QYPTHONE -- Melody

 

I think with Brazil being in the Southern Hemisphere, the weather ought to be getting quite a bit warmer with their summer. A lot of folks here are very envious right now.

Anyways, I have another sparkling track by QYPTHONE from their 5th album from December 2002, "Montuno No. 5". And I guess with its track mate, "On the Palette", "Melody" keeps the music from aforementioned Brazil continuing on full speed, although not with the Shibuya-kei of "On the Palette". Perhaps the entire album has that samba and bossa nova theme; certainly, "Melody", written and composed by Takeshi Nakatsuka（中塚武）, plunges into the Atlantic with some exciting samba and I'm assuming that Izumi Ookawara（大河原泉）is the vocalist here. New Year's must be something else down in Rio.

QYPTHONE -- Scooter

 

I can barely remember any major scooter scenes in movies. They just don't seem to add anything to exciting chases. However, I have some affection for the Vespa ride that Princess Anne and Joe Bradley took through the streets of Rome in "Roman Holiday". If I'm not mistaken, it's still probably Japan's favourite Audrey Hepburn flick.

And for some reason, I think of that scene when I listen to this snazzy number by QYPTHONE called "Scooter". The last time I wrote about the mastermind behind QYPTHONE, sound meister Takeshi Nakatsuka（中塚武）, it was for his contribution "How To Cook Macaroni & Cheese" for the compilation album "BGM Vol. 1 for Modernica" from 2004. Well, Nakatsuka/QYPTHONE had another foodie connection in that same year, this time through yet another compilation 2-CD set titled "Camembert & Sushi" which is contained on the second "Sushi" disc.

"Scooter" isn't too long at just a sliver over three minutes but it's sure catchy with the boss horns and lyricist Izumi Ookawara（大河原泉）on vocals. I'd probably say that rather than get on a scooter, listeners would be more than willing to get on a stand and do some energetic 1960s dancing. In fact, I think "Scooter" has a cousin-like relationship to Quincy Jones' iconic "Soul Bossa Nova".

Takeshi Nakatsuka -- How To Cook Macaroni & Cheese

 

This might sound downright shocking coming from a foodie like me, but I was never a huge fan of macaroni and cheese. At least, not at main course levels. I just find mac n' cheese way too rich in those quantities. If it's very much a really minor side dish, then I can take it.

Still, I'd like to offer this for your listening perusal. This is "How To Cook Macaroni & Cheese" by singer and sound creator Takeshi Nakatsuka（中塚武）. I wrote about him and his QYPTHONE project earlier this month via "On the Palette", but I also realized that I hadn't written anything about him on his own since my 2019 article on his visually mesmerizing "Japanese Boy". 

"How To Cook Macaroni & Cheese" is Nakatsuka's contribution to the 2004 compilation album "BGM Vol. 1 for Modernica", and what it lacks in an equally mesmerizing music video, it gains in having Mr. Macaroni and Ms. Cheese performing light, soothing and amiable banter regarding the titular dish. It almost sounds like one of those old-fashioned cooking segments I used to watch on morning or late afternoon television as a kid. Instrumentally, it's only a piano and an acoustic guitar but accompanying the happy talk, it's as filling as a bowl of mac n' cheese...not that I would ever have one willingly. A couple of spoonfuls, and I'm happy.

QYPTHONE -- On the Palette

 

Watching NHK's morning information variety show "Asaichi"（あさイチ）as I usually do, I have to say that the cover for this album above has three people who eerily look a tad like the hosts of that show. I see comedy duo Hanamaru-Daikichi Hakata（博多華丸・大吉）and then NHK announcer Naoko Suzuki（鈴木奈穂子）but I admit that I am probably extending things a bit much there.

Anyways, I mentioned QYPTHONE the other day during another visit to the AI gallery and I knew that I had a song by them on the backlog list for a while. Well, it gets shown now and it's a lively Brazilian number called "On the Palette" on QYPTHONE's 5th album from December 2002, "Montuno No. 5". Unlike some of the other songs that I've covered by them, "On the Palette" swings more toward some good ol' samba than the dance remix feeling and obvious Shibuya-kei vibes although they're still in this song if a bit more subdued. It's quite refreshing and yes, I would like some of that orange tea that the vocalist is offering right off the top. Izumi Ookawara（大河原泉）is the lyricist while Takeshi Nakatsuka（中塚武）took care of the happy melody.

QYPTHONE -- Mustache

www.goodfreephotos.com

 

No "Uta Con"（うたコン）this week due to the Golden Week holiday in Japan but perhaps folks over here are already feeling the strain of the work week despite it being Tuesday. If they're anything like the guys in the old series "Mad Men", they probably want to hit home as soon as possible and crawl into a comfy martini.

