It’s the kind of texas mickey music experience that any seasoned sound aficionado dreams of. I did my darndest to stuff my ears with the unstoppable geyser of music that is Fuji Rock fest. Here’s some of my top picks!

1. Paranoid Void
These girls rock (like seriously rock) and were in many ways exactly what I was hoping I’d see at Fuji Rock. Undiscovered, up and coming musical talent that I can brag to my friends I saw first before they got big and ‘sold-out’. No, but seriously this 3 piece instrumental, math-rock group from Osaka blew up the ROOKIE A GOGO stage Friday night and will melt you face if you are ever lucky enough to see them live.

Report here

2. TAMTAM
Smooth, soul, sincerity, this group is the Japanese indie dream I never knew I had. With a full extended band performing with them at the Gypsy Avalon stage, they effortlessly moved between rock, funk and even Rnb. From rockin’ ‘Rick and Morty’ t shirts on stage to having songs named after my home country, I think we were meant to be.

Read here

3. George Porter Jr & Friends
Ok, so I tried to focus mostly on fairly niche, independent artists in my schedule but this legend was just too good to pass up! The original bass player of the funk-defining group ‘The Meters’ the 71 year old veteran laid down a literal masterclass in funk at the Field of Heaven stage Saturday evening.

Further funk

4. The Paradise Bankok Molam International Band
Despite the mouthful of a name, this group brought a seriously fun and funky set to the Field of Heaven Sunday afternoon. Traditional Thai instruments mixed with thick drums and groovy basslines, it’s the psychedelic slice of SE Asian sounds you never knew you’d been craving.

Paradise here

5. Nicola Cruz
Traditional Ecuadorian elements mixed with modular synthesizers wrapped in a dancefloor friendly empanada. A special late night set at the looming Red Marquee stage.

Need I say more?

A special mention goes to the live sound engineers and stage crews at Fuji Rock fest. If you consider yourself somewhat of a sound otaku as I, Fuji Rock will definitely hit all the right buttons. All of the 16 stages sounded great 100% of the time, which is really not an easy feat!

The group was born out of the ‘Paradise Bangkok’ regular club nights that started in 2009. DJs and collectors Chris Menist and Maft Sai, would flip through stacks of vinyl, playing everything from African, Caribbean and of course rare thai grooves. In many ways that melting pot, global vibe is still very much alive through the sound of the band with a firm footing also in traditional Thai music and heritage.

The band encompasses many genres of music, but the North-Eastern style of ‘Molam’ with it’s pulsating rhythms and psychedelic scores, brings much of it’s soul. From funk to rock and traditional Thai to dub, the group cooks up a mean tye-dye pad thai of sound. In many ways its a sound that can be enjoyed anytime, but really it should be served fresh and consumed immediately in the live setting.

That fine, sunny setting was the Field of Heaven Stage at Fuji Rock, Sunday afternoon at 1:40 pm. The Band eased into some smooth funk numbers before diving into the more rapid fire psychedelic crowd pleasers. Traditional Thai elements sat neatly within the beefy sound of the bass guitar and snappy drums. Kammao Perdtanon playing the traditional phin lute, brings the group a great deal of it’s personality and instantly amicable flair. Happy playing his stringed instrument he effortlessly laces the airwaves with wafting notes of nostalgia and nature. the veteran Sawai Kaewsombat on the khaen (which is a large pan pipe instrument) added yet another dimension of traditional thai sound, completing the balance of classic and contemporary.

As they veered into their last track ‘Lam San Disco’ they had the crowd throughly vexxed with their unique blend of Thai fusion and irresistible uplifting stage presence. They are definitely a group that has to be enjoyed live, and if you ever get the chance, then get ready for a refreshing splash of paradise.

With most members of the group around 20 years of age, there’s no doubt that their musical prowess is still developing. That being said, despite their young age, each member of the group has a musical skill set well beyond their years.

The driving rhythm and solid backing of the group is none other than drummer Daisuke. With a tight and funky style, it’s the foundation in which the group can work within. And goto work they definitely do, Bass player Hinata adds that extra bit of structure to the drums which the rest of the band can continue to build on.

Kanta, the guitar player, certainly adds his own flavourful style and touch. From pitter-patter funk chords to groovy scales and progressions, the mid range is largely pinned from his smooth playing and ability.

