Current J-Pop Girls Chart

[Striker]

Globe are Japan's answer to Scooter



Seriously though, they seem to be more influenced by euro trance so I'm out on those guys. I can see them doing well on that scene though, especially with the US's current discovery of dance music, they could cash in on the international festival scene.

Perfume are amazing at what they do and I feel like I should put more effort into digging through their back catalogue but I always get the feeling that they're maybe a little too shiny for me. Girls Generation & that Shinee track are well north of my maximum Western cobblers influence point though.

What's your professional interest Xann? I'm intrigued...

[Xann]

I jointly curated the UK's first permanent sizeable K-Pop stop - Been interviewed on Korean TV and everything.

[Striker]

I jointly curated the UK's first permanent sizeable K-Pop stop - Been interviewed on Korean TV and everything.

Wow, now that's something for the CV.

[Xann]

Ha ha, yeah.

Working for an internet sport broadcaster now, but I'm not really interested.

Would like to return to music, it's my next mission - if anyone hears anything PM me

[peretti]

Thanks for the Globe info, Striker - my cousin's in the group but I've never got past the first 30 seconds of any of their godawful songs!

We did the marketing for a couple of K-pop showcases in London and I was amazed at how quickly tickets sold and how expensive they were. The core audience must be pretty young but pricing the shows at £90 a ticket or whatever it was didn't seem to put anyone off...

[Xann]

We did the marketing for a couple of K-pop showcases in London and I was amazed at how quickly tickets sold and how expensive they were. The core audience must be pretty young but pricing the shows at £90 a ticket or whatever it was didn't seem to put anyone off...

Oh yeah - Which showcases? United Cube?

The kids were delighted to pay £30 for a 'Mini Album' (6-7 track cd), but they were often boutique items - not that many bog standard jewel cases.

They used to start screaming when they saw the display!

[Striker]

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu's plan for world domination continues with a new TV/Web show called Nandacolle-TV (WTF-TV), spending half an hour talking to musicians about a certain aspect of the creative process, after which Kyary ponders it and gives us her definition of the subject under discussion.

Oh and her co-host is a talking stone.

Mercifully subtitled this is pretty interesting stuff, this first one is about freedom.

Kyary comes across really well, much more "all business" than her image might suggest which makes me like her all the more. I particularly like her definition of freedom at the end "The rule is, I am the rule"

Part 1

Part 2

I like the dude with the panda eye makeup.


Kyary's got a new single out soon called ”Yume no Hajimarinrin” it's being used for an advert for a popular leasehold property introduction service company in the lead up to release, which seems incongruous but it's a usual tactic in Japan.

She's declared that she's evolved into "Super Kyary Pamyu Pamyu" for this, can't wait.

[Striker]

Here's one for everybody who was into the Halcali track.

It's off the same album as 'Halcalism Candy Hearts' the difficult to obtain 2003 debut Halcali Bacon.

You may remember this from when they were on an episode of Adam & Joe Go Tokyo, it's got a pretty great video too but all appearances of it on youtube are rubbish quality. I love this.

Halcali - GiriGiri Surf Rider

[medlar]

Do Japanese really eat that muck?

[Striker]

Do Japanese really eat that muck?

[Striker]

Recent updates on the T-Palette newsletter (T-Palette is Tower Records own label)

New single forthcoming from Rhymeberry, they seem to be keeping it real...

Rhymeberry - "Winter Jam"

It's being released on a 12" too. I found a list of T-Palette vinyl issues... Oh god there's Vanilla Beans & Negicco 45s out there!

Then there's the Model Loosen! track, they're new. I can't really fathom how this even exists but YES! it's the J-pop/Shoegaze crossover you've all been waiting for. They seem to be teamed up with an indie band called Hakoniwa No Shitsunaigaku who have a song called El Topo, so I'm looking forward to hearing more.

Model Loosen X Hakoniwa No Shitsunaigaku - "Tiger"

[Striker]

Another delivery arrives...


I got the last Vanilla Beans single "Please Me Darling", the description of the b-side "Night On The Earth" was too tempting but it's a bit disappointing really, the a-side's still cool though.


I got the Kyary Pamyu Pamyu "Mottai Night Land" single the other tracks on it are a bonkers irish jig thing and a remix of "Ninjari Bang Bang"

I decided to go completist on Band Ja Naimon on a whim, I wasn't really impressed with their latest output but the B-side of the new one is called "Inuit Disco", that's a blind buy title if ever I saw one. I also read their previous single's b-side was written by Misako so I thought it might be worth a look but I'm having trouble finding a copy so I thought I'd pick up the "Chocola Love" single while it was around.


"Chocola Love" is growing on me a little, it's too polished but the the Band Ja Naimon sound is still in there a bit, the B-side "Princess Make Beleive" is great though, why this wasn't the lead track I don't know, excellent hyper ska eurovision anime theme vibes.


I took a gamble on getting the latest single "A Kiss In The Night As Snow Is Falling" which I've had harsh words for in this thread, "Inuit Disco" though, you couldn't title a bad song with an amazing name like that could you?

It turns out no, you couldn't THIS should have been the a-side (again), it's so good, If they cut the drum machine and just turned up Misako's drums this would be perfect. The drum machine beat is a little off-putting at first but once the hooks hit it doesn't matter, it's a bit like a poppier version of that Le Tigre thing that people love.

I'm officially back on board with Band Ja Naimon.
Now I really have to track down the third single

[Shere Khan]

I'm digging the Rhymeberry track, and tempted by the CD which appears to have a live version of Rhyme or Die on it.

[Striker]

I'm digging the Rhymeberry track, and tempted by the CD which appears to have a live version of Rhyme or Die on it.

They seem to be able to do the live thing quite well too, a lot of these groups are pretty ropey live, the dancing affects the singing a lot but these lot seem to pull it off. I'd still have to get the 12 though on general principles.

[Striker]

Somebody's made a short film about The Suzan, not sure about the claim that they're the only Asian girl group based in the US & Europe, surely there must be others right?

Anyway here's the trailer, it's great....

Momoclo have got a new thing coming out, I think to commemorate their upcoming shows at the Japanese Olympic Stadium. They all seem to be dressed as Olympic Volunteers, or athletes... All I know is it looks like it's going to be a ballad... So I'm out.

I'm going to put my Xmas Download Swap up at the end of this week, probably Saturday (22 Feb), with the full unmixed swap tracks & Extra stuff. It'll only be up for one week as it's mostly all new stuff so I don't want to pirate it. if anyone misses out who was in the swap PM me & I can send you a new link.