Unlogik in Japan

New Blog, New Alias!

2009-07-21T13:29:00.004+09:00

Long time no post.

As I'm sure you all know, I've given up on this blog (as I am no longer in Japan), but I have finally made another!

Something similar to this, just a little more music focused — oh yeah, new DJ alias too.

CHECK IT OUT!

BACK IN VANCOUVER

2008-06-29T08:28:00.003+09:00

I'm trying to think of what I should do with the blog...

Either I make a new one and link you from here, or stop blogging all together. I need a way to get my mixes out there to everyone, so I will probably end up making something new (I have no idea when).

I threw together a mix the other day — lots of electro clash, bassline, fidget stuff. Enjoy!

Optics - Chapter 1 (yeah, back to my old alias)

LINK UPDATED!

Tracklist
1: Justice - Stress (Auto Remix)
2: Mylo - Paris Four Hundred (SebastiAn Remix)
3: Lazy-Rich - A-OK (Oliver Nickels K-O'd Remix)
4: Oasis - Wonderwall (Gianlorenz Bernini remix)
5: Crookers - Knobbers (Funk D Remix)
6: Fantastadon - Microwave
7: Nine Inch Nails - That's What I Get (Computer Club's President Emeritus Remix)
8: Jupiter One - Countdown (Designer Drugs Remix)
9: Rayflash - Flash Dancer
10: Casa Del Mirto - Bad Girls Surf (Broke One Remix)
11: Does It Offend You, Yeah? - Epic Last Song (Jack Beats Remix)
12: OH SNAP!! - I'm Too Fat To Be A Hipster (Mightyfools remix)
13: Toni! Tony! Tone! - Feels Good (Breakdown Remix)
14: Fantastadon - Anesthesiologist (Hot Pink Delorean Rmx)
15: Audioporno - Choo Choo (The Bloody Beetroots Remix)
16: Dada Life - Cash In Drop Out (Twocker's Danger Step Mix)
17: Tegan & Sara - Back In Your Head (Stop Die Resuscitate Remix)
18: JELO - Awesomesauce (Twocker's GTi Mix)
19: Hot Pink DeLorean ft. Knowlton Walsh - Freak Night (Fantastadon rmx)
20: Cryptonites - Can't Give You Up (Kill The Noise Remix)
21: Hatiras & MC Flipside - Get Blahsted (Original Mix)
22: JELO - Can I Get Loud (Stupid Fresh Remix)
23: Hostage - Blockhead (Malente Re-Edit)
24: Terry Poison - 24 Hours (Aston Shuffle A-Bomb Remix)
25: Machines Don't Care - Afrojacker (Orginal Mix)
26: Grum - Go Back (Damage Remix)

Moving back to Vancouver

2008-06-03T20:39:00.005+09:00

Like I said quickly in my last post, I am about to move back to Vancouver. I sucks that I have to post about leaving Japan, but with no luck finding a new job in Japan — it's the only option I have left.

Everyone I talked to about it have all asked the same question: "Are you excited to comeback?" or "Are you sad to leave Japan?" Honestly, I'm 50/50 both ways.

It sucks to have to leave a place where you have spent a year and half calling your home. All of the friends I've made here, all of the people I've met, all of the memories I've made, it's definitely something I will never forget — or ever could. There are many people in my life here that have supported me; a simple "thank you" isn't enough, but it's the best I can do for now.

On the other side of things, I am coming home to a loving family and a whole other group of friends that I am overly happy to see again. Once I get back it's time to truly get my design career started and I am probably the most excited for that. Not to mention moving back to Vancouver in the most beautiful season and leaving Japan in the worst. Haha, that's definitely a plus.

Not only have a I grown personally, but professionally as well. Being thrown into an entirely different culture and design industry has opened my eyes to the fact that where you are from and the environment around you really shapes the person you grow up to be.

Enough of my rambles.

I want to say thank you to everyone in Japan for an amazing year and half. I will never forget any of you. When you come to Vancouver for a visit, you will always have a place to stay with me!

And さやか, I will be playing what you gave me all the way home on the plane.

GOODBYE JAPAN! See you again soon!

Tokyo Sessions End

2008-06-03T04:19:00.004+09:00

Yes, I'm leaving Japan, but more on that next post. For now, enjoy the "finale" to the Tokyo Sessions mixes!

With a 10 hour flight ahead of me, maybe something a little more relaxing to listen to on the plane might have been a good choice — but then again, going out with a bang is also fun.

Where my mixes go from here... we will just have to see when I get back to Vancouver.

So here we are! Tokyo Sessions: Finale

Tracklist
1: Hijack - Party People
2: Calvertron - Stumble
3: Calvertron vs. Clik - Super Bleep (Orginal Mix)
4: Will Bailey and Mikey Hook - Screwball (Orginal mix)
5: The Bulgarian - Barn Dance (HiJack remix)
6: Moby - Alice (Drop The Lime Heavy Bass Remix)
7: Geoff K - Vodka & sugarfree redbull (HeavyFeet Remix)
8: Jaksaw - Damn!
9: Groundfloor - Front To Back
10: Dj Dan - Banging On Ya System (Twocker Remix)
11: Hijack - No More
12: The Yank - We Can't Be Stop'd
13: Ocelot - This Is Our Time (Calvertron Remix)
14: The Temptations - Standing On The Top (Rudder Remix)
15: Paolo Jackson & Ruud EQ vs VanICE - Ice Ice Baby (Orginal Mix)
16: WDP Project vs Cyril Sneerz Hit Squad - I Wanna Give You Devotion (Will Bailey Remix)
17: Electro F - Superstar Break (Twockers Funk This Remix)
18: Calvertron - Everytime
19: Will Bailey and Mikey Hook - Body Flow (Donald Ducks Dooms Night Remix)
20: Jukey ft. Sway - The Way We Go (Herve Remix)
21: Donald Glaude - Let The Bass Drop (Twockers Wobble Mix)
22: House of Pain vs Micky Slim vs Basement Jaxx - Jump N Shout (Zander Mazuka 2008 Remix)
23: General MIDI - Milton (Dee Zed Mix)
24: CSS - Music Is My Hot Hot Sex (Switch feat. Mapei Remix)

ENJOY AND COMMENT!

Birthday has come and gone

2008-05-13T02:34:00.003+09:00

My birthday just passed on the 11th! 22 years young and still lots of life to live! Because I'm in Japan, I turned 22 years old 16 hours before I did in Vancouver, so in those 16 hours I made a little mix! Well, I've been playing with it for a bit, but I finally decided to record it. Here we go!

Tokyo Sessions: Tanjooobi Time! (Tanjyoubi means Birthday in Japanese)

1: DMX - Up In Here (Mighty Fools Remix)
2: Dr. Dre - Still D.R.E. (Tenzin Remix)
3: Copyfokking vs. MJ - Knippelsuppe (Chew Fu Acid Mash)
4: ESTAW & J-Cast - Break It Down
5: Cazals - Somebody, Somewhere (Moulinex remix)
6: Bryan Cox - Let's Go To Work (Piano Piano Piano Remix)
7: In The Club - Turn You On (Mowgli Mix)
8: Round Table Knights - Hold Me Back (The Bulgarian Remix)
9: Clark Able - Lemonhead (Hijack Remix)
10: Santiago & Bushido - For What (The Bulgarian Remix)
11: South Rakkas Crew - Mad Again (Boy 8-Bit Remix)
12: KiNK - Bad Man (The Bulgarian's Sneaky Edit)
13: Boy 8-Bit - Fogbank (Jack Beats Remix)
14: MALK - Ey Du Opher (BSBTRGDCLUB REMIX)
15: Trip - Who's That (Jack Beats Remix)
16: HiJack - Out There
17: Beastie Boys - Sabotage (DJ Kue's OMG Remix)
18: Michael Jackson - Bad (Mowgli is Bad Remix)
19: ACDC - Thunderstruck (Crookers Remix)
20: Doorly - Here Goes
21: Hostage - Snake Charmer
22: Doorly - BON
23: Fake Shark Real Zombie! - Designer Drugs (Designer Drugs Remix)
24: Hearts Revolution - Switchblade (LARIOTS Remix)
25: Symbolone - Love Juice (Moulinex Remix)
26: Cassetteboy - Nigella's XXXmas

As usual, if you grab and listen: COMMENT!!!

