by joostay
What I was up to last weekend – and the next few to come…
Categories: Tokyo Days • Tags: art, asia, blog, blogging, buddhism, design, japan, japanese, justin egli, life, music, photography, photos, religion, traditional, Travel blogger, travel writer, video, writing
by joostay
Dropkick Murphys talk to IKIMASHO! about playing Japan, Asia & beyond…
Categories: Art Music & Culture, YOUTUBE SESSIONS • Tags: asia, belfast, blog, china, Dropkick Murphys, fukuoka, ireland, japan, japanese, justin egli, music, northern ireland, photography, punk, runnin riot, se asia, tokyo, travel
by joostay
Because what else would you be doing on a Saturday morning?
Categories: Art Music & Culture, Bizarre/Unique, Tokyo Days • Tags: abba, abban, asia, bizarre, blog, culture, ikimasho, japan, japanese, justin egli, kawasaki, music, photography, tokyo, travel, weird
by joostay
Jughead, founding member of Screeching Weasel, talks about the band’s classic album. I turned 35 last month. That means I’ve been listening to punk rock for 20 odd years. Of course I listen to all sorts of other stuff now, but it was punk rock specifically that shaped my teenage years. Green Day’s dookie exploded in 1994 – and although it is slightly mainstream and cliched to admit, it was through that record that I decided this was the type of […]
Categories: Art Music & Culture, Tokyo Days • Tags: blog, chicago, design, guitar, ikimasho, interview, japan, japanese, jughead, justin egli, lookout records, music, photography, pop punk, punk, punk rock, screeching weasel, tokyo, travel
by joostay
Just like a soup in a pot we are what?! Bubbling Hot.
Categories: Art Music & Culture, Tokyo Days • Tags: asia, blog, bubbling hot, culture, design, ikimasho, japan, japanese, justin egli, music, nights out, pato banton, photography, reggae, shinagawa, tokyo, travel, uk
by joostay
Celebrating the newly born spirits of the darkness with the biggest taiko drums in Japan.
Categories: Art Music & Culture, Tokyo Days • Tags: 2016, art, asia, design, drum, drumming, festival, fuchu, japan, justin egli, kurayami matsuri, music, photography, taiko, tokyo, travel
by joostay
Check out my video for the new BENDING WRONGS track, Computer Controlled Hamster. Using never-before-seen archive footage it tells the true story of how during World War 2, Allied forces secretly built a number of Computer Controlled Hamsters (CCH) that were dropped behind enemy lines to help win the war. [Music: BENDING WRONGS // Visuals: IKIMASHO!] soundcloud.com/monty_81
Categories: Art: stuff I've drawn, Bizarre/Unique • Tags: acid, aphex twin, bending wrongs, bizarre, colin montgomery, culture, design, electronica, hamster, history, idm, industrial, justin egli, music, surreal, video, visual art, war, weird, world war 2
by joostay
Musical depravity in zero gravity. From Cornwall to the cosmos with the Penryn Space Agency.
Categories: YOUTUBE SESSIONS • Tags: afx, amsterdam, aphex twin, braindance, colundi, cornwall, culture, electronica, house, ikimasho, japan, music, radio, rephlex, squarepusher, techno, tokyo
by joostay
Anklepants delivers his infection selection for Ikimasho! Ikimasho! cordially invites you to meet Anklepants – the first of many faces of Dr. Reecard Farché, the devious mastermind and shapeshifting convict bred deep in the darkwood of the Australian bush that later absconded to Rise to the Summit of the übergründé. Born in 2008 but producing music in many forms for over a decade beforehand, Anklepants has steadily released over 20 singles, EPs and full-length albums on his own Qwerty Records imprint, with […]
Categories: YOUTUBE SESSIONS • Tags: animatronics, anklepants, art, bizarre, breakcore, culture, design, electronica, film, idm, ikimasho, japan, mechanical, mic, music, robot, sex, star wars, surreal, tokyo, travel, weird
by joostay
Bending Wrongs is Colin Montgomery from Bangor in Northern Ireland. I’ve been mates with Monters for over 20 years and he’s always been a talented bastard when it comes to tunes. Check out his latest track, Hellride 3, above. Visuals by IKIMASHO! BENDING WRONGS / Acid / Industrial / Experimental / Noise Contact Colin if you’d like to book him, work with him or say hello. soundcloud.com/monty_81 / colin.montgomery@sky.com / twitter: @Monty_1981
Categories: Art: stuff I've drawn, Bizarre/Unique • Tags: 303, acid, bending wrongs, breakcore, colin montgomery, design, electronica, footwork, fucked up, idm, ikimasho, industrial, japan, music, noise, roland, surreal, tokyo, video, visual, weird
by joostay
If I ever move to Bangkok, I want to live by Lumphini Park. Music by Fabio Orsi – from his Just For A Thrill release on Home Normal.
