The Undercats

My finished track, Oh great!

2009-11-19T02:47:00.002+09:00

I am finally done!

Any comments welcome!

Download away!

Oh Great!

New Mix

2009-11-16T14:11:00.000+09:00

House

Electro

Dubstep

We got it all!

http://www.zshare.net/audio/68491125d407f64f/

My new dubstep track! (unfinished)

2009-11-11T11:15:00.001+09:00

Check out a sample of Oh Great! here!

A bit slow to post (GOMENNE Astro-sama!)...Astrolabe's Flag (Final)!

2009-06-01T12:06:00.002+09:00

Since I have been so busy with DJ gigs left and right, I haven't had time to put this up when I wanted to for one of my favorite Japanese indie producers!

He has made the final version of one of the first songs I ever heard of his, Flag!

This track was one of my favorite tracks back in the day, but now that it is complete, it definitely has grown into a more thought out track. I can't go back to the first version again!

Download the track and decide for yourself!

Flag(Final)

As usual, visit his MySpace for some more great tunes!

5.15 DAMIEN event!!!

2009-05-12T22:21:00.001+09:00

◆　DAMIEN　×　 DEATH IS NOT MY AIM　◆
(TOKYO disco TEENAGE KICKS)
　

　OPEN 22:00

　
　Guest

▲▼▲DEATH IS NOT MY AIM▼▲▼

写真

TOKYO NEW MODE_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _dj TEAM

=MYSPACE=
http://www.myspace.com/deathisnotmyaim_tokyo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2CiZEblwwg

(TOKYO disco TEENAGE KICKS)
【ｺﾐｭ】http://mixi.jp/view_community.pl?id=224020
【 myspace 】http://www.myspace.com/teenagekicks0311
【 Kicks Channel】http://jp.youtube.com/discoteenagekicks

東京アンダーグラウンドエレクトロシーンの中で、飛び抜けた個性と輝きを放つ脅威の2ピースDJチーム。極限まで歪んだビートをズタズタに解体していく唯一無二のD.I.N.M.A styleを武器に,感度の高いFashonistaや独自のRaveサウンドに魅了されたParty Peopleから熱狂的な支持を得ている。その1st MixCDのリリースを控えているTEENAGE KICKS代表DEATHがDAMIENに参戦。

100パーセント暴れたい人！暴れに来てください！
暴れ放題です！ゴリゴリです！
ＤＥＡＴＨのニトロプレイを直接体感しに来て下さい！

更に取り置きしてくれた人にはＤＡＭＩＥＮオリジナルバッチをプレゼント！　
因みにカンバッチのデザインはROCK ARTでお馴染みのカズヤ君にやってもらいました。
120個限定なので早めにメッセ下さいね！
写真

ﾀﾞﾐｱﾝｺﾐｭも宜しくね！
DAMIENｺﾐｭ：http://mixi.jp/view_community.pl?id=4168727
　

そしてDAMIEN DDDJ'sは＝＝！
　
enameL（TINY）
POM（TINY）
Wanna（TINY・DRESS)
kulala（TRIP・DRESS）
QNYX（EVA)
U-ma（EPI）
T-Atoms
Twin⇒b

VJは＝＝！
moja

のゴリゴリＤＡＭＩＥＮメンバーでお送りします！
　

ADV：2000円（120個限定DAMIENオリジナル缶バッチ付）
/ DOOR：2000円

info: domina
http://cafe-domina.com/

T-Atoms! New Electro Mix! Listen!

2009-04-13T16:20:00.002+09:00

It has been a LOOOONG time since I have made/posted a mix but I was asked by an event promoter to put one up, so here it goes!

Dig it!

T-Atoms' Mild Electro Mix

Astrolabe comes through with TWO new remixes!

2008-11-24T22:41:00.004+09:00

Yes yes! Our favorite young producer/remixer is at it again with not one, but TWO new remixes he has released today! Today was a holiday in Japan, so I am sure he used the extra time to put the finishing touches on these 2 amazing tracks!

First up, we have Into the freedom (C.L.U.B Astrolabe) by p e a c e FIRE (Thanks to reader Charles for the info!)!

Next is He was The Best (Astrolabe remix) by pelifics (Thanks AGAIN tp Charles for the info!)!

Both tracks show that Astrolabe is growing as a producer at such a high rate, that it will only be a matter of time before he gets picked up by a label!

Into the Freedom is a more laid back, New Wave like track that screams chill and laid back. He was the Best is a bit more upbeat and reminds me a lot of something Kavinsky might do. Has the 80s Sega Gensis vibe going on, but all modern and danceable like all of Astrolabe's other tracks!

