After making waves with 88Rising, RHYME SO has started streaming a new collaboration with Vietnam's up-and-coming artist, Táo!

“magick feat. tao” Jacket Cover

Shinichi Osawa (MONDO GROSSO), a leading DJ and music producer from Japan, and RHYME, an Australian poet, performer, DJ, and track maker, have formed a unit and made a remarkable debut under 88rising as RHYME SO.

Their upcoming release "magick feat. Tao" includes Vietnamese rapper Táo and offers relentless and intense lyrics in Vietnamese, English, and Japanese, presenting a noisy and discordant global mandala-patterned HIP HOP.  The track which is available across all digital streaming platforms, features Táo capturing the fleeting nature of contemporary life, the feelings of helplessness in creation, emptiness, and cyclical incompetence. Responding to these sentiments, RHYME expresses, "I want to be your magician."

The discontinuous and disjointed beats by Osawa are, nevertheless, sophisticated and fluid, resonating with modern industrial hip-hop. Be sure to check out “magick feat. Tao” on all streaming platforms here!

---

About RHYME SO

RHYME SO is a dance music duo consisting of Shinichi Osawa, a leading DJ and music producer from MONDO GROSSO in Japan, and RHYME, an Australian poet, performer, DJ, and track maker. By combining Osawa's beats, which have consistently rocked the dance floor, with RHYME's sharp and witty interpretation of modern life in their lyrics, they produce avant-garde club sounds, heralding a new era in electronic music.

Their debut single in 2019, "Just Used Music Again," was released under 88rising and was also included in 88rising's compilation "Head In The Clouds II." It was added to popular playlists on various streaming services and garnered attention from international music media. In the spring of 2020, they released "Fashion Blogger," a disco track adorned with RHYME's cynical and witty lyrics.The video, set in a fictional world of figure skating and featuring MILK from the former RuPaul's Drag Race, reached 2 million views on YouTube. In 2021, they released "Poseable" under 88rising. In 2023, they collaborated with the British POP STAR Sophie Ellis-Bextor, releasing a cover of Malcolm McLaren's "DEEP IN VOGUE." They continue to broadcast cutting-edge music from Tokyo to the world.

NAQT VANE release new digital single NIGHTINGALE!

‘NIGHTINGALE’ Jacket Cover

Popular ensemble group NAQT VANE have released their sixth digital single, ‘NIGHTINGALE’, on Friday, October 27 available across all digital streaming platforms. The song is named after the nightingale, a bird known for its beautiful birdsong. The song expresses the bird’s natural beauty, calmness and tranquillity.

The jacket image is a collaboration between NAQT VANE members/art directors Classic 6 and photographer ayakaendo, presenting a perfect balance between NAQT VANE’s creative sense and the elegant tones of ayakaendo’s photography.

The song focuses on the simple beauty of life, referred to in the lyrics as “The nightingale’s song”, as we listen to the voice of nature, connect with it, flourish, and pass it forward – protecting it as it protects us. We humans coexist with nature in a symbiotic relationship, and the lyrics speak of the importance of respecting the world around us as we live our lives – the unique beauty and irreplaceable existence of nature, humans and animals. We are imperfect creatures whose very existence leaves unintended scars on nature; yet there is always meaning to being born on planet Earth. These are the epic themes NAQT VANE grapple with on ‘NIGHTINGALE’.

The music video features visuals inspired by the movie ‘Six Singing Women’, for which ‘NIGHTINGALE’ is the theme song. Who is the mysterious woman the boy saw deep in the forest? Was it a dream or reality? Right from the start, the music video draws viewers into a fantastical, beautiful world of nature. Be sure to check out the music video for ‘NIGHTINGALE’ below, along with the streaming link for the track here!

LIL LEAGUE Brings the Hype Up with Latest Release!

‘HYPE UP’ Digital Jacket Cover

LIL LEAGUE, a dance/vocal/rap group whose members have an average age of 16 and who made their debut in January this year, have released their latest single, ‘HYPE UP’. 

The lyrics are based on a carnival theme, while the music is based on Brazilian baile funk, making for an ambitious and cool combination.

LIL LEAGUE unveiled ‘HYPE UP’ for the first time this summer, when they performed it on stage during their domestic hall tour, titled LIL LEAGUE LIVE TOUR 2023 “LIL GATEWAY”. They also performed it at this summer’s Mezamashi Live, a festival in Tokyo held by Fuji TV. The choreography features a different dance for each chorus, and was devised by the members themselves. This is the dance tune fans have been waiting for!

