Jun Kamoda will release his second full-length album, ‘II’, next month.
Set for release on the Nagano, Japan-based artist’s own JUN RECORDS, the 12-track release finds Kamoda returning to his roots as a leftfield hip-hop producer and DJ. In recent years, Kamoda has made a name for himself on the international house circuit with his bold, animated productions and distinct approach to sampling on releases for labels like Mr Saturday Night, Black Acre or Steel City Dance Discs.
On ‘II’, Kamoda develops a technique he first toyed with on the track ‘Ruddy Sunset’ from his debut album. The process, he explains, is to record a track at a more conventional house tempo (between 120 and 128 bpm), and then make his own edit of the track between 80 and 110 bpm. “I am obsessed with this work process,” he says. “I felt that I finally described my soul in the tracks.”
Recorded entirely through his Technics RS-615U tape deck, the album crackles with warm grit, with elements of hip-hop, house, disco, dancehall and ambient passing through his pitched down process. It makes for a breezy listen, with some bright, surprising twists thrown in for good measure. You can hear the track, ‘Post Utopia’, one of the album’s more energised cuts, below.
Jun Kamoda’s ‘II’ will be released on 30th April. You can pre-order it here.