Like I always say, GO ADD HIM ON MYSPACE and check out his other tunes! Support your local artists! (Even though he is in Tokyo, and I in Nagoya, he is more local than people in the US or other countries who may be reading this!)

"Stay Faceless", the song I recorded with Lowbrows, is on their MySpace!

2008-11-12T09:31:00.003+09:00

The Lowbrows, a well known production duo, consisting of Chaki (a musician and DJ) and Emi (a classically trained musician) are releasing their new CD December 24th (if everything works out) and I recorded a song with them!

The song is called "Stay Faceless", and they just put it up on their MySpace yesterday (Japan time). Go check it out!

http://www.myspace.com/thelowbrows

Just so you know, yeah it doesn't sound like me, because the pitch was edited a lot, but everything is me, even the "Daft Punk" like vocoder parts. All production by The Lowbrows!

Go show them love on their MySpace and buy their album for Christmas if you are in Japan and love Electro!

Astrolabe new mix! - Let's Go Outside

2008-11-08T09:16:00.005+09:00

Astrolabe sent me a new mix that he has up on his MySpace (you have added him as a friend haven't you?)

This mix is a very good mix of New Wave-like synths and drum patterns. I call it, relaxing yet danceable! He even throws in a new track of his before Boys Noize's Shine Shine, a track I love!

Get it HERE!

crushmonkey - Dubstep - 26 Oct 2008

2008-10-27T07:30:00.004+09:00

Okay, I'll admit, I wasn't one for Dubstep about 3 months ago. Then I listened to it more, and it grew on me more.
Here's a dubstep mix. Completely all freestyled as usual. Mistakes littered throughout as usual.
Towards the end the bass is so heavy (and I wasn't watching my levels closely enough) , it distorts the signal. oops.
DESTROY YOUR SPEAKERS!

Click here to download mix. (Aprox. 67 mins - 99 mb)

Tracklist:
6blocc - New Dimensions
Grimejah - Alarm
Te la Rok - Hot Jam
Shackleton - You Bring Me Down
Caspa + Rusko - Bread get Bun
Caspa + Rusko - King George
Art of Noise - Moments in Love (Casper Remix)
Benga + Coki - Night
Benga + Walsh - Spooksville (Original Mix)
TC - Where's My Money (Caspa Remix)
Kromestar + Hatcha - Side Bease
Goth Trad - Swamp
Headhunter - Locus Lotus
Zomby - Mush
Luke Vibert - London
Peverelist - Junktion
LD - Swing that Skirt
Synkro - Hold Tight
Reso + Roguestar - No Such Thing
Rusko - Gone 2 Far
Plastician - Intensive Snare (feat. Skepta)
Mac Koal - Unhappy Dance

crushmonkey - Jump Up DnB - 2 Oct 2008

2008-10-07T01:00:00.006+09:00

Here's another mix for you. This time, all squidgy jump-up madness.
Mixes were done a lot more agressively this time, and it worked most of the time, but I think a lot more could be done with some of the transition timings.

Here's a link:

Download the mix. 75 mins aprox.

And a tracklisting. I think I got everything:
Artist - Title
Heavy Hittahz and Toxic - Real Soldiers
Cubist - All Mix Up
Mutated Forms - Hangover
Silver - Hunt Mandown
Dub Zero - Style
Shifta - Business Ting
Connecta - Roll That
Mutated Forms - Bad Tech
Ebony Dubsters - Ra! (G Dub Remix)
DJ Clipz - Rubbish
DJ Hazard - Killers Don't Die
DJ Hazard - Machette
D Kay - Ill Technique
DK Foyer - Fill With Smoke Creature
DK Flyer - Baklofen and VSK
DJ Panik - Area 51
TC - Where's My Money? (Clipz Remix)
KG - Apocalypto (VIP Remix)
Ebony Dubsters - Ra! (G Dub Remix) - so nice I had to play it twice...
Double Zero - Slut
Dirty Harry - Skankers
Taxman - The Circle
Wickaman - Wiseguy
NW2 - My Way
Levela - Ravin Massive
NW2 - Tail Music

Crushmonkey's performance at Domina in Nagoya

2008-09-30T08:55:00.004+09:00

I wish I had a mp3 of the mix, but he was slinging some amazing DnB and Jump Up! I couldn't stop doing the DnD bounce!

He was freestyling, so dunno if he has a playlist, but the tracks he played were so high energy, you just had to dance!

I was taking some pics, but regretted not bringing my other lens to get shots of a wider area!

Check out the pics above for my favs, and here is a link to ALL of the pics from last night!

