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Cute formalism is a music genre that originated in the late 90s, predominantly centered around Nobukazu Takemura’s label Childisc. The genre was coined by genius/creepazoid Momus in a sort of problematic japanophilic blog post from 2001, wherein he cites Greenberg, Barthes, Brecht, and others to basically argue that being cute can be an artistic tool for subversive ostranenie. The genre is light, funny, weird, odd, and soft. Boing boing, tee hee, oopsie daisy type beats. Check out suppa micro pamchopp’s Obake, Angela Kohlermann’s Care, Aki Tsuyuko’s Ongakushitsu, Nobukazu Takemura’s Songbook, Manoir Molle’s Manoir, and all of Anne Laplantine’s discography.
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complete non-sequitur, as is everything that come out of my mouth at this point, but i came across this song the other day and it fits the very specific niche of like, nostalgic-sounding vocaloid (it sounds very specifically like it was produced in the earlyish 2010s - i don't know how to describe it exactly but if you've listened to a little bit of the genre you might know what i mean?) but also kinda wistful jazz? i know voice synthesiser's aren't everyone's cup of tea but if it sounds like it might be up your alley, would recommend checking this song out! ₊˚⊹♫
Jan 15, 2025
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mostly un/self-taught group of Japanese musicians making the sweetest sounds since the late 90s. Sort of led by Tori Kudo who's also a ceramicist among other things, its just one of those beautiful art practices that defies classification or genres -- linked is a video of Kudo explaining his relationship to the music with some excerpts <3 also most of their albums arent on Spotify so its fun to dig around and find what's what elsewhere! Blues Du Jour is a really good one but its almost all worth an ear
Feb 2, 2024
Shibuya-kei album from the 90s. Insanely cool, whimsical, and groovy. If you're a fan of the Japanese sub-genre of Shibuya-kei or just intrested in listening to some new music, I highly recommend it. Includes lots of sampling and takes inspiration from the Beach Boys, hip-hop, rock, chiptune, and a plethora of other musical genres. My favorite tracks on it are Mic Check and Count Five or Six.
This album is a masterpiece!
P.S. Fun fact: Cornelius' stage name comes from the Planet of the Apes character, Cornelius. His real name is Keigo Oyamada, one half of Flipper's Guitar.
Nov 12, 2024
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In 2006, a YouTube account called Artssiren uploaded a series of clips for an amateur documentary called “New York City Subculture ‘96.” The doc is set in the East Village and mostly features downtown squatters hanging out on St. Marks stoops talking about tattoos, philosophy, and love. Characters include Kia, a topless punk who confronts a pig, Bernie, a squatter who wants to convince you he doesn’t look like a squatter, and Randy, the most emo boy in America. The film was made by Nia Janeen Brown, who now goes by Chloé Le Roux. She deserves a retrospective.
Sep 13, 2022
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It’s a weird way to end a recommendations list, but there are things you should just keep to yourself. Also, you should be comfortable with the fact that there are things from which you’re gatekept. Anyway, thanks for reading my recommendations lol.
Sep 13, 2022
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If you don’t have a DAW like Ableton you can use Audacity, an open source music software, to slow down time. Audacity comes with an effect called Paulstretch, named after an old program called Paul's Extreme Sound Stretch that was used to make this iconic YouTube video. It allows you to slow down audio files by inordinate amounts, turning silly little love songs into monumental drone landscapes. You can discover hidden melodies buried in the waveform and imagine life outside of time.
Sep 13, 2022