Medvacances
The Mediterranean-themed event now has its own album

Courtesy of Philippe Pelletier

When Cyril Coppini (pictured) isn’t introducing music for the music segment of NHK’s French instruction program, he can often be found behind the decks at La Fabrique in Shibuya. Since 2004, Coppini has hosted the club’s regular Medvacances parties, which focus on new music from the Mediterranean. That project has now borne fruit in the form of an album.

Spanning the entirety of the Mediterranean basin, Medvacances, out on Omagatoki, takes in music from France to Algeria to the former Yugoslavia. With sounds ranging from Gypsy swing to jazz to Balkan beats, it’s hard to say what, if anything, music from the region has in common besides geographical proximity.

In tone, too, Medvacances varies from the tongue-in-cheek humor of French canzone singer Karl Zéro to the sublime artistic heights scaled by Algeria’s virtuosic DuOud, who place the oud, a traditional Middle Eastern instrument, in a contemporary electronic setting. But as long as you don’t try to look too hard for a common thread, what you’ve got is a lively musical tour of a region that is a meeting point for Latin, Balkan, Turkish, Arab and African cultures.

To celebrate the release, Coppini has invited one of the contributors to the album in the form of guest DJ Sani Vana. Born in Prague but now a resident of Austria, Vana is the leader of Deladap, a seven-member ensemble that explores Gypsy music in its modern electronic form, or what is being called Balkan beats…

Also with a new release is veteran hip-hop DJ Hasebe. In Adore the Remixes, Hasebe takes a fresh look at Adore, the album that put him on the map in 1998. Getting his start at the legendary Gold in the early ’90s, Hasebe went on to become the opening act of choice for international touring rappers like Busta Rhymes, and hold down the popular “Honey Dip” residency at the end of the ’90s at leading hip-hop spot Harlem.

But it was 1998’s Adore, with its blend of old skool hip-hop, house and pop that cemented Hasebe’s status, along with acts like DJ Krush, as one of Japan’s foremost hip-hop producers. The album also helped launch the careers of contributors like singer Sugar Soul and rapper Zeebra, now among the cream of Japan’s R&B/hip-hop crop.

Hasebe, whose latest coup was remixing the domestic release of Amerie’s album, is currently revisiting his Harlem years with “Honey Dip Mini” at Harlem’s upstairs BX Café. He’ll also be guesting at Air with Taku Takahashi of m-flo for Takahashi’s “Tachytelic Night” tonight.

Medvacances@La Fabrique, July 21. Honey Dip Mini@Harlem, July 20. Tachytelic Night@Air, July 6. See club listings for details.

Got something to say about this article? Send a letter to the editor at letters@metropolis.co.jp.

Listen to the Metropolis Podcast, the coolest guide to what goes on this week in Tokyo.

Looking for international friends? Check Japan, Inc. Friends now - it's 100% free!