A bassline, fidget, housey kind of thing.

2008-04-24T17:50:00.005+09:00

Yupp, threw together another mix. Bass heavy, lots of energy, and really hot all the way through. I named it "atsui" or "hot" in Japanese.

Tokyo Sessions: Atsui

Tracklist
1: Redman - Noorotic (Intro Chop)
2: Clark Able - Bad Boy On The Block
3: Randy Brusseto, JR From Dallas - Jazz Ghetto City (Lee Mortimer Remix)
4: Interactive - Dildo (Jaimie Fanatic Battery Mix)
5: Ghostface Killah - Charlie Brown (Yuksek Remix)
6: Mark Almaria - Freak Em Slow (Panty Dropper Freak A Leek Mix)
7: Sawtooth Sucka - Depressed Mode
8: Bonde do Role - Divine Gosa (BSBTRGDCLUB Remix)
9: St Plomb & Water Lilly - Shake A Leg (Jokers of the Scene remix)
10: Bass Kleph - Coup d'etat (Hook n Sling Remix)
11: Beastie Boys - Intergalactic (Jizm & Man Eat DJ Jackin Remix)
12: Fukkk Offf - I'm A Freak (Original Mix)
13: A1 vs Daft Punk - HBFS (Been Done A Million Times But Not Like This mix)
14: E-40 ft. Lil John - Turf Drop (DJ Doza Remix)
15: Kelis - Milkshake (Man Eat DJ & Jizm Remix)
16: Keyshia Cole - Shoulda Let You Go (DStar's Bassline Remix)
17: Black Eye Peas - My Humps (Clark Able Bootleg)
18: Damaged Goods - Yo Righteous (A1 Bassline Remix)
19: Erik Bo & Tony Will - Funk Addict (Clark Able RMX)
20: Herve & Yo Majesty - Get Low Club Action (Scattermish Timid Fuckup edit)
21: Jesse McCartney - Leavin' (MSTRKRFT Remix)
22: KMD - GET U NOW (Outro Chop)

IF YOU DOWNLOAD THE MIX, PLEASE COMMENT!
If no one comments, I won't know if anyone is enjoying!
日本語のcommentも全然オーケ！

50th post!

2008-04-24T17:08:00.009+09:00

This is my 50th post! For some reason I thought I would be a lot higher on posts, but I guess laziness took over.

A lot has been going on recently with my life in Tokyo, after leaving my my company I have been on the search for a new design position here. I can't remember if I posted about that, if not, I am now ;) The fruits of my labor don't seem to be ripening very nicely. Time and money are slowly dwindling and it's starting to look more and more like I will have to go back to Vancouver near the end of May. I did have an interview with a really good company here and I'm still waiting to hear back from them, hopefully it's all good news from them and I will be able to stay longer in Japan. I'm not ready to leave yet, 100% not ready, but whatever happens—happens and if I have to go back to Vancouver at least I'm not going back to nothing. Hopefully I can post about good things in the near future!

Enough of that nonsense! I have been busy working on a few design things, mostly personal stuff, but all stuff where I have 100% creative freedom. There are a few display/headline fonts I am working on, one of which is complete with a full basic latin character set and another about half way done. The first one with the complete set is called "Paipu" (pipe in Japanese). The second is still unnamed and unfinished, but it's looking good so far. If you want the font file for Paipu, just throw me an email!

As usual click on the images for a higher resolution.

I also got asked to do some comps for a Converse Chuck Taylor shoe by my partner in crime at Unlogik. Here are some comps I did! One of his comps got picked for the final design, but it felt so good to do some stuff without any restrictions!

That's about it for now! Tune in next post, same bat place, some bat time.

Oh boy, spring's here.

2008-04-01T22:31:00.006+09:00

The most beautiful season in Japan has arrived! With the awesome weather, amazing flowers everywhere, and half way around the world the WMC's just finishing up... I threw together a little mix.

I dug up some of my old Hed Kandi tracks and mixed em up into a very discoish funky kind of thing.

Bring the Kandi Back

Tracklist
1: Solu Music Feat. Kimblee - Fade (Grant Nelson Big Room Vocal Mix - Wez Clarke Re-edit)
2: Andrea Clarke feat. Homecookin' - Do What You Wanna (Richard Earnshaw Mix)
3: Copyright Presents One Track Mind feat. Angie Brown - Good For You (Main Mix)
4: Lovestation - Teardrops (Joey Negro 12" Mix)
5: Dogsax feat. Rietta Austin - Love Is On My Mind (Club Mix)
6: Fire Island - There But For The Grace of God (Joey Negro Mix)
7: Roachford - River of Love (Full Intention Vocal)
8: Mayhem & Bones - Feels Good (Club Mix)
9: Indigo - Save Your Life (Grant Nelson Remix)
10: Bobby & Steve - Welcome to the Real World (Soulstars Remix)
11: Tamberlain - Red Light (Extended Vocal Mix)
12: Solitaire - You Got The Love (Extended Club Mix)
13: Flower Power - Flower Power (Original Mix)
14: Saturated Soul Feat. Miss Bunty - Got To Release (Ian Carey and Eddie Amador Club Mix)
15: Gadjo - So Many Times (Club Mix)
16: DJ Chud - Will I (Mediterranean Vocal Mix)
17: Afterlife - Never Before (Bobby Blanco & Miki Moto Mix)
18: StoneBridge Feat. Julie Morris - Show You How (Wonderchops Mix)

IF YOU DOWNLOAD THE MIX, PLEASE COMMENT!
If no one comments, I won't keep posting them!
日本語のcommentも全然オーケ！

Here are some shots of the Cherry Blossom trees (桜) just outside my place. I get to look at this for the next couple weeks. Bliss.

Granpih T-Shirt Contest

2008-03-28T04:23:00.006+09:00

Here are my submissions. Sorry they are a little blurry, but if any get accepted I will post a higher resolution.

As usual click for the bigger preview.

The 21st

2008-03-21T23:42:00.006+09:00

Not much to say, just another mix! Enjoy!

The 21st Mix
1: The Streets - Let's Push Things Forward (Hostage Remix)
2: His Majesty Andre - GIRRRL
3: Djago - Come On Ya'll (Original Mix)
4: Britney Spears - Gimme More (Samantha Box Remix)
5: Heavyfeet - Sick Like That feat. Switch MC (Santiago & Bushido Remix)
6: When Saints Go Machine - You Should Be Someone Else (Nic Sarno Remix)
7: Midfield General - Disco Sirens (Boy 8 Bit Short Vocal Mix)
8: Bass Kleph - Helium (Mowgli less'z more mix)
9: Larry Tee - I Love U (Yeah! Woho! Remix)
10: His Majesty Andre - ROXXX
11: Haydn Haydn - Slide Action
12: Jaksaw - New Jack Heights (Original Mix)
13: Larry Tee - I Love U (The Bulgarian Remix)
14: To My Boy - Model (Sinden Remix)
15: OH SNAP!! - Bill Cosby Sweater (Hostage Remix)
16: Jaksaw - Noice (Original Mix)
17: Cazals - Life Is Boring (Crookers Zupa Dela Cazals Mix)
18: The Count & Sinden - Beeper (Fake Blood Mix)

IF YOU DOWNLOAD THE MIX, PLEASE COMMENT!
If no one comments, I won't keep posting them!
日本語のcommentも全然オーケ！

With a new computer comes new mixes

2008-03-12T00:15:00.004+09:00

So I have two for you!

One was made when I first got my new computer and the other was made this last weekend. The "winter sessions" mixes are done with now and the last of them is the "Maa ne" mix. With this, the "Spring Sessions" have begun with the mix called "Spring Slaughter".

Enjoy both! Crank it up as usual.

