I caught up with Bobb from Singapore in the backstreets of Udagawa-cho, in that cluster of record stores on Cosmic Zaka that include Next Records, Face Records, Manhattan Records, and Mother Records, four shops that are a stone’s throw away from 4 more shops – Perfect Circle, Jammers, HMV, and Rock and Roll Music Garden, which are a stone throw away from 4 more… In fact, I got a fairly definitive count on record stores in Shibuya. Care to take a guess? 37 Record shops in SHIBUYA ALONE! Insane!
Back to Bobb and the record he scored, Nujabes, the beloved and gone-too-early chillpop pioneer, who is holding his own as one of the most photographed artists on Tokyo Record Style so far. Although this is the first time I have photographed this particular album, this is the 3rd or 4th Nujabes appearance in the series. After photographing Bob… (random sidenote to self: this area, seemingly photogenic and well-lit, actually has too many light sources reflecting from too many different directions, that end up creating a cacophony of light that just never seems to work, no matter how hard I try. In other words, not a good place for flattering portraits, make note.) …Bob and I walked to HMV where I showed him the new Sound Burger (he mentioned not actually owning a record player yet, too tight a flat) and where he explained to me that the renewed interest in Nujabes might have to do with that some of his records have recently been repressed after being out of print for many years. Great for Nujabes fans!
While walking between shops, I asked Bobb what he gets up to for work or fun in Singapore and he busted out a pretty popular Instagram he runs, that shows his work creating custom small-run sneakerhead drops, with very limited collaborative mash-up designs that he comes up with himself, using say, something like a Nujabes record cover (or an anime character, or a famous athlete’s uniform, an iconic car from a movie, and so on) as inspiration. Looks like Bob garners quite a lot of hype and attention for his sneaker drops, so if you’re a sneakerhead, go check him out if you don’t know him already – some really amazing and creative designs! Thanks for the hang, Bobb!
Nujabes – Metaphorical Music
Label: Hyde Out Productions – HOLP-002
Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, Limited Edition, Reissue
Country: Japan
Released: Nov 3, 2018
Genre: Electronic, Hip Hop, Jazz
Style: Conscious, Jazzy Hip-Hop, Hip Hop, Downtempo, Easy Listening, Instrumental
https://www.discogs.com/release/12639854-Nujabes-Metaphorical-Music
Try Best Offer Score
On Instagram