What's With Japanese Guitarists Being So Good?: Presenting Kotaro Oshio

Or what's with me being such an Orientophile when it comes to music? Hello, my name is Alex the menace and today we have Kotaro Oshio as the feature of this corner of the world wide web where you literally get random music (GOOD music, I tell you), selected by a random Asian guy.

In any case, let's get started. So I was talking to a friend, whose name is coincidentally Kotaro, and he literally just blurted this guy out. Like a typical music junkie who needs constant injections of syringes full of new music, I searched and came upon this:

Pretty nice and calm huh? There's no lack of technical dexterity with this guy though. I'm not going to go into explaining his bio because, honestly a musician speaks with his music, ergo, I justify my laziness again. But seriously though, I do enough don't you think?

Moving on, here's one that sounds more like Depapepe

What a nice smile. I can swim in that, like, swim in his mouth or something as he smiles. That sounded weird but I'm not going to edit that, since I never edit anything here. This blog is about honesty and showing my deepest fetishes. In any case, that piece just demonstrates his superior technical dominance on the guitar fabulously. He literally employs everything possible that comes with steel string acoustic guitar playing. Gives a nice pace and a hooky melody line too.

He's quite popular with Koreans too I think. So much that the title of this next song has been translated into Korean on Youtube. Well, anyone could have done that but yeah, Koreans are great, and I'm not speaking under any bias. Shoot me if you don't believe me.

Just in case you were curious that song was called, 'that summer's white clouds'.

A couple more because I'm a bit running out of steam trying to type.

Gosh, another reason for me to keep coming back to this blog with my earphones on. Yes, I primarily upload on this blog for my own pleasure, but that should be a good news for you too! That's basically a guarantee on quality control, since why would I love to throw shit into my own ears? That's why next post will be on Nicki Minaj.

Just kidding, if no one gets humour among you that is. Or maybe I'm just bad at telling jokes. This was Alex, and for those who are getting on the subway in time with the London Underground's strike, better hurry your ass up in the morning, like this guy.

Since Robocop got rebooted, I'm rebooting stuff too: 'Re'presenting Depapepe

Actually the real reason is, fucking Sony took down all the videos I had attached to the post about Depapepe before this one, and because I discovered some new stuff from the duo lately. Thanks Sony, as if your film company's rehashing films over and over again isn't enough. Fortunately, Depapepe never get's old though.

So for those who haven't seen the old post yet, they are an acoustic guitar duo from Japan. Their style usually goes: one guy plays the chords, and the other plays the melody. Then they alternate. Check it out for yourself, this one is called Ripple.

So smooth, and so crisp. I used to cover these guys with a friend and believe me, it was damn hard to coordinate two guitars, especially the way they did it.

Here's a live clip of them.

Aside from the melody and all that, the fullness of their sound really gets me. It rings, but just enough so that it fills up the sound space when you listen to it. They're just two guitars, but it sounds like an entire ensemble of instruments playing altogether. Like this one.

Just, great, stuff. I'm not even going to waste words on it anymore.

Well okay I think that's enough for today. I think you get the point, that these guys are damn amazing.  And Sony, if you're reading this, I dare you, I double dare you to block me again. Man I'll be beating you at rebooting so much that you'll have to hire me. Motherfuckers. 

As for you my listeners. Thank you for being patient through my vulgar language and lack of explanations, which is another way to spell my laziness. This was the Dreaming Jukebox, peace out. 

Sometimes Digging Through Youtube Gets Tiring (Presenting Eddie Higgins Trio)

So that's why I take recommendations and plaster it on this blog. A good friend of mine let me in on a band called the Eddie Higgins Trio. Eddie Higgins was an American jazz pianist, recently passed away in 2009 at the age of 77. Obviously, if you want to be bored with the biography, be my guest. I'd rather jump into the music. Here's one that strangely sounds familiar.

Bits of classical piano in the middle here and there. It's probably likely that he was classically trained. Most professional pianists, regardless of genre they end up in, do start with classics. That's why they're called classics mind you.

Anyways, this guy Eddie Higgins is definitely quite the jazz pianist, very elegant and versatile. I just wonder why I haven't discovered him yet. Hats off to my friend whose initials go SMO. That might be a new nickname. High five Smo.

Let's continue shall we?

So good. My hands can't keep still because they want to dance along to the tune. Let's pop up another one. I want to go on turbo mode with this.

So, damn, smooth. Like a good glass of whiskey accompanied by a cigar. Not that I'm a particular enthusiast of either, but I do enjoy them from time to time, and it just paints the scene perfectly with this sort of music. I really need to seek out a jazz bar.

Here's one with his band as a quartet with Scott Hamilton, a jazz tenor saxophonist.

The sax is just so right in here. I almost clapped at my laptop before looking like an idiotic seal to my cup of tea here.

Here you go though. Any of you planning a chill night, include this guy in your playlist won't you? Or a romantic evening with a lady (or a gentleman) and you just don't want to sit there without saying anything, you can always turn this on, mood it up, and recite the wikipedia article on Eddie Higgins from top to bottom to show off your superior jazz knowledge. Unless he or she's an actual jazz musician and bounces your brain, in which case I'd say: tough luck chap/darling.

Now here's the hour video of the Trio's bebop-y sounding, A Portrait In Black and White, the full album. I hope you enjoyed today's selection. My name is Alex, and I'm getting arrested for eating a succulent Chinese meal.