Maa ne.
1: Corey Hart - Sunglasses at Night (Chew Fu Refix ft. J-Cast, A-Clay & PVH)
2: Crookers - My Penny
3: Robb G - 12 Inch Therapy (Bass Kleph Dirty Ows Mix)
4: Switch - Twisted Jazz
5: Hatiras - Poppin Beats (Original Mix)
6: Hatiras - Bass Monkeys (Original Vocal Mix)
7: Hatiras - I Don't Care
8: Crookers - Big Money Comin'
9: Azzido Da Bass - Dooms Night (Laidback Luke Bootleg)
10: Basement Jaxx - Where's Your Head At (Robbie Rivera 2008 Mix)
11: Love Motel - Cosmic Love (Grum Remix)
12: Justice - D.A.N.C.E. (Tittsworth remix)
13: Crookers - Knobbers (Orginal mix)
14: vitaminsforyou - Flesh Python (Jokers of the Scene's Piss Hammer Remix)
15: Britney Spears - Gimme More (LAZRTAG Remix)
16: Doobie Brothers - What a Fool Believes (Chew Fu Hustle Song Refix ft. J-Cast, A-Clay & Lee Major)
17: Andy George - Big Dipper (Hostage Remix)
18: The Bloody Beetroots - We Are From Venice!!

Spring Slaughter
1: Arveene & Misk - Battle Scars Gallactica
2: Dizzee Rascal - Flex (Dave Spoon Mix)
3: Daft Punk - Technologic (Rogerseventytwo Remix)
4: The Kills - Cheap and Cheerfull (THE VIDEOBAND Re-distortion)
5: Yelle - Ce Jeu (Slaughtered By THE VIDEOBAND)
6: Felix Cartel - Moss vs. Tree
7: Slyde - Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (Twocker Mix)
8: The Loose Cannons - What Have You Done For Me Lately (Stupid Fresh remix)
9: Stereoheroes - Clark Kent
10: Twocker - We Like To Move It
11: 187 Lockdown - Gunman (Twocker Remix)
12: Andy George - Big Dipper (Hijack Remix)

IF YOU DOWNLOAD THE MIX, PLEASE COMMENT!
If no one comments, I won't keep posting them!
日本語のcommentも全然オーケ！

New Toys and Goodies

2008-03-09T16:57:00.006+09:00

It was about time for me to buy my own computer. With the release of the new iMac not too long ago, I thought this might be a great time to finally get one. So, I did!

It went from this.

To this.

I am completely happy with the buy. So far I have had no problems with the new iMac (besides calibrating the screen the first boot up). Leopard is running smoothly and it seems to be holding out well when I am working with design stuff. Oh yeah, the new keyboard is absolutely amazing to type on. I don't think I can ever go back to an older style.

On to the goodies! The other day I went to a really great t-shirt store here from Uniqlo. $15 dollar t-shirts, but they are all really well designed and printed. I ended up buying 5 shirts, 3 from UT and 2 from another design t-shirt store here called Graniph. For 90 bucks, 5 t-shirts is a steal, especially when they are designed well!

Time to get this shit rollin again

2008-03-09T13:11:00.010+09:00

Sorry again to everyone (if anyone) who reads. The blog has been on the back burner and I haven't posted any serious shit for quite some time. The work is to blame, as well as be being a lazy ass when I have to write anything (probably why I'm a designer). There is quite a lot to catch up on so let's get to it!

I guess I'm going to have to start way back at Christmas. Christmas is not a holiday here, but they sure as hell know how to light the city up with some of the most spectacular illumination displays I have ever seen in my life. Those crazy houses that go all out in Vancouver have nothing on these.

That's just a little taste, but just imagine that almost everywhere.

New Years Eve was nothing special this year, if you don't believe me... the only alcohol I consumed that night was 1 can of beer (no, not a 1 litre can). We went to see some fireworks that we didn't end up seeing because we were late and then headed to the temple I always go to for festivals and celebrations. Threw some money into the box and prayed for good luck in this year (which so far has been off and on).

Right after New Years I finally took the time to head down to Osaka and visit some friends there I haven't seen yet. I didn't get around to many people, but it was good to see the people I did. Osaka is the second biggest area in Japan, but it seems a lot more crowded than Tokyo does. In Tokyo, everything is very big and high, but most of the roads and sidewalks are still quite spacious. I obviously haven't seen much of Osaka, but in the time I spent and the areas I went to... it seems a lot more condensed and packed together. The buildings are shorter and the streets are skinnier, but the people are great and the food is excellent!

The main street running through Shinsaibashi and this was during one of the few not-so-busy times.

The all famous Glico man, this guy gets his picture taken thousands of times a day. Why? I have no idea.

In Tokyo I rarely go out to a club. With all the events in Vancouver, I am just sick of it. But, in Osaka there is one place I just had to go to and I would go to every week if it was in Tokyo. The place is called "Soul Fucktry" no, I'm not lying. Here s the picture to prove it.

My homeboy Johnny in the photo.

This place is amazing. It's funk and soul all night long in the company of the best funk style dancers in Japan and the best old school DJ I have ever heard (DJ Batsu). The vibe is amazing, I have never felt more love in a club than here. Drinks are normal and they have a full food menu in the upstairs lounge. It's small, but that's what makes it great... you almost have to talk to people. I'll be going back again any chance I get.

Here are a few more photos from my time in Osaka.
If you thought the club Soul Fucktry had a weird name, "Would you like to go sit down and have a coffee at the Sex Machine?"

Random street shot, some pyramid. It reminded me of The Da Vince Code.

And finally the sunglasses at night picture. This was my last night there, we went to an all you can drink club. Yes, $30 bucks and from 11pm - 5am you can drink your face off. Dangerous, dirty, got there.

A week after my Osaka trip Johnny came up to Tokyo for the Juste Debout Japan competition and P-1GP (one of the biggest popping and locking battles in Japan). I wish Vancouver could get up to this level, maybe one day. I couldn't make it to the Juste Debout night, but I met up with Johnny and hit up P1. Some ridiculous battles, but not sure if it was worth the 40 bones I had to shell out. Actually, seeing Poppin' Pete and Suga Pop do a showcase was worth it.

Go-go Brothers and Daddy

Two of the hundred people who got on stage and danced their ass off got a DVD. A little girl (8 years old I think) and another guy won. The girl was an amazing dancer. Going to be huge in Japan for popping if she keeps at it!

And lastly for this post... I met some Vancouver people in Tokyo a few weeks ago! It was great to see everyone after so long. I hope to do it again soon, but I have to organize my work and shit here first. Ughhh....

Another long way away

2008-02-24T22:25:00.008+09:00

Once again, away from the blog for ages. Work has been busy and I just haven't gotten around to posting anything new. Hopefully in the coming weeks I should have a bunch of news!

For now, enjoy the new mix!! Short but sweet.

Download it here.

Tracklist
1: Daft Punk - Voyager (Revolte Remix)
2: Shazam - Pool Party
3: GRUM - Go Back
4: Kylie - Boombox (Revolte Remix)
5: Armand Van Helden - You Don't Know Me (GRUM Remix)
6: Muscles - Sweaty (SHAZAM Remix)
7: Congrorock - Hybro
8: Riva Starr - Scratch n Itch
9: When Saints Go Machine - Kids On Vacation (Zombie Disco Squad Remix)

IF YOU DOWNLOAD THE MIX, PLEASE COMMENT!
If no one comments, I won't keep posting them. Cheers!
日本語のcommentも全然オーケーじゃん！

PS - I bought myself a new iMac, ugh, apple owns me.

Ghetto Donkey Bass

2008-01-12T02:58:00.000+09:00

Threw together another mix tonight. This one goes straight from the beginning. I actually hit 140bpm in this one, something I haven't done in a mix since my hard style days.

Grab it here!