While typing this, I noticed a text from him, that this may be a monthly gig for him! NICE! This will go great with the other monthly gig we just picked up at a large club's side room (bigger than most clubs in Nagoya).

The Undercats are about to run things!

Deported Mix

2008-09-27T02:55:00.002+09:00

Thanks for listening. I tried to keep this one as simple as possible. My disclaimer is that it's not perfect.

Deported Mix Link

31:45

Playlist

Artist/Song

Soul Central - Need You Now (Mark Knight & Matrtijn Ten Velden Remix))
Karen Overton - Your Lovin Arms (Club Mix)
Alain Vinnet Feat. Alex Dionne - Lost (Erick Kupper Mix)
Jackie B - Let the Music Play (Hard Candy Video Mix)
David Amo & Julio Navas - Electronic Electro
Vinylshakers - Daddy Cool
DJ Brian Howe - Somebodys Watching Me (Freakmatique Cut)
Overmode - Dancing Again
Studio B - I See Girls (Crazy)

Ragga Jungle / Jump-Up / DnB - Sept 22 2008

2008-09-23T09:42:00.001+09:00

Hey peeps. Here's a new mix for your iPods, Jeeps and Freaks in the sheets.

This time we start off on some Ragga Jungle / Ragga Jump Up (call it what you want) and roll on to some solid DnB.

A few fuckups here and there - but hey - I'm bringing you the fun by having fun myself.

Expect more DnB mixes from myself - that's where my heart lies.

Oh! And we have a tracklist:

Boj Lucki and Ljudas - Gunwar (MIR crew remix)
Mutated Forms + Serpent - Deep in the Ocean
Direct Feed + Ragga Scum - Another Champion
Echo Box - Stomper VIP
Taxman - Original Ninja
DJ Hose - Runnaway
Noah D ft Anthony B - Good Sound (Benny Page Remix)
Dope Ammo - Big Summer
Dope Ammo - Roots + Culture (Serial Killer VIP)
Visionary - Walk Away From Love
Drumsound and Bassline Smith - Special
Future Cut - Ghetto Style
Psidream + Pacific - Insecure
Pendulum - Blood Sugar

I think I got everything.

Enjoy -
Clicky Here for Linky.

T-Atoms new Electro Mix!

2008-09-22T23:20:00.003+09:00

I made this today at Deported's house and although the beatmatching is standable, I brought songs in at akward times.

This is my personal favorite mix of mine at the time though! I will make more!

Summer is Over Mix 08!

Playlist:

A-Trak - "Say Whoa" Running Man: Nike+ Original Run
A1 Bassline - Bad Man Horror Theme
Action Man (Aka Hervé) & Jesse Rose - Take It To The Club
Audioporno - Choo Choo (The Bloody Beetroots Remix)
Armand Van Helden - You Don't Know Me (GRUM Remix)
Beeds + Hostage - Evil 'kin Evil!!.2
Boys Noize - & Down
The Bloody Beetroots - Gustav Klimt was a Dark!!
Busy P - To Protect And Entertain (Crookers Remix)
DMX - Party (Up In Here)(Mightyfools remix)
The Chemical Brothers - Hey Boy, Hey Girl (Soulwax Remix)

LIving Electro

2008-09-12T02:41:00.002+09:00

Check it. It's FO FUCKIN' FREE.

www.livingelectro.com

Our first DJ gig: T-Atoms' report.

2008-09-01T20:20:00.005+09:00

So I will start by saying I had a difficult night of sleep the night before!

My neighbor thought it would be great to play music until 4 something in the AM! I know I finally slept around 4:30 and I am sure it was still going past that point! I woke up around 8 and started prepping final touches on my planned playlist!

I got through my day of work and as I was leaving, one of the other teacher's students wanted to go see me play, so he drove us to Sakae!

Now earlier in the day I got a bad case of being nervous and I wanted to drink. So I went to Hub and downed a Long Island Iced Tea to just get a buzz to kill the nerves. It worked.

We waited at the exit for our friends and headed to club exactly at the time we said we would.

Deported and I set up his CDJs and mixer to the clubs sounds, and we started the night off! I went first and did about half of my planned playlist and it was time to let Deported hop on and do his thing. From behind this particular DJ "booth" (it is just space behind the bar), we have no monitor speakers, only sounds from the 2 main big speakers. This is a bit difficult to get a feel for what is going on. Regardlesss, things sounded great from the dancefloor. Since I had been drinking, well hell, even if I hadn't been, I got on the floor to get people to start reppin Deported and The Undercats! While I was chanting, crushmonkey was snappin pics away on his SLR. People began to get up and dance and it felt like a good night out clubbing, and it was being hosted by us! Crazy!

