The 34th installment of our humble little podcast comes from London’s Last Japan, one of the most exciting producers the capital has produced in recent years. Mixing and cutting at breakneck speed is the name of the game as Last Japan delivers a mixtape that soars between the sublime and the gritty with fast cuts and a breakneck mixing style.
While you may remember Last Japan aka Marco Giuliani from the success of his recent EPs ‘Ambush’ (Lo Note UK) and ‘East’ (Bullet Train Records), it is his mixtapes that are turning the heads of critics and fans alike. A particularly successful mix for Ransom Note saw Giuliani blend grime, UK garage and classic Warp-esque electronica.
His is certainly a more thoughtful interpretation of the grime and dubstep derivatives, having been compared to such forward-thinking producers as T.Williams, Jamie Grind and Champion. One could just as easily add Om Unit to that list as his bewildering approach to time signatures and compositional structure leave no melodic stone unturned.
With all that in mind, you can imagine how exciting it is to have him contribute to our series. Classics from Snoop Dogg and Pharrell sit comfortably beside new smashers from Girl Unit, Clipse, Mickey Pearce and Teeth in a shuffling, bass-driven explosion of melodic synth washes and ghetto outbursts. One can see from the outset that is tutelage under Marco Del Horno has not been wasted.
01. Clipse – Mr. Me Too
02. Snoop Dogg – Drop It Like It’s Hot feat. Pharrell
03. Bambounou – Brawl
04. Girl Unit – Ensemble
05. Rumah – E1
06. Glutaral – Alcahol
07. Mickey Pearce – Tempted (F+ck Tonoto Edit)
08. Trusta – Feels So
09. Teeth – Busy Crack
10. Bad Autopsy – Ginmixer
11. Last Japan – Storm Trooper
12. Lazerpiff – Lose My Breath
13. Pearson Sound – Blanked
14. Last Japan – Tactics
15. Guido – Flow
16. My Nu Leng – Damp (Last Japan’s 4:44am Remix)
Download: Last Japan – KOTJ Radio Episode 34