Tracklist
1: Klaxons - Atlantis To Interzone (Yuksek & Brodinski Remix)
2: The Bloody Beetroots - Ill to Destroy
3: Mendetz - The Boola (Requesters Hard To find remix)
4: Amerie - Take Control (Estaw Refix)
5: Pharoah Monche - Simon Says (Estaw Says Refix)
6: Wu-Tang Clan - Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nothin' to Fuck With (Bird Peterson Remix)
7: Beastie Boys - An Open Letter To NYC (Chew Fu Refix)
8: A1 Bassline - Its Alot
9: A1 Bassline - My Baby ft. Safi
10: A1 Bassline - Somebody
11: A1 Bassline - Girl Thing ft. Safi
12: DJ Mehdi - I Am Somebody (Switch remix)
13: Coat Party - Diamonds (Norrit Freemix)
14: Naive New Beaters - Bang Bang (Yuksek Remix)
15: Chromeo - Tenderoni (Sinden Remix)
16: B. Rich - Out There Dancin'

EDIT
I see that there have been 25 downloads of this. If you download the mix, PLEASE comment! It will let me know that people are enjoying then and I will keep uploading them.

On a bus to osaka

2008-01-06T16:43:00.000+09:00

So I just made a trip down to Osaka and got a load of tracks the day I went down. What do you do with a load of tracks before a trip? Make a mix of course!

I only had time for a quick 30 minute set, but still kept me rockin on the way down.

Grab it here!

Tracklist
1: Bernard Herrmann - Theme from Psycho (Crooks & Gunn Psych! Remix)
2: Grafton PrimaryI Can Cook (Miami Horror Remix)
3: Fortune - Bully (Snack & C'Mish Remix)
4: Sneaky Sound System - Pictures (Woodhead Drugged N FX Dub)
5: Phuture Assassins - Future Sound (Matty C Remix)
6: Chromeo - Needy Girl (Boy 8-Bit's Talk Box Dub)
7: Girljoy - Clip (Kanji Kinetic Remix)
8: Prince - 1999 (B. Rich's NYE Work Out)
9: Zoot Woman - We Won't Break (His Majesty Andre Too Late Remix)
10: Timbaland - Miscommunication (Leroy Washington Remix)

And another house mix

2007-12-30T13:40:00.001+09:00

I have been dipping into the indie scene of house music and have found a beautiful collection of some amazing music. I decided to gather a few of the tracks and throw together a different style of mix than I usually do. Respects to Palms Out Sounds.

Enjoy!

A Retro Filth Christmas

1: Vukasin - I Feel
2: P Diddy - Last Night (Chew Fu Remix)
3: Justin Martin - Ghetto Train (Oliver Remix)
4: Kylie Minogue - 2 Hearts (Gaetan remix)
5: Kylie - 2 Hearts (The Twelves Remix)
6: Dolby Anol - Heather, I'm Dry (Anol Edit)
7: FAGGET FAIRYS - Samo Ti (AC Slater Remix)
8: Party Shank - Penis VS. Vagina (Shank's Killer Mix)
9: The Bloody Beetroots feat Congorock - Bluto Fucks Popeye
10: Congorock - Exodus
11: Detect - Dance Division (Blende remix)
12: Detect - Dance Division (Yuksek remix)
13: Junkie XL ft. Lauren Rocket - More (D.I.M. Pop Em All Dub Rework)
14: The White Stripes - 7 Nation Army (Dj Klutch's The Freaks The Creeps Remix)
15: Crookers Vs. Salt N Pepa - Love to Push It (Ursula 1000 Edit)
16: Midnight Juggernauts - Road To Recovery (D.I.M. Remix)
17: High Powered Boys - Hoes Get Down (Ultra Tiger Remix)
18: The Junkies - Ask for More (Cosmo Remix)
19: Beesmunt Soundsystem - Mamma Mamma (Rogerseventytwo Remix)
20: Michael Jackson - Thriller (Villains TooTight Pants Remix)

**EDIT
Mix link updates, should work now and BIG UPS to Congorock for stopping by! Keep those tracks comin!

The cutest horny... slimey ball?

2007-11-20T03:02:00.000+09:00

Yupp! the sequel to the Cutest Horny Peanut in Japan post. Well, this isn't a peanut, or even closely related to one, but it's under the same set of horny little things. This time we have a marimo (まりも), which is basically a type of algae found in ponds and such. Why algae, I have no idea.

So without further delay, I give you "THE CUTEST HORNY ALGAE IN JAPAN!"

Isn't he just a cutie!

Life update

2007-11-16T01:55:00.000+09:00

Well, a lot of good news to report. I recently got a job with a company here in the creative section. My official position is "graphic desiner", perfect for me and exactly what I want. It's really close to my place and takes me only 20 minutes to get there too! The creative section is looking to expand in the near future and are looking to me for the support to do so. Some might be scared, but I'm actually quite happy with it. I will be getting a lot of say in the design aspect of things which is really hard to find in the creative industry... well in the bigger companies at least. So, the only thing left to do is get the immigration part of it out of the way. Hopefully the government gives me the VISA and I can stay for another year. Ugh, immigration office... not looking forward to it.

On the personal side, life if good. Friends are great. My skills as a designer are constantly growing with all the experimenting and free time I've been having recently (which won't be the case coming November 26th). I recently got a hold of the new iPod Touch. This thing is amazing. Nothing else to say but... sexy.

Here is a little update photo of the man behind the blog.

And one of the newest pieces sent off to press today. A t-shirt design for a Japanese clothing company.

Electroist

2007-11-03T01:27:00.001+09:00

Here is the newest electro house mix from myself! This is probably one of the mixes I am most happy with.

Download it here.

Tracklist
1: Zito & Switek - Disko Jointz (Zito Mix)
2: NuBreed - NuFunk (Deadmau5 Remix)
3: Adam K And Dataworx - Pushin (Adam K Remix)
4: Axwell & Ingrosso - It's True (Dabruck & Klein Mix)
5: BSOD - A Bit Sketchy (Original Mix)
6: The Crystal Method - Cherry Twist (Deadmau5 Remix)
7: Daft Punk - Harder Faster Stronger (Deadmau5 Edit)
8: Hoxton Whores - Friday Saturday Love (Calvertron and Will Bailey Remix)
9: Mashtronic - Sweat (Original Mix)
10: Dave Robertson - Love To
11: Robot Needs Oil - Defected (Giacomotto Remix)
12: Koolwah feat. Andi Fraggs - Fashion (Granite & Phunk Remix)
13: Hirshee - Before Tomorrow (Instrumental Mix)

If the link expires, leave me a message and I will upload it again.

Book Review: Logo, Font, and Lettering Bible

2007-11-03T01:11:00.000+09:00

There are tons of design books out there. My "to buy" list is just ridiculously long and anytime I across a book that I am thinking about buying; I always wish that there was a review on it somewhere. And I don't mean a major review. I want a review from an actual designer that has the balls to totally smash it if it's bad, and give proper reasons for why it's good. So, I decided to write a review of my own on a book I picked up recently from a book store here in Tokyo. I hope anyone considering this book has a chance to look at this blog post and it will help them decide.

So, I now present you my review.

Logo, Font, and Lettering Bible
Author: Leslie Cabarga
Publisher: David & Charles

Please download the PDF review here.

Also, here is the link to the book's site: http://www.logofontandlettering.com/

Holding onto Summer

2007-10-15T04:39:00.001+09:00

The newest house mix. Freshly put together by me.

http://www.sendspace.com/file/k0dhvh

1: Dj Dealer - The Dance Electric (Manuel Sahagun Remix)
2: Exit Only - Rock It Dont Stop
3: The Keith Thompson Project - The Rhythm Of Life (The Remixes) (Jazz N Groove Prime Time Dub)
4: Sergio D'angelo & Cucky Vs Sharonn May Linn - Don't Keep Me Hangin On (Sergio D'angelo & Andy Gixx Classic Mix)
5: Roisin Murphy - Let Me Know (Joey Negro Destination Boogie Mix)
6: Housecrushers - Touch Me (Vocal Mix)
7: Retarded Funk - Supermen (Dumb Dan Remix)
8: Max the Voice - Bandit (Vocal Version)
9: Run Run - To Party (Prime Time Mix)
10: Distorded - Fuckin Voices (Original Mix)
11: Corona - La Playa Del Sol_(Nowak Extended Mix)
12: Cuba Club - La Cumbia (k la guard mix)
13: Frank Ti-Aya Feat. Yardi Don - One Love One World (Club Extended Mix)
14: Africanism Produced By Bob Sinclar Feat Rolando Faria - Meu Carnaval
15: Paulo & Rodriguez - Oh Mama (Groove Assassin Remix)
16: Yasuko Agawa - Voo Doo (Rasmus Faber Remix Part 1 Unreleased)

Another long way away from my blog

2007-10-10T01:17:00.000+09:00

Hello friends, sorry again.
I will post properly again one day! Soon! Or... next week. Possibly.

