Digital doings

The online world has ever more to offer Tokyo clubbers

Japanese music download website HRFQ.com

Until recently, when it came to English info about clubbing in Tokyo, Metropolis was one of just a few online sources. But the last few years have seen a number of websites come online providing MP3 downloads, news, artist homepages and practical info like maps to clubs.

Higher Frequency (www.higher-frequency.com) is a bilingual online magazine that offers international clubbing news, interviews with visiting DJs, DJ charts, CD reviews and picks of upcoming parties. It recently opened an online store (http://hrfq.com) to provide clubbers with a resource for downloading new music by Japanese and international producers. Prices are a reasonable $1.99 for new releases fewer than eight weeks old, and $1.49 for older tracks.

“We wanted to provide a one-stop shop for people to come and get good quality dance music and electronica,” says Higher Frequency’s Mark Oxley. “What is provided is a large variety of dance music from top labels all over the world, plus lots of cool underground labels with great sounds not getting much air play—and certainly not for sale on iTunes.”

The site offers a window into the Japanese club scene with releases on key domestic imprints like 19Box Recordings and Mule Musiq as well as tracks by noted producers, including Dr. Shingo and DJ Tanzawa. “The response has been good, especially in Japan, and a solid customer base is developing,” Oxley says. “There is no competition for our service in Japan apart from iTunes and the major stores. Globally, there are a few websites like us (such as JDownload.com), but none can really match our prices.”

Intervall-audio (www.intervall-audio.com) is a more personal affair. With the motto “Electronic music between Düsseldorf and Tokyo,” the site was launched by expatriate German electronica artist Stan Eberlein with the intention of connecting the vibrant electronic music scenes of his native Germany with his current home of Tokyo.

As a member of the group Legofriendly, Eberlein’s tastes tend toward the abstract side of dance music. As such the site provides a window into less commercial electronica, with insights into click house, IDM, minimal and the Japanese onkyokei scene, which is generally characterized by a complete absence of rhythm and melody. Many of the artists’ homepages on the site offer free full-length MP3 downloads, making it a worthy departure point.

Soundispatch (www.soundispatch.com) is a loose collective of mostly electronic musicians based in Tokyo that operates a website and record label, as well as running the monthly Test Tone events at Nishi-Azabu’s SuperDeluxe. For those whose preferences run toward electronica with an improvisational approach, Soundispatch offers event info, MP3 downloads, links to artist sites, and a bilingual BBS.

Tokyo-based internet radio station Samurai.fm (www.samurai.fm) provides streaming audio and reports from Europe and North America, including key events such as Montreal’s recent Mutek festival. It also has a rich archive of dance radio mix-casts presented by Tokyo and overseas DJs, as well as label links, a style-based portal for those just getting their feet wet, and info on upcoming Tokyo events.

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