SE2 week 4 – DJ Duct Skratch Evolution mix
February 17, 2010 by Laurent
Filed under Guest Mixes, Podcasts (all)
We finish our Skratch Evolution 2 special with two mixes from the official CD that Ken One released ahead of the show. DJ Duct handles proceedings here on TTR while over on Rhythm Incursions it’s Ken One doing the honours. The SE2 special has been a month-long series of mixes and exclusive live audio from the event podcasted jointly between Rhythm Incursions and Turntable Radio. Catch up on all the TTR episodes here which have featured Ken One, Naoki and a memorable jam session with Ichiro_, Keita, XLII, Audace, Duct, Ken One and Naoki.
For our last week DJ Duct takes the reign for his half of the SE2 mix CD. This mix is a shorter version of the live set we aired on Rhythm Incursions on week 2, showcasing Duct’s unique one turntable mixing approach that sees him mix and mash and layer with his loop pedal for a result that is both aurally pleasing and entertaining.
For more on Duct is a bit from his official bio:
DJ DUCT’s ‘less is more’ approach to turntablism has led him to establish his current unique style of performing. Using one turntable, a DJ mixer, a sampler, Kaoss-pads and other effectors, he collages and reconstructs the bits and pieces of sounds he captures from the records on the spot. It involves a lot of sampling, real-time editing, effect mixing and scratching all taking place on stage. Since all the sounds come from the records (and no preliminary recorded materials on the sampler), it’s definitely a live performance, and an extension of DJing more than anything else.
More information on Duct is available at the myspace, alongside links to his releases on labels like Think Rec and Lybrus Music, two of Japan’s most interesting indie labels.
Be sure to check the archives both here and on Rhythm Incursions for all the live sets and audio from SE2. It’s been a great pleasure showcasing some of the most interesting sounds and producers on the Tokyo undeground today and massive thanks go to Ken and all the artists for their support. Look out for more collaborative series in the future.
For now enjoy!
Download DJ Duct Skratch Evolution mix (right click and save as)
SE2 week 3 – Jam session live @ Star Pines cafe
February 7, 2010 by Laurent
Filed under Guest Mixes, Live Sessions, Podcasts (all)
Week 3 of our joint Turntable Radio and Rhythm Incursions special featuring exclusive live audio from Ken One’s ‘Skratch Evolution 2′ event. If you missed the first two weeks you can catch up here for week 1, featuring Ken One live, and here for week 2, featuring a live set from Naoki. Full details of the month-long series is at the bottom of the post.
This week we’ve got a very tasty jam session from the event on Turntable Radio featuring the combined talents of Ken One, Naoki, Ichiro_, DJ Duct, DJ Keita, Audace and XLII. Over on Rhythm Incursions we’ve got edits of the Dolbee & Sibitt and XLII, Audace and Dyna live shows.
The jam session took place at the end of the evening and features pretty much every artist who performed on the night. The line up is: Ken One, Naoki, Audace, DJ Duct and Keita on turntables, loopers and effect, XLII on the laptop and Ichiro_ on guitar. For an improvised session, the 30 minutes that came out are of an impressive quality, spanning the spectrum of influences and styles that these guys each cover – from downtempo to hip hop beats, electronic to dub vibes.
Be sure to check each individual artist’s myspace and website for more on each. They all have various releases out now and upcoming and I recommend that if you like what you hear you check them all out, the music is well worth your time.
And don’t forget to check Rhythm Incursions for live edits from sets by Dolbee and Sibitt and XLII, Audace and Dyna.
For now though sit back and enjoy this improvised jam session with some of Tokyo’s finest and come back next week for the final installment in our series.
Download Skratch Evolution jam session (right click and save as)
SE2 special line up:
- Week 1
- Rhythm Incursions – Ichiro_ live
- Turntable Radio – Ken One live
- Week 2
- Rhythm Incursions – DJ Duct live
- Turntable Radio – Naoki live
- Week 3
- Rhythm Incursions – XLII + Dolbee&Sibitt (志人） live edits
- Turntable Radio – Skratch Evolution jam session
- Week 4
- Rhythm Incursions – Ken One Skratch Evolution promo mix
- Turntable Radio – DJ Duct Skratch Evolution promo mix
- Week 1
- Rhythm Incursions – Ichiro_ live
- Turntable Radio – Ken One live
- Week 2
- Rhythm Incursions – DJ Duct live
- Turntable Radio – Naoki live
- Week 3
- Rhythm Incursions – XLII + Dolbee&Sibitt (志人） live edits
- Turntable Radio – Skratch Evolution jam session
- Week 4
- Rhythm Incursions – Ken One Skratch Evolution promo mix
- Turntable Radio – DJ Duct Skratch Evolution promo mix
- Week 1
- Rhythm Incursions – Ichiro_ live
- Turntable Radio – Ken One live
- Week 2
- Rhythm Incursions – DJ Duct live
- Turntable Radio – Naoki live
- Week 3
- Rhythm Incursions – XLII + Dolbee&Sibitt (志人） live edits
- Turntable Radio – Skratch Evolution jam session
- Week 4
- Rhythm Incursions – Ken One Skratch Evolution promo mix
- Turntable Radio – DJ Duct Skratch Evolution promo mix
SE2 week 2 – Naoki live @ Star Pines cafe
January 31, 2010 by Laurent
Filed under Guest Mixes, Live Sessions, Podcasts (all)
We continue our Turntable Radio and Rhythm Incursions Japan special with week 2 of exclusive audio from Ken One’s Skratch Evolution 2 event, held in Kichijoji, Tokyo in December 09. If you missed part 1 check it here.
