Hydeout Productions Japan Vinyl & CDs

Review: Even many years after his sad death, the global audience for Nujabes' music continues to grow. To honour the tenth anniversary of his passing, Hydeout Productions asked Haruka Nakamura to create a tribute album and encouraged him to move forward while preserving Nujabes' timeless essence. The project began with the release of the music video and 7" vinyl of 'Reflection Eternal' and now the full album Nujabes PRAY Reflections arrived featuring Nakamura's reinterpretation of Nujabes' melodies through piano and guitar. This is not a traditional cover album, but new music inspired by Nujabes with artwork by Cheryl D. McClure that blends both artists' creative worlds.

Review: Hydeout Productions turn their attention once more to the ever-influential lo-fi hip-hop pioneer Nujabes (Jun Seba). Seba's simple formula for cooking up stirring beats - sampler-driven loops, piano overlays, and reverberative flows from guest rappers over and above - has proven timeless so far. His debut LP Metaphorical Music evinces the artist's mastery from the jump, with no letup on quality and handicraft thereafter. Through these serene beats, with enduring features from English-speaking compatriots Cise Starr, Shing02 and Substantial guesting, we're left to wonder what exactly the titular conceit is. Research hardly does the trick: despite the name, these are free-floating, proto-cloud rap sonic phosphenes, not overt concepts. The vibe of relaxation is present throughout, and Nujabes' emphasis on the instrumental despite the rap features are also evident, with floaty beat-centric breakdowns and abrupt easings of flow, present throughout.

Review: Hydeout Productions continue their full comprehensive recataloguing of Nujabes' work, not only those of his immediate productions, but also the works of the lives of others whom he'd touched through collaboration. Saxophonist Uyama Hiroto was a frequent collaborator of Nujabes', appearing as early on in the latter's storied career as 1996's Modal Soul; it may be said that this mere fact was enough to launch Hiroto's career in his own right, and his debut record A Son Of The Sun is a testament to this fact, evidencing Hiroto's preoccupation with themes of freedom and heliophilia. This debut has Nujabes' unmistakable mix thumbprints all over it, but the headspace is decidedly polished and yet more expansive, and is all produced by Hiroto despite the association and similarity; his saxophone shines best and most brightly non-hip-hop cuts such as 'Climbed Mountain'.