Categories: Travel: Outside Japan • Tags: ambient, asia, backpacking, bangkok, electronica, fabio orsi, home normal, japan, label, music, nature, netlabel, peace, photography, sound, tokyo, travel, Zen
by joostay
I went to the top of Mount Takao today to experiment with my camera and make a short video. This was the view of Fuji waiting for me at the top. All around me people were picnicking in the sun, enjoying the start of hanami. Spring has arrived.
Categories: Tokyo Days • Tags: asia, backpacking, blog, electronica, fuji san, hanami, hiking, idm, ikimasho, japan, japanese, justin egli, mount fuji, music, ovuca, takao san, tokyo
by joostay
For the last two months the kids at my school have been practicing for their annual ongakukai (music festival). Last year, one particular class blew everyone away by doing a rendition of the Jurassic Park theme tune. This, year each class seemed determined to top that in terms of difficulty, time signatures and overall performance. The school rented out a huge auditorium for the festival – and as each class performed their piece in turn, you would have been forgiven for forgetting […]
Categories: Kindergarten Life • Tags: asia, blog, ikimasho, japan, kindergarten, music, pre school, TEACHER, teaching, teaching english, tefl, tokyo
by joostay
Committing Commerical Suicide. Drum and Bass don Klute makes his picks for Ikimasho! Tom Withers – aka Klute – has been belting out drum and bass tunes for the last twenty-odd years. He has released music on Hospital, Soul:r, Ninja Tune and Metalheadz – and in 2001 he established his own label Commercial Suicide, which has gone on to become one of the main staples in the dnb scene. His track Time 4 Change was the last tune played on-air by John Peel. He is also […]
Categories: YOUTUBE SESSIONS • Tags: commercial suicide, dnb, drum and bass, electronic music, electronica, hardcore, japan, klute, music, street culture.punk, stupids, techno, tokyo, youtube session
by joostay
Paula Temple talks to Ikimasho! about Japan and her primordial Deathvox video It doesn’t happen very often, but now and again you hear a track played out through a huge sound system that completely floors you. It happened to me about a month ago here in Tokyo: dark and pissing down with rain outside, Deathvox by Paula Temple came on in a club and the whole vibe turned apocalyptic. The video for the track does it justice. I asked Paula about the inspiration behind it, as well […]
Categories: Art Music & Culture, YOUTUBE SESSIONS • Tags: apocalyptic, blog, culture, deathvox, electronic music, electronica, ikimasho, industrial, japan, japanese, justin egli, music, noise, R&S, techno, tokyo
by joostay
From Northern Ireland to Nippon with one of the world’s leading netlabels From its humble beginnings in a room in Belfast, Northern Ireland, Acroplane Recordings – headed up by Paul Moore – has matured to become of the world’s leading netlabels. Boxcutter (Planet Mu) and Space Dimension Controller (R&S) put out their first releases on Acroplane, and over the years Paul has played alongside artists as diverse as Autechre, Scorn, Luke Vibert, Remarc and Surgeon to name but a few. Acroplane […]
Categories: Art Music & Culture • Tags: acid, acroplane recordings, ambient, art, beats, blog, culture, design, electronic music, electronica, Himuro Yoshiteru, idm, japan, japanese, music, netlabel, street, techno, tokyo, urban
by joostay
Bass master Synkro steps up and makes his selection for Ikimasho! Synkro AKA Joe McBride returns to R&S offshoot Apollo Records this month with the new four-track Transient EP. With its distant vocals and sweeping synths it’s reminiscent of the incredible track Guidance he made with Indigo back in 2011: layered, tightly produced and ultra-spacious. Recently, of course, Synkro has been busy working as one half of Akkord – also alongside Indigo – which resulted in a stunning self-titled album on Houndstooth last year. Akkord are making […]
Categories: YOUTUBE SESSIONS • Tags: .apollo, acid, akkord, art, bass, blog, culture, drum and bass, electronica, houndstooth, idm, indigo, japan, japanese, jor mcbride, music, R&S, tokyo, transient EP, youtube session
by joostay
Short films, Detroit hardcore and exploding brains. Jesse Michaels shares some vids with Ikimasho! Jesse Michaels is an artist, musician and writer from Berkeley California. Over the years he has played in bands, created fanzines and illustrations, and written fiction. He was the singer of the punk bands Operation Ivy, Big Rig, Common Rider and Classics of Love. He has created art for Neurosis, Green Day, Christ on Parade, Filth, The Criminals, Spencer Moody, Pretty Girls Make Graves and many […]
Categories: YOUTUBE SESSIONS • Tags: art, bay arae, blog, fine art, gilman street, ikimasho, japan, japanese, jesse michaels, justin egli, LA, music, operation ivy, punk, san francisco, short film, ska, tokyo, usa, writing
by joostay
It’s a small world. Marching Performance at a Japanese kindergarten. Earlier in the year I posted about my class of five-year-olds performing the Jurassic Park theme tune for the ongakukai (Music Festival). Those particular kids have long since moved on to Elementary School, having been replaced with this year’s batch of nen-cho students. Not to be outdone by their predecessors, these new kids did a marching performance for our annual undōkai (Sports Day) that once again showed how amazingly talented these little guys and girls are.
