Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on January 2011

Courtesy of Ultra Folkies

Don’t try and figure out what Osaka beatmaker Oorutaichi is singing about—he doesn’t know himself, but he likes the sound of it.

“One of my first big influences was Jamaican dancehall music,” he explains over a cup of carefully prepared coffee at one of the last traditional kissaten in Shibuya. “And even though I didn’t understand what they were saying, I loved the way it sounded. So when I was doing my first live sessions, I would just sing freely in a style like the Jamaican patois that dancehall singers rap over their beats. It wasn’t singing or speaking, but some new kind of language.”

You’ll hear plenty of that kind of vocalization on Oorutaichi’s new album, Cosmic Coco, as well as piles of no-nonsense beats that make it as tailored for the dancefloor as the iPod. Devoid of meaning, the vocals instead guide the listener through a welter of synth lines, effects, programmed drums, bloops, bleeps and even the occasional guitar.

Having followed a trajectory from folk singer to rock ’n’ roller to dance music geek, Oorutaichi has recently been attracting attention overseas, touring Europe and North America. But while he’s enthused by the ebullience of international clubbers, it’s a Japan performance that sticks out in his mind the most.

“It was a gig with [Kyoto artist] Shabushabu,” the soft-spoken producer recalls. “We were invited to play a peace demonstration—I don’t know exactly why. But when we showed up, it was a really serious demo, with people shouting through megaphones and such. We paraded through Kyoto, performing from the back of a truck. We were pretty nervous, because there were passersby shouting at us to turn it down, but somehow we made it to the end of the route without incident.”

On Cosmic Coco, Oorutaichi’s diverse approaches run from the tweaky electronica of “Futurelina,” via the Chicago-house-on-nitrous-oxide vibes of “Shiny Foot Square Dance,” to the classic ambient chill-out of “Merry Ether Party.” It’s all a lot of fun, and highly recommended for those who enjoy the likes of British sampler extraordinaire Matthew Herbert or Japanese elepop artist De De Mouse.

For his next Tokyo gig, Oorutaichi will be reuniting with contemporary dancer Masako Yasumoto, reprising their memorable collaboration from last year’s Roppongi Art Night. Yasumoto has performed all over the world and appeared in music videos for famous Japanese popsters like Mr. Children. Though she commands the artistic credibility of a prizewinning choreographer, she also has a sense of humor that will serve her in good stead with Oorutaichi’s airy musical creations.

Oorutaichi
Laptop mangler performs with contemporary dancer Masako Yasumoto. Feb 26, 7pm, ¥2,800 (adv)/¥3,300 (adv). SuperDeluxe, Nishi-Azabu. Tel: 03-5412-0515.