I thought it was interesting, so I stocked the 7-inch by SABABA 5+ Yurika Hanashima a while back, and it sold out immediately. I hadn’t been following them since then, but it seems they’ve been steadily building a solid track record in this genre and have been highly praised by the likes of Gilles Peterson and Cerys Mathews, host of BBC Radio 6 Music.
Indeed, they’re clearly not just a one-hit wonder—they have solid musical skills. Apparently, SABABA 5 draws significant inspiration from 60s and 70s world music and Middle Eastern sounds, and it’s fascinating to see a generation that grew up listening to the so-called “Glocal” sounds—like the Thai pop reissues from Sublime Frequencies in the 2000s and 2010s, EM Records’ reissues of Thai pop and other so-called “Glocal” sounds—it really makes you feel like times have moved on when a generation that grew up listening to that music starts a band.
Even setting that aside, their vocals are simply outstanding... Of course, it’s perfect for Japanese music, lounge DJs, and bars. I’d love to see them live! It also includes tracks from their previously released 7-inch singles. It’s even more straightforward than Kuan Bin or Kit Sebastian, who debuted on Brainfeeder!
This is sure to be an irresistible release for fans of this genre. (Original Japanese text by Shhhhh)