Everyone is turning their ears towards Japan, but between Haruomi-Hosono re-releases and city pop compilations, it rarely seems as if anyone is taking any significant interest in the musical contemporary in this island nation. Not so Markus Acher of The Notwist, however, who, with his label Alien Transistor, has established a lasting exchange with sections of the local indie scene. The monolithic album series »Music Exists« by the duo Tenniscoats has just been brought to a close with an extensive box set, and the word is already out: »Look Everybody!«, at least that’s how the title »Minna Miteru« can be translated. The compilation is released alongside the new album by Spirit Fest, the German-Japanese supergroup from the Alien Transistor milieu, on the associated Berlin label Morr Music and offers a complete insight into Japan’s indie scene. It was filtered by Saya Ueno of Tenniscoats, and accordingly »Minna Miteru« moves across 27 songs close to the coordinate system of the music that she herself makes with her partner Takashi: minimalist folk with a tendency towards twee and intimate atmosphere predominates, a naïve-melancholic underlying mood pervades the pieces. Between clear references to western sixties pop, Japanese bands like Happy End also figure among the founders of these sounds, although these are not to be understood as in any way nostalgic. This is because »Minna Miteru« also features outbreaks of jazz, fiddly electronica and even noisy intermezzi with largely free-form music. The art of the right composition, however, brings all this into a gentle flow. It’s worth diving deeper into this flow and discovering the individual bands and artists. Because Japan’s indie contemporary scene, as it is presented here in a kaleidoscope-like way, is alive and kicking and definitely wants to be discovered. So, everyone, take a look!
Minna Miteru