For now, the newest, sexiest, cigarette package on the market.

Check it

Anti-smoking country

2007-09-25T14:07:00.000+09:00

Well, actually... not so much. Here are a few facts from the World Health Organization

About 51% of men smoke in Japan - this figure has dropped from the 1980s, but it is still very high for a developed nation.

This is slowly dropping, but the amount of females is increasing

Prevalence of smoking among women, once considered almost taboo, has risen dramatically in the last decade to nearly 10%.

I believe now it is somewhere in the 25 - 30% range

Japan's Finance Ministry is a major shareholder in Japan Tobacco, a multinational.

A survey in the early 1990s found that 44% of male physicians smoke in Japan.

With 500,000 cigarette vending machines, the young can easily buy cigarettes.

This is the biggest reason the smoking percentage here is so high. Pre-teens and teens can both buy cigarettes anytime and anywhere because of the amount of vending machines. Although! Next year they are implementing an ID scanning mechanism in the tobacco and alcohol vending machines. This card will be issued to people of legal age and must be scanned before you can buy from the vending machine (think of like a security card at work).

It's estimated that about one in eight deaths is due to smoking, (about 100,000 deaths a year). Smoking may also contribute to four of the five leading causes of death.

Lung cancer is the leading cancer, with more than 50,000 deaths a year.

More Japanese men die of lung cancer than suicide. The rate of lung cancer deaths is 46 per 100,000 people while the suicide rate is 30 per 100,000.

Japan has some of the weakest anti-tobacco laws for a developed nation, with few smoke-free public areas.

Although, this is slowly changing. For examplge, all Starbucks locations are non-smoking. Mc.Donald's now has non-smoking times and non-smoking floors. The major cities have law against walking through the streets and smoking. If you want to smoke in one of the bigger cities you have to stop at a smoking station, or bring a portable ash tray.

I am a smoker myself. I have been for around 4 years now and I can tell you now that I am really happy Vancouver (and Canada) has such strict laws on buying tobacco. Although, it is ridiculous with the prices of Tobacco in Vancouver. A pack a 20 cigarettes in Vancouver is anywhere from $8 - $10 depending on which brand you buy. In Japan, the average for a pack of cigarettes is ３００円 ($3CDN) and the highest I have seen is around ３５０円. So obviously more people smoke here than Vancouver, it's cheaper, easily accessible no matter your age, and well, generally accepted here.

Here are some shots of the "public awareness" type posters on the front of the giant ashtrays around the major cities. At least they are thoughtful and designed well!

The first one says, "Every time I finish smoking a cigarette, I realize that I should have brought a portable ashtray with me." When with the illustrations used, it's a great poster.

The second says, "I carry a 700degree fire in my hand with people walking all around me." This is one of the major reasons for the 'no smoking while walking' law in major cities. A lot of people get little burns, or their clothing get burned from people smoking and not paying attention to where their hand is going.

the cutest horny peanut in japan

2007-09-16T18:24:00.000+09:00

That's right my friends, one of those crazy Japanese things that you would never find in another country.

I now present to you...

SUPER HAPPY HORNY PEANUT GUY

Doesn't he just look really happy to be horny! Haha. The name of this guy is Mame Mokkori (まめもっこり) which roughly translates to "peanut pitching a tent". This has to be one of my favorite finds in Japan. Hopefully I will find some other good stuff to show everyone! Stay tuned!

sorry readers!

2007-09-15T14:25:00.000+09:00

I haven't had the chance to post any goodies for you. I have been a little busy with freelance work, but I promise something very soon.

For now, go and watch the adventures of Clark and Michael

Expect a few posts this weekend!

Japanese design magazine

2007-09-04T03:13:00.000+09:00

The first time I came here, my hard stylist brought me a magazine she reads from time to time called "+81". Just from looking at the cover it was love at first sight (in a design geeky kind of way). The magazine comes out quarterly by season and each issue is a different theme or feature. For example, this year they have has a design focus on a few countries issue and a "crafts" issue. They have done entire photography issues, animation issues, poster issues, typography issues, and basically everything from any aspect of design. One of the best things about the magazine is that it is in both English and Japanese, so not only can I read it, I can study Japanese typography at the same time! I subscribed this year because you can't subscribe from anywhere outside of Japan which REALLY sucks. You can get the magazine shipped to your place for only a few dollars extra than the price of the book (１２５０円 / $12.50 CDN), but having a subscription is so much easier. I was lucky enough to find a really nice store by my place that sells back issues of the magazine, so I went there to grab the Summer 2006 issue "Graphics the world over". I took a few cover shots for you. The green one is the Summer 2006 and the white/gold one is the anniversary issue from earlier this year.

Click here for the +81 website.

New project

2007-08-29T22:03:00.000+09:00

I recently landed a novel job. The work includes: cover, end pages, all text layout, and some illustration (maybe). I haven't had a serious type heavy project for a while so I am really excited to play with type again. I have been playing around with cover idea, most the client probably won't go for, but I want to have as many different covers as possible. Hopefully, hopefully, the client will go for something with an all typographic cover. I'm going to upload some of the layouts I have now. They are very early in development, but enjoy them! Most of the covers are Avent Garde because I haven't used it for an actual project yet. The first one has the alternate glyphs that I had to build myself because I don't have the actual set that I want really bad!

As always, click for full view.

Some editorial design for you

2007-08-28T13:41:00.000+09:00

I was short listed for a design position at The American School in Japan and they asked me to do a test layout. Well, I couldn't show many different styles with only one layout, so I made 4.
After I sent them they contacted me for an interview and now I am waiting to hear if I got the position of not. *crossing my fingers

Here are the 4 layouts. Click to see full view.

Filthy Fall

2007-08-27T12:51:00.000+09:00

So I decided to make an electro mix after my last few mixes being more summer/latin/funky house.

Here is the play list!

1 Make It Last (Jeremy Word Remix) - Dave Aude Ft Jessica Sutta
2 Give Some Love (Tony Arzadon Remix) - Antoine Clamaran And Mario Ocho
3 BSOD (Original Mix) - BSOD
4 Grovemover (Fonik Mix) - Polyfonik
5 Make Your Move [dare Me] (Filty Rich Remix) - Dave Armstrong
6 Remind You (G.D.R Remix) - Recoup
7 Dr. Funkenstein - Original Mix - Deadmau5
8 Warped Bass (Filthy Rich Remix - Richard Grey
9 Indigenous People (Gabi Newman Remix) [128bpm edit] - Raul Rincon
10 Chick 1 (Swen Werber Remix) - Def Jaguar
11 Ritmo De La Noche 2007 (T.C.S. Electro Mix) - Chocolate
12 Electrophant (Madox Remix) - Mathematikal
13 Ride Like the Wind [klaas Remix] - Michael Mind
14 Blinded by the Light [electro Short Mix] - Michael Mind

Here is the link!

A bit of Vancouver

2007-08-25T11:55:00.000+09:00

I always tell my friends here that one of the things I miss in Vancouver the most is the 24 hour Blenz downtown. Nothing beats sitting at Blenz chatting for hours never having to worry about getting kicked out at closing. Out of all the coffee shops in Vancouver and even here, Blenz is definitely my favorite. In Japan it is slowly a growing company. When I was here last year, they had about 3 locations. Since then they have grown to about 6 or 7, but they aren't 24 hours! Not many things here are 24 hours. The convenience stores and family restaurants (Denny's, Jonathan's, Saizaria, ect.) are all 24 hours, but the coffee shops are all around 11:oopm. Depending on location they close at different times, but the average is 11:00pm, which completely sucks a huge one.

