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Tokyo Renaissance / Kazumi

by Dirty K & LJC

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about

Dirty K and LJC turbocharge Japanese Hyper Techno into overdrive, carving their own Hi-NRG, electrifying vision of East-Asian club sounds.

Tokyo Renaissance is a project initiated by Dirty K to reclaim a new localized, specific perspective on East Asian club culture as a counterpoint to the homogenization brought by the internet. Through exploring 90s rave culture and its regional East Asian mutations - namely the Japanese Hyper Techno scene - Dirty K and LJC delve into the past to shape the future. Hi-NRG, supercharged sirens, cascading synth riffs.

At the start of the 90s, Japan’s bubble economy (baburu keiki) was at its peak (close to its eventual implosing), catalyzing a generation to seek out hedonism and extravagance. Many turned to club culture for their fix of the bright lights.

Following the decline of Eurobeat and Italian Disco in Europe, J-Rave provided a second wind for many of the producers. Over time, Japan incorporated these influences into its own distinctive club sound: Hyper Techno (ハイパーテクノ), which found mythical status in the iconic Juliana’s Tokyo. The reverberations of that scenes were felt throughout Japan, from ACG (Anime, Comics & Gaming) to subcultures like Gyaru ギャル and Para Para (パラパラ) dancing. Record labels such as Avex Trax (and its myriad offshots like SUPER EUROBEAT), would drive the sound into the mainstream, setting the scenes for global stars like Ayumi Hamasaki. This would form the embryonic beginnings of one strand of popular dance music in East Asia during the millennium.

DIrty K’s Tokyo Renaissance is a siren call to action - with acid synth lines bubbling below state-of-emergency synth stabs and an iconic John Robinson sample, one of the original pioneers of J-Rave. LJC, another rising Chinese producer, contributes the euphoric Kazumi - hands-in-the-air piano chords offsetting liquid arpeggios that flow like a sunset drive tracing the shorelines of Tokyo Bay. Two remixes by Japanese producers Wrack and T5UMUT5UMU close out the release.

credits

released February 10, 2022

Mastered by Tsui Honagi
Artwork by Jackson Kaki

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