Review: A new 7" all the way from Japan's Urban Discos label, from a live band with roots in soul, jazz and funkFirst up is their cover of 'Give Me Your Love,' a Curtis Mayfield jam. It's an instrumental in their hands and one that has some superb guitar solos and nice drum jams under organ vamps that are warm and subdued. 'Koi No Yokan (The Premonition Of Love)' is another vibrant mix of Hammond organs, swaying drums and splashing cymbals that is full of laid back melancholy.
Review: New-gen rare groove band Nautilus, operating out of Japan, deliver their latest 7" record, 'Life'. Just two crisp, piquant, fresh, and bubbly uncorkings in sound - 'Life', featuring vocalist Emi Tawata, and the instrumental 'Master Blaster'- are here heard sprayed like buckshot across the stereo system. The former is a candid admission by Tawata of her fear of the dark and ghosts, one which compels the listener to ponder the song's spiritual metaphor - "I'd rather have a piece of toast, watch the evening news" being the lyric of note - while the latter is a comparatively muted four-to-the-floor funk inflammation, held together by a phat but tricksy drum line and overgirding Rhodes.
Review: Nautilus are one of the most prominent outfits out right now to embody the rare groove scene. Here the three-piece demonstrate their lesser-spotted musical spectacularity with a sun-soaked, serotonin-packed new record. A perfect introduction to the band's craft, which spans both covers and originals, we've first Oasis with a version of 'Wonderwall', followed by honourable takes on Thelonious Monk and Yusef Lateef, and then the Nautilus originals 'Overflowing' and 'Cosmic Maze'. All tracks feature the spangling voices of Emi Tawata and Rayamada, each of whom compliment the keyed, vocoder-steeped, and abundant playing of Toshiyuki Sasaki, Shigeki Umezawa and Daisuke Takeuchi.
What You Won't Do For Love (feat Ryuto Kasahara - Muro re-edit) (4:44)
Love Theme From Sparticus (Kenichiro Nishihara remix) (3:07)
Review: Japanese jazz, funk and rare groove sensations Nautilus share their latest cover version, this time of Bobby Caldwell's 'What You Won't Do For Love'. This version stars Toshiyuki Saki on guest drums and vocalist Ruto Kasahara on vocals, bringing a digressional arc to Nautilus' usual sound. On the flip comes another rerub, this time of Nautilus' own 'Love Theme From Spartacus', from their latest album, remixed by producer Kenichiro Nishihara, which incorporates a light-hearted and feathery jazz-hop verve.
Review: With an irresistible blend of broken beat and nu-jazz grooves, 'Chameleon' is a enjoyable smooth jazz gem driven by funky basslines, strings, lively percussive and catchy keys. The arrangement flows effortlessly, creating a sound both sophisticated and danceableia perfect balance of complexity and accessibility. Flipping to the B-side, 'Losalamitoslatinfunklovesong' takes a more laid-back approach. Led by a warm, soulful organ, the track exudes chill vibes with its subtle funk underpinnings and jazzy finesse. The addition of a vocoder adds a playful, retro-futuristic charm, rounding out a composition that's as soothing as it is engaging.
Review: Hey everybody, here's... Nautilus! This prolific contemporary jazz trio are at the top of their game. Regular contributors to their patrons Urban Discos and Oonops Drops, their repertoire extends to everything from full-length EPs' and albums' worths of original material to one-off guilty pleasure covers. This new rendition of Oasis' 'Wonderwall' definitely falls into the latter category. This slick new version abounds in gut-grasping major chords and spine-tingling drum brush caresses, and features passionately candid yet no less elegant vocals by Ray Yamaoda. On the B comes the comparatively funky knockout and jazz original, 'Through The Night'.
