Osaka / Reunite! Freedom Time

Went to Osaka this weekend. Here is how I feel about the place:



Love it, and it's actually nearer than Kobe for me so yay. Drove down with Dylan to Akashi (nearish Kobe) first on Friday night (I say 'with' - he drove, I ate snacks. I was supposed to navigate but there is literally one turn) and stayed there Fri night. Watched Lord of the Rings, which, much like Simpsons, is awesome in Japanese.

Saturday took the train over to Osaka, an area called Umeda. Wandered round some shops (Japan is BIG on department stores, they're okay but can't beat a little row of jumbled up little places), which was well cool, got a Porter wallet which I've wanted for a while. (Picked up a little freebie fashion magazine with an article

Oh! There are plenty of cool items. I can't choose it!
You got to find your own clothes.

which I thought was cool.) And had a couple of midday beers at little stands in the station selling like a plastic cup of beer for a quid. Loads of them were there, everyone drinking at 1pm with families, such a cool attitude. (Especially the businesssman who, looking busy in the middle of the day, rushed up, downed his beer in two gulps before rushing off to work again.)



Anyway, came out for this thing:

and we met up with with a whole bunch of other JETs. Went for a couple of drinks then split up as those guys wanted to go explore Shinsaibashi, the other cool area in town. I try not to force my kinda clubs on people (well I do but only when I know people well enough to know THEY DESERVE IT) so just me and Lena headed off to hit some bars before GILLESY P OMG. (i was a bit excited.)

We found the kind of bar which is what I love about going out in Japan. A TINY little place that only fits 9 people, all sitting round the bar, where there are 3 staff working! And shelves of spirits that would put a full size pub to shame. (No idea how they pay the bills, it wasn't even that expensive. Although there were two old drunk businessmen with girls at least half their age so maybe they buy them expensive shit or something.) Playing old school pop off of LP, some Commodores and Carpenters and stuff, dim lights - oh and Fred Astaire movies on a screen. Dude behind the bar had invented this watermelon cocktail which was amazing, and they gave us two minimal wooden spoons with just the briefest mouthful of food on, a piece of peppered meat on one and 3 mini dried fish heads on the other - good shit. This bar was making me and Lena drift off to a very cool very chilled place somewhere when my mate Tommi rang so we went to pick him up and get more uptempo for GILLESY P OMG.

Headed down to the club and had to queue for a bit. Massive bunch of flowers outside which was cool. Headed in, and my mate Tommi was cussing the broken jazz music that was coming up from the dance. I said NOTHING cos I knew he'd be loving it within an hour.



Thing I love about Gilles is the way he always wins people over. No matter what people are into, give him half an hour with an open mind and you'll find he connects to you through a particular tune - then you're way more open to wherever he goes next. He got my mate Tommi who"s into techno-y type stuff with heavy heavy brazilian house and got Lena who's an rnb girl with this HEAVY tune beginning with some twisted faith evans vocal from 'Be Faithful' into some deep dark soul.



And just as I was feeling all smug and knowing, falling asleep drunk on Lena's shoulder upstairs, he dropped 'Sombre Guitar' by Danser's Inferno. This is a tune I loved like craaaazy (all about the horns' runs) and haven't heard for about 3 years since I gave my ex my old radio recorded copy on MD. Jump up like I was on a chain. Then a couple tunes later he dropped a version of 'Another Star' (just like he did on my 18th bday at That's How It Is but a different one) into a funk tune with that same bassline.



So many new old tunes and new stuff I had no idea about he just mixed up, I loved it from beginning to end. And the follow up DJ dropped some classics - including a Jamiroquai tune (wouldn't have enjoyed it so much cold, but after being broken down by so many good tunes it was perfect) and Mishaps Happening by Quantic, a tune I never really thought would be a club one but hell yeah did it work, everyone went nuts.

Got a pic with Yoshihiro Okino (one half of Kyoto Jazz Massive), who is like one of my heroes, which made things perfect. He's such a dude as well, not like most djs out of there the minute his set's over, he spent the entire night hitting on girls in the bar. Got this pic at about 5.30 in the morning as we were about to stumble out, had to interrupt him hitting on 3 girls but he was such a cool guy.



Got the first train back and crashed out at Lena's. Rode back with Dylan in his car late Sunday night to his place where I'd left my car, and had MASSIVE TROUBLE again getting out of his drive, but didn't scratch up the car this time - but only cos he was precisely directing me again. I think I'm just a bit backwards at driving. Ah well.

Oh yeah and what kind of club has it's own lucky strike box sleeves? THE BEST KIND.



**********************************************
JAPANESE EXCLUSIVE BONUS TRACKS

Lau's Car and House *
Akashi Bridge *

*Not on original album