When Deported was done, he called me over to mix me in and I did my thing for who knows how long, and it continued like that all night! So much fun to see people we know who love to go clubbing, dancing and bouncing to OUR DJing.

We all drank a lot, laughed, took pics, relaxed in the lounge and had a great time until 4AM. After that, we got all of Deported's equipment together, and headed home!

Yesterday we got criticism, from one of the only people I trust to give good advice for a good DJ night, and I am really going to take her advice and work on what I did wrong, and work it better for next week's show!

The hardware to record wasn't cooperating with my laptop so I couldn't record anything I did that night, but I will have it up for next week! We are going to experiment with some different music next week, so wish us luck!

Also crushmonkey will begin his gig nights this week, probably Fridays, so if you are free, go support him!

crushmonkey mix 29 August 2008

2008-08-29T01:31:00.004+09:00

Started off as a trance mix - ended up as a housey mix.
Worked alright.

I'm totally excited about seeing Deported and T-Atoms on Saturday night!

http://www.zshare.net/audio/17791954159d15b8/

The Undercats are GO! First club gig!

2008-08-25T08:51:00.005+09:00

So we were all able to represent last Saturday night, but this coming Saturday night will be OFFICIAL!

2/3 of The Undercats will be performing at a new club in Sakae this Saturday from 10pm on!

We met a contact a while back and he said sometime in September, but this will be 2 weeks after meeting him!

He doesn't care what we play, he has all of the equipment (much better than what we practice with!), will pay us in drinks for a month, then money after that!

Plus our second show should include Shane (crushmonkey) as well, so the whole crew can represent!

If you are in Nagoya, MAKE it! Contact me!

crushmonkey mix 21 August 2008

2008-08-22T23:34:00.003+09:00

Hey folks.
cmonkey back in the place with another mix. My heart lies with DnB, and here's a mix - first DnB of many. Plenty of mistakes, but a few decent blends closer to the end. It only gets better from here.

Clickie for Downloadie

New Tracks from Astrolabe!!!

2008-08-22T10:33:00.003+09:00

Ask and you shall receive!

I made it clear I was in love with Astrolabe's METEROID track, and he sent it to me in high quality MP3 format! Please check it out and put it on repeat on your mp3 player or car!

This song reminds me of some old 70s disco rave in Japan somewhere. It kind of reminds me of a more disco version of Daft Punk's Crescendolls! Hmmm, as a matter of fact, these songs can mix well into each other... Ideas ideas!

Download it here!

He sent me a new track of his that I have never heard before! As a matter of fact, it isn't even on his MySpace page, so this may be exclusive for now! It is his remix of Charlieboy's Will you ever care '95. This sees Astrolabe in a production mode different from his traditional rip/cut/sample house that I love, but it proves that he is VERY versatile! This track is very spacey, without falling into the Trance genre. It can really take you away with the soft synths floating in the back, and the easy vocals playing along in the background. Reminds me of Orbital! Then at the end it gets to pure Astrolabe mode and we can get out of the clouds and onto the dance floor! Check it and tell us what you think!

Download it here!

Anyways, download these and visit his MySpace and beg him to make more music!

Definitely not wanting to take away from the original track and artist Astrolabe remixed, please take a look at Charlieboy's MySpace and check out his tunes!

He is ver reminiscent of Aphex Twin/DNTEL and the like to my ears, and that means great things for me! I look forward to more productions from him!

Summer Sonic 2008 and the aftermath... by Tommy

2008-08-13T14:40:00.000+09:00

So I am back from Summer Sonic 2008 and man, this weekend has been crazy!

Let me start from the beginning...

We get up early to go to Makuhari Messe so Ryan can find a scalper selling tickets. He gets one for 20,000 yen and it is ON!

Everyone we want to see on this day, are at the Sonic, Dance, and Mountain stage! All close to each other! But we have a problem. Ryan and I have backpacks and need to lose em! We walk alll the way to the Ocean/Marine stage and find a place for lockers. Oh well, in this time, we can find Justice T-Shirts and a Crystal Castles shirt for Susannah (our friend) right? Wrong! They were out of Justice shirts, and had NO Crystal Castles shirts!!!

So we walk all the way back to check out MGMT, who were amazing!!! Ryan wasn't feeling it so we moved on.

What we moved onto was possibly one of the greatest band discoveries ever! The Shoes! These 2 French producers/DJs put on an amazing live act! The music was off he hook, but they would grab their mics and do the vocals on some tracks, which normally doesn't work, but for them it did! Ryan and I became instant fans!