Review: Japanese jazzist Kenichiro Nishihara drew much acclaim for his second LP Humming Jazz in 2008, which came a full five years after his debut in 2003, and heralded a stabler career thereafter. With its harmonious, benignant piano melodies and oblique drum palette - which hears the artist secure both live bossa nova performances and original hip house beats - Nishihara knew the inherent entertainment value in tender modal jazz, and sought to enmesh sophistication with pop breeziness. 'Rain Falls' is an especially round-bodied track, with glycemic vocal flavours from Kissey Asplund and richly EQ-ed drums, setting a soulful precedent for two key hip-hop gems to come: 'From Time To Time' and 'Consider My Love', featuring rappers Gregg Green and Pismo. 'Step Out' signals the record's close with bopping triplet gaiety.
Livin' The Life (feat Steph Pockets - remix) (3:18)
Weather Overtone (3:08)
Beautiful Things (feat Amanda Diva) (4:29)
Now I Know (feat Pismo) (3:57)
Mind Tourism (1:10)
Brazilinan Daydream (3:42)
Waltz For Jazz Things (feat Gregg Green) (3:47)
Moon Child (feat Nina Vidal) (3:41)
Dawn (3:17)
Life (feat Kissey Asplund) (3:50)
Review: Now available in long-awaited LP form, Kenichiro Nishihara's second LP Life is issued via Urban Discos. Aiming to capture the essence of life in 12 tracks, the record, originally released in January 2010, fuses the blissed-out, piano-drenched Tokyo hip-hop sound with an advanced jazztronica palette and deals in themes of blessings, personal philosophy and stoical musings on everyday hardship but ultimate satisfaction. The rap features from Substantial, Steph Pockets, Amanda Diva, Pismo, Nina Vidal, Kissey Asplund and Gregg Green occur alternately between solo instrumentals from Nishihara himself; all tracks in the first category almost all deal in themes of flourishing and authenticity in day-to-day life, while those in the latter box serve as felicitous personal soundtracks for those cathartic revelations that can only arise through experience and dialogue.
Review: Beautiful Shibuya-esque hip jazz from Wa Yo Set, the dazzler jazz-funk band and fan favourite of the Urban Discos roster since 2020, when the quartet released their debut record, Boogieback. 'Don't Let Me Down' is their latest single for the label, and is rather like nothing we've ever heard before, overlaying a raspily swung vocal rap flow from MC KZ against a superbly improvised arrangement mixing snappy drums, classical guitar, double bass and alto sax. On the B is the similarly speedy 'Konyawa Boogie Back', an instrumental cover of the J-pop duo Halca and Yucali's 2009 chart smash.
Review: Osaka's acclaimed jazz-funk band Wa Yo Set are back with a highly anticipated third album. This release marks the arrival of another gem that captures the essence of the group's signature urban folk sound, or as they call it 'ADM, Acoustic Dance Music. Seamlessly blending influences from jazz, hip-hop and r&b, the record is a dynamic and multidimensional musical trip with an innovative crossover of styles that all push boundaries. There are wiggling instrumental funk workouts, fly moments of introspection like 'Tonight Is Boogie Back Nice Vocal' and much more besides.
Review: Osaka-incubated instrumental jazz and hip-hop group Wa Yo Set take their next big stride with a sure-to-be infamous new cover of a Notorious B.I.G. classic, 'Mo Money Mo Problems'. With Biggie having spat near infinite wisdom on this playful pop diversion - "it's like the more money we come across the more problems we see" - this killer 7" version takes heed, limiting its quantity to fewer than 1000, in case demand outstrips supply and concerns of fan rapaciousness bubble over. With a superb remix from DJ Koco on the B.
Review: Osaka-based jazz-funk band Wa Yo Set is dropping this new 7" single as a way of offering fans a sneak peek of another new album project they have coming up this year. The A-side features a jazzy, acoustic, and danceable instrumental cover of MISIA's 'Tsutsumikomu Youni,' which has been skilfully reimagined in the band's signature style. On the B-side, the original track 'R308' delivers a breezy summer vibe and closes out a tasty release that showcases the band's ever-evolving sound. It has more than got us interested in hearing the full length that is soon to come.
We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you've provided to them or that they've collected from your use of their services.