The Dogen-zaka MIX / 88QQ99II11 tape features 90 minutes of unreleased material from the duo – preview here.
Powder: Somewhere to turn when house and techno is letting you down. With the sounds of Chicago and Detroit, to Birmingham, Bristol and Berlin so ubiquitous in inspiring producers everywhere, it’s nice to come across music that bends the musical hallmarks of those cities into something original. It’s said Powder comes from rural Japan and ESP Institute’s release of the Highly EP painted her as something of a character from a Haruki Murakami novel. The type trying to escape the nine-till-five life of cubic Tokyo by making supernatural music late at night. A previous turn on Born Free also felt as neon-lit as Tokyo’s world famous Shibuya district while in other sections it’s as serene her assumed pastoral homeland, but the genius of it all is this music comes from somewhere off the map.
The production talent scores her own soundtrack for Japanese V-cinema.
The return of Powder is complemented by label debuts for Assar and Sexazoid.
Music offers escapism, both for the listener and the creator. An elaborately written press release accompanying this delightful Powder 12” for Andrew Hogge’s ESP Institute details the banality of her daily life employed in the depths of Tokyo’s electronic industry. Making music provides the chance to “exorcise her daily demons.” On the basis of the music Powder has released thus far, this is evidently a process that has served the rising producer well.
Loverfingers’ label introduces Japanese entity Powder with a five-track release.
Born Free have no qualms about failing every now and then. Their label name references the doomed bikers in Dennis Hopper’s 1969 film Easy Rider, whilst they’ve also experienced distributors from their previous labels fleeing in the night and leaving them with a water-damaged catalogue as result of basement flooding. Sling & Samo have always been able to find something heroic in messing up. However, Born Free is no longer a baby label. Currently on their 16th release, it’s grown from an esoteric outlet for oddball house into a continually engaging concern, bucking and weaving through no wave experimentation, clanking machine techno, Henry Rollins quotes and yes, even a cover of Avicii’s “Sometimes”. While the label’s experimental ethic has remained constant for the last two years, they really haven’t taken a mis-step yet.
The Japanese DJ and producer is set for her debut release through Samo & Sling’s label – stream a track here.