On our way to get food and to see The Polysics, Ryan overheard some Americans mention, everyone has a sweat towel, and he just told them it is necesary, and we all started talking. These 3 guys never left my side until the morning I came back home. They were, Matt, Ben, and Lord. Yes, his name is Lord! They have been travelling all over the world because they just graduated college, and Japan has been their last stop before they go back home! Only Lord had been to Japan before ( he has been studying a lot of Japanese) and everyone else was along for the ride!

Before the next band, we ran into the Dex Pistols, who just came to Nagoya last week, and they recognized me (they knew my name, but ALMOST forgot where I was from, but then remembered). We took some pics with them, sat and chatted, and went on to check out the next band!

We asked them if they wanted to join us to see Polysics with us and they were down. Now to our experience, Polysics is a kinda light techno pop band. Our experiences were WRONG! This was like going to an American punk or hardcore show! The pit that started was brutal! We got punched, kicked, pushed, jumped on, jumped over, and literally everything else you can imagine! They went from one hard song to the next, and finally let us breathe when they did a cover of "Secret Agent Man". We all got soo beat we wanted to head out so we could catch Crystal Castles!

I got a call from our friend Luke who said he was in a good position to see Crystal Castles, and we got there and found him easilly! When we got there they were playing music, and Daft Punk's "Teachers" came on, which made us lose our minds. Funny, cuz we were pretty much alone... When Crystal Castles were about to come on, everyone rushed the stage, as did we. I warned everyone we would get destroyed like we did for Polysics, but they didn't think so. At the beginning it was all mellow and cool, as Alice danced and jumped on stage, into the crowd, in front of the crowd on the ground, and on the bass drum of the drumset (that had to hurt her ears!). After a while things got hectic. Another pit started, but now people were moshing, jumping, and it got incredibly hot (we were inside)! When the song ended and they walked off, we were happy go get some air. Well, Alice came back and started another hardcore song to make us lose our mind and mosh again. At the end, Ryan lost a lens in his glasses (I can't remember if it was here or during Polysics) and couldn't see well for the rest of the day!

Next I wanted to see Does It Offend You, Yeah? but we thought it would be better to hurry to Boom Boom Satellites, so we can enjoy them, THEN get in front for Justice! We decided to go eat and get some drinks and such. After a short break, we went to see Boom Boom!

When we got there they were just starting and we worked ourway about 4/5 of the way to the front (the place is huuuge). We stayed there and rocked out for a bit and when we could find a chance, we moved forward. Meanwhile, Boom Boom Satellites were putting on a great show! Our new friends became new fans of the group we saw open up for Daft Punk last year. Their sound is sooo unique and mixes 2 of my favorite genres of music!

When Boom Boom went off, we worked our way to the front. I literally had 2 people between me and the gate, and we were close to the center! It was hard to take pics here because the security stops us from taking pics! Lame, I know! I did get some pics with me, and the cross in the background! When they started they put on such a visually and musically impressive show. I know it isn't fair, but I compared them to the Daft Punk show, which I have seen twice, and I have to say, I enjoyed it more! I felt like they were more REAL and visible to the fans! Xavier came out and jumped on the speakers to throw up a peace sign like a rock star, while Gaspard would often throw up his hands into the hair, and look up to the sky, while light shined down on him! It was purely epic and more personable than their robotic friends from Paris! Every song that came on, was remixed, and sounded like nothing that came from the CD. D.A.N.C.E. was the MSTRKRFT remix and everything else was just complete new ways to hear the songs! Oh besides the intro to Stress which was the Auto remix. Everyone did a solid hour of dancing! As Ryan said, we all went belligerent on the ground to EVERY song! They impressed! When we thought it was over, as Xavier went back to the speakers to throw a peace sign, music started back up and were all dancing again. For a little foreshadowing, I nearly lost my mind when I saw SO ME on the side! At the end of the set I was shouting his name, but of course he couldn't hear me!

After Justice, we were done with other acts, and just went on with our day. I was contacted by my friend to make it to a party, but we couldn't find it after hours of looking in Omotesando! Things were made worst, when I woke up to a text message from her saying that she was almost alone in partying with Justice at that party! I would have claimed this to be the best weekend of my life had I met them, but we may have another chance to meet them in under a month...

The next day after waking up, we grabbed some Chinese food for lunch and saw Dark Knight, which was beyond amazing! I won't get into much of that here, but go see it if you want one of the most complete movies from beginning to end!

