Japanesque Electronic Music on HJ

A very interesting label partnered with HearJapan early this month. The label is named fouga. You can sample their music on HearJapan here and visit their homepage here (only Japanese).

The concept behind fouga is simple; fuse traditional Japanese music, sensibilities, etc into electronic music. The result is stunning. For a good example what the final product sounds like, check out KANADE – KANADE and listen to the “EDGE OF THE BEATS 2007” sample. KANADE is a 5 person electro group where many of the members play traditional Japanese instruments such as the Shamisen, Koto or the Shakuhachi. Another artist on the label who is similar is Takahashi Nobuhide.

If you are looking for something more ambient, then look no farther than the label’s founder’s group, mi-on. Her new self titled album is beautiful for ambient fans. She also teamed up with the opera singer Etsuko Watanabe to produce a truly wonderful album. The genre is often called technopera and as you can tell is a fusion between techno and opera. It’s truly a unique musical production and can only be found at HearJapan here!

If you like what you hear on the fouga label, be sure you also sample Ryondoo-tea label, which is similar to fouga. On top of the Japanese and electronic music theme, the label also focuses on tea. Their frequently borrow famous temples in Japan and play sets and serve tea.