IDM Mailing Archive

Hi Folks, It seems to me that a lot of the most interesting records I've picked up over the last year or so have been Japanese records remixed, track by track, by big name U.K. techno bods. The sort of thing I mean is the Soft Ballet records, DJ Takemura's 'Childs View', Nav Katze and so on. Can anyone give any further info on the history of this practice? Is it widespread in Japan? Are there any records that we all might be interested in apart from the ones mentioned above? Etc, etc... Thanks in advance for any help (and thanks to SSR for releasing most of 'em over here), love, Rob ;-)

RwH wrote:

quoted 1 line DJ Takemura's 'Childs View'

> DJ Takemura's 'Childs View'

What's this one like, I heard of it only once w/little info, I have the other two and love both of them (NKs a little overall better IMO). Who has remixed the songs on this album? and how isit.. L8R, ps you're right, those remix records have been rather interesting and surprisingly good in comparison to the "native" releases of some of the artists involved... Kev. -- FreyGuy <Everyday is FreyDay> LAN Administrator Hansen Corporation / A Minebea Group Company KevFrey@evansville.net --------- Kfrey@nyx.net "No one ever suspects the butterfly..hehe" - Bart Simpson

I agree, some of these Japanese remix comps have been very good. They certainly know how to pick some key people to do these remixes. The remix albums I know of are: Soft Ballet: Twist and Turn (Aphex Twin, Orbital, etc.) Soft Ballet: Forms (Autechre, Black Dog, etc.) Nav Katze: Never Mind the Distortion (Aphex Twin, Black Dog, GC, Ultramarine) Nav Katze: Gentle & Elegance (Autechre, Seefeel, Sun Electric) BUCK-TICK (a bunch of famous people, apparently) YMO: Technodon remixes 2 (Orb, Orb and more Orb) DJ Takemura: Child's View remixes (Aphex Twin, Luke Vibert, Roni Size, etc.) Pizzicato Five: EXPO 2000 (not exactly IDM per se, but it's got some housey numbers and a St Etienne remix) Any more out there? I'd also be interested in hearing about any Japanese artists along the BDP/GC vein of techno. I remember the Black Dog website had a link to a Japanese musician who had perdy good downloadable samples of his stuff. Also, DJ Krush has done many collaborations and remixes, one recent one being the track on the remix comp from Monday Michiru, a Japanese acid-jazz chanteuse. And Ken Ishii recently released a remix album based on his last Flare album (called Grip), but I think the remixers were folks from the Japanese techno/avant-noise scene. (Why not Derrick May? Or Jeff Mills? Both have spent some time in Japan... and May is working with Ishii after all...) James Jung-Hoon Seo // Oracle New Media (415) 506-3829 // jseo@us.oracle.com My whole thing is to take completely retarded songs and turn them into something of my own. What can I bring to a song that's already been done well? // Mark Kozelek

quoted 1 line YMO: Technodon remixes 2 (Orb, Orb and more Orb)

> YMO: Technodon remixes 2 (Orb, Orb and more Orb)

Don't forget YMO's Hi Tech-No Crime, which got a worldwide release. (It was spawned by a disc in their Japan-only Techno Bible box set, which had a few mixes on it that weren't released elsewhere.) -- ::: Lazlo (lazlo@swcp.com; http://www.swcp.com/lazlo)

Thought I might add one more to the list: Schaft: "Switchblade" and "SwitchRemix" These two cds feature production/mixing by Autechre, Coil, MeatBeat Manifesto (w/ vocals by Jonny Stephens), Reload, Logic Freaks, Sugar J., Keith Leblanc, etc.... Schaft is a group made up of Maki Fujii (of Soft Ballet), a member of Buck Tick, and Raymond (Pig) Watts. I think these cds went out of print recently though. They were on Victor Entertainment. Speaking of this, anyone know where once could obtain Soft Ballet's "Twist & Turne"? BTW--a question I've been wondering lately--being new to IDM and all (was plagued by the idea that techno was just "bing, bing, bing" up until a month or two ago, now know better), are there any Ken Ishii web pages of worth up? The two I've found have only limited information on them, and I'd like to find more... Finally I've heard rumour of a new Techno Animal 12" out. Any truth? Thanks, Have a nice day... BTW--a Schaft/Soft Ballet site by Fujii is at http://www.bekkoame.or.jp/~makisbs/schaft.html -- Jason J. Tar peace hugs and unity Vampire Rodents (+Ether Bunny & Dilate) page at: http://pilot.msu.edu/user/tarjason/VRodents.htm