When we were thinking of what to do next, I got another message from Yuko telling me SO ME was having an event in Omotesando, the same place we couldn't find the other club, but this event was easier to find, and was just a meet and greet (and buy) type dealie. We got there and in seconds I was standing next to SO ME. I got to shake his hand and take a picture with him. We talked for a bit on a couple occasions, but I got to learn that he does music and graphic design for fun. He called them fun hobbies. I told him I will be back to see Mr. Oizo in 2 months, and he told me Mr. Oizo's new album is amazing. He said if Mr. Oizo's older music is broken and jagged, his new album is fixed and straight, and very danceable. This made me excited as I LOVE his original style of composition and synths (I LOVE his drum beats!) I am excited to hear a change!

We went into the store and checked out his shirts he helped design and one of our friends bought something for someone and had it somethinged by somebody (sorry this is to not spoil a surprise for one of my friends for his someone for that someones gift, just in case they read this before he exchanges it). While in the store we saw a very familiar face to all of us! Andrew from MGMT!!!

We walked out, and he was just hanging out near a wall with Ben and their managers! Strange seeing them here! My friends and I went over and talked and took pics with them and they were soooo cool and down to earth! I mean seriously, they talked to us like we had been friends for years! Andrew was telling us how he liked Japan and performing at Summer Sonic. He asked us a lot of questions just about us and our lives and we sat and joked. Ben was definitely probably the more social one (I will credit lack of sleep on Andrew not winning this title) as he was talking to me about what it is like to teach English in Japan, telling me his ex girlfriend left him and came to Japan to teach English...and she likes girls now! I couldn't stop laughing, but he said they were still good friends, and she came to see him the same day I did in Tokyo. He said he will come back and do some sightseeing for sure. Their managers were equally cool! We talked to them a lot and one of them told me to email him, because he heard I did some photography and was interested to see what it looked like. Hmmm future contact...?

After the event, we went off for the rest of the night and I woke up 30 minutes before my bus from Tokyo station was to leave! I barely made it, and finally made it home last night! Got some ramen, got home, and went to sleep! It felt sooo good!

Such a GREAT weekend and I look forward to every chance I have to meet musicians who have made it big and are down to earth like these guys! I love that!

Enjoy the pics!

crushmonkey mix 11 August 2008

2008-08-11T12:46:00.002+09:00

Dubstep, DnB. Nothing spectacular. Plenty of errors, but I was drunk.

Download Here

Crushmonkey's Mix!

2008-08-08T09:24:00.001+09:00

I was just sent a new mix from The Undercats' Crushmonkey!

Please check it out and comment on what you think of it!

Crushmonkey's mix!

My Homie from Southern California and his Monome

2008-08-08T04:42:00.002+09:00

Check out this Monome Video

T-Atoms' music highlight:: Astrolabe

2008-08-07T11:42:00.003+09:00

Astrolabe, Astrolabe, Astrolabe...

Wow...

That is all I can say when I hear his music!

This is what I want to hear when I hear house music from Japan! His sound to me is VERY Japan. I think of Japan when I hear his music. Not Europe, the US, or anywhere else, JUST Japan! As a Japanese artist, he has hit the nail on the head with his production skills!

Why do I describe his music as VERY Japan? His samples! Yes a REALLY good producer can place some samples in the right place and make people dance and nod (or both), but it is his choice of samples! He samples old Japanese songs and tunes, and if you are at all familiar with any old Japanese media of any kind, the tunes will sound very familiar to you, even if you never heard of them before!

His first song I heard from him, was A Trial Run. This song was an INSTANT SORer (Stuck on Repeat...er). I think I had this on repeat for a day straight, and lots of free time to listen to it. I am listening to it while I type this and still bobbing my head! The sample he uses for the vocal is simple yet brilliant! Even my girlfriend who isn't into dance music at all can be found bouncing around the room chanting "Get Ready, get ready, get ready, get ready..." and that is a sign of a hit! Hmmm, I will need to put this on repeat again now...

His next song I heard was FLAG. Damnit, that sax sample is sexy as hell isn't it? The steady drum beat, mixed with that sax sample and the filtered vocal samples, combine for a marriage of awesome that only Astrolabe can pull off! Very danceable tune like A Trial Run, but 100% unique as far as I am concerned. Nothing else like it!

Next was BASE 5-2. Another Astrolabe classic in the making! He goes crazy with the samples yet again, and it works up into a very nice frency of vocals and drums and gets you into that groove that only a good song can bring to you! Cool relaxing breakdown near the end that gives you a chance to catch your breath! The eery strings add a nice touch too!

The next song, is the last one I have from him, and it is called This Emergency. Again, another strong sample used here, that becomes instantly infectious once you hear it. He really knows how to choose them, doesn't he? This song is definitely one of my favorites from Astrolabe!

