Nacci

Born and raised in Okinawa, Nacci seems to stay close to her roots in her work as a songwriter and musician. With a languid pop sensibility, her songs are refreshing yet deliciously familiar, while remaining both subtly nuanced and decidedly heavy in their delivery.

She continues to work with many groundbreaking artists, such as DJ Quietstorm, Kim Ken and Joseph Nothing, bringing her beautifully breathy vocals and personal musical approach to a number of fruitful collaborations.

Some of her more recent collaborators will be on hand to lend their talents in this performance, helping to showcase her new work. Nacci will also be joined by visual artist Ben List from the Tokyo-based live installation group DaDaKingZ, who will provide a suitably mesmerizing backdrop to the musical proceedings.

Nacci

Ben List

Yusuke Kamijima / Yorune Yolearn

Step into the expansive sonic world of Yusuke Kamijima (aka Yorune Yolearn) and you'll find ethereal melodies, unspoken languages in hushed tones, and teetering layers of dense harmonies, all which seem to come in waves, disappearing into the outer reaches of the music in subtle, unfurling echoes. In short, he makes music you want to hear.

Yusuke has been gaining recognition through his work as a live musician and composer (which has been featured on Ryuichi Sakamoto's radio show), contributing to overseas compilations and providing soundtrack music for film.

This evening will be an opportunity to hear some of his most resounding works live and loud. Charming, majestic, and profoundly accomplished.

Yusuke Kamijima

Shintaro Aoki

Composer, pianist and electronic artist Shintaro Aoki wants you to feel good. As a musician, he makes some of the most blissful passages of scintillating electronica in recent memory, and as the owner of the Japanese label Mizukage Records, he puts out music that goes straight for your limbic system, guaranteed to massage you into a winning mood.

Since 2002, Shintaro Aoki has been making electronic music as aquashade, collaborating with a number of overseas artists, while also providing music for theater performances here in Japan. He also presides over the Saitama-based electronica event Denshi-Tenshin, which serves as a forum for new electronic artists.

With his volume of activity recently, we are overjoyed that he could take the time to join us for our Test Tone series. Our chance and yours to hear a special artist with a unique vision.

Shintaro Aoki

Shintaro Aoki on MySpace

Shantell Martin (live drawing)

This year, Shantell Martin is 27! For those of you familiar with cubic numbers, you already know that 27 is the largest number that is the sum of the digits of its cube. For those who aren't, this may seem unimportant, but it is just one more reason why 27 is the magic number, and of course why Shantell is just as magical!

If it sounds like we're out of words of praise for Shantell, we aren't. Shantell Martin is, in fact, magical. Also, since she brings marvelous imagery and new ideas every time she joins us, we feel obliged to keep writing something new.

For a sneak peek at her new work, check her lovely website below to enter a forest of interconnected worlds and outlandish auras, chock full of psychedelic wildlife frolicking on the fringes of reality. Shantell Martin is magical!

Shantell Martin