8th February 2014 @Vacant Harajuku

Dancer: Shuhei Okawara
Mask artist: Kotaro Sakazume
Photographer: Eriya Osaki

Music by Sapphire Slows

Thanks for coming! That was such a memorable night.
Music and video also will be released soon...

Want notes

Uchi told me Mexican cult underground
Love this band





Also found this touching song
Italian punk? I want this 7"

どれも異常に名曲なのにも関わらず
理解のされなさ（もしくは圧倒的な足りなさ）みたいなのが溢れている
ヘタクソなライブ映像とかを見ると更にどうしようもない感じがたまらない
せつなさと同時に凄いエネルギーを感じてぐっときてしまう

Favorite List of 2013

Favorite 30 (In no particular order):

Lust for youth - 'Perfect View' LP [Sacred Bones]

David Lynch - 'The Big Dream' LP + 7"/CD [Sacred Bones]

Vår - The 'World Fell' 7" [Big Love]

Puzzle - 'I'll Just Say This' LP [Big Love]

Dracula Lewis - 'Use Your Illusions' LP [Hundebiss]

Primitive Art - 'Problems' LP [Hundebiss]

Eyedress & Skint Eastwood - 'Hearing Colors' LP [Phantasma Disques]

Mind Slums - Calm Oceans' CDR [Phantasma a Disques]

Naadyn - 'Galaxy' LP [Phantasma Disques]

Inca Copeland - 'Don't Look Back, That's Not Where You're Going' 12" [World Music]

Omar-S - 'It Can Be Done But Only I Can Do It' LP [Fxhe]

Dean Blunt - 'The Redeemer' LP [Hippos In Tanks]

Dirty Beaches - 'Drifters / Love Is The Devil' LP [Zoo Music]

Leisure Connection - 'Jungle Dancing / Wave Riding' 12" [No Label]

Jonas Frederiksen - 'Toekomstje' LP [No label]

Coyote Clean Up - '2 Hot 2 Wait' LP [100%Silk]

White Poppy - 'S.T.' LP [Not Not Fun]

Pure X - 'Crawling Up The Stairs' LP [Acephale]

Autre Ne Veut - 'Anxiety' LP [Mexican Summer]

Acteurs - 'S.T.' LP [Public Information]

Yves Son Ace - 'Dead Life' LP [Clan Destine]

Egyptian Sports Network - 'Interstitial Luxor' 12" [New Images]

Food Pyramid - 'Ecstasy & Refreshment' 12" [Holy Mountain]

Soft Riot - 'No Longer Stranger' LP [Volar Records]

Youth Code -'S.T.' LP [Dais]

Syclops - 'A Blink Of An Eye' LP [Running Back]

Torn Hawk - 'S.T.' 12" [L.I.E.S.]

Torn Hawk - 'We Burnt Time' 12" [Valcrond Video]

Luke Wyatt - 'Teen Hawk' LP [Emotional Response]

Rrose - 'Primary Evidenece' 12" (Reissue) [Eaux]

Best Remixes:

Donate Dozzy - 'Donate Dozzy Plays Bee Mask' [Spectrum Spools]

Ike Yard - 'Remixes EP2'  [Desire]

Moon Duo - 'Circles Remixed' 12" [Sacred Bones]

Best Soundtrack:

V.A. - 'Diabolique' Soundtrack LP [Phantasma Disques]

Best Artwork:

Pharmakon - 'Abandon' LP [Sacred Bones]

Best Compilation:

V.A. - 'Dokument#1' LP [Posh Isolation]

My releases of 2013:

'S.T.' Compilation CD [Big Love] 

'Allegoria' LP/CD [Not Not Fun / Big Love]

In 2013 I could finally release my 1st full-album 'Allegoria'. Many many thanks to Not Not Fun, Big Love and everyone who support me & my music. I also did a tour in US/Canada/Mexico/China in autumn that was an amazing unforgettable experience. 