Check out his MySpace page for some songs I have yet to receive mp3s for, and I will upload them if I ever get my hand on them so you can SOR them!

By the way check out his new songs Meteoroid and Cultivation Room! These two songs would be tied with A Trial Run for amount of times played if I had the MP3s! I LOVE these songs!!!

I would also like to thank Astrolabe for giving me some advice and a look into his production process through MySpace. He also let me know about a great event happening in Tokyo in October that I WONT miss, to go see Mr. Oizo DJ live. Hey I may get to meet Astrolabe in the flesh too!

T-Atoms' music highlight:: RAYFLASH

2008-08-07T11:20:00.005+09:00

In my search to find original Japanese dance music talent, I stumbled across a track from RAYFLASH on a blog I frequent (Asian Dan) and fell in love with it!

That track is Flash Dancer!

Listen to this track and tell me it doesn't get you dancing? Do it! Try it! See, didn't work huh? When I first heard this, I had to SOR it (stuck on repeat) for several hours, as I couldnt get enough!

RAYFLASH is a producer and DJ based in Sapporo, Japan, far north from Nagoya. Keep an eye on him and show him support on his MySpace page!

Check out his other tracks too!

I have spoken to RAYFLASH (formerly, Drinking Beer Cat. AWESOME AWESOME NAME!) on MySpace several times, and he has been nothing but GENEROUS with suggestions, tips, and tricks for me to make my transition from Reason, to Ableton Live for house music production! I owe him a lot, so this is one small favor I can do for him!

T-Atoms' music highlight:: Vexasion and Coffee Time

2008-08-07T11:01:00.003+09:00

Vexasion is a band of friends living in Nagoya, who want to break all boundaries and create their own genre of music! I describe it as instrumenals gone WILD!

They definitely do that with their first single OHSHO! (Right click, save as!)

Lots of instruments flowing together in harmony, it is beautiful!

I was in the studio with them when they were recording this track, and Shigeo sent the final version to me last night! So you will be some of the first people to hear this track! It is epic, so try to have a seat before you listen!

I am friends with the guitarist, Shigeo, as he started off as my English student, and moved on to be a good friend (and future collaborator!).

He is also the guitarist for the band Coffee Time, which I do most of the photography for and designed their website as well! Coffee Time has recently picked up an Indie label, so check them out and tell them what you think about their music too!

Coffee Time homepage.

My recent inspiration.

2008-08-06T11:08:00.003+09:00

So last week I went to club JBs in Nagoya to see Tiny crew mix it up with MYSS, DJ Kyoko, and SPECIAL GUEST Dex Pistols!

The night was amazing, all of the normal homies were out that night and we all had a great time.

The inspiration came from after Dex Pistols went off, they both were just wandering around the club. DJ Daruma, was next to me while I was outside catching my breath and comes and starts talking to me in Japanese. We talk, share laughs and such, and I tell him Ryan and I are moving to Tokyo next year and we will be DJing there. He wished us luck and said we should have no problem. I said it would be tough because foreign DJs are rampant in Tokyo. He asked if I had a phone. When I said yes, he asked for it, and typed in his phone and called it. Then he added my info to his phone and said call him whenever I was in Tokyo! The next day I get home to an e-mail from DJ Maar saying to keep in touch and we can DJ one day together in Tokyo!

If you don't know who Dex Pistols are, here is a rundown of their credits.

They opened for Daft Punk for 2 nights in Tokyo last year. Got some nice pics with them too... As a result they became close to Ed Banger Records and Daft Punk manager Pedro Winter, aka Busy P. They have opened for many Ed Banger artists and other super big DJs who come to Japan. They have CLOUT!

This meeting has made me want to take my music production and DJing SUPER serious now! I am saving up like mad for a Mac so I have a machine good enough for music production. Until then this PC will do, and DJing at my friend Ryan's will be happening a LOT. I want to get good enough to start DJing in Nagoya with the crew before we go to Tokyo!

Check out the pics!

You will see pics of them and Daft Punk, them and Busy P, and them and me!

Introduction to this blog and who TAtoms is.

2008-08-06T10:08:00.005+09:00

First the name. I wanted The Underdogs, but it was taken. Cats are lower on the food chain than dogs, so I stuck with this.

I just wanted a site to display some local talent and my own productions, plus any other talented people out there who make electronic music of any flavor, as well as any DJ mixes including that music!

Yeah there are tons of blogs doing the same for major artists and their local artist, but living in Nagoya, Japan, the music and DJs I have access to are way different than the ones of most blogs out there.

