Urban Discos Japan Vinilo y CD

Review: Japanese hip-hop pioneer Ryuhei 'The Man' Teshirogi passed away earlier in February 2023. To commemorate his honour, DJ Chuck-Tee, Ryuhei's younger brother, comes through with a fresh medley - with verse features from Ryuhei's many contemporaries including Macka-Chin, Gocci and Kashi Da Handsome - making for a melancholic celebration of the DJ, digger and producer's life and legacy.

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: HF International, the duo of DJ/beatmaker KH (Magic Ways) and multi-instrumentalist Seiki Fukuda, debut with 'Tokai', a reggae/city pop split 7" paying due homage to esteemed Japanese singer-songwriter Taeko Onuki. The duo covers Onuki's classic song 'Tokai' from her 1980 album Romantique, infusing it with their very own lovers' rock twist. On the B-side also comes a jazzy, never-released-before rework from rare groove band and Urban Discos favourite, Nautilus.

Review: Japan's premier jazz funk covers outfit Nautilus are back on the scene with another 7" of those pristine grooves they lay down so well. They've been busy lately, recording the Serendipity album with Lisa Decker and just releasing the Reconnection album amongst other singles and EPs, but once again they've got more beautifully executed music to impart to the world. 'Skyscrapers' rides on a taut breakbeat and features some slinky bass guitar, striking an ever-so-slightly moody tone. 'Another World' is all about the snappy piano hooks, with the band following dutifully behind each melodic passage and winding up in something sweet and funky - as if you expect any less from this band.

Review: Japanese jazz trio Nautilus (named of course after Bob James' 1974 fusion classic) are also high-quality rare groove merchants and super sweet and smooth fusion sounds. They have been prolific again this year with somewhere around six new releases and now this welcome Revival album. It comes on both CD (this being a Japanese special edition) and vinyl and is a fine showcase of their sounds which manages to be both timeless and classic as well as contemporary in execution. Many of their recent singles feature here alongside some other treats.

Review: Japanese rare groove merchants Nautilus are back in the wake of their Reconnection album with a new 7" of sweet and smooth jazz funk in their signature style. There's an endlessly crisp quality to the playing and production on Nautilus records which ensures they land with maximum effect. The A side on this new single is 'We Gettin Down', a bright and breezy confection with some choice talk box action, Rhodes and synths in conversation and sprightly beats. 'Nautical Table' gets a little craftier, dealing in skittering drums and nimble piano without losing that clarity we've come to expect from this highly talented group.

Review: Prolific Japanese jazzers Nautilus - made up of drummer Toshiyuki Sasaki, keyboardist Daisuke Takeuchi, and bassist Shigeki Umezawa - present their latest 7" release 'A Story About You'. It's an emotive A-and-B-sider of mournful mood, with the A-side cemented by rolling pianos and a central lyric-melody performed by Mariko's talkbox, and B-sider 'Sweet Power Your Embrace' coming as a cover of the 1977 classic by James Mason. Signaling news of a full-length album to come - you'd better fasten your seatbelts.

Review: You can always count on Nautilus to deliver the most sophisticated covers of soul and jazz standards. The Japanese jazz funk outfit have a pristine approach to their craft, but they also know how to edge their own personality into the versions they lay down. So it goes as they approach the monumental 'Move On Up' by Curtis Mayfield, which is no small task. The actual cut on this 7" is the DJ JIN re-edit, which makes the track fit comfortably on a 45 but also makes sure it works for the DJs out there. On the flip 'Beyond The Redemption' has a more uptempo feel thanks to the sharp angles of the drums and the ascendant keys gliding over the dynamic low end.

Review: We've become accustomed to hearing Nautilus offer-up authentic, Hammond-rich jazz-funk of the sort associated with such 1970s titans of the genre as Lonnie Liston Smith, Jimmy McGriff, Jimmy Smith and Herbie Hancock. On 'Caught Up', the flip the script, recruiting vocalist Emi Tawata to help conjure up a wonderfully starry, warming, organic and mood-enhancing slab of R&B-influenced modern soul. Their Rhodes-laden (and genuinely inspired) original mix comes accompanied by an alternative take from Jazzy Sport regular Grooveman Spot, who brilliantly re-imagines the song as a squelchy, synth-laden slab of slipped soul rich in colourful electronics, bold electronic bass and crunchy machine beats.

Review: Japan has an always eye opening and left of centre take on most of the world's most established genres. Urban Discos save sup plenty of it and this time it is a Far Eastern take on lover's rock that is in the sights. Here we have two cuts from Qimygo who also records as KIMIGO. Up first it is 'Aitai To Omoeba' with its shiny dancehall beats and glistening, innocent melodies all topped off with the pure and clean vocals of Qimygo. After that upbeat opener comes the swagger and ever so slightly more tradition dub of 'Abatina (Calypso Rose)' but still served up through a bright melodic lends.

Review: The Far East is calling once more with this latest Japanese take on reggae and ska from the good people at Urban Discos. It is a high tempo and raucous offering from Scafull King with two different versions of the same tune on both sides. 'Lyin' Ass Bitch' (Kaela Kimura version) is first and brings bustling drums and imposing ska rhythms with layers of organ and fiery vocals making for a big and in-your-face sound. The second version is even more rock-edged with hammering drums and walls of fuzzy guitar.

Review: Urban Discos continue to stake their claim forebearers of Japan's electronic underground, this time releasing a new split J-funky, neo-soul single from Spice Rhythm as proof. The project, consisting off bassist Mitsuta Mori and drummer Shunsuke Uehara, here deliver their first 7", 'Without U' and 'Sozo'. Guest vocals are provided by stars Miri, Go and Hanah Spring, blending the "warm smell of coffee" with trilling la's, slapping funk instrumentals, and easily slick progressions. This is contentment in musical form; we hope it assuages your anxieties as it does ours.