A Fantastic Plastic World

You might remember the, now defunct, Shibuya-kei thing of the mid to late 90s. The story goes that much of the worlds vintage vinyl ended up in several records stores in the Sibuya district in Tokyo Japan. A bunch of Japanese DJs and Musicians discovered, via all this old vinyl, recordings of the 50s and 60s. Being creative DJs of electronic music, they sampled and combined these styles, with a fresh heap of Japanese-ism, to form this totally new sound. Mostly it is a combination of the 60s lounge, exotica, and/or Bossa Nova with more current electronic dance beats. You might even remember one of the best known, in the US, Shibuya-kei bands, Pizzicato Five (R.I.P.). A notable mention should also go to Cornelius.
(It is important to point out, as a side note, that though the Japanese have their own twist on the idea of mixing these kinds of music, it is not limited to them.)

Lesser known, but with recordings still available in the US, is the one man band 'Fantastic Plastic Machine.' Tomoyuki Tanaka started his FMP project in and around 1997. His second release, 'Luxury' circa 1998, plays like a journey though a fictional 60s wonderland of gallivanting, shopping, jet setting, dancing, and dreaming. This is a world without scarcity, where there is no bother of hardships, no hunger, and the most pressing issue is what cocktail should one order next. Maybe this is what the 60s would have been like if there had been no fall.

"Luxury" seems to traverse through many of the most prominent styles of music in the 1960s. Here one can hear influence, and maybe some samples, from grate acts such as Mancini, Esquivel, Les Baxter, and Antonio Carlos Jobim.

The album kicks off with "Theme of Luxry," lasting a brief 1.05 minutes, but for this track that is all one needs. Any longer might prove too exhausting. It is a fast jog through the shopping market with excitement at every item of purchase.

The record moves from such jazz-shop-pop to Bossa Nova (our favorite). A good example is FMP's cover of the Eurythmics' "There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart)." Tanaka does as well with Brazilian Samba as almost any native Brazilian producer ever did. The same holds true for the more downtempo but strikingly beautiful "Bossa For Jacky." With its catchy chorus melody, it sounds like it must be a reworking of a Bossa Nova classic, but this one is original. Both "There Must Be an Angel" and "Bossa For Jackie" feature cool and sweet vocals by Lorraine Bowen. But what's that? I could have just sworn that it was Miki Berenyi from the late shoegaze classic Lush. The resemblance is uncanny, and to this day, Miki is who I hear in my mind's ear.

On "Luxury," one even finds funky yet noisy soul. "You must Learn All Night Long," would be right at home if it where included on The Go Team's "Thunder Lightning Strike."

There is a nod to exotica with "Honolulu,Calcutta." The production on this track is very impressive. It incorporates vintage samples creatively merged with hip hop beats. The effect is a dreamy feeling of a romanticized commercial flight. This is all done while a woman narrates a story alternating in French on stereo left and English on stereo right.

"Electric Lady Land" (not to be confused with the song done by Hendrix) is the closest thing to proper J-pop featured on the record. But even still, given the feel and style of the song, one might rather think of a jaunt through Paris.

There would be many more records, and releases, for Tomoyuki Tanaka under the Fantastic Plastic Machine title. "Luxury" still remains, arguably, the strongest production, even with the cheese factor.