Nagoya, Japan you may be asking. Guess I need to introduce myself.

My name is Tommy Adams, and I am a Graphic Designer and English Teacher here in Japan. Most people only know about Tokyo when it comes to Japan, some people may know Kyoto and Osaka, and of course Hiroshima and Nagasaki are infamous. Well I was placed in Nagoya city, the 3rd (or 4th...) largest city in Japan. It is known for the best economy in Japan, being next to Toyota city which helps that economy, the food, the HEAT, the COLD, and many other things you need to come here to see.

As for myself, I was born and raised in Chino, California. This was one of many places I lived before I landed in Nagoya, and all of the places helped me become what I am today. After Chino, I moved to Chino Hills, then Alta Loma, then Ontario, and finally Irvine for 9 months before moving to Nagoya 2 years ago.

I can't remember when I got into electronic music but it was back when I was in Elementary school. I was listening to Orbital a lot, and a lot of other small at the time European acts. I never got into Detroit or Chicago house. My love became obsession one day in 96 when I was listening to groove radio one night with my friend. They were having a battle of new songs one night and my friend and I couldn't decide which one we liked more. The 2 songs were Daft Punk's Around the World, and Prodigy's Smack My Bitch Up. I supported Daft Punk, he supported Prodigy. After we recorded both on tape (yes tape, not CD) we put listened to them over and over until the earlyu morning, and by the end of the night our opinions didn't change. This began my obession with Daft Punk and French House.

Thanks to the internet I was able to find out about more artists based around France. I was listening to Cassius, Dimitri from Paris, Alan Braxe, We in Music, Les Rythmes Digitales, DJ Falcon, and many others. I played the HELL out of the Paris is Sleeping, Respect is Burning volume 1 CD! I wasn't only listening to French House, I was listening to DrumNBass (Roni Size, Goldie, Reprazent, Krust, Die, etc.), electronic (Aphex Twin, u-ziq, etc.), trip hop (Tricky, Portishead, Sneaker Pimps, etc.) and I also listened to a lot of rap AND Hip-Hop (they ARE different, you know?). Ask anyone you know and I was always listening to music, somehow, someway. All of that shaped me into what I am today.

And what am I today? An English Teacher and Graphic Designer. Yeah anti-climatic huh? Well I recently returned to making music after not having done it since HS on my first PC. After that PC crashed and I lost all of my music I made, I was traumatized, and never wanted to do it again. Many PCs and crashes later, I made the investment and return to music production. I bought an M-Audio Axiom 49 to help with my composiing, and downloaded some demos of programs and tried them out. The songs I have produced so far are all on Reason (theyc an be found on my MySpace here). I have since moved to and LOVE Ableton Live! I am trying to learn the program in and out before I produce more music, so the music on my page is all old, and I can't wait to get up some new stuff on there.

As for DJing, at the end of last year, before seeing Daft Punk live for the second time in Japan, I met Ryan at his welcome party. I invited a ton of people to go see Daft Punk with me, and like (yeah I AM from California, and I still type "like") 6 people said they would go. Only Ryan went. Since then we have gone out to see Digitalism, Gildas and Masaya, Tiesto, and Dex Pistols live (Justice and Modular Records party in under a week!!!). Plus MANY a night going out to see local DJs tear up Nagoya. Ryan always wanted to be a DJ and wanted to buy some turntables. He needed help with buying it since he didn't speak Japanese, so I went along to help him out. After a long process of clearing his card, he got it. One night after going out drinking, he invited me over to go play around with it. After being on it for a few minutes, I was in love. Since then I have gone over to practice a lot!

This last Monday, I recorded 2 of my mixes, and got them online last night. I will post a link to them but just be warned...

I was drinking. A lot. So transitions are usually bad, knobs not turned to right places, so some parts have no lows or highs or mids, etc.

I was text messaging my girlfriend for most of the mixes. Yeah one hand DJing, and mentally focused on something else.

I was freestyling. I threw a ton of songs of the House and Electro flavor together on a CDR, a lot of new songs I never heard before. Not knowing what songs were and what was next, I am not at the level to mix it together and have it sound good.

Regardless, I have them online, for people to see what I sound like from day 1 of recording a mix. I will be continuing to grow as I practice more, and the goal is to have the DJ crew (Ryan, Shane and I) do some events here in Nagoya before we move to Tokyo next year.

Anyways, to the mixes.

My second mix

My third mix

Lemme know what you think. I need the good and bad, so I can go back and do things better/again my next time I record.

Watch me and the crew (I will announce the name once we decide on one) grow, and look forward to posts from the others plus other music lovers who want to share their music, or favorite playlist now on here!