2013 was the greatest year for me as a listener too. I've chosen 24 favorite discs in 2012 but 2013 I wanted to choose like 50, that means I could meet more music I like! Although I tried to be strict and chose 30 + 6 at last. Those 36 discs are all my special favorites! As you've seen the list, 2013 was an awesome year for many great experimental music that is not just 'weird' but more beautiful and impressive enough. I still love both pop and experimental, so it makes me very happy that recently I could kinda find some good combination of the coolest/deepest underground + good pop feel. I think Sacred Bones & Phantasma Disques did such a good job in 2013. Thanks to them. 

Also now I'm very interested in music scenes in Copenhagen (like Vår, Lust For Youth, Puce Mary, etc… around Posh Isolation) and Philippines (like Eyedress, Skint Eastwood, CONCLΔVE, etc), especially Copenhagen as strength of the scene itself though I respect Filipino artists' attitude and activity as same Asians. That's still important thing to going out of your country (and maybe to be realized by US or some countries in Europe, because that's why I know them and why you know me now) but at the same that'd be really cool to have your own coolest scene in your city by yourselves.
i.g. the 'Dokument#1' by Posh Isolation told me such kind of things. I never want to pretend nor imitate something particular but still I think Tokyo should learn something from them? Anyways, I'll keep going this new year too. I'll just do what I can do and what I want to do with my full effort. I wanna see what I've never seen, and I wanna see who I haven't really seen yet. I hope I could stay with your warm support in this year too. Thanks! xo

Info for shows etc:

Sun 12th January: DJ Set for 'SODOM × FISH' @Trump Room Shibuya

Wed 15th January: Live performance for 'dublub.jp' @Space Orbit Sangendyaya
Saturday 8th February: SPECIAL Live performance for 'ONE'  @Vacant Harajuku

p.s. Also I can announce something about my first release in 2014 soon! Yay!

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2013年には、ようやく初めてのフルアルバム「アレゴリア」を発売することができました。発売元のNot Not FunとBig Love、そして支えてくれた皆様には本当に感謝しています。秋にはアメリカ、カナダ、メキシコ、中国を回るツアーにも行き、素晴らしい、忘れられない体験をしました。

聴き手としても2013年は素晴らしい年でした。2012年には絞って24枚選んだけれど、2013年は50枚くらい選びたいのがあって、それだけ好きな音楽にたくさん出会えたんだなと思いました！最終的には心を鬼にして30枚のお気に入り+その他ベスト6を選びました。その36枚はどれも特別なお気に入りです。リストを見てもらえばわかるように、2013年はたくさんのエクスペリメンタル・ミュージックにとって素晴らしい年だったと思います。「実験的な」と言っても、ただ「変な」だけじゃなくて充分に美しくて印象的なもの。私はやはりポップとエクスペリメンタルのどちらも大好きで、最近はもっとも深くてかっこいいアンダーグラウンドと良いポップセンスの融合みたいなものが少し見えてきてとても幸せです。Sacred BonesとPhantasma Disquesは2013年に本当にいい仕事をしたと思います。感謝。

あと今はコペンハーゲンのシーン（VårとかLust For YouthとかPuce Maryとか、Posh Isolationまわり）とフィリピンのシーン（Eyedressとか、 Skint Eastwoodとか、CONCLΔVEなど）にとても興味があります。シーンそのものの強さとしては特にコペンハーゲンだけど、フィリピンは同じアジアとして、彼らの行動力や姿勢を尊敬します。外（つまりアメリカやヨーロッパの主要国）に出て行くことや認められることはとても意味があるし（だからこそ日本にいる私たちが彼らのことを知れるのだし、彼らもまた私たちのことを知れるから）、私はこれからも挑戦し続けていくつもりだけれど、地元で自分たちのシーンをつくっていくってことがいかにかっこいいかということをPosh Isolationの「Dokument#1」なんかを見ていると強烈に感じます。どこかの真似をしたいとは思わないけど、東京も彼らから見習うものはあるんじゃないでしょうか。とにかく今年も自分にできることは何か考えて行動していこうと思います。やりたいことを全力でやります。また見たことのないものが見たい、まだちゃんと会ったことがない人に会いたいです。応援して下さい！

