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Takemura Nobukazu |
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Takemura Nobukazu |
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Profile |
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As one of the most prolific artists to emerge from Japan's club scene, Takemura Nobukazu's music defines the "defies categorization" label. All cliches aside, Takemura's compositions are frequently dense, long, and punctuated by elements from glitch electronia and free jazz. The resulting works run the gamut from minimalistic to rhythmically complex, but are grounded with a sense of playfulness, a characteristic motif in Takemura's music that often surfaces in his aliases (Child's Play) or album names. If anything his music can be likened to a virus - highly infectious and constantly mutating into new forms.
Takemura hails from Osaka, and took an early shine to music at the age of ten, when he was first exposed to punk and new wave. Working at a record store in his teens, his horizons were broadened by jazz (especially Coltrane) and hip-hop, and he made his entry in the music world during high school as a DJ in Kyoto. In 1988 he joined Audio Sports (which included Yamatsuka Eye of the Boredoms) and performed under the name Spiritual Vibes.
In 1994, Takemura's debut album Child's View showcased his eclecticism with styles ranging from jazz and classical to drum and bass, resulting in a style quite similar to American indie rock experimentalists Tortoise (with whom Takemura later collaborated). With his next recording, 1997's Child & Magic, Takemura's music began to change directions towards more experimental electronica as minimalist influences seeped into his sound.
Takemura emerged in 1999 under the moniker Child's View to release his impressive album Funfair, which also featured two of his creative inspirations in Brian Eno and Robert Wyatt. In the same year he was commissioned to write music for a fashion event, which later appeared as the albums Finale and Milano. His music continued to evolve with the release of Scope and 12-inch Meteor, also in 1999, the former being litterally a collage of sounds and samples, showcasing his increasing affinity for glitch stylings.
Takemura's creative output remained substantial, as he collaborated with Tortoise for 2001's Sign and later designed the sounds for Sony's robot dog Aibo. On 2002's 10th, he experimented with vocals recorded using a "speech synth," a communication tool developed to help the physically handicapped speak. He also recorded with Otomo Yoshihide the next year for Turntables and Computers. The album featured Takemura on the laptop and Otomo on turntables for an expansive jam lasting over 45 minutes. While Takemura hasn't been heard from since 2003's re-release of Songbook, it is highly unlikely the world has seen the last of him.
- James Route (published 2005.02.27, updated Unknown) |
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Links |
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Artist homepage
Childisc
Samples |
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Discography list |
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| Albums |
| TFCC-88312 |
Child's View |
| TFCC-88205 |
Child's View Remix |
| WPC6-8399 |
Child and Magic |
| BC-022 |
Funfair |
| WPC-610017 |
Milano-Nobukazu Takemura for Issay Miyake Men by Naoki Takizawa |
| THRILL 068 |
Scope |
| Unknown |
Finale |
| thrill 094 |
Hoshi no Koe |
| Unknown |
Sign |
| XLTD 005 |
Water's Suite |
| CHCD-030 |
Animate |
| Unknown |
10th |
| BC-041 |
Songbook |
| dat-2/headz14 |
Turntables and Computers |
Singles |
| Thrill 12. 13 |
Meteor |
| B-BOY 004 |
Picnic/Oyasumi |
| B-BOY 008 |
Hiking/Viking |
| Unknown |
Mahou no Hiroba |
| Thrill 12.25 |
Mimic Robot |
EPs |
| CHEP-011 |
Recursion EP |
| CHEP-013 |
Animate EP |
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Meteor (Single)
Released: 1999 (Thrill 12. 13)
Label: Thrill Jockey
Tracklist
1. Meteor
2. Wax and Wane (Original Version) |
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Funfair (Album)
Released: 1999 (BC-022)
Label: Bubble Core Records
Tracklist
1. The Cradle of Light
2. Sabur
3. Pendulum
4. Assi Que Dodo
5. After Image
6. Sabure |
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Child and Magic (Album)
Released: 1997 (WPC6-8399)
Label: Warner Music Japan
Tracklist
1. Solitary Walker
2. Bright Time to Come
3. Travels of Italy
4. The Back of the Moon
5. Curious Child
6. Mirrors in Mirror
7. Child with Animals in the Forest
8. Toybox with Moonshine
9. Long Long Night
10. At the Lakeside
11. Image of Time
12. White Dot
13. Clown and Crown
14. A Reader of Tale
15. Wizard in Circus
16. Timewarp
17. Birth
18. Une Mort Tres Douce |
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Child's View Remix (Album)
Released: 1995 (TFCC-88205)
Label: Toys Factory
Tracklist
1. Searching (Roni Size Remix)
2. For Tomorrow (Out-of-Phase Mix)
3. Crescent (Coldcut Remix)
4. The Lake of Winter (Wagon Christ Mix)
5. Reflect Tomorrow
6. Let my Fish Loose (Aphex Twin Mix)
7. Crescent (Mad's Trippy Remix)
8. Crescent (Ninja Logical Remix) |
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Child's View (Album)
Released: 1994 (TFCC-88312)
Label: Bellissima Records/Toys Factory
Tracklist
1. Phases of the Moon
2. For Tomorrow (Childlike Mix)
3. Ivory Tower
4. Searching
5. Another Root (Menelik's Rap Mix)
6. Rill
7. Crescent (Monika's Universe Mix)
8. The Future with Hope (Sample and Hold Mix)
9. Time and Space
10. Pastral Waltz
11. Ill at Ease
12. Let My Fish Loose
13. Science Fiction (Menelik's Rap Edit Mix)
14. One Blue Moment
15. Serene
16. The Lake of Winter |
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