InYourBass.com

Good music on J-Wave overall, good shows and nice interviews, they host Gilles Peterson’s show too, Worldwide 15.  Mari is a very nice lady and does a good job for Gilles and Brownswood Recordings there, she asked us to go with her see Robert Glasper on monday night which we accepted of course haha. Have you seen Robert Glasper? He’s dope live and if you saw the Q-Tip performance in your city, it was him behind the keys.  We might go back on wednesday to do some work and collect Japanese shout-outs I asked them.


Our day was a short one as we had to meet the Jazzy Sport boys at the house for a ride to the venue.  The club Solfa is in Naka-Meguro, a very hip and nice neighbourhood with lots of nice little restaurants and style shops.  Once I arrived I got introduced to the boss and the crew, nice people there working.  The club is really nice and small, it’s in an “L” shape, one part is lounge, but really lounge with ambient sounds of nature, birds and water through the speakers, yeah funny really, it at least doesn’t make you scream in the other ones’ ear, I hate when they do that.  The other part of the club is big speakers and seats in the back, a very compact and good sound and a soundman that installs everything for you, that’s the way I like it, a perfect set-up, turntables, Pioneer CDJ800 and a pair of CDJ’s, what can you ask more…?  Screenings on the wall and a very nice and aware crowd in the beginning watching the hands of the starting dj, our roommate Shigeru (do I write it right?) haha.

I was glad to see the people I met on a train from Brussels to Gent in Belgium.  Back then I saw 3 Japanese youngsters lost at Brussels North station and helped them out and did all the way together to Gent.  I told them I’d spin in Tokyo and they all came down the spot, really appreciate that.  Had a couple of other roommates who came down, Kosuki, our main bicycle guy in the building, but what definitely made me smile was to see Edson from Amsterdam’s Patta in the building with his wife, that’s always a funny thing to see people you know from home abroad.  That’s why I put Opgezwolle during my set in Tokyo, that’s right, just to represent the Benelux a bit and they actually really liked it, Tokyo was feeling Zwolle, it’s like me loving Gagle and I don’t understand shit.  The party was organised by Jazzy Sport for the release party of their next release Budamunky.  Very nice and well-speaking Japanese artist, they are all actually nice people, I haven’t seen any weirdo or strange person since my arrival.

Talking about Gagle, we left the building for a couple of hours to pick up Gagle at the hotel, they had a birthday party little gig in Shibuya we went to.  Good atmosphere in that club too, they had a very tiny basement, i felt like in a manga for a minute, really, I think alcohol makes these people very happy and funny.   Saw a couple of local hiphop shows, a completely crazy deejay but oh so funny, we don’t have dj’s like that; stopping the music for a minute or two and start talking to the crowd about records and the group coming next and in between that I think he was telling jokes… everybody seemed to enjoy!  Then came Gagle’s moment, on stage they rippin’ it, if you want an outernational group for a festival or something like that, and you’re lucky it’s low season on flights then book the guys, definitely dope.  Mitsu and his brother Hunger (killer mc) on the mic and deejay Mu-R on the decks for a very enjoyable set.  Using Mitsu’s beats and b-sides, a very nice combination I think and the crowd there was really into it too.  Tracks from the last album “3 peat“, some other gems like “yuki no kakumei” and “kurofessional mc“… I think Jazzy Sport has the perfect group to reflect the Jazzy Sport way, Gagle is very fresh and tight too.  I think Jazzy Sport just signed another great mc from Japan called Twiggy, 2 years ago he had an album entirely produced by Prefuse 73, interesting stuff. Can’t wait to hear that.  Ow by the way, expect a very nice record by Grooveman Spot, a new album with very nice artists.


Back to the club Solfa, taking Mitsu The Beats, Hunger and Mu-R with us, where they’re doing a dj set in front of tired people, it’s almost 4am and we just arrived…  It was probably the perfect set for that time, going back to back from hiphop to soul rare gems.  I’ve heard some nice tunes by Black Star “Little Brother” to Kev Brown stuff and then straight into some rare soul and tracks containing samples Mitsu used for his beats, I really enjoyed that part actually.  It goes on for another hour, before Mitsu decides to tell the people to go home and finishes with the Jose James track featured on Mitsu’s next album. 

Keep an eye on that one because when it drops it will hurt, it’s a very nice album.  Lights on, time for tons of photo sessions with the guys (my girl loves Gagle so she was pretty happy of course), broken english and drinks.  I can’t believe how fast daylight comes in, it’s past 6am or 30 hours as they say here haha, yeah they don’t stop at 24, they just go on until they go sleep.  Had a great time with Gagle, Taro, Shigeru, Edson and the people I met in Belgium who came to see me. True people.  There’s some pictures on the Jazzy Sport blog about the party, go check them out here. Sayonara