I may just have the perfect musical accompaniment, too. Looks like it's some lounge-friendly salsa jazz with a bit of technology, thanks to "Mustache" by the eclectic band QYPTHONE centering around music maker Takeshi Nakatsuka（中塚武）. A track from the band's 5th and final original album "Montuno No. 5", "Mustache" sounds like it came straight from the 1960s instead of December 2002 when the album was released. Nakatsuka came up with the swiveling music while Izumi Okawahara（大河原泉）was responsible for the lyrics.

I've always had a soft spot for these How To YouTube videos. I'm feeling a bit whimsical so I put a couple of them up although I neither drink martinis nor have a mustache.

Hoshikuzu Scat -- Hanzonmon Cherie（半蔵門シェリ）

 

Due to the natural weirdness of my working hours as an English conversation teacher in Japan, I never had any regular TV programs or regular viewing times during the weekdays at least. The weekends were better because I was gradually able to get Saturdays and Sundays off for the most part. For me though, perhaps the most interesting time period for Japanese television watching was between 4 and 6 pm between Monday and Friday. The reason is that there was truly quite a bit of variety in the programming itself. Depending on the channel, there could be the late afternoon information variety show, a rerun of a drama or an old anime, the first part of a multi-hour news broadcast, a travelogue, a video game analysis show and so on. But even when I did have my rare time at home at sunset, I wasn't usually watching TV since I was in the kitchen cooking dinner.

Living in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, we did get the local Chiba and Tokyo channels, one of which was Tokyo MX. Usually these days here in Toronto, I hear the name of Tokyo MX because my anime buddy tells me that a fair share of the late-night anime have been broadcast from there, but that's about it. Still, when I was a resident of Ichikawa in my humble little 2K, I did my share of channel surfing and sometimes I came upon this information variety show on Tokyo MX which had this more intimately local but still professional atmosphere.

Titled "Go-ji ni Muchuu!"（５時に夢中！...Crazy About 5 O'clock!）, it is a show that stars a share of free television announcers and a motley and lively crew of tarento, and from what I've seen of the lineup on their website, these celebs have been known for their "tell-it-like-it-is" attitudes and very acerbic tongues. The J-Wiki article regarding the program has stated that its overarching theme is absolute freedom of speech, so I can assume that the fur has often flown with panelists including Matsuko Deluxe（マツコ・デラックス）and Mie Nakao（中尾ミエ）.

As would be the case for any Japanese TV show, there are theme songs and for "Go-ji ni Muchuu!", The Jackson 5's "ABC" is the opening theme but the ending theme for the hour-long program is a more homegrown affair since one of the members of this trio singing it is also a regular commentator. Along with Matsuko Deluxe, Mitz Mangrove（ミッツマングローブ）has been a very popular tarento on Japanese TV for years and is a member of Hoshikuzu Scat（星屑スキャット）.

Hoshikuzu Scat consists of three drag queens: Mitz Mangrove, Gallantique Kazue（ギャランティーク和恵）and Meili Mu（メイリー・ムー）and the group has been around since the mid-2000s. In July 2017, they released their 4th single, "Hanzonmon Cherie" which I think has that dance clubby feeling; perhaps there is some Eurobeat in there, too. In any case, I do get that late 1980s feeling from it and there are some nice harmonies among the trio. Mitz took care of words and music while Takeshi Nakatsuka（中塚武）handled the arrangement. I last wrote about Nakatsuka late last year with one of his early 2000s techno Shibuya-kei tunes from his QYPTHONE project. As for Hanzomon, it's not only the name of the purple subway line in the Tokyo Metro network but it's also the neighbourhood in Tokyo where I believe "Go-ji ni Muchuu!" is based.

QYPTHONE -- Tension Attention, Please

 

I'm actually beginning my KKP night tonight really late...as in I'm less than 90 minutes away from midnight and then Sunday morning. One reason is that I decided to watch an entire Toronto Maple Leafs game on "Hockey Night in Canada" earlier, and the other reason is that I went into my other hobby of dozing off a few times in the armchair. Happily, the Leafs won tonight over the Buffalo Sabres, but for those of you who may be reading this across Lake Ontario in Buffalo, New York, I hope that all of you are keeping safe from that lallapalooza of a snowstorm that you're getting whacked with.

Earlier this year, I wrote about this uniquely named band, QYPTHONE, and their warp-driven brand of Shibuya-kei. Led by Takeshi Nakatsuka（中塚武）, who has his individual songs covered on the blog, his "Go-Go Girl" is one tasty aural catch that would have Adam West's Batman more than happy to do the Batusi on the dance floor. That particular song was on their 1999 album "Organic Sound Theatre".