Up this week we have a live set from Naoki, while over on Rhythm Incursions we have a DJ Duct live set. Full schedule of the 4-week long special is at the bottom of this post.
Naoki is someone I discovered thanks to Ken One when I was living in Tokyo. Well actually I met him alongside Ken, as he’s one of the few fluent DJs living in Tokyo and was an integral help in setting up the sessions we did in Tokyo in 07 and 08. It’s at that time I learnt he had already been making a name for himself on the Tokyo and Japanese tablist scene, most notably coming runner up at the 05 Vestax freestyle battle. He lost to Enfoe, from Texas, in a battle many agree is one of the closest and best Vestax ever ran.
Following this he’s been working alone, as well as with Ken One and Shige with whom he forms the Exsample band. Unfortunately I don’t think he has a myspace or website, but last I heard he was working on a break record that should be out now. We’ve also aired a few exclusive tracks of his in the past so be sure to check the archives for more.
EDIT: Turns out he does have a myspace, which you can check here for tracks and videos.
This live set is quite different from some of the music we’ve featured from him in the past and it’s a refreshing listen – electro and house styles sitting comfortably alongside more straight forward live tablist action and some seriously heavy drumming and cutting. I think it’s fair to say that this live set shows just why this young man is one of the country’s most talented tablists. I sure hope we get to hear more from him in the future.
So sit back and enjoy 40 mins of Naoki live, and be sure to also check Rhythm Incursions for some DJ Duct action this week.
Download Naoki live at Star Pines cafe (right click and save as)
SE2 special line up:
SE2 week 1 – Ken One live @ Star Pines cafe
January 24, 2010 by Laurent
Filed under Guest Mixes, Live Sessions, Podcasts (all)
As mentioned a few weeks back on Rhythm Incursions we’re starting a series of weekly podcasts, lasting a month, featuring exclusive live audio from Ken One‘s recent ‘Skratch Evolution 2‘ event. Held at Kichijoji’s Star Pines cafe, this musical evening featured a rather interesting mix of Tokyo’s underground music scenes with scratch DJs, producers and MCs coming together for a series of live showcases alongside some live painting. This was Ken’s second such event, up a notch from the first which was a more scratch-centered affair.
These podcasts also form the first joint Rhythm Incursions and Turntable Radio series, something I’ve been wanting to do for a while but hadn’t yet been able to. Every weekend for the next month we’ll be airing two exclusive live sets from the event, one on Turntable Radio and one on Rhythm Incursions showcasing the majority of the acts that appeared on the night. The schedule goes something like this:
So as you can see plenty to get stuck into, from the laid-back beats of Ichiro_ to the electronic hip hop of XLII via some of the best scratchers on the Tokyo underground.
We start the series on Turntable Radio with our old friend from Tokyo Ken One himself, who delivered a live set on the night that is true to form – plenty of quality routines, scratches and re-interpretations. Ken’s live sets keep getting better it seems, as he doesn’t rely on old tricks and always brings something new to the sets, whether it be a re-interpretation of previous productions/routines or something entirely new. Regular listeners will know that we’ve featured a fair bit of his live stuff in recent years and this is by far my favourite live set of his I think. If you’re new to his work then I suggest you hit up our archives to keep up to speed on the man and the music.
Not only was Ken’s set on the night rather good, he’s also to thank and congratulate for pulling this event together – a step up from his first attempt and definitely a nice opportunity for people to discover the variety and talent on the Tokyo underground, something that is too often difficult to discover when you’re not on the right side of the world.
For more info on Ken and his recent releases (including an excellent mix he released for free) head over to his myspace.
And if you like what you hear than be sure to check Rhythm Incursions for Ichiro_’s live set, which is also a keeper.
Massive thanks go to Ken One and all the artists for making this possible. It’s a real pleasure to be able to showcase more of the Tokyo underground to the rest of the world like this.
We’ll be back next week with part 2, featuring the rather incredible DJ Duct and Naoki. Till then crank up the volume and 聞いてください！
Download Ken One live at Star Pines cafe (right click and save as)
Turntable Radio presents Ken One, Olive Oil and Steppin’ Ahead podcast
November 10, 2008 by Laurent
Filed under Guest Mixes, Podcasts (all)
We break up our podcasts of the original 70 TTR shows with a new guest mix from Ken One. Regular listeners will already know all about Ken, especially as he was instrumental in helping me set up the live sessions we recorded last year and this spring in Tokyo. Following my move to Tokyo and our hook up, Ken has also been sending me new music on a regular basis which we’ve aired in the last few regular podcasts.
