Urban Discos Japan レコード& CD

Review: Japan's premier jazz funk covers outfit Nautilus are back on the scene with another 7" of those pristine grooves they lay down so well. They've been busy lately, recording the Serendipity album with Lisa Decker and just releasing the Reconnection album amongst other singles and EPs, but once again they've got more beautifully executed music to impart to the world. 'Skyscrapers' rides on a taut breakbeat and features some slinky bass guitar, striking an ever-so-slightly moody tone. 'Another World' is all about the snappy piano hooks, with the band following dutifully behind each melodic passage and winding up in something sweet and funky - as if you expect any less from this band.

Review: Japanese rare groove merchants Nautilus are back in the wake of their Reconnection album with a new 7" of sweet and smooth jazz funk in their signature style. There's an endlessly crisp quality to the playing and production on Nautilus records which ensures they land with maximum effect. The A side on this new single is 'We Gettin Down', a bright and breezy confection with some choice talk box action, Rhodes and synths in conversation and sprightly beats. 'Nautical Table' gets a little craftier, dealing in skittering drums and nimble piano without losing that clarity we've come to expect from this highly talented group.

Review: Japanese jazz trio Nautilus (named of course after Bob James' 1974 fusion classic) are also high-quality rare groove merchants and super sweet and smooth fusion sounds. They have been prolific again this year with somewhere around six new releases and now this welcome Revival album. It comes on both CD (this being a Japanese special edition) and vinyl and is a fine showcase of their sounds which manages to be both timeless and classic as well as contemporary in execution. Many of their recent singles feature here alongside some other treats.

Review: Prolific Japanese jazzers Nautilus - made up of drummer Toshiyuki Sasaki, keyboardist Daisuke Takeuchi, and bassist Shigeki Umezawa - present their latest 7" release 'A Story About You'. It's an emotive A-and-B-sider of mournful mood, with the A-side cemented by rolling pianos and a central lyric-melody performed by Mariko's talkbox, and B-sider 'Sweet Power Your Embrace' coming as a cover of the 1977 classic by James Mason. Signaling news of a full-length album to come - you'd better fasten your seatbelts.

Review: We've become accustomed to hearing Nautilus offer-up authentic, Hammond-rich jazz-funk of the sort associated with such 1970s titans of the genre as Lonnie Liston Smith, Jimmy McGriff, Jimmy Smith and Herbie Hancock. On 'Caught Up', the flip the script, recruiting vocalist Emi Tawata to help conjure up a wonderfully starry, warming, organic and mood-enhancing slab of R&B-influenced modern soul. Their Rhodes-laden (and genuinely inspired) original mix comes accompanied by an alternative take from Jazzy Sport regular Grooveman Spot, who brilliantly re-imagines the song as a squelchy, synth-laden slab of slipped soul rich in colourful electronics, bold electronic bass and crunchy machine beats.

Review: Remixes of the classic cover of DeBarge's 'I Like It' by Playa, the Japanese soul-fusion band headed by producer Katokunnlee. Latin influences are all over Playa's discography, this release leaning more Brazilian on side A with a side B that wouldn't sound out of place in an anime OST with it's bubbly EDM slant. Released on a 7" for the first time, side B features a new remix by KH & The Lasttrak, who see a return to the Playa stratosphere from their last contribution to Playa's 'Through the Fire'.