Guest post by Andy Beta (Twitter / IG) Last year was brutal in almost every aspect, from the social to the international to the personal. Amid such rubble, there was a bit of a silver lining, in that I achieved a noteworthy professional achievement: interviewing Ryuichi Sakamoto for the Gray Lady. We sat one afternoon and sipped … Continue reading Ryuichi Sakamoto – Esperanto, 1985
My newest mix for NTS Radio is a 坂本龍一 (Ryuichi Sakamoto) special! Not an exhaustive overview, just some personal highlights. If you like it, you can download an mp3 version here. In related news, if you’re interested in listening to my NTS show live, my time slot has just moved to every fourth Wednesday at … Continue reading [Mix for NTS Radio] Getting Warmer Episode 10: Sakamoto Special
Here’s my most recent episode of Getting Warmer for NTS Radio. I wanted it to be an over-the-top shot of dopamine, songs that make me feel euphoric and credits-rolling optimistic. I’ve been trying to be a little bit more adventurous in combining genres and decades, so there are some odd transitions in here–hopefully they make … Continue reading [Mix for NTS Radio] Getting Warmer Episode 54
In the spirit of the season, I wanted to share some of my favorite releases of the year. Such a brooding year for music, with some really strong aesthetic and political statements and boundary-pushing uses of both guitars and electronics, suggesting many exciting changes on their way in the next decade. Obviously this isn’t meant … Continue reading 25 Favorite Releases of 2019
This month’s mix for NTS Radio is predictably a spring wish fulfillment dream–lots of lush, green sounds, animals, a Dip In The Pool song that sounds uncannily like Scritti Politti, Gal Costa doing a live version of “Volta” that makes me cry forever, and the original and excellent version of “Kokorowa,” which you may have … Continue reading [Mix for NTS Radio] Getting Warmer Episode 32
Trained as a jazz pianist since childhood, Akiko Yano has gone on to establish herself as an extraordinarily singular and iconic songwriter, singer, pianist, and performer. Her 1976 debut record, Japanese Girl, was shocking to listeners accustomed to the wispy, subdued sounds of Japanese idol pop, incorporating her sense of humor, unrestrained joy, and technical … Continue reading [Interview] Akiko Yano
Another dear favorite from Penguin Cafe Orchestra, a project spearheaded by UK-born composer and musician Simon Jeffes. Jeffes saw PCO as the ongoing soundtrack to a dream he had had while suffering from food poisoning in the south of France, as well as a vessel through which to explore his interest in “world” folk music, … Continue reading Penguin Café Orchestra – Broadcasting From Home, 1984
Classic favorite. A singer, actress, model, and TV personality, Susan (Suzan Nozaki) was born in Japan to a Japanese mother and a French-American father, and as a teenager worked widely in commercials, radio, theater, and voiceover. This was the first of two records she released on Sony with a dream team: production, arrangement, and drums … Continue reading Susan – Do You Believe In Mazik, 1980
Here’s my latest episode of Getting Warmer for NTS Radio. I was happy to be able to do this set live out of their LA studio! This was a collection of very reverb-heavy songs, mostly synthetic reverb. If you like it, you can download an mp3 version of it here, with the spoken segments cut … Continue reading [Mix for NTS Radio] Getting Warmer Episode 22
Honored to contribute a mix to Sanpo Disco, a very inspiring Melbourne-based mix series that I’ve been a fan of for a long time. This is meant to be a pushback against the most brutal New York winter in recent memory: tropical and Latin textures, pillowy synths, ocean waves, sunny Japanese garage pop, crickets. Yes, that’s … Continue reading Mix for Sanpo Disco