Anyways! I finally made a trip to one of the better Blenz locations in Tokyo. It's in Yokohama (横浜) near the center area with the amusement park and main shopping centers. If you are reading this and have never been to Blenz, go now, quickly, and get something with chocolate. The chocolate drinks at Blenz are amazing because they actually use REAL chocolate (watch them as they make your drink and you will understand).

I have a new more posts coming real soon, so for now enjoy the pictures from Blenz.

Funktro?

2007-08-19T02:55:00.000+09:00

Tokyo Sessions: Summer Funktro! What is funktro you ask? Well, I have no idea. It's what I got when I put funk and electro together. Which is what kind of house is in the new mix! So give it a download HERE

If the link expires, just comment I will upload again.

And the earth rumbles

2007-08-16T13:42:00.000+09:00

Yupp, that's right, EARTHQUAKE! You are probably thinking, "So, what?! There are earthquakes all the time in Japan!" Yes you're right, but you can't always feel them due to the location. For example: since my time here there has been about 4 earthquakes and none of which I could feel, expect the one last night. I live in Tokyo (東京) and the quake happened somewhere on the coast of Chiba (千葉). To get an idea on how far away that is from my place... here is a quick map.
(click to make it bigger)
So as you can see, it was pretty close to my area. It was a level 3 in Tokyo and level 4 in Chiba. To give you a scale: at 6 the buildings start doing a serious belly dance. I was quite excited to finally feel an earthquake. Last night was the first time I have ever experienced it, so it was like the first time you do anything and you get that rush of the unknown. What a weird feeling! I thought it would be more shaky and rough, but it was like a smooth sway. It felt like when you drink way to much and try to stand in one place, but your body says "screw you I want to dance side to side!" Haha. If you have been in earthquakes before, then I think you know why I'm posting about it. It's just exciting the first time, as long as shit isn't breaking.

You meet a lot of people...

2007-08-14T03:14:00.000+09:00

but sometimes you are lucky enough to meet someone and just click. I don't mean sexually or emotionally. I mean just in your personalities and you just become buddies instantly. I was lucky enough to meet someone like that. It doesn't happen very often, even in your own country, so it's pretty crazy right now. Finally I have a friend here who I can sit down and just talk about useless and countless amounts of stuff with (as long as our bad backs hold out).

There is one pet peeve of mine that I hear and see all the time. I have done it myself, but after I would correct it and make sure the person understood what the real deal is. I really dislike when people say "I have a lot of good friends". I'm sorry, but most people only have a few friends you can call "true". Just because you know someone, or had a drink with them, doesn't make them your good friend, a buddy maybe, but are they going to hold it down for you when the times comes around... probably not. So next time you are talking about how many friends you have, just remember that they are probably acquaintances, or buddies, but not friends. This isn't a rant against any one person, I just felt I needed to share my opinion on this topic because saying you have a hundred friends, doesn't make you gain anymore respect with anyone else (unless your in high school).

Logotype + Layout

2007-08-11T23:15:00.000+09:00

So I posted a logotype a while back and said I would update soon, but I'm finally getting around to it now. I finished it a while back, but haven't gotten around to revising and making it sexier. Soon though!

Also I am making a spread for a job interview / design test thing, so I got a little preview for that as well.

Cheers!
(like always, click to view full size)

A new location and the beach

2007-08-11T13:54:00.000+09:00

I'm sure I should label this part 1, but I don't have any plans at the moment to go to the beach again... so for now this is good. So let's begin!

It's a little late, considering a went a week ago, but I have been a little busy this week because I moved locations at work. I was teaching in an area called Tameikesanno (溜池山王), but lucky for me I got moved to Ebisu (恵比寿). It took me about 25 mins to get to Tameikesanno (not including the walk to the station) and I had to transfer train lines once, but now it only takes me about 10 mins and one stop on my home train line (Tokyu Toyoko Line - 東急東横線). Ebisu is a great area. A lot of good places to eat, a lot of nice places to shop, not super busy, and a great atmosphere. The learning studio at Ebisu is still brand new, so it's still a little slow, but definitely getting busy quick. Anyways enough of that, let's get to the beach.

On the 4th of August a group of us went to a beach in Shizuoka (静岡) around the area Shirayama (しらはま). The weather was great except for the crazy wind. We couldn't put up an umbrella to sit under, so we had to bare with the sun all day (I usually burn, so this is not cool). Although I was in the sun all day it wasn't too bad. Surprisingly, only my calves got burnt to the point that it hurt. My neck and back were fine, just a little red and now they are peeling. Haha, nice to hear right?!

The beach in Japan is a little different from back home in Vancouver. Considering you can drink here in public, that already adds a whole other angle to it. On top of the drinking, there are big ass local restaurants (kind of look like big shacks) located all along the beach. The food is cheap and good, usual menu is Currey Rice, Ramen, Curry Katsu, and similar things you find in at smaller shops. The amount of people at the beach I went to wasn't that bad. I think every beach in Vancouver is packed on the good summer days, so it wasn't anything to worry about. Of course the beach we went to was a few hours from Tokyo, so I know if I went to a beach closer to Tokyo it would probably be crazy packed. You can rent boogie boards, inner-tubes, and tanning chairs at the beach for a few bucks. They also have little boats you can rent and take out.

Like I said before the wind was really strong that day so the waves were pretty big. Nothing to worry about if you can properly swim and aren't really short. The water was quite shallow for a long way out, which made it easier to have a lot of space in the water to play. The only downside of the wind as the bullet like sand that would slash at your legs and sometimes back. I have never been to a beach on a day with such strong wind, so this was the first time to have sand shot at me (thank you mother nature).

I also took part in a game here called beach flags. It's a quite popular game here in Japan and actually quite fun and sometimes dangerous. Haha. Here's how it works. Basically there are about 6 people per heat with 3 flags a certain distance away. On ready you have to lay day on your stomach faces away from the flags. On set, you set your arms to help you pop up and on go you blast up and sprint to the flags. Since there are only 3 you have to battle for them during the run and dive for them most of the time. Super fun with a big group of people. There was about 30 something people in the group and I made it to the semifinals. I got beaten out my the winner so I don't feel so bad.

Anyways, enough rambling... enjoy the photos.

The longest roller slide in Japan

2007-08-07T23:04:00.000+09:00

I took a little trip into Saitama to ride the longest roller slide in Japan. I'm not sure I have ever seen a roller slide in Vancouver before, so here is a picture:

It's basically that, but super long. It sits on top of a mountain over looking the city with a beautiful view. Usually during the daytime you pay ３００円 ($3) to drive up the mountain and ride it. But, because we didn't want to go on while it was crazy crowded we decided to ride at night time. Of course we had to break a few rules, but we had the entire place to ourselves! Despite the extremely long uphill walk to the top, it was definitely worth going at night time. The view was amazing and there weren't massive packs of scampering kids everywhere. The only bad part about these slides is the amount of friction that builds up on your butt. It seriously starts to burn after 5 seconds of flying down these things. The next day it doesn't get better either, usually your ass bone is really sore from getting the tiny bumps the entire way down. With that aside though, it was totally worth it! After riding the slide a few times, we went to the highest relaxing spot and just chatted and waited until it was too windy to stay any longer.

And they say food in Japan is small

2007-08-06T16:59:00.000+09:00

One of the stereotypes of Japan is that they has ridiculously small food. This is complete bull shit (excuse the language). Actually, some of the biggest plates of food I have ever eaten have been in Japan. Sometimes they are really big servings of food, or a bunch of dishes that add up to one massive portion. I have never left a restaurant with an empty stomach in all my time here. The price isn't all that bad either. Actually, it is about the same as going to a restaurant in Vancouver. For example, there are a few burger places here that serve really big burgers with fries and a drink for anywhere from ９００円($9CDN) to １３００円($13CDN). If you think of your average restaurant (Cactus Club, Moxies, Earls, Red Robin, Boston Pizza) a meal is usually in the $11 - $15 dollar range, depending on where you go and what you eat.