And while I’ve now left Tokyo (I will be back!), Ken is well and truly a member of the extended TTR worldwide family so I’m very happy we can bring you this guest mix which showcases his own work alongside that of two Japanese producers and labels operating in different scenes, linked together by Ken’s turntable manipulations.
The podcast is actually two mixes and a short ‘megamix’ of music Ken One has produced for Taboo’s forthcoming ‘Burnout’ grafitti DVD which will be released in Japan soon. Full tracklist and download link at the bottom for those who don’t want/like to read.
The first mix is a short sampler of a full mix Ken One has done for the ‘Steppin’ Ahead’ label, and which will be distributed with the debut album from Japanese producer OQTO, to be released on Steppin Ahead shortly. The label is headed by Japanese producer KK and focuses on dubstep, which has been growing and thriving on the Tokyo underground in the last couple of years thanks to the work of Goth Trad and the BTC crew. Goth and BTC are family to me too, having had me to play at their nights on the regular during my time in Tokyo. During that time I saw the growth of the dubstep scene in Tokyo first hand, a growth that is actually linked to a variety of other scenes, as many of the producers and DJs on the Tokyo underground involved in dubstep today come from various backgrounds and are still involved with other genres and scenes. Tokyo’s underground electronic music is fragmented in one way yet also linked, a sort of microcosm of various artists and labels all operating on their own but also working together across genres and scenes. Ken One has had a link with Tokyo’s dubstep scene from early on too, mainly thanks to Ske, one of the original members of BTC and a bit of a legend in the Tokyo scratch scene, through his early work in the late 90s as part of the Dis Defence Disc crew alongside Baku, Martin and Tatsuki. Ken has provided live cuts at the BTC night on a few occasions, and has now done this mix for KK’s Steppin’ Ahead label, weaving together tracks from OQTO’s album and others forthcoming on the label with his own compositions and remixes on the turntable. This mix is especially interesting to me as quite a lot of dubstep’s darker and more ‘obvious’ elements are close to the scratch beats of the early 00s, something which has meant quite a lot of scratchers have found dubstep a very natural fit for scratching, especially when it comes to freestyles and even for compositions as Ken shows on this mix.
For more info on Steppin Ahead, peep the myspace.
Following this mix we have 3 tracks Ken One produced for Taboo’s ‘Burnout’ DVD, all brand new and never aired before (apart from one which I think I aired at the beginning of the year).
The second part of the podcast is a live recording of a session between Ken One and Olive Oil, that took place in Fukuoka earlier on this year. Ken actually sent me the audio for this when I was still in Japan but things got in the way and I never got round to podcasting it properly, so here it is. This recording is actually split into two parts. The first part, and the longest at about 20 minutes, is the original recording of the session, unedited and as such quite ‘rough’ at times as both Ken and Olive Oil improvised the whole thing on the spot. Olive Oil provided the improvised background mix, which is a mix of his own work and other records blended using turntables and effects, while Ken One improvised on top of Olive Oil’s mix, using sounds that were given to him by Olive Oil. The result is a really interesting insight into what I’ve always believed makes a lot of Japanese DJs and producers so unique, with a sound aesthetic all of their own. Olive Oil is very much a part of the post-DJ Krush school, as is exemplified in his mixing here, but as a producer he retains a unique approach with a strong downtempo feel. The second part is actually a 7 minute edit and rework of the original live session which brings the best elements and fits them together in a much more ‘coherent’ way if you will. So basically you get the original session, unedited, and then the short, edited version of it allowing you to compare both and see for yourself what Ken and Olive Oil chose as the highlights of their original work.
For more information on Olive Oil peep the myspace, as for Ken One his is here. Massive thanks go to Ken One for letting us use the mixes and to Olive Oil and KK.
I was originally supposed to air this before November 8 as a taster ahead of the ‘Scratch Evolution’ which Ken One organised in Kichi Joji and which featured DJ Duct, Shun, Memory Storm as well as Naoki and Shige from Ken’s Exsample collective. I didn’t quite get the timing right so a big ごめんなさい to Ken for that. But think of this as a post-event treat, and for those of you in the Tokyo area look out for more similar events in the near future. You can check some pics from the event on Ken’s myspace, it looked pretty dope.
We have a regular podcast coming up next, which should be live in a few days to give you time to enjoy this one, and then we resume the podcast of the original shows until December time when we’ll have another guest mix and/or live session.
Download the podcast here! (right click and save as)
Ken One ‘Steppin Ahead’ mix + Ken One & Olive Oil live in Fukuoka tracklist
DJ Baku – TTR Intro
Ken One – Steppin Ahead mix ‘sampler’ (forthcoming)
Ken One – Music from Taboo’s “Burnout” DVD (forthcoming)
Ken One & Olive Oil – Freestyle session “Live in Fukuoka” (unedited)
Ken One & Olive Oil – “Live in Fukuoka” edit
