Credits

I would like to give credit where credit is due. Videos are from YouTube and other sources such as NicoNico while Oricon rankings and other information are translated from the Japanese Wikipedia unless noted.

Tuesday, April 18, 2017

COSMOS -- Midnight Shuffle


If it hasn't already been done so, the following song should be adopted and molded into one of those Vaporwave/Japanese Future Funk videos that folks like Artzie Music have been creating. I'm pretty sure there would be fans who would swoon.


During one of my browsings on YouTube recently, I came across the keyboard trio of COSMOS, a band that was brought together by the Yamaha Music Foundation and had its debut in 1981 through the soundtrack for the movie adaptation of the novel "Hyouryuu"(漂流...Drifting).

In November 1982, COSMOS released their album "Bourbon Suite" with one of the tracks being "Midnight Shuffle", a nice little nighttime boogie. The three core members of the band are leader Yumiko Tanaka(田中裕美子), Keiko Doi(土居慶子)and Roman Kaieda(海江田ろまん)but they've had musical assistance by artists such as trumpeter Ichiro Nitta(新田一郎)and guitarists Masaki Matsubara(松原正樹)and Fujimal Yoshino(芳野藤丸). Also, there were other members of COSMOS including Michiru Oshima(大島ミチル)who has gone onto bigger fame with her compositions for video games, TV shows, movies and anime. For that last category, I am watching one of her projects right now, "Little Witch Academia".


A few years later, Doi did her own side gig under KEIKO PROJECT and created the 1985 album "Compositions" which included a cover of "Midnight Shuffle" with some added lyrics and guitars. Perhaps by that time, she was already going by the name Keiko Matsui(松居慶子).

"Midnight Shuffle" and Doi have reinforced those good memories of the urban contemporary side of synths and horns that I've known through artists such as Toshiki Kadomatsu(角松敏生), T-Square and Casiopea.


Here is COSMOS in action with "Spiral Dream". Not sure but I think they are performing on "Let's Go Young".

6 comments:

  1. I am enjoying this new-to-me discovery! Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Discogs discography if people are looking for more.
    Lots of bands named "Cosmos"! :D

    https://www.discogs.com/artist/3582050-Cosmos-21

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi J-Canuck,
    Interesting side note to the history of this song is that Keiko's husband Kazu Matsui included this song on his 1987 project called " See You There".The female lead is Lynn Davis , who was a member of George Duke's touring band.
    All 3 versions differ in some really cool ways.
    The Kazu Matsui version was released as a special 45 version for record store day in Japan in 2016 with famous hip-hop DJ Muro editing one side.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t0BYTRpkkIs

    Have a great day from Trevor in Vancouver.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Trevor. Hope you're doing well in Vancouver.
      Would love to be in Japan during Record Day!

      Delete
  4. Lynn Davis has a facebook.com/lynndavismusic

    ReplyDelete

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