I recently went to a place in Japan that is located right beside an American airbase. This is about 90mins driving from Shibuya (渋谷) and is in Fussa (福生市). The street is right beside the base so it's quite well knowen for having "american sized" food. Japanese people generally see "american sized" food as bigger than it actually is. So when you go to a restaurant here to eat american style... usually you get a massive serving for quite cheap.
The area is quite nice, really cool shops, everything from clothing to furniture. A lot of vintage clothing and second hand shops, with the odd hip-hop shop run by some completely non-American African guys (if you live in Japan, you know what I mean). I took some shots of the food, it was REALLY good, and I actually want to go back there soon to grab some more good eats. Check back later for a few more posts on turtle hot pot, the longest slide in Japan, and the first beach trip of summer.

It's been a few

2007-08-06T16:52:00.000+09:00

I haven't been able to post recently because well, I was too lazy or when I got home I fell asleep right away. I finally got all the photos off the digicam and cell phone, so expect a whole wack of new stuff tonight. For now take a look at the coolest environmental art I have seen in Japan so far. This big light box is in Shinjuku (新宿) right near the station. The pattern displayed changes every 10 mintutes or so. Also, if you touch it, it reacts to the heat of your hand and depending on the pattern at the time, certain things come to your touch. For example, when I first got to the area, it was a whole bunch of fish in water. When I put my hand on, the fish gathered around the area I was touching. Very similar to those electricity balls that they have in science exhibitions.

Here is a photo

Poser

2007-08-01T00:58:00.001+09:00

I was asked to be a model for a school project so why not! Here are most of the shots from the shoot. I don't have a scanner so I took them all with my cell phone. They are a bit dark, but the originals are black and white, so it was a little hard. The girl in the photos is my homegirl Mika, some of her shots are really nice. Enjoy!

Massive Kit-Kat, crazy weather, new music

2007-07-31T14:41:00.000+09:00

Yupp! I so it has been life as usual the past few days. Work, eat, sleep, repeat. I did find a huge Kit-Kat as the convenience store though! I know in Canada we have the Kit-Kat bar, but that is a little different from the actual Kit-Kat. This one is just a giant Kit-Kat stick! Take a look

The weather here for the past two days has been intense. Massive rain fall and almost non-stop thunder and lightning for 48 hours. I love lightning storms, so I was have a grand time, but most people here were freaking out. The lightning one day was really close to my house, probably a kilo or two away. It's all clear today, just on overcast. So it looks like I'm going to be sweating bucks again wearing my suit to work. Arrrgg...

Also, NEW HOUSE MIX
If the link expires let me know and I will re-upload it.

Firework festival time for Japan

2007-07-29T02:30:00.000+09:00

Yupp, summer is firework festival time in Japan and it's definitely worth pushing through thousands of Japanese people to see. Originally around 1800, after the development of fireworks in Japan, the festivals were competitions held between different groups in Japan. Although now, most festivals are just a party with a great display of exploding powder. One of the best parts of the festival is all the cheap food. The amount of small booths (most run by Yakuza) is amazing. You can get everything from shaved ice to full on meals for really cheap! The display of fireworks usually last for about 1 - 2 hours and depending on the city can be quite big. A lot of people wear what I call the "summer kimono". It's a lot more comfortable than a kimono and definitely a lot cooler. The one I went to down in Numazu is really famous in the surrounding areas. People come from Tokyo (about a 2 hour highway drive) to participate in the fesitval and I don't blame them. Since I am from Vancouver, this isn't the first time I have seen fireworks, I'm sure most of you are familiar is the HSBC Celebration of Lights. I usually go to watch 2 or 3 of the shows every year, but that comes no where close to the atmosphere of the festivals here. I can't really explain it in words, so I'll just upload a few of the videos and photos. Hopefully you can figure out how great these evenings are.

Sorry guys, I forgot I have to transfer the Videos on the other computer. I will try and get them up as soon as possible! Enjoy the photos for now. Cheers!

Ever wonder what a Japanese grave yard looks like?

2007-07-29T02:23:00.000+09:00

Probably not, but that won't stop me from showing you. If you didn't know, almost everyone who passes away here is cremated. After the funeral service, the close guests go to the grave and put the remains (bones and ash) into the grave. Also, graves are not separated here by person, but by family. Most of the grave yards are really well kept and often get visited by the family with flowers. I took a few shots of the one I went to today in Numazu before going to the fireworks festival.

Back to work, new tunes, and an interesting find

2007-07-26T01:16:00.001+09:00

So today was my first day back at work after a long vacation (a.k.a wait for VISA). It was business as usual, english, english, and more english. Today was a good 30 degrees, which is death in a suit, but that's life in Tokyo. Lucky for us the government says you don't have to wear a tie after a certain time of year, so that adds at least a little comfort to the heat.

Also, this morning before I went to sleep I came across a huge MF DOOM music collection. Obviously the first thing I did was grab the entire thing. He is by far my favorite true hip-hop artist. If you have been following hip-hop for some time, or know somewhat of what I mean by "true" hip-hop artist, you should know who MF Doom is. If not, hurry and take a look on google.

Some newer Doom

and Doom's original group KMD

Also, I finally found the newest and first of it's kind cigarette out in Japan right now. Recently there has been a huge rise in menthol cigarettes here. Mild 7 has released a menthol cigarette, Marlboro has a new menthol flavor, Kool has a 4 new flavors, with the addition to the one I found today. Kool Boost is the name and it is by far the coolest cigarette I have ever seen. If you just smoke the cigarette it is like a normal Kool menthol, but there is a little capsule inside the filter you can break open and releases a mint like liquid. This soaks into the filter and enhances the menthol flavor by about 3 times. It goes for 330yen which is 30yen more than the average cigarette, but DAMM it's cool. Here are some pictures.

The outside of the box.

Basically just crush that spot with your fingers and it breaks the capsule inside.

I tore open the filter for you guys to see the capsule. After breaking it in my hand the liquid felt like I had rubbed Vics Vapor rub on it. Pretty innovative if you ask me.

A relaxing Tuesday night

2007-07-26T00:52:00.000+09:00

On Tuesday another one of my friends (Tusgumi) came back to Japan and settled down in Tokyo for a few months this summer. We met up in Shibuya (渋谷) and took at look at the 109 building (all girls clothing with ridiculous price tags). Why didn't you buy anything?! Haha. Anyways, after we went to Shinbashi (新橋) which is basically Ginza (銀座) the most expensive place to shop and eat in Tokyo (東京), we did some searchin ad found a cheaper place to grab a drink and some eats while we waited for the other people to join us. Finally Kaori met up with us an hour late, had a drink, more eats, then headed out to Teppei's bar. His bar is really chill. Nice atmosphere and cheap drinks, 300yen (about $3CDN) for everything on the menu. It wasn't some skimpy menu either, probably about 100 drinks in total. After arriving we just had a few drinks and caught up a little bit. It's been a while since I have seen Tsugumi and Teppei, it was refreshing to see people from Vancouver again. We chatted a little about Japan and some more people that came back recently. This Friday I'm heading down to his bar again with more people from Vancouver and have a long night out. I snapped a few shots of the bar, but it was pretty dark so I couldn't really get any great ones. Cheers!

Stuff was growing out of our noses waiting for Kaori. Haha.

Teppei's bar. It's a stand up, but totally relaxing. You can kind of see the menu. Everything on that menu is 300yen.

Red Spakle and Pina Colada. Tastey tastey.

Haha, poor Kaori. Me, Tsugumi, and Teppei all took the same train. It's all because she lives in Chiba. Poor, poor, Kaori.

I found the Art Directors Club exhibition! I think it's still going on, so I'm going to try and head down when I get some some time.

Drinks, laughs, strawberry cigarettes...?