さっそく1月からいくつかライブも決まっています。

1/12 (日) DJ Set for 'SODOM × FISH' @渋谷Trump Room
1/15 (水): Live performance for 'dublub.jp' @三軒茶屋Space Orbit

2/8 (土) SPECIAL live performance for 'ONE'  @原宿Vacant

2014年最初のリリースについてももうすぐ何か告知できると思います！楽しみにしててね！

Kinuko

Photos from the release party at Big Love

instore live

i-radio live recording

someone bought my CD thanks

surprise!

wowwww

all photos by chiro, thanks!

thanks u for everyone coming there and celebrating my release.
it's a very very special day for me!

Notes

sometimes be caught by kinda complicated feeling that knock me down. the situation around me is getting better w/ time slightly, but still hard to think too many things and to manage everything by myself.

but at the same it can be always a beginning for something. thanks to even this occasional frustration. though hard to thank my powerlessness, I'd like to keep going...

Something about lyrics and translation (via my facebook)

First time wrote out the lyrics (or something like that - was in my head while making songs) to show someone else. You can read it on the insert of my CD that is out on 22nd May (soon!) on BIG LOVE Records.http://biglove.bigcartel.com/product/biglove047-sapphire-slows-sapphire-slows

It also includes Japanese translation done by Haruka. Maybe some people would feel it's sort of weird because I'm Japanese and of course I can completely understand Japanese. But wait, oh guys…! She is so professional! Just read her translation today and that made me so so so impressive. It reminds me how beautiful Japanese sentences are. I was about to cry...

For long time I've been not positive to write down any of my lyrics because I was even not sure if it could be 'lyrics' ever? When I was working especially for 'True Breath', I never felt like describing my complicated feelings clearly in words/in my native language. Though I wrote all the lyrics with my poor English, I still aimed to make it abstract and fragmentary as possible. You know, as voices in my songs are all obscure. So even for me it was difficult how to interpret the lyrics in Japanese…But she completely made it.

But at the same it's shame that almost every overseas artists whose lyrics translated by her couldn't understand about it - I mean, I wish if they could know how beautiful sense of Japanese words she has...So I just wanted to say for the artists: No worry if you couldn't read any Japanese, I swear every your Japanese fan can understand what your lyrics are meaning with such beautiful Japanese!

OK…maybe I was a bit too excited about the translation :) Just wanted to say you SHOULD check the CD! It's not just a compilation of my past vinyl releases. It has new design on the spacial paper jacket, with special OBI (made by the label owner Naka! like a paper belt?) that used to be popular with Japanese record releases in 80's and maybe early 90's?? Also some songs get remastered! Includes 3 bonus track! the lyrics! Furthermore I wrote special explanation/comment about all the songs and what gear I used for my early creation: it means how I get into making music in the 2011. Now you know what a special release it would be!

Thanks for reading!

xx Sapphire

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5月22日にBig Loveから発売されるコンピレーションCD「Sapphire Slows」ですが、日本盤ということで歌詞、対訳、Sapphire Slows本人による全曲解説と使用機材解説（！）も付くという何とも豪華なことになりました。

さきほどBig Loveの春果さんが手がけてくれた対訳（和訳）を見たのですが、その素晴らしいこと。「日本人なのに対訳を他人にやってもらうの？」と奇妙に思うかもしれませんが、ちょっと待って。

そもそも、私は最初、複雑な感覚を言葉で表現することができなくて音楽を作りました。「歌詞」と呼べるかどうかすらわからない、言葉にできなかった途切れ途切れの表現、拙い英語での「歌詞」を、彼女は見事に美しい対訳へと生まれ変わらせてくれています。感動してしまって泣きそうになりました。日本語が理解できることが嬉しい。量的には短いものですし、大げさと思われるかもしれませんが・・・。対訳を見て初めて「私はこんなにたくさんの感情を曲に込めてたんだ」と気付きました。なので是非手に取って読んでみて欲しいのです。

