Japanese sonic collagists Buffalo Daughter formed in 1993, comprising vocalists/multi-instrumentalists SuGar Yoshinaga and Yumiko Ohno along with turntablist Moog Yamamoto. Cutting-and-pasting sounds ranging from funk to lounge-pop to avant-noise, the trio debuted the following year with the LP Shaggy Headdressers, followed in 1995 by Amoeba... [+] Read More

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The East Village all-star unit Butter 08 comprised Cibo Matto's Miho Hatori and Yuka Honda, the Jon Spencer Blues Explosion's Russell Simins, Skeleton Key's Rick Lee and graphic designer Mike Mills (not to be confused with the R.E.M. bassist of the same name). Formed in the wake of a drunken evening spent producing the Cibo Matto single "Know... [+] Read More

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A Japanese-born duo relocated to New York and christened with an Italian band name, Cibo Matto's music mirrored the melting-pot aesthetics of their origins, resulting in a heady brew of funk samples, hip-hop rhythms, tape loops, and fractured pop melodies all topped off by surreal narratives sung in a combination of French and broken English.... [+] Read More

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It may have taken Cornershop a few years to perfect its innovative hybrid of Indian music, British indie rock, and contemporary dance, but with the release of a third full-length album, When I Was Born for the 7th Time, the racially integrated group's multi-cultural fusions made band instant critics' darlings. Taking their name from a common... [+] Read More

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Compared to his cohorts in the new wave of French dance music, Dimitri from Paris looks much farther afield for his influences. While both Air and Daft Punk make much of their affection for the music of the 1970s (prog and disco, respectively), Monsieur Dimitri's inspiration comes from the Continental jet-setting faux-jazz of the 1950s and early... [+] Read More

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Long Distance Runner is the solo musical endeavor of drummer/producer Kyle Briggs. The Fire of Cumulative Hours is Kyle’s debut effort under the LDR moniker and was released September 5th, 2006 on his own Existential Sounds label. For more info visit www.Long-Distance-Runner.com

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Money Mark is the alias of Mark **** a keyboardist whose funky, retro-flavored riffs earned him the unofficial title of the fourth Beastie Boy. Born in Detroit to a Japanese-Hawaiian father and a Chicano mother, Nishita moved to the West Coast when he was six; some years later, he hooked up with the Dust Brothers production team, and began... [+] Read More

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As the son of John Lennon, perhaps the most beloved Beatle, and avant-garde musician Yoko Ono, Sean Lennon was a celebrity before he had even begun his recording career. That may be the reason why he didn't choose straight-ahead pop as his musical vocation, like his half-brother Julian did. Instead, he cleverly positioned himself between pop and... [+] Read More

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Named after a small, Hungarian-made motor scooter, Solex is the project of Amsterdam-based record-shop owner and songwriter Elisabeth Esselink. Formerly a member of Dutch indie pop group Sonetic Vet, Esselink wanted to express her musical ideas more completely; after purchasing an 8-track recorder and a vintage sampler, Esselink began recording... [+] Read More

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Singer/songwriter Takako Minekawa stands apart from many of the other female recording artists from Japan. Instead of creating faceless, saccharine pop, Minekawa crafts her unique brand of pop from her personal obsessions -- cats, keyboards, French pop -- and her sweet, girlish voice.

A child movie and TV star in Japan, Minekawa was... [+] Read More

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Sunny pop band the Apples in Stereo was one of the leading lights of the Elephant 6 Recording Company collective, a coterie of like-minded, lo-fi indie groups -- including the Olivia Tremor Control, Neutral Milk Hotel, and Secret Square -- who shared musicians, ideas, and sensibilities. They were led by singer/songwriter Robert Schneider, a... [+] Read More

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