Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on July 2010

Courtesy of Air

Given the lack of return on investment, DJs release fewer and fewer albums these days. CDs tend to be loss leaders for touring, where the real money is made. Yet the format retains an enduring appeal, allowing artists to stretch their skills in a long-playing medium.

Sacred Days, the first album in five years from veteran DJ Kaoru Inoue (left), shows why CDs still have legs. All the tracks could stand alone in a nightclub, but together, they tell a story in the way better albums do.

That story is of Inoue’s long career as a DJ, and his travels through the worlds of dance music since his ’90s debut. Sacred Days begins with “Musubi,” an incense-infused throwback to the ambient house heard in chillout rooms of the era. It then proceeds to capture the flavor of Inoue’s ensuing career, which he began under the spell of world music as well as house and techno. And while his DJ sets at his numerous Tokyo residencies have become more tech-house oriented over the years, there are still elements of worldbeat here, as in the almost gamelan-like flavors of the title track.

At other points, the album heads in mechanized Detroit techno directions (“Happenings”), or in soulful, New York house trajectories (“The Sun Goddess”), all the while retaining the simultaneously earthy and psychedelic atmosphere that defines Inoue’s sets…

Speaking of chillout rooms, a fresh release by some of the masters of Japanese chill is causing ears to prick up. Autora is a new unit that consists of Jun Takayama and Akio Yamamoto, both of whom are long-versed in the shifting, psychedelic sonics of chillout music.

The self-titled debut release by the Kansai duo issues forth in a swirl of ambient colors, and then takes listeners on a journey through everything from robotic vocoder voices to dark subterranean beats to warbling, almost J-pop melodies. The pair are often joined by a live rhythm section, and for their upcoming appearance at newish venue Fever, they’ll be assisted by the incomparable keyboard wizardry of fellow Kansai native Rei Harakami…

After making his Japan debut last year, the “godfather of digital cumbia” is back for a quick tour. Unlike its Latin cousin salsa, easygoing cumbia is music you can dance to without a partner, which may explain why it’s been welcomed on the sexually neutered dancefloors of Japan. The zany Dick El Demasiado has already appeared at Tokyo’s SuperDeluxe and Fuji Rock 2009, thanks to specialty label Utakata, which pioneered the release of his material here. The Dutch-born Buenos Aires resident plays at Fever this time around, where he’ll be in the company of talented oddball singer-songwriter-sampler Oorutaichi and audiovisual artist Doravideo.

Kaoru Inoue@Air, Aug 7. See club listings for details. Aotora@Fever, Aug 7. Dick El Demasiado@Fever, Aug 13. See concert listings (popular) for details. Sacred Days is available on Seeds and Ground. Autora is available on Sublime Records.

Kaoru Inoue @Air
Aug 7, From 10pm, ¥3,000. Daikanyama. Tel: 03-5784-3386. www.air-tokyo.com

Dick El Demasiado @Fever
Aug 13, midnight, ¥2,800 (adv)/¥3,300 (door). Shindaita. Tel: 03-6304-7899.