これはもうただのコンピレーションCDではないですね。ただライセンスして適当なボーナストラックを付けただけの日本盤なんて欲しいと思ったことはありませんが、これはすごくすごくすごくスペシャルだと思う。今どきこんなにやってくれるレーベルが果たしてあるでしょうか・・・。ただCDを出すだけっていうのは嫌だったから、こんなにアーティストのことを考えてくれるBig Loveとだから出したかった。

そういう盤です。5月22日Big Loveより発売。

ありがとうございます！

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プチ補足(2013/5/2): 

日本盤というものについてネガティブな言い方をしてしまったけれど、ちょっと反省というか補足。もし日本で見たい、日本に来てほしいアーティストがいるなら日本盤を購入することが一番のサポートになると思う。大きなアーティストには関係ないけど、かなりアンダーグラウンドなアーティストに関しては。最近日本盤というものを出すのがいかに大変かということもわかってきたのだった・・・。私たちのような小さなアーティストを支えてくれる全ての人に感謝しなくては。

Favorite Vinyls 2012

Random order...

Andy Stott - 'Luxury Problems' LP [Modern Love]

Guerre / Nakagin - 'Revels / Apathy' 12" [The Finer Things]

Elg - 'Mill Pluton ' LP [Hundebiss Records]

Kindness - 'World, You Need A Change Of Mind' LP [Terrible]

Ilyas Ahmed 'With Endless Fire' LP [Immune]

Afterhours - 'Sleepwaker' 12" [Not Not Fun]

Samantha Glass - 'Mysteries From The Palomino Skyliner' LP [Not Not Fun]

Yves Son Ace - 'Unsung' LP [La Station Radar]

Helm - 'Impossible Symmetry' LP [Pan]

Heatsick - 'Deviation' 12" [Pan]

Uku Kuut - 'Vision Of Estonia' LP [Peoples Potential United]

Unknown Artist – 'Journey 1 / Echo Drugs' [L.I.E.S.]

Jahiliyya Fields – 'Unicursal Hexagram' [L.I.E.S]

Cooly G - 'Playin Me' LP [Hyper Dub]

Dean Blunt and Inga Copeland - 'Black Is Bearutiful' LP [Hyper Dub]

Laurel Halo – 'Quarantine' LP [Hyper Dub]

Raime - 'Quater Turns Over A Living Line' LP [Blackest Ever Black]

Cut Hands - 'Black Mamba' 12" [Blackest Ever Black]

Mungolian Jetset – 'Mungodelics' LP [Smalltown Supersound]

Dan Bodan -'Aaron / DP' [DFA]

Innergaze - 'Mutual Dreaming' LP [Cititrax]

Secret Circuit - 'Nebula Sphynx' 12" [Beats In Space]

Nick Dewitt – 'United' LP [Teenage Teardrops]

Blues Control – 'Valley Tangents' LP [Drag City]

I couldn't choose from ton of great releases in 2012 really but the above 24 are very impressing for me. About live performances, Mi Ami an hour set at Kyoto Metro and one night in Seoul Ital played in darkness with a broken strobe light were so so good and impressed me...The whole tour was fun. Thanks to all the promoters, friends and venues..

My releases in 2012 were :

'Just Wanna Feel' 12” w/ Magic Touch [100% Silk]

'Yubiwa' cassettle w/ Jesse Ruins, Hotel Mexico [Self release]

'Break Control' 3.5” Floppy Disc [Oral Traditions] ( this song is also included in 'Cuz Me Pain Compilation #2' LP [Cuz Me Pain] )

Please check them it's not too late!!!

Thanks for everyone who suppurted SS in 2012.

Hope more releases, remixes, mixes, collabos, tours in 2013!!!!!!

Love,

Sapphire Slows