Tonight's QYPTHONE keeper originates from his October 2000 3rd album "Modernica in the House", and it's the final track known as "Tension Attention, Please". It's a playful number that displays quite the affinity for Fantastic Plastic Machine with the classy 1960s swing and Shibuya-kei and a lot of the dance DJ tricks of the trade. I was half-expecting that Pizzicato Five narrator to say something about a stereophonic experience somewhere in there.

There were a couple of mysteries that I wanted to solve in "Tension Attention, Please". Well, actually, one had to do with the title of the album. I had been wondering about the word Modernica, and I was able to find out that it is a brand of furniture that strikes me as being quite 60s in appearance, perhaps like something by Eames (or maybe that was a 50s design). The other thing was within the arrangement of the song, because I also heard some growly patter and then some high-pitched cartoonish voice being exchanged in there. 

Well, at first, I had thought that Popeye and Olive Oyl had decided to make their first foray into Shibuya-kei. However, at the Who Sampled website, I discovered that QYPTHONE had sampled a song titled "Here Comes De Kins" by British novelty act The Pipkins in 1970.

QYPTHONE -- Go-Go Girl

 

Back in 2019, I first talked about a singer-songwriter and sound creator by the name Takeshi Nakatsuka（中塚武）whose music videos captivated me with their dancing CG polygons while my ears were caressed with the sound of jazz and Shibuya-kei. And it was there that I also mentioned that he had his own band in the late 1990s and early 2000s called QYPTHONE.

In fact, it was through a 1997 German compilation album called "Sushi 4004" that QYPTHONE got their introduction to the world. Four original albums under that name were released between 1998 and 2002 with the second one being "Organic Sound Theatre" which came out in November 1999. From that album, I give you "Go-Go Girl".

Man, "Go-Go Girl" is Shibuya-kei on electronica-laced acid. It's like that scene in the first "Dr. Strange" entry when Stephen gets his first rather sudden trip through the multiverse thanks to a mercilessly mirthful The Ancient One...except that it was fun for him. It was fun for us viewers but now all of us can get to go-go dance. We all get tossed around all over the planet via the most hedonistic and alternately chill and crazed dance palaces before we ultimately get thrown back into our bedrooms at the end of the nearly 5 minutes of "Go-Go Girl".

I see that there are some more of QYPTHONE's delicacies up on YouTube. I'll have to give those a try as well. Meanwhile, allow me to finish with a few minutes of go-go dancing.

Takeshi Nakatsuka -- Japanese Boy

"When shapes paint the town red...."

That's what I first thought when I saw the music video for singer-songwriter Takeshi Nakatsuka's（中塚武）"Japanese Boy", a track from his March 2016 album "EYE". As he did for the video of his "Tsumetai Jounetsu"（冷たい情熱）a few years back, Nakatsuka must have allowed those computer animators to put their imaginations and indulgences to the nth limit for "Japanese Boy". Cubes, orbs and pyramids dancing with each other? Mass hysteria!

I'm not sure what the lyrics are all about for "Japanese Boy". I was paying more attention to the video and the let's-go-for-it jazz as the instruments and Nakatsuka's vocals tripped the light fantastic. As much as the visuals brought back images of late 20th-century computer graphics, the sounds brought back feelings of mid-20th-century jazz combos jamming away in those smoke-filled nightclubs. Quite the interesting mix.

Takeshi Nakatsuka -- Tsumetai Jounetsu（冷たい情熱）

I saw this fellow's video some months ago and was entranced by the director's love of polygons and circles, although I was a total washout when it came to geometry back in high school. I also like how even the lyrics are made to participate in the progression of the video.

This tribute to shapes was created as the environment for "Tsumetai Jounetsu" (Cold Passion) by singer-songwriter Takeshi Nakatsuka（中塚武）. The song was a track on Nakatsuka's February 2013 album "Lyrics", a project where he pretty much handled everything with the possible exception of the horns. My imagination has been running a bit hot in terms of how I would describe "Tsumetai Jounetsu"...a boho slice of French jazz-influenced pop, perhaps? With the description of French jazz, maybe it can even categorized as Shibuya-kei.

Nakatsuka hails from Yokohama and graduated from Waseda University after which he entered the current BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc. and worked there for several years. In the late 1990s, he led his own band QYPTHONE, and in 2004, he made his solo debut with the album "Joy". He brought over a crossover sound based on jazz and Latin as well as provide music for commercials, TV and movie soundtracks, and other singers. Up to now, Nakatsuka has released 12 albums and one single.