Want a crash course in Japanese turntablism? Set your dial to turntableradio.com, which is hosting an excellent hour-and-a-half-long mix of material performed by a variety of Japan-based turntable musicians. The file is whittled down from a six-hour mini-fest hosted in the Kami-Kitazawa, Tokyo, studio of Human Rhythm Group (humanrhythm.jp). The work here is minimalist, with generally more emphasis on mood and texture than on, say, groove and technique, the latter of which would likely rule in an American collection. There’s some nice traditional-instrument sampling, like flutes and string instruments over loops and scratches (MP3), that brings to mind the work of Japan’s best known hip-hop figure, DJ Krush. Here’s the set list:
Dj Baku - Turntable Radio intro Exsample - Intro freestyle Dj Ken-One - In-To-Yo (taken from Kan’s debut album) Exsample & Human Rhythm - String freestyle Exsample & Human Rhythm - Drums and cuts freestyle Exsample, Human Rhythm and Miyajima - Freestyle Human Rhythm - Intro Human Rhythm - Track 1 Human Rhythm - Track 2 Human Rhythm - Track 3 Miyajima & Tsuyoshi - Freestyle Exsample - Track 1 Exsample - Jam session Exsample & Human Rhythm - Jam session Tsuyoshi & Naoki - Electro freestyle Exsample, Human Rhythm & Miyajima - Final freestyle pt 1 Exsample, Human Rhythm & Miyajima - Final freestyle pt 2 Dj Ken-One - Solo freestyle