Bend Down And Kiss The Ground

Description

Nagoyaka na Kaze / ????? (Quiet Wind): A collection of avant-garde electronic experiences from central Japan – co-curated by Nagoya artist Abentis for the Wisdom Teeth imprint of Facta & K-LONE. The project traces a close-knit community of musicians operating in and around the Japanese city of Nagoya: one of the most populous and industrial cities in the country, yet often overlooked in terms of cultural significance. Organized in close collaboration with local organizer Yuya Abe – aka abentis – the album seeks to capture the creative energy of a community of artists creating hard-to-define, forward-looking electronic music, away from the hustle and bustle of major cities. “In Nagoya, there is a strong culture of supporting artists. Even if you pursue music in your own way, as long as it’s good, you’re encouraged to keep doing what you want,” explains Abentis. “In this environment, my generation has been able to freely incorporate elements we love from all genres, combine them in our own way, and express ourselves individually. If you go to Tokyo or Osaka, that kind of freedom is not something you can take for granted.” Spiritually, Nagoya aligns with cultural hubs like Bristol, Detroit, or Melbourne, showing that some of the most innovative creative communities form away from the spotlight of capitals. Like Detroit, Nagoya is primarily known as a major automotive manufacturing hub, famous for being the home of Toyota Motors – but behind the scenes, it quietly hosts one of Japan's most dynamic and avant-garde electronic music scenes. “In a good way, Nagoya is a bit off the cutting edge, so you find people making all kinds of music,” explains Karnage. “If you make music, you feel like part of the team, and people of different ages mix without much hierarchy.” The city’s music scene is characterized by a freedom of genre blending and an open approach from creators of all disciplines. The featured artists come from very diverse backgrounds, ranging from hip-hop to noise music, but have found a common collective identity in their omnivorous approach to genre. Thus, the album fluidly oscillates between shimmering ambient and new age (Am Shhara, DHYAN, daiki hayakawa), psychedelic minimal house (Methodd, abentis), abstract and downtempo bass (baptisma, Nasty Soupman), and space steppas (Karnage). “I would say the way ambient, new age, and this kind of sound design blend well with dance music feels a bit new,” says Baptisma, the oldest member of the team and de facto scene leader. Responsible for bringing artists like Basic Channel, Mala, and Jan Jelinek to the city, baptisma has played a crucial role in establishing underground electronic music in Nagoya since the 90s, and is now helping to shape the next generation of local talent. “Artists and DJs effortlessly mix ambient and new age with techno, house, and bass. I think it’s a really interesting development.” Nagoyaka na Kaze finds its roots in a unique event held in October 2024 as part of the 10th anniversary tour of Wisdom Teeth in Japan. Organized by abentis in collaboration with Facta & K-LONE, the showcase featured live sets from eight artists based in Nagoya and its surroundings, at one of the city’s main dance music hubs, Club JB's. Each of the artists appears again here, on record, presenting an original commission produced specifically for the project. The artistic direction of the record was led by Yudai Osawa – in-house designer for Kankyo Records, the highly regarded Tokyo record store run by H. Takahashi – and features original photographs by Hayato Watanabe.