Ichi-ban ongaku desu!
This is going to be a rather short post, containing exactly what the title promises: a bunch of cool music with Japanese tint to it, available for free. Yes, you've heard that one correctly, not a penny.
The first album, approprietly entitled Nihon (meaning Japan in Japanese), is an eclectic mix with very definitive influences from the Land of the Rising Sun that comes from Naturetone. The music can be slightly strange at times, as if it was meant to accompany a bad trip, but this is obviously intended and some of the tracks are just brilliant. The production values are very good: Nihon could very well be a commercial release. Here is what its author says about his creation:
It's a full-length tribute to the music and culture of Japan, blending live instruments, synthesizers and Golden Era Hip Hop production influences.
I would never qualify it as hip hop, but then again, I know next to nothing on how to write about music, so I guess I'll have to live with this description. The album can be downloaded from Bandcamp or from other sources.
The rest of the music comes from a band called The Kyoto Connection. The description from Free Albums Galore blog states that their music is "chilled out electro-pop mixed with a generous amount of Japanese sounds". It might very well be, I don't know, but what counts is that these tracks make for very enjoyable listening, quite different in tone than Nihon, but also very pleasing to the ear. My personal favourite is Samurai Spirit (not to be mistaken with certain game series). In case the links are down, you can find The Kyoto Connection on Jamendo.
So there you have it. Like it? Hate it? Let me know via comments. As for me, both Naturetone and The Kyoto Connection's music is my cup of o-cha.
