2022 / A Few Favourites / Eitetsu Takamiya / Flower Records

Tokyo’s Flower Records are an institution. They’ve been releasing music for an incredible 28 years. Starting in 1995, with hot homegrown house 12s, which in London were super sought after*, 2022 saw the imprint experience a fresh wave of international success with a series of 7s that proved just as desirable. Cruisic’s Pacific 707 put 808’s rave classic though its jazz paces. Onegram performed a funk overhaul of Kraftwerk’s Trans Europe Express. Reggae Disco Rockers teamed up with singer / songwriter Marter, to drop Neil Young’s Harvest Moon into dubwise. STE took a suitably fragile modern crack at Joni Mitchell’s Case Of You. Masato “Slowly” Komatsu, together with veteran Jamaican vocalist Courtney John, triumphed with a terrific 2 step take on Curtis Mayfield`s Tripping Out. Komatsu also collaborated with Ryo Kawahara as Lost Weekend, a laid back lament for Tokyo’s pandemic-rocked, but recovering, nightlife. There was more original music in the shape of a sophomore album of brilliant Brazilian-flavoured fusion from Coastlines, and a new 45, care of Quinn Lamont Luke and Max Essa, is all good to go. Here, however, label co-founder, Eitetsu Takamiya, still an in-demand DJ, runs through a few of his personal favourites, and floor-fillers, from the last 12 months.