With less than a year since their debut, LIL LEAGUE continue to release a variety of new music. ‘HYPE UP’ shows another new side to this group as they continue to grow Be sure to check out the streaming link for ‘HYPE UP’ here!

Long awaited ‘Initial D’ sequel ‘MF GHOST’ opening theme gets CD release!

‘Jungle Fire’ Jacket Cover

MF GHOST, the new anime series that is a successor to classic street racing series Initial D, began broadcasting in October. The show’s opening theme song, ‘JUNGLE FIRE feat. MOTSU’ by Yu Serizawa, has been highly acclaimed by fans – and now it is available on CD!

This song made a surprise appearance when it was performed at Animelo Summer Live 2023 -AXEL-, an event held at Saitama Super Arena in Japan this summer, with anime song fans hyped for its release. The full-length version of the song and its music video were released digitally on October 9, and fans in Japan and around the world left comments hailing it as “Authentic Eurobeat”, “A song that feels like a true successor to ‘Initial D’” and “A masterpiece worthy of a new generation of the high-speed street racing legend”. Others wrote “The times and the show itself may change, but some things remain the same even as they evolve” and “The two artists have amazing chemistry”, further highlighting the burning fervor this song has attracted and the importance it holds as part of ‘MF GHOST’.

Within about a week of its release, the music video has achieved over half a million plays, and its popularity led neatly to the CD release.

‘JUNGLE FIRE’ is sung by Yu Serizawa, a member of voice actor/idol hybrid unit i☆Ris who is also active as a solo artist; Serizawa celebrated her 5th anniversary last year and is currently on her fourth solo live tour. As a voice actor, she plays the role of Nozomi Kitahara in ‘MF GHOST’. MOTSU is a member of the Japanese group m.o.v.e, and he worked on all of the opening theme songs to the ‘Initial D’ anime series and films, creating his deep connection with ‘MF GHOST’.

Performed by these two key artists, ‘JUNGLE FIRE’ has a kinetic feel that is perfectly suited as the opening to ‘MF GHOST’, a show about high-speed car racing battles. The song has the addictive nature of Eurobeat, and is guaranteed to rev your engine.

Don’t miss ‘MF GHOST’, an anime series that has earned its high position on the starting grid, and check out its awesome opening and closing theme songs. Be sure to check out the streaming link for ‘JUNGLE FIRE’ here!

Vicke Blanka releases new EP ‘Worldfly’! Trailer featuring clips from all songs and ‘Vicke Blanka LIVE HOUSE TOUR 2023’ sneak peek video also out now!

Wordfly Jacket Cover

Popular artist Vicke Blanka has released his new EP ‘Worldfly’ this past week across all streaming platforms

The EP includes a varied selection of songs that immerse listeners in a multi-layered new world. It starts with the urgent, kinetic rock song ‘Kakumei’, and also includes ‘Snake’, whose music video was shot entirely on location in Paris, creating a buzz among fans when it was released on August 30. The EP also includes ‘Bitter’, written for the movie ‘The Pearl Legacy’, starring Manami Higa and Shohei Miura; and ‘Sad In Saudi Arabia’ and ‘Luca’, two songs inspired by Vicke Blanka’s tours in Europe and the Middle East from this spring and the music cultures he experienced there firsthand. Ending with the title track ‘Worldfly’, the EP includes six songs altogether.

The limited first pressing of the physical release includes music videos for ‘Kakumei’ and ‘Snake’, as well as a documentary titled ‘Document of Italy and France Live’ that shows footage from Vicke Blanka’s performances in Europe and the Middle East from this spring. It also features live footage from his performance at Zepp DiverCity in Tokyo on July 31, 2023, which was the final date of his Japan tour titled ‘Vicke Blanka LIVE HOUSE TOUR 2023’, along with the audio recordings for all 18 songs from the same concert. This luxury-packed set also includes a special 52-page deluxe photo book and a card sleeve.

The CD-only physical release includes radio-style segments of conversation between each of the songs, in which Vicke Blanka discusses the creation of each song, making it a can’t-miss item for fans. 

Vicke Blanka will present the second edition of his special event series, this time titled ‘Vicke Blanka presents RAINBOW ROAD -Sho-’, which will be held on Thursday, December 28 at Tokyo Dome City Hall. ‘RAINBOW ROAD’ is an event launched by Vicke Blanka as a place where fans can get together once a year. Don’t miss this special headline show by Vicke Blanka, a rare home performance in the midst of his jet-setting domestic and global touring calendar.

Be sure to check out Worldly across all streaming platforms here, along with purchase links for the physical editions below and the music video for “Kakumei”!

Standard edition

Limited edition DVD

Limited edition Blu-ray