Alto, makes up the keys of the group and is as comfortable backing the band as he is in the middle of a breakneck solo.

Lastly sax player Yasuo really pulls everything together and gives the group it’s voice and brassy groove.

Yazeka is exactly what ROOKIE A GOGO is all about, a group of cohesive and skilled musicians steadily finding their stride, and just remember, since the beginning you were along for the ride.

Donning his special live setup based around Ableton Live and a rack of modular synths, this digital / analog hybrid approach provides the best of both worlds. You get the ease and arrangement possibilities of Ableton with the richness and endless sound design possibilities of modular. Cruz takes full advantage of this setup by slowly and unhurriedly transitioning from traditional pan flute modulations to more modern minimal techno excursions. His set Friday was actually leaning a bit on the latter compared to the previous performances I’ve seen, no doubt playing to the late night electronic crowd of the Red Marquee.

The visuals were equally otherworldly, contributing to a complete audio/visual experience. Rotating Meteorites and various 3d abstractions danced alongside the cascading waterfalls of organic sound. Although just the first official night of the festival, the energy levels already felt high and the crowd was on board for every twist and turn.

Rather than simply rapping over pre-recorded tracks, Fresino had his whole band backing him up on stage for a lively, full sound that just can’t be replaced. That sound definitely has some mass appeal with eager fans joining in on some of the tracks word for word. The cloud rap wave that took the internet by storm a few years ago seems to have garnered him some serious attention here in Japan.

Attention is something he can definitely handle, which a commanding stage presence that brought the room under his spell. Having spent two years in New York, his style has an international flair with his lyrics even quickly flipping between both English and Japanese. Using the full width of the stage to launch lyrical hooks and phrases at the pulsing crowd, the show felt like it was a well-honed hype machine. Undoubtably there will be many more intoxicating moments for the young rapper in the years to come.

From their music being used in influential films and TV shows to touring internationally, their unique discography of both English-language and Japanese releases brings with it a certain international appeal. Not to mention their animated, high energy performances are unforgettable in any language!

Starting off their set with a bang, the band launched into ‘Arab no Yuki’ from their recently released album ‘Dream Baby Dream’. The arabic style percussion creates an infectious groove while Nakano’s powerful vocals added another layer of swing. The duo were joined by a full band for their performance with the horn section adding yet another layer of punch and sound.

The band is a festival favourite here in Japan and with their unique mix of Jazz, Rock and Pop it’s easy to see why. The band was air tight, the music is creative and varied and Nakano’s irresistible stage presence could pull about any soaked festival goer right back in froth of the stage.

And there was good reason that the audience was staying put regardless of the weather, it’s not everyday you get to see a funk legend in the flesh. For those of you unfamiliar with Porter Jr. he was the bassist and singer of the 60s American funk group ‘The Meters’ and along with keyboardist Art Neville formed the blueprint for modern funk and soul music. Although they rarely enjoyed significant mainstream success, it was their innovative approach to chunky and heavy, mostly instrumental funk, that has influenced generations of musicians since.

Of course, you can’t have funk without the bassline and Porter most certainly brought the undeniable low down groove yesterday in full force. Other than a funky and fun start-to-finish set, what perhaps struck me the most is just how tight the New Orleans legend still is at 71 years of age! Some established artists sometimes ride the coattails of their previous success, organizing reunion tour after reunion tour and playing their same old hits. Porter on the other hand, sounds to only be getting better with age, bringing forth a wide ranging set of classics and contemporary sounds.

As the soaked crowd cheered for more, George Porter and his band strut back out onto the stage for an encore of the 1974 classic ‘People Say’ by the Meters. It was the perfect funk fuelled feast for the final finale!

The group was originally formed from the vision of Eddie Roberts (The New Mastersounds) and Alan Evans (Soulive) and features a selection of hand-picked artists each with their own unique background and skill set.

Yesterday, those skills were definitely put on show as the 6-piece slid between high energy funk tracks and velvety smooth soul songs. A large part of that smoothness came from the silky vocals of Adryon de León and Kimberly Dawson. Adryon was born and raised in the small town of Ojai, California and was surrounded by music from an early age singing in a Baptist congregation. This soulful start combined with a later interest in musical theatre has resulted in a sound that can only be described as dramatic yet compassionate. Combined with the powerful singing of Dawson, the two makeup the unforgettable voice of the group.