Categories: Kindergarten Life • Tags: asia, blog, drums, english, festival, ikimasho, japan, japanese, keyboards, kindergarten, music, sports day, talent, teaching, tefl, tokyo, undokai
by joostay
Scandinavian Braindance powered by Neurosis and Shellac After a debut full-length release on Rephlex, Norway’s Stian Gjevik (aka EOD) is back under his CN moniker – releasing 2xLP “Nu” just a few weeks ago on Belgium’s WeMe imprint. File under: [ Underwater / Electronic / Acid / Braindance / Electro] To coincide with the release, I asked Stian to pick ten random YouTube videos for Ikimasho! Check out his choices and stream the awesome Anubis from his new album below. “Japan is probably responsible for […]
Categories: YOUTUBE SESSIONS • Tags: acid, asia, blog, cn, culture, electro, eod, house, idm, ikimasho, japan, japanese, music, nu, rephlex, stian gjevik, techno, tokyo, WeMe
by joostay
If you’re a fool, you may as well dance… Once a year, 12,000 dancers pile out on to the streets of Koenji for the annual Awa Odori, Tokyo’s most energetic festival. Men dance in tabi (split-toed socks), while women wear sandals, their heels not touching the ground. They march through the streets in unison to music performed on the shamisen, flute, drums, and bells singing “Odoru aho ni miru aho; onaji aho nara odoranya son son!” (It’s a fool who dances and a […]
Categories: Tokyo Days • Tags: asia, awa odori, blog, drums, festival, flute, ikimasho, japan, japanese blog, koenji, matsuri, music, shamisen, summer, taiko, tokyo, traditional, travel
by joostay
Beat on the Brat. Joe Queer picks some of his all-time favourite punk songs for Ikimasho! In Part 2 of my special with The Queers, Joe Queer chooses some of his fav tunes from the past – as well as some stuff he’s listening to now. You can read my interview with Joe in Part 1 here. 1. Ramones – Beat on the Brat First songs I heard by The Ramones. It was so weird to know there was a band singing about what we were feeling. I Don’t […]
Categories: Art Music & Culture, YOUTUBE SESSIONS • Tags: blog, clash, descendents, ikimasho, japan, meatmen, milo, music, pop punk, punk, ramones, screeching weasel, the queers, tokyo, tunes
by joostay
Joe Queer chats to Ikimasho! about Japan, maki rolls and writing songs for Joey Ramone. I love The Queers. Yet despite them touring my home country of Northern Ireland in 2004, 2005 and 2008, I always somehow managed to miss them due to me being in different parts of Asia at the time. Fast forward to 2013 and I was back in Asia again… only to find out they were playing not far from my house here in Tokyo the very next night. Finally, after […]
Categories: Art Music & Culture • Tags: asia, asian man records, ben weasel, dangerous dave, japan, joe queer, joey ramone, music, pop, pop punk, punk, ramones, richie ramone, screeching weasel, sushi, the queers, tokyo, touring
by joostay
Joshua Eustis shares the dark secrets of his new album – as well as his love for Japan. Joshua Eustis – continuing half of Telefon Tel Aviv and recent member of Nine Inch Nails – is back: this time, releasing his most personal work to date under a new moniker, Sons of Magdalene. Started in 2007, this is a project unquestionably influenced by death, pain, suffering – but with a subtle beauty that ultimately prevails. I asked him about his new album, what he thinks about Japan – […]
Categories: Art Music & Culture, YOUTUBE SESSIONS • Tags: blog, can't won't don't want to, drone, electro, electronica, ikimasho, japan, JOSHUA EUSTIS, move to pain, music, nin, nine inch nails, sons of magdalene, synth, synth pop, telefon tel aviv, tokyo
by joostay
“I build machines. Then I step back and watch and listen to what unfolds.” Robert Henke builds and operates machines that create sounds, shapes and structures. His long term musical project, Monolake, founded in 1995, became one of the key icons of a new electronic club music culture emerging in Berlin after the fall of the German wall. Coming from a strong engineering background, Henke is fascinated by the beauty of technical objects, and developing his own instruments and algorithms is […]
Categories: YOUTUBE SESSIONS • Tags: electronic music, electronica, engineering, genius, japan, monolake, moog, music, robert henke, science, space, synthesizers, tokyo
by joostay
