April is in full effect! And longtime readers of Lost Turntable know that means I’m currently getting my ass kicked with my legendary April bad luck. It’s been a pretty rough one; a drastic fibro flare-up, workplace drama, and a lot of wasted money on shoes (DON’T BUY SHOES ONLINE EVER IT’S NOT WORTH IT).

Anyways, the month is almost over and I’m unwinding the only way I know how, with odd covers of well-known music.

Jun Fukamachi
Classical Medley
Ave Maria
This record is so obscure that I literally can’t find a single English word about it on the internet so someone please help me.

I know that in the mid-80s Fukamachi briefly launched his own label, releasing a promo-only LP entitled 86 Spring & Summer Collection. Despite the similar name (and I suspect similar promo-only status) I don’t think that record and this one have anything in common. That album is a collection of original material, while this is entirely covers of classical compositions.

That, it’s entirely dope as fuck covers of classical compositions! This is some great, hyper-digital synth work and arrangement on display. While at first it sounds a bit cheesy, the more you listen to these all-digital reworkings, the more you appreciate just how much work went into them, especially with the epic 20-minute medley. These aren’t just classical pieces played through a keyboard’s default settings, many are reworked and tweaked to be equal parts jazzy and funky. It’s like an all-digital “Fifth of Beethoven.”

Like I said, I literally know nothing about this record. If you do, please give me anything you got! Especially if you have any idea about what the fuck is going on with that cover.

Ippu-Do
Time Of The Season
I don’t know what kind of stature Ippu-Do have in Japan now, or had during their peak, or even if they had a peak. Whenever I mention them to literally anyone I know, I get blank stare. That is, save for my boyfriend, who not only knows of the group, but remembered the melody of their biggest hit when I was playing the live record from which this track came from. My boyfriend literally never recognizes any music I ever play for him, especially Japanese music, so they must’ve been at least a little bit popular? I don’t know.

I have nearly all of their albums now. They’re good, obviously influenced by YMO and Japan (the band) in equal parts. I think bizarro cover of “Time Of The Season” is quite indicative of their sound, a strange combination of off-kilter vocals, heavy use of synths, and some rad guitar work. I really do need to give these guys more of a chance and dig into their discography a bit more.

One additional note, this is supposedly a live album, but considering how produced it sounds and the suspiciously looped crowd noises I’ve heard on several tracks, I have my doubts.

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 29th, 2018 at 9:38 pm and is filed under Ippu-Do, Jun fukamachi. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.