garage

miyuki – ghostly vibes EP

Autumn is my favorite season for many reasons, one of them being that it makes people look so much more attractive. The blinding neons of this past summer have finally been put away, introducing neutrals and more flattering tones on people’s bodies to the picture. The biggest downside of this wonderful, slightly chillier weather is that girls are already bringing out their North Faces and Uggs.

It’s too early for this crap. I have to choke back the urge to gag on impulse whenever I see a standard sorority girl mosey on by in this get up when it’s not even October. Seriously people, there are so many more interesting pieces to introduce to your wardrobe to look stylish AND stay warm. I’ve been drooling over the All Saints look book for this coming fall and want militaristic everything in my closet.

Why is fashion so expensive and why must I care so much?

This weather has re-instilled my love for night walks and the female producer Miyuki has been on my playlists for the last couple of weeks. She’s Japanese and hails from Russia with an affinity for dark moods and dream walking showcased in her EP, Ghostly Vibes.

1. Ghostly Vibes

The lo-fi feel of the song makes for a somber song in general. Echoing synths and break beats adds to the quieter ambiance of the song. It reminds me of Baths “Departure” with the sadder, lower quality feel to it. However, Baths and Miyuki prove themselves as solid producers since “Ghostly Vibes” evokes so many emotions that it gets hard to speak when the track comes on. The underlying vocals are dreamy and makes you want to drift off for awhile.

It’s an attention grabber.

2. Things We Left Behind

It opens with mellowed out drums and someone speaking in a foreign language (Russian, maybe? Not entirely sure). There’s some serious bass going on in this song making for a really interesting zone-out song. I listened to this laying on an outdoor pavilion and it was an intense experience.

3. Syberia

I have yet to travel to Russia but when I do I feel like this song would be the embodiment of what I’d feel when traversing the streets at night. It’s a bit heavier in the melody, adding an aggressive song to the EP. It’s subtle in the way this plays out, but the bass and drums make it  have a much fuller sound. It’s a little creepy but so artfully done that it doesn’t bother me in the slightest.

 

4. Dreamy Mind (feat. Jan Amit)

This was my second favorite song off the EP because it continues with the melancholic mood introduced by “Ghostly Vibes.” It’s also one of the most melodically diverse songs Miyuki gives us with the more dynamic synth line she produces. It closes the EP off nicely making it full circle and does a good job of keeping the listener intrigued. The vocals stand out the most here even though there aren’t lyrics to speak of. It’s a well-produced track, overall.

This is one of my favorite Fall musical works that I’ve found thus far, and it’s only the beginning. I liked the direction Miyuki took with this EP even if the middle two tracks lost me a bit. She began and ended the EP out strongly and, letting each song stand independently of one another, each track is well-executed. Double points for her being a female producer – I want to see more women delivering compelling albums and tracks in the future.

Portals had an interview with Miyuki recently which can be found here. Check it out, support the site! It’s one of my favorite music sites to follow.

-jo.

submerse

It’s not uncommon for me to have crushes on inanimate objects, cartoon characters, cities, or anything which cannot be turned into an actual relationship (like a flesh and blood human). Back when I was a kid, I went to Georgia and fell so in love with the state (not that weird – I used to also run around saying I was a reincarnation of a T-Rex to my first grade class) that I told my parents I was going to marry Georgia.

Georgia is not a person. Georgia cannot give me any physical love in return. Georgia can, however, give me peaches and Forrest Gump quotations.

Fast forward to 2012 and you have a somewhat older and better traveled 20-something who now has a massive, all-consuming crush on Tokyo. This doomed love affair encompasses people who have a similar affinity for the city and Japan, especially musicians.

Cue in submerse. Around half a year ago, Rob Orme, the mastermind behind fusing Japanese pop, garage, and an onslaught of various sub-genres moved from his home country of the UK to Tokyo. Some, like myself, would say it’s one of the smartest moves he could have made.

Since the move he’s released vinyl EPs through Apollo and Project: Mooncircle. His songs are full of life, from sampling day-to-day sounds of the high-pace Tokyo lifestyle and the breath of the city, you can feel what Orme is experiencing as his music plays in your headphones.

Having been to Japan a couple of times now, I’m right there with Orme. I walking through Yoyogi Park, meandering through Shibuya, ogling the shufflers in Akihabara, and spending hours riding on the subways.

I’m not that well versed on garage music as a whole but from what I’ve heard out of this guy (young man, rather) is impressive. The female vocals are fairly common in garage from what I’ve read and heard in the past, but they’re familiar to me in all the haunting music I have in my library. One of the best examples I can think of is Myrkur’s “Why,” with its brooding, terrifying video game quality to it. Not necessarily bleepy, just the vibe of it – kind of like going into the End of the World level of Kingdom Hearts, y’know?

“Never Again” has a very different feel from a typical submerse track because it’s more of a sub-genre than a garage-centric track. This song has been a long time favorite of mine by submerse because of its depressing quality (noticing a trend here?) and of how lush it is. He really is a Midi wizard and you can hear how much time he puts into each song, even if they come off as something fairly simple. Brilliant.

Submerse started popping up on my radar after Nakata Yasutaka released “Pon Pon Pon” by Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. Submerse remixed it on his soundcloud page and I found myself bobbing along to it and began hunting through various tumblrs trying to pick up more of his heavy-handed Japanese inspired music. I quickly discovered, however, that his darker music was equally entrancing. His “Mix About You” made me cry immediately after he opened with one of my favorite Stars of the Lid song, “A Meaningful Moment Through a Meaning(less) Process.” It’s not too often a mix tape is so well done that I listen to it over and over again, especially at night.

I realize this post is not as heavily focused on the breakdown of individual submerse songs as I typically do with other artists. This is mainly due to Orme’s extremely well-executed production style. One soundcloud comment remarked that his drums were so clean that you can eat them. Yes, it’s absolutely true. You can literally taste how beautiful each part of a submerse track is on its own, and as a full product. Delicious.

I recommend hitting up his soundcloud page (linked in the image above) and listening to more of the songs he’s put out this past year while he’s in been in Tokyo. Even if you’ve never been there, any appreciator of night walks and introspective cities will find a comrade in his music. I’m looking forward to hearing more city oriented tracks from him  – he’s going to be in Tokyo for another year before heading back to the UK, and by that time, you’ll be able to hear his growth and thoughts on living abroad spread out in all of his releases.

An interview Orme did with Factmag, which is a personal favorite he’s done so far, can be found here. It’s one of the best written interviews I’ve read in a long time, and does better justice in explaining Orme’s thoughts on J-pop, garage, and what his music actually is than I ever could.

Also, for added reference, here’s a link to Myrkur’s “Why” so that you may add an older, glorious song to your night drive playlist.

-jo.