We recently received a special advance copy of this really cool new CD, “WE LOVE TM NETWORK!” (out April 22, 2009) from AsianDynasty Records, and here is the full CD review!

The first track, “Bang the Gong,” is a good warm-up track for this album, and sets the stage by getting right to it with its driving, pulsating backbeat, along with whispers of “let’s go” in the background.

1 ) Bang the Gong – Portable
http://www.hearjapan.com/store/group/Portable

Portable is comprised of Yuka (vocalist), Tatsuo Kimura (Synthesizer), and Daisuke Yamaguchi (guitar). The group consists of only three members, but are frequently getting back up help and doing collaborations with other artists.

2 ) Love Train feat Reco / Kei Kohara
Kind of a smooth, loungey groove. Good “chillin’” type of track, with a good but not too strong backbeat accompanied by streams of piano in the background and the pleasant voice of female vocalist Reco .

Kei Kohara
http://www.hearjapan.com/store/member_info/Kei_Kohara

Kei Kohara is a talented artist in the worldwide techno and house scene. He is one of the greatest track makers, fascinating whoever comes across his music with his open-feel sound style. He is known as a beach and surf lover. Those elements directly and strongly influence his music and evoking “the summer” and “the ocean” in the listeners’ minds.

3 ) 1974 – Portable
One of my favorite tracks from the album, “1974″ combines a pumping bass line with the strong and harmonic voice of Yuka from Japanese electro act, Portable. This song, in my opinion, attempts to pay a kind of 21st century, “harmonized electro-homage” to the disco / dancehall days of the mid 1970s with its synthesized, arpeggiated sense of swing.


4 ) Get Wild ’09 feat Hoshino Kanako / Kei Kohara
The opening to this active song actually reminds me of the theme song “Axel F” from the 1980s, if anybody here is old enough to remember that song, haha. This song (in an interesting way I would add) blends together ’70s/80s disco style funk bass with classic, catchy jpop-style melodies, courtesy of female singer Hoshino Kanako.


5 ) Here, There & Everywhere / Portable
Song starts off with a nice vocoded vocal part, again sung by Yuka from Portable. “I’m crying and I know I’ve found love,” go the lyrics…


6 ) Time To Count Down feat Reco / Kei Kohara
I like the melody and vocal by Reco in this song, it has a kind of soothing, sentimental quality to it (effect which is further enhanced by the classically influenced piano stylings).


7 ) Wild Heaven feat Hoshino Kanako / Kei Kohara
Again, really nice harmonic vocal and piano work here on this track. (according to the CD’s liner notes, it looks like Hoshino Kanako has also done soundtrack music work for the beatmania IIDX RED video game, and that influence comes through on her music on this album, cool!)


8 ) Human System / Portable
This might be my personal favorite track from the album. I just like the beat/overall rhythm and flow to the song and the melody provided by singer Yuka (oh yeah, and that “peppery” synth part thrown in toward the end song is cool!) Oh, and one last point I want to make on this track, production/song structuring is really well-done, hats off to everyone all-around!


9 ) Panoramagic feat Reco / Kei Kohara
Another song with a really sentimental, nostalgic flavor to it, with its, for lack of a better word, “old-fashioned” piano and vocal work… (“Mercy, Love is Panoramagic” .


10 ) Still Love Her feat Hoshino Kanako / Jui
The album concludes with this spiffy number, again with the kind of anthem-like singing of Hoshino Kanako and nice piano work from Kei Kohara.


All in all, I really recommend this album if you are looking for something new to listen to that is fresh, smooth and chilled-out all at the same time. It is filled with smooth j-grooves, cool sounds, and a nice feel-good, pick-me-up kind of mellow dancy sound! You definitely will want to give this a listen…

Check out audio samples from the album, and either buy select tracks that you like from the album or the entire album digitally at HearJapan.com:
http://www.hearjapan.com/store/album_info/WE_LOVE_TM_NETWORK

Or, if you would also prefer, you can ORDER THE PHYSICAL CD HERE (from YesAsia.com)

Thanks to Toshihiro from AsianDynasty Records for sending me this CD to review, and we wish him and all of his artists the best of luck and wishes to keep making this cool music for us to enjoy! Gambatte to doumo arigatou! ^_^…


REFERENCE LINKS:

Listen/Buy the Album on HearJapan:

http://www.hearjapan.com/store/album_info/WE_LOVE_TM_NETWORK

“We Love TM Network” MySpace page:

http://www.myspace.com/welovetmnetwork

AsianDynasty Records

http://www.asiandynasty.net/


ARTISTS:

Kei Kohara

http://keikohara.net

portable

http://www.myspace.com/portablenet

Hoshino Kanako

http://www.hoshino-kanako.com/

Reco

http://www.recorock.com/