The esteemed beatmaker talks skating, video games and his never-ending love for Japan. With a distinct sound that traverses beats, instrumental hip-hop and electronica, Rob Orme – aka submerse – has risen to become one of the heavy hitters on the Japanese electronic music scene. Amidst a plenitude of productions, he has seen support emerge from influential media titans such as Pitchfork, FACT Magazine, XLR8R, BBC and has played prestigious events such as SonarSound Tokyo, Low End Theory and Boiler Room. Currently back in […]
Categories: Art Music & Culture, YOUTUBE SESSIONS • Tags: beats, blog, electronica, hip hip, ikimasho, japan, music, red bull music academy tokyo, rmba tokyo, rob orme, submerse, tokyo, youtube sessions
by joostay
2013 was a good year for electronic music in Tokyo. A decent stream of quality names passed through: Shackleton, Drexciyan DJ Stingray, Machinedrum, LFO and OM Unit to name but a few – not to mention u-ziq rounding things off at the RBMA Weekender at the end of the year. 2014 is shaping up to be just as good, with the announcement that this year’s Red Bull Music Academy will be taking place in Tokyo in October. Flying Lotus, Hudson Mohawke […]
Categories: Art Music & Culture • Tags: art, electronica, japan, music, planet mu, red bull music academy, rephlex, tokyo
by joostay
This is possibly my favourite Japanese song. It isn’t by some up-and-coming band, obscure electronica artist or even Kyary Pamyu Pamyu. It’s a traditional lullaby which originates from the village of Takeda near Kyoto, and one which has been sung among the Kansai burakumin for generations. Burakumin (“hamlet people”) were an outcast community at the bottom of the Japanese social order that had historically been the victim of severe discrimination and ostracism. These communities were often made up of those with occupations considered impure or tainted by death […]
Categories: Art Music & Culture • Tags: feudal, japan, lullaby, Lullaby of Takeda, music, Takeda no Komoriuta, tokyo, traditional
by joostay
Baltimore supergroup The 9/11s destroy world peace with a little help from the Jurassic Park soundtrack and Scatman John. “The 9/11s put the Hit in sHit. Pioneers in a psychotic new sound, Baltimore Diarrhoea Wave, these DJs are serious as a heart attack and will take no prisoners in taking over the world. “Formed in a dark corner of a Shibuya club, with their DJ partnership cemented by Poof Juice, DJ Golden Showers and DJ River Phoenix are ready to […]
Categories: Art Music & Culture • Tags: 9/11, 9/11s, asia, dickheads, japan, jurassic park, music, scatman, tokyo
by joostay
Me? You want to know about me? I dunno. What do you want me to tell you? Well, I’m Takuhiro. I’m from Kajicho. It’s in Kanda. Do you know Kanda? They have a famous festival there every year. It’s very traditional. But I guess my area is all office blocks now. There isn’t much to see. I’ve lived in the same house all my life. I’m nearly 50 now. Can you believe that!? My wife and I live with with […]
Categories: Tokyo Days • Tags: asia, dancers, harajuku, japan, lebels, music, park, rockabilly, strangers, sunday, tokyo, travel, yoyogi, yoyogi park
by joostay
Nature entangled in concrete. Opaque skies. Silence. Every Thursday I make the trip to Saitama to hang out with the crows and the lonely vending machine who hasn’t been touched in years. He’s OK though. Content in stillness. The clouds above are grey, the roads below the same. A rusty beer tin hides in the verge, watching the people who pass him by day, after day, after day. No one notices him. The train station is unmanned, the bus stop […]
Categories: Tokyo Days • Tags: asia, brian eno, crows, dull, grim, happy, inaka, japan, music, saitama, tokyo
by joostay
4 men. 1 album. 3 dimensions. After a sell-out (and computer crashing) run at the Tate Modern, Kraftwerk brings its catalogue retrospective to Tokyo: 8 consecutive gigs at the intimate Akasaka Blitz. It’s raining heavily in Tokyo. Outside a venue in one of the city’s central business districts, lines of people are waiting patiently, colourful umbrellas hoisted in the air. An almost fittingly minimalistic hand-drawn sign is taped to the door: KRAFTWERK. STARTS 5PM. Inside, you are immediately struck by the intimacy of […]
Categories: Art Music & Culture • Tags: art, asia, bass, berlin, bizarre, clubbing, culture, electronica, germany, japan, kraftwerk, moog, music, ralf, south east asia, synths, tokyo, travel, urban