Backing the vocals is an all star cast of instrumentalists. Alan Evans rhythmic repertoire was on full display yesterday as the drums ranged from snappy funk to floating soulful polyrhythms. Eddie Roberts’ guitar playing was bluesy and chugging with just the right amount of grit and distortion. Keyboardist Chris Spies kept the soulful stabs light and floaty while bassist Kevin Scott glued everything together down low.

Yesterday was as simple as that, 6 masters of their craft jamming out and having a good time. Their energy and soulful spirit was infectious throughout the entire set and kept the crowd smiling and warm despite the downpour.

Well you might just have an experience as powerful as all three of these if you are ever lucky enough to catch the three piece, all-girl, math rock group from Osaka, Japan- ‘Paranoid Void.’ The three took aim at Fuji Rock’s ‘ROOKIE A GO-GO’ stage last night from 2 – 2:30 am, and positively set it afloat.

With the popularity of vocal driven pop music often satiating the masses in America and Japan, it’s refreshing to see a largely instrumental group making waves. In many ways I would argue that the depth of expression and diversity of sound can actually be quite a bit deeper when freed from the confines of vocals. And deep they most certainly go; the group really is a triple threat- musicality, originality and aesthetics.

First lets talk about the musicality of the group, each member has an extensive skill set in their own right and their cohesive sound was on full feature last night. Mipow, the drummer of the group, has a nice hard-edged energy keeping the drums cracking and tight. The percussive rhythms never feel rushed or crowded and instead provide just the right amount of framework for the guitars to work within. And goto to work they most certainly do, YU-KI the bass player is quite simply on another level. Slap bass or finger picked, she flips between styles, keys and rhythms like it’s her morning coffee. She devours solos, consumes complicated scales and progressions, and eats up difficult sequences like an after-dinner tea. On top of that incredibly solid combination of bass and drums is definitely the cherry on top, Meguri on guitar. She flips effortlessly between long reverb-soaked sequences and shredding Nirvana-inspired grunge solos. The energy, grit and saturation of the guitar lines are everything good we like in the instrument and are the perfect accompaniment to the drums and bass.

But just being a ridiculously talented musical trio isn’t all the group has to offer, they’ve also got a very original approach and aesthetic. Often drums and bass are meant to be backing the guitars of the group which do most of the talking in an instrumental outfit, but ‘Paranoid Void’ does things a little differently. Flipping easily between bass as the main voice or electric guitar taking the lead, it’s really impressive just how much sound and variety the three piece can muster.

If you’re a fan of Nirvana, the Smashing Pumpkins, tastily overdriven distorted guitars, or experimental forward thinking sounds, then Paranoid Void should most definitely be on your radar!

We were treated to an all vinyl jam yesterday from Eastern Standard sounds core members- Smiley Song, Moho, and Cheong Dahl. Each with their own unique breadth of experience and musical history, all three brought a little different flavour and spice to the slowly simmering afternoon dance floor.

Smiley started things off with a tasty mix of 45s, drifting from bass heavy dubs to trumpet-tinged tracks, even sprinkling some of his own delay-drenched vocals on top adding a nice live element. Smiley is a prominent figure in the Korean reggae scene, wearing many hats from melodica player and percussionist to producer and selector. He’s worked with Alpha Steppa and legendary Alpha & Omega, and has been collaborating and making dubplates with many artists from Europe and Japan.

Next up, Moho mixed things up with some rocksteady, roots and vocal backed tracks. Favouring 12 inch records more than Smiley’s 45 set, the longer mixes added some nice pacing to the dub-wise showcase.

Lastly Cheong Dahl brought the set to a skanking, high energy conclusion. Specializing in classic Ska from the early 60s, Dahl brought the simmering dance floor to a boil with a series of seamless mixes and infectious riddims. Dahl is no stranger to top notch selections, with a long personal history of reggae and dub album collaborations and even acting as an organizer for ‘Rise Again’ the largest reggae festival in Korea. He’s also the trumpet player for critically acclaimed Korean live reggae group ‘NST & the Soul Sauce’.

All in all, their set was a great balance between musicality, danceability and got my Fujirock weekend started off (skankin’) on the right foot!