While walking to my bike after a long day at work, a captivating neon light coming a staircase below, led me on an unexpected adventure in Daikanyama. What appeared to be a tiny, two-seat restaurant concealed a secret world beyond, a hidden door revealed Débris, an underground speakeasy blending, music, art, and unique “medicinal” cocktails. Inside, I was warmly welcomed by Miyu Yuka, and DJ Arow, pictured here. Miyu, the bartender introduced me to their signature ginger soda and explained that their offerings are inspired by Chinese herbal ‘kompo’ traditions. Despite the early hour and a quiet atmosphere, they graciously […]
Tokyo Record Style
Antti Lehtinen
The world gets smaller through music. The first contact I made with friendly, photographer / skateboarder / developer / record-store owner, Antti from Finland was in May of last year. He wrote to me saying he found me out on the intertubes somewhere, here or there, and that he had just returned home to Jyväskylä after a trip to Japan, so invigorated by his stay, that he was already planning his next trip. We kept an exchange going and about half a year later in December, I got a message from Antti with an update that he was in Sydney […]
Tokyo Record Style
Cristina Marie Deane
“Cristina! What the hell are you doing here?” “Just picking up Björk’s Homogenic on wax.” “Wait… you’re just picking up Björk’s Homogenic ..at Tower …for yourself?” “Yeah, you gotta problem with that?” “No, but why?” “Cuz it’s a great fucking album. One of my favorites.” “No, I mean why have we known and worked with each other for years and years and this is the first time I’m hearing of you collecting records?” “Cuz there’s a lotta shit you don’t know about me, Brian. Now can I go enjoy my record?” “Yes, Yes! …by all means! Go enjoy!” Well, it […]
Tokyo Record Style
Eero Kovisto
My career as a creative in Japan has afforded me the chance to meet some very luminary characters across the projects I do. Swedish architect and designer, Eero Koivisto, best known as one-third of Claesson Koivisto Rune (CKR), the Stockholm-based studio he co-founded with Mårten Claesson and Ola Rune in 1995 is one such character. The few times I’ve met Eero, have all be in professional contexts; Japan has been inviting him here since the 90s where he’s both studied on scholarships and worked for some incredible clients on some awe-inspiring design, from the Sfera Building in Kyoto to the […]
Tokyo Record Style
David Hughes
Being the oldest of 5 kids, I never had any older brothers or sisters who turned me onto Led Zeppelin or The Who, or who took me to a Dead show or hipped me to Dylan, or who pontificated on the sophistication of Rush or Genesis. Sure, music was on in the car always, and my parents allegedly saw Hendrix and Deep Purple and loved Motown and the Beatles, but music was not exactly “in the air” in my house growing up. I always had to rely on my Casey Kasem on my radio walkman, Sam Goody at the mall, […]
Tokyo Record Style
Doc Martin
“Music is a celebration of life.” I had the great privilege to tap into dance party culture in the late 90s and early 00s via Unity Gain (if you know, you know.) It was through IVY, Psychonaut, and Liondub that I got hip to techno, house, dub and dancehall, and there was a chapter where concerts and live gigs gave way to raves and house parties, a trend I brought with me to Tokyo back when we’d dance till noon at Yellow, Womb, Ageha, Air, and Unit. Though I didn’t go miles deep into all the names and players on […]
Tokyo Record Style
Asada
Asada and I were rushing past each other in opposite directions somewhere in the middle of Shibuya Station’s massive redevelopment project when I spotted him with an Ultra Shibuya Record Store Bag. I “Oh Oh Oh’d” him and proceeded to give him the pitch and asked hat he thought about sharing a couple of minutes with me and talking about the records that he scored. As I recall his girlfriend wasn’t all too pleased about the proposition, and I wondered as I took his photo, if he was more concerned about disappointing me or her. Asada didn’t “give” me much […]
Tokyo Record Style
Elmi and Sasha
Writing can be so easy. And it can be so hard. Sometimes writing requires absolutely nothing but a clear moment, a clear sheet of paper, a simple breath. Sometimes it requires more than anything and everything in the world, taking every fiber in your body, ignoring every excuse you know to just respond with one single word to that clear sheet of paper. It’s not exactly easy. And yet it is… I’ll leave it at that and you can gather what you will knowing that these photos of Sasha and Elmi were made nearly a year ago, in the LAST […]
Tokyo Record Style
Kokoe (and Kouki)
Meet Kokoe (and Kouki)! I actually met them last year at Replace Records in Nishiogikubo last year and it’s only now I’m getting around to sharing our encounter! Kokoe was a victim of being in the wrong place at the right time, or the right place at the wrong time, you decide. Days before I had spotted, at Replace, a rare and coveted, first Japanese pressing of Rocket to Russia by the Ramones, with a lovely Obi that really made the cover pop, posted the image I took of it maybe on my Instagram, soon after which Tony from the […]
Tokyo Record Style
Tony – Celebrated Summer Records
Tony is the real deal. Last summer I got a message from a stranger saying he had discovered my YouTube channel, and that he owned a record shop in Baltimore, Maryland and that he’s been making frequent record shopping trip to Japan over the last 20 or so years. He said his name was Tony and his record shop was called “Celebrated Summer Records” …(thinks to self, “Where I have I heard that name before, “Celebrated Summer”? Isn’t that a Hüske Dü tune?) Soon enough I was pursuing Tony’s online photos and getting a few glimpses of his Record Shop, […]
Tokyo Record Style
Mio
Dead middle of August, possibly the hottest weekend of the year. By 10am the heat was oppressive, the humidity was inescapable, it was like being in an oven. Despite being just a stone’s throw from Tokyo Bay, not so much as a light breeze would help take the edge off. And there we were, a family of four, walking back and forth, a kilometer or two, between stadium and convention center at Chiba’s Makuhari Messe, to see the bands of the Summer Sonic Music Festival, most of whom I admittedly did not know. It was to be an adventure for […]
Tokyo Record Style
Tom Tom
I had the great fortune of working in a diner in the 90s and early 00s where people sat at the counter for hours, drinking coffee refills and doing the crosswords. Not unlike bartending, it was a kind of hard knocks education in human nature, and not just want made people tick, but what made YOU tick. Could you maintain an ongoing conversation with a regular or navigate a conversation with a (read: “every”) stranger. I never remember a time in life lacking “people” skill but my few years at the diner honed my gift gab. And it proved handy […]
Tokyo Record Style
Thijs and Victoria
Niekerk, Netherlands, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Miami FLA, Boulder and Denver, Colorado, Tokyo, Japan! These two song birds have a love story that goes around the world. YouTube homie (soundofminder), Thijs and Lovely Victoria are owed a special kind of Tokyo Record Style award for two of the most patiently waiting subjects the project has known. So much time had passed from the time of our initial encounter at Shibuya’s infamous Tower Records and the FIRST time that followed up with them (in hopes they they could help me make sense of my chicken-scratch notes), however if you compare it to […]
Tokyo Record Style
Michael and Jessika
Michael and Jessika Ok, here we go again… Sincere apologies to all that it’s taken me a full half year and change to get back on this horse. It got moved to the back burner while I fully throttled the Tokyo Record Style YouTube channel (which has actually become NEARLY as equally rewarding a type of storytelling – please follow), but photos and prose are in my blood, and now it’s time to bring this back to the front burner. My only hope is that the next sabbatical isn’t nearly as long. But hey, these things have their own way, […]