2007-07-23T23:54:00.000+09:00

It was a nice day today. I woke up late, sat and had some coffee, read up on some articles, worked a little on some typography, and then went to my friend's family's restaurant. At first I didn't want to go anywhere because it was really warm and humid today. The heat just sucked the energy right out of me. Now that I got home, I was happy to drag my ass out of the house and go out for some drinks and eats. I totally forgot to take a photo of everyone tonight along with the restaurant, sorry sorry. It was a nice and chilled evening. Basically, drinks and some tasty food compliments of his mother. We chatted a little about plans we have to go to the beach on August 4th. I am really excited for this trip (I have about 3 camping trips planned in August). The beach in Japan is great. Not because it is beautiful or anything, but you can drink as much as you want without worrying about any police coming and taking it away from you. On top of that, you can bring your stereo and blast whatever tunes you want and because it's so loud from all the people, no one says anything. It's always a good time at the beach here. And to prove that, I will show you the following photo from a beach trip in Nagoya (名古屋)

If you are wondering why I added the strawberry cigarettes in the title, take a gander.

Yupp, you got it! Strawberry flavored cigarettes. They aren't so rare and this isn't the first time I have smoked them, but maybe a few of you out there have never seen them. Sometimes here you can find a wall of vending machines with a lot of uncommon cigarettes. Next time I pass by it I will try and grab a few packs that maybe you have never seen.

Well, until next post! Take care.

Mexican food for everyone!

2007-07-23T00:37:00.000+09:00

Like I said in my last post... I had a mexican party for two of my friends tonight! There was a massive amount of salsa, cheese, meat, and drinks flying around. We kept the gathering quite small, there were only 5 of us, until late in the evening when my friends boyfriend came to say hello, have a cigarette, eat some cake, and take off. It was a great night, the food was good, my Mexican pizza was was a hit, and we had some laughs. The cake was really nice as well. We grabbed it from an all vegetable pastry shop. Everything in the store is make from vegetables (cake, cookies, muffins, ect.) That's it for now! Enjoy the photos, and if I get some more design done tonight I will post again.

The first setting...

Naoko with the food

The booze: Jasmine Shochu, and I can't remember the other one

Finally everythings on the table!

The mexican pizza

The vegetable cake!

The birthday girls: Ako and Shiori

MEXICAN PARTY!

2007-07-22T15:32:00.000+09:00

That's right! There is a Mexican food party at my place tonight! It's a few of my friends birthday parties combined so we are doing a Mexican buffet. Tacos, soft tacos, taco pizza, and probably taco salad. It's been a while since I've had Mexican, so of course I'm really stoked for it! I'm also giving my friends a copy of the best Japanese cartoon ever created: The World of Golden Eggs. Definitely check out the link. It's probably the funniest cartoon I have ever watched, very close to Family Guy. Unfortunately it might be a little difficult to get the jokes unless you know Japanese, or some of the meanings behind them. I think there are a few videos an YouTube, so check it if you get a chance.

Also, today I finally received a package from when I went to Nagoya (名古屋). I went there in the beginning of June to visit some friends and one day we went to make some pottery. I hadn't done it since I was in school, but for some reason it's really fun! It was really cheap and you get a huge block of clay. I made 5 things, but you can only choose to put 2 of them in the kiln and colored. Here is what I made!

Saitama visit

2007-07-22T15:01:00.001+09:00

Yesterday, I went to go have some dinner at a friends house in Saitama. His family owns a farm so everything from the dinner was fresh! Everyone was eating raw fish (生魚) so his mom made me these crazy good sausage! They are like sausage on a bone, super juicy and really good. I forgot to take a picture because there was just so much to eat. After eating we sat and watched some TV, then came home. His mom gave me these two figures that you put out in your house during Women's day here in Japan.

After coming home I started working a little on the lettering from a few posts back. I've finished the entire alphabet and am now starting to edit the letters that look like crap (s, z, f). I should have a preview up pretty quickly, maybe a few days.

A cheap and fun way to improve your Japanese reading speed

2007-07-21T13:56:00.001+09:00

When I got to Japan I could already read Hiragana (ひらがな) and Katakana (カタカナ) but my reading speed wasn't that great. So I went to the convenience store (コンビニ) and looked at a few different comic books or "manga" (漫画). I found a good comic that shows the hiragana characters beside the kanji characters.　For those of you who don't know what I am talking about here is a really quick explanation on the 3 different alphabets used in Japan.

Hiragana - ひらがな
Katakana - カタカナ
Kanji - 漢字

Hiragana is used for native Japanese words that do not have a kanji or if the kanji is really rare. Also things like grammar particles (は、が、へ、の、で), and sentence enders (だよ、です、ですか、だね).

Katakana is used for any word that is not native to Japan. It's actually used VERY often. Before I came to Japan I didn't think I would be using Katakana that much, but I was really surprised when I visited here the first time. It is used in a lot of restaurants, coffee shops, super markets, and pretty much anywhere with non-native food or products.
For example:
cola --> コーラ (ko-ra)
hamburger --> ハンバーガー (hanba-ga-)

Kanji is the tough one. Basically because there are thousands of kanji and at first it looks a little overpowering. It is not particularly hard to remember the kanji, but writting them is a b*tch. So why use kanji? Well that's because there are quite a few words that are spelled the same way in hiragana, but have completely different meanings. For example, went (いった / 行った) and said (いった / 言った). They are both written exactly the same in hiragana, so of course if they didn't use kanji it would probably cause a lot of problems and misunderstandings.

ANYWAYS
Like I was saying... I found a manga that shows the hiragana character beside the kanji. This way if I didn't know the kanji I could still figure out what they are saying by reading the hiragana. These comics are for younger children (Junior High School mostly), but the vocabulary and grammar is easy enough for me to understand (for the most part). My speed has improved a lot after reading through some of these. I can actually keep up with the TV now and sometimes catch passing signs when I am on the train. Like I said in the title, these books are cheap and thick! In the photos I put a cigarette box beside a few of them to give you a idea of scale.

To anyone who is wanting to work on improving general reading ability, I totally recommend this manga. It's "コロコロ" and comes out once a month (in Japan of course) for the cheap price of 550円 which is about $5.50CDN.

Here are a few shots of the issues I have.

What my study sessions produce

2007-07-21T13:37:00.000+09:00

Last week I went to the city office to get my immigration card updated after I extended my working holiday visa. After updating the card I decided to head to Starbucks, grab a coffee and study some new Japanese. Well, after getting through a few pages I started sketching on the paper instead of studying. It's been this way ever since I was a little kid and it's not that I have a short attention span, I just like drawing instead of writing. Usually my sketches consist of absolutely nothing, but this day I actually sketched out a few characters.

The work station

2007-07-20T17:03:00.000+09:00

Well the title pretty much says it all. What you can't see are the design books and magazines on the shelf above the computer.

In case you are wondering, I use a MacPro (Quad 2.0) with a 20inch Cinema Display, 250gb portable hard drive on the side, my DS for time away from the computer, and some monitor headphones for when I have time to make a new house mix.

My screen at the moment. Wallpaper by me. Icons and skin my someone else.

Recent type play

2007-07-20T17:01:00.000+09:00

I have been playing with some lettering recently. Just making an alphabet with a very trendy logotype style. I will post updates when I get around to working on it some more.
For now, here is a little preview.

Let's get typical Japan out of the way

2007-07-20T15:38:00.001+09:00

So I know I said I would try and show you the real Japan, but of course I have to get the typical Japan out of the way first. So I'll just throw a bunch of pictures at you.

First off is Sakura (桜). This was taken at the river in front of my place during Hanami (花見) season. For those of you who don't know what either are: Wikipedia

Next we got the infamous Mt. Fuji (ふじさん）

And last on the list is Koi (鯉) or Carp in english.

How do you work this thing?

2007-07-20T02:38:00.000+09:00

Well folks, I have to admit this is my first blog and although I am a designer, I am not a WEB DESIGNER. I work with print and haven't really brushed up on anything to do with CSS. So basically it's like the first time I opened Adobe InDesign and said "What the hell is this?!"

I'm going to keep trucking along, trying to figure this out. Hopefully in the next few days (and by days I mean weeks) I will have something worth looking at.

My savior at the moment

Ron the Champ

2007-07-20T01:05:00.000+09:00

This first post is in dedication to Ron the screwdriver fiend.