I'd Like One Order of Relaxing Sunday Please. (Presenting, Haruka Nakamura)

Just a relaxing Sunday, but then there's the Superbowl of course. Some made up American holiday called Superbowl Sunday, where there's copious amount of junk food, alcohol, loud shouting, getting angry at an inanimate object (the TV will never talk back at you no matter how much you scream at it), and somehow, just somehow, getting a dose of adrenaline out of watching people try to deliver a ball to the other side. I usually try to actively avoid this tradition as it actually goes against my ideals of what a Sunday should be. I'm not talking about church. I'm talking about just sitting and relaxing while feeling your thoughts floating out of their sockets.

So it was fortunate that I ran into Haruka Nakamura's music, since his tone and style totally matches the kind of Sunday I'm striving for. He seems to be a pianist and composer. His website is actually a very minimalist set up so I can't tell you much about him. Time for the music to speak instead!

Fantastic. Just what I could just melt into. Sunday music all the way. Dissolves all that enraged shouting of the football-crazed (mind you though most of them are probably a football fan for this one day) fanatics. I want another one.

In words of Thor: ANOTHER!

Getting a bit too comfortable in my chair here I think. The Japanese composer-producers do have something that others don't have. I mean, Nujabes, Uyama Hiroto, and probably the countless rest I haven't discovered, all have that special factor that European or North American counterparts don't have. That art of subtlety. Or maybe because Haruka Nakamura is under the same label as Uyama Hiroto, Hydeout Productions which was founded by Nujabes.

To listen to that hint of Nujabes influence, here's one.

Definitely hear it right? There's that Nujabes tone, which is also in Uyama Hiroto. Anyways there are also these hour long clips of these on Youtube, so feel free to turn one of them up for a good study session or something.

My name is Alex, and today was a Sunday. Just a Sunday, a good relaxing Sunday.

P.S. Here's one of those hour long clips for you (gets a bit too repetitive by the middle of it but gosh it's a cool tune):

Why Thank You, Yes I am a Smug Little Shit (Presenting The Seoul Philharmonic)

Oh Herro, you decided to come back? Why did you? Did you not see the sign that this is a music blog where I do whatEVER I want to do? Oh you did. Okay well let's get started.

I felt like appreciating some Beethoven and Tchaik so I turned up one of my favourite orchestras in the world, the Seoul Philharmonic. If I may add why I like them, no it's not because I can tell that they're better than other orchestras. Simply it's because it is conducted by my childhood idol, Chung Myung-Whun.

Here's some Eroica. That's 'Eroica' mind you, Italian for heroic, there's no 't' in there.

Sorry about not warning you that this was a 55 minute clip. To redeem myself on that mistake here's Tchaik no. 6 with 50 minutes. 5 minute less of your time, not too bad eh?

By the way, do you know what I hate the most when I go to classical concerts? PEOPLE COUGHING. HOLD YOUR FUCKING COUGHS YOU FUCKING PEOPLE, JUST CHOKE ON IT DON'T LET IT OUT.

Sorry, I got a bit out of hand there. But this is a space where I pour my rage and anger and infuse it with the dark side so that I can barter the blog page with a Sith Lord for a nice red lightsaber. I hear it's quite a handy flashlight.

Let me get back on track though. Mr. Chung was a prodigious pianist from a young age, studied conducting at Julliard, and trained under great musicians like Artur Schnabel and Maria Curcio (that's wikipedia working its magic). Needless to say he is now a superstar in Korea, recognized for his wide contribution for classical music in the country. He was even nominated as a UNESCO man of the year.

The Seoul Philharmonic is also a bombshell of an orchestra. Certainly the best of Korea, and one of the finest in Asia if not the world. It was the first Asian orchestra to get a contract with the Deutsche Grammophon, one of era-defining classical record labels. Now there will be some people who will say 'Yeah, but Vienna Philharmonic does it better hurr durr durr.' Well to those people, I will kindly unfurl my middle finger at you and keep it straightened until you get my point.

However, let me not explain it further. Let me just, explain through the music.

Glorious. Beethoven is always glorious. There is a reason why I keep on playing his sonatas. Hopefully though, you found today's entry entertaining. I shall bid you good night, until tomorrow's whatever randomness I think of.

Study Music Time: (Presenting Ludovico Einaudi)

No, actually not study music. More like drinking tea while scrolling down Facebook casually looking at other people's gorgeous lives while crying about mine music.

Ludovico Einaudi is an Italian pianist and composer who writes often for films. I first encountered his music on Les Intouchables, that beautiful movie. Check it out if you have time. Frankly I need to get some work done so I'm going to keep this short. Very short.

First off, Primavera:

Film scores are often my significant personal pleasures. Watch me as I put the Dark Knight and Man of Steel soundtracks here. I might as well, since the most listened to album on my smartphone is indeed: the Man of Steel OST, and the Halo OST. I'm not even kidding.

Kettle's boiling and I need some more tea. Let me occupy you with some more music. Here you go.

That was the music from Intouchables. Incredibly soothing isn't it? By the way for those of you who are wondering, yes I did go to get tea. What do you think I am, a liar? Do you think the internet is a place for lying? Do you? DO YOU?

Of course you don't. That's why you're here to listen to some music put up by a pompous showoff who thinks he can totally pull off an cravat.

But let me not do Mr. Einaudi further injustice.

Here is Oltremare

Why do these videos keep on showing landscape photos? Are they trying to do something zen-ish where you are supposed to relax looking at bundles of leaves on sticks while you listen to soothing music.

Anyways, let me not make this blog a garbage can of my thoughts (actually it is if you haven't noticed).

Mr. Einaudi's music does have that film score feeling to it, but it can certainly stand alone very well in my opinion. Not just as a background music but also a performance music. It's superb. Contemporary piano music just do not get the recognition it deserves in my opinion.

Anyways I am going to sign off by leaving you this other one from Les Intouchables. Beautiful piece once again. My name is Alex and you have been the most patient audience tonight. Ciao.

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.