sic). Here's pt. 1.

Got the nu-jazz feel in there? According to Shing02: '(sic)= The Latin adverb sic - meaning "intentionally so written" is used for misspelled words. In this case, Love = Luv, thus Lovesick = Luv(sic)''

You got that? Ring me when you do.  

Moving to Part 2: 

If you think this is a 2-part thing, you're mistaken as we move on to-

Pt 3:

How far will this go? Well, unfortunately this was the last part of this project that Nujabes worked on. Afterwards, Shing02, affected deeply by his friend's death, felt the need to continue this journey, which culminated in this next part that is particularly beautiful in lyrics.

Pt.4

Try to pay attention to the lyrics here:

Snow flakes in January
Heart warm like February,
I wouldn't ordinarily
March to the drum, play a fool like April
May the best dance in a Juno bridal
Power of the will, Julius and Augustus
Aw you know, it's just us
In a new semester, back in September
boy, I wonder if you still remember

Meet me half way from mars to venus
beep beep, the chase is on between us
Retweet the sweetest piece of confection
hand made device for remote connection
ask a question,
wait for an answer and make a suggestion
a time and a place for a first impression
second and third to a fourth dimension

All of mainstream hip hop on the radio can't come up with this.

Now we're almost there, just think of this as a 5 act operetta.

Pt. 4 (I like this remix better so I put it up instead of the original)

Did I say it was a 5 act opera? I'm sorry, it's actually 6. But ladies and gentlemen, I give you Shing02 in video, in real time, rapping his heart out with Uyama Hiroto, Nujabes' protege.

Pt. 6

There you have it. From part 1 to 6. I don't usually listen to rap, but when I do, I make sure it's a chill Asian dude with sick rhymes.

Kidding, I do listen to rap and hip hop from time to time, but only when I like it. This is one of those cases. Henceforth why I'm turning the jukebox back on with Shing02. By the way if you're wondering about the title, yes I am sick. Of course I am also in love. Love you too Sarah. Peace.

Sanding out the roughness of my mind with some good tunes.

Here we are ladies and gents! Holidays have arrived and the great cheer is in full effect. Finally, my head can now rest, and there isn't a better way to do it than to read a fine book with some smooth melody playing in my ears. A Murakami Haruki sure is a safe bet for a fine book, and for some smooth melody none other than Uyama Hiroto comes quicker to my mind.

Mr. Hiroto is a Japanese DJ and hip hop music producer whose style reflects a heavy influence from jazz. If there was a genre that would define his style in one word, it'd be Nu Jazz. Now I don't know anything about Nu Jazz, yet, so I'll stop my commentary on the genre right here before I say something hysterically illogical. On with Uyama Hiroto.

I don't listen to hip hop. At all. But this one's a definite keeper even for me. Hiroto's melodies, flying freely above, have a distinct form and style to them that you can only glean by listening to them. Here's 81 Summer. 

and Stratus 

Unlike many so called DJs and hip hop producers, the ingredients that Hiroto puts into his music are all critical elements that make up the overall sound. Nothing goes to waste. Hiroto structures his songs so that if even the most unnoticeable section of the song is missing, it would bring down the balance of
the music.

However, what really draws me to this artist like a moth to flames is his jazz influence, evidently expressed in this song, Waltz for Life Will Born. 

The best of all is that Uyama Hiroto's ability to fuse various styles together into a unique piece of music is just uncanny. Like this next one, Ribbon in the Sea. 

This sort of music I really enjoy listening to, because you can't categorize something like this. This piece can stand by its own, and not called as something definitive so easily. I like that. A song that has character, a personality. It's really hard to find something like that these days, but Uyama Hiroto has gifted us generously with his own cache of rare genius.

Before going back to my reading and relaxing time, I'd like to say that it's good to be back on the blog. Sorry if you guys missed me, I just couldn't muster the time to do it. You'll certainly see me more frequently now, so stay tuned! I'll be back tomorrow. On that note, I shall leave you with a couple more of my Uyama Hiroto favorites.