I Stumbled On This Awesome Japanese Jazzy Pop Album While Sample-Hunting
Curiosity about a Tyler, The Creator sample led me to a criminally under-listened album!
Hello, wonderful subscribers! Before I deliver the 15 Songs I Was Digging Last Week, I want to share with you an album I discovered this weekend. It’s really great and I want to inject it into my veins.
On Friday night, Doechii broke the sound barrier at a Tyler, The Creator show when she showed up to do her verse on “Balloon” off Tyler’s latest album. Watching the video inspired me to, once for all, investigate a clap sample in that song that, to me, sounded near-identical to the claps in “Pass That Dutch” by Missy Elliott. So, off I went to check what exactly is sampled in the song “Balloon.”
I couldn’t find anything on the clapping, but I did listen to a Japanese jazz/pop song that was listed as a sample.
Here’s a snippet of “ヨ・ロ・コ・ビ” by Akiko Yano, which is sampled heavily in the track “Balloon”:
And here’s “Balloon”:
I was so impressed by this sample that I immediately scurried off to its source: A 1978 jazzy pop album To Ki Me Ki (ト･キ･メ･キ) from Akiko Yano. And now I am addicted to it. The chord changes in the opening track sold me. When I heard those, I knew I was in for a treat.
It’s the type of 1978 album that you listen to and, every so often, you remember it’s from 1978 and you go, “Holy shit this is from 1978?????”.
Please enjoy it! I certainly have. And if you have any album recs similar to this one, please leave them in the comments!
Listen to the album here:
Spotify | Apple | YouTube Music | TIDAL | Amazon
Have a great Sunday and STAY CURIOUS:
