Studio Mule: Midnight In Tokyo Vol.2 Vinyl 2LP

Studio Mule hand the reigns over to mailorder hero and enviable selector of Japanese balearic sounds Dubby for their second archival collection. Mule describe Midnight In Tokyo Vol. 2 as a jazz-fusion-focused set, but a few listens reveal it’s more a collection of glossy pop tunes with a jazzy exterior; not too dissimilar from MFM’s recent Uneven Paths comp. If you’re like us and spend the hours of 10-11am blowing off work to scroll Dubby’s site, safe to say you’ll love this. The comp starts ultra-slow with Genji Sawai’s lurching “Hikobae” (don’t be like us and hit the speed change, you had it right the first time) before stepping into more tantalizing fare with the skippy polyrhythms of Today’s Latin Project’s purifying sunrise funk jam “Danza Lucimi” (arranged by Yasuaki Shimizu of Mariah). There’s plenty of the sort of exquisite Nippon soul (Yasunori Soryo & Jim Rocks’ “So Long America,” Shigeru Suzuki’s “On The Coast,” Keiichi Oku's “Heat Wave”) and breezy tropical steppers (Safari’s “Day Dream At Bob’s Beach,” Parachute’s “Mystery Of Asian Port”) that typically fill Dubby’s sets; other highlights include Air Suspension Club Band’s “In The Hot City,” quite possibly the most sanitary funk tune ever recorded (not a diss!), and Katsutoshi Morizono & Bird’s Eye View’s windchime & kalimba-infused bossa cut “Imagery.” 13 tracks total on double vinyl, most (if not all) available on vinyl for the first time ever outside of Japan; easy recommendation.

• double vinyl pressing
• music label: Studio Mule 2018

reviewed by sunrise mart 08/2018