Touched By The Hand Of Amigod!

Japanese pop icon Ami Suzuki rocked the Gold Coast to its very foundations on Sunday night without even picking up a microphone. At first I was slightly disappointed that I'd flown from Sydney to listen her holiness play a bunch of CDs but just being in her presence was enough to turn the evening into a semi-religious experience. That and the fact that she accidentally spilled some water on my head. Yes, bitches - I've been baptised by Amigod! Apart from that life changing moment, the highlight of the evening was undoubtedly hearing Ami play a fabulous mash of "Free Free" and "Can't Get You Out Of My Head". I wish she played more of her own music but at least she picked the two best songs from her vast catalogue of hits. Other tracks spun by the pop legend include "Just Dance", "Sexy Bitch" and "Boom Boom Pow". Ami is so cutting edge! There isn't actually that much I can write about a DJ set, so I thought I'd let the pictures do the talking.

While lesser stars play at common venues like Acer Arena and the Entertainment Centre, Ami prefers to keep it real by rocking Bedroom Nightclub. Conveniently located near Condom Kingdom and a kebab store.

Ami-mania even spread to the urinal. Pissing in public has never been more glamorous!

The divine diva looked absolutely stunning in her floral dress. Love the sequined headphones.

Ami was the picture of concentration...

But eventually let loose and drove the crowd into a frenzy with her amazing tunes.

She changed her own CDs and everything!

"How did it come to this?"

In all seriousness, I think more pop stars should do DJ sets. Just think how much more enjoyable an Annie or Little Boots concert would be if you didn't have to hear them sing. Ami is such a trendsetter! As much as I'd love to see Lady Suzuki perform live, it was enough just to be in the same room as her. She's doing another show in Brisbane on Thursday, so head along to catch a glimpse of Japan's true Queen of pop. You might even run into these lovely girls!

Ami Suzuki

Soon I will bask in her magical glow...

Ami Suzuki's Kylie Cover & Australian Tour!

Today is quite possibly the most important date in the history of popular music. My favourite Japanese diva - the heavenly Ami Suzuki - has just leaked a thirty second preview of her long awaited version of Kylie's "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" AND finally confirmed her first Australian tour (of Queensland nightclubs). I don't know where to start! I'm literally lost for words after hearing Ami's stunning cover, so I guess I'll begin with her tour. First and foremost - why is this living legend confining herself to the Sunshine State? Ami's tens of fans would fill venues right across Australia. I know my local Sushi Train would be packed to the rafters! It's frustrating but I won't let 730 measly kilometres come between me and the pride of Japan. The prospect of hearing the Queen of Avex mime to a bunch of her top 35 smash "hits" is just too tempting. Queensland, here I come! At the moment the diva's Australian tour consists of the following dates:

- The 14th of March at Bedroom Nightclub on the Gold Coast (link)
- The 18th of March at Church Nightclub in Brisbane (link)

I'm not familiar with either venue, so if anyone has any suggestions - please let me know. I just hope Ami belts out a couple of early classics like "Be Together" and "Love The Island" as well as her trashtastic Avex masterpieces "Free Free", "One" and "Can't Stop The Disco". Speaking of that last smash, you might remember my post about the song's video clip. It's basically a frame by frame copy of Kylie's "In My Arms", so I find it only fitting that Ami pay tribute to Australia's own Queen of pop by covering her biggest hit. Needless to say, the Japanese icon does Kylie proud. Changing the lyrics to "I just can't get you out of my hair" was a masterstroke! Ami's breathtaking anthem will feature on this upcoming compilation but until then, enjoy the 30 second preview (below). Ayumi and Utada could never...

Perfume - Dream Fighter

It's time for some of the amazing Asian pop music I keep threatening to write about but never quite seem to get around to. Sitting at the top of my much neglected "To Do" list is Perfume - Japan's hottest girlband. These three lovely ladies hail from Hiroshima, where they experienced some local success before packing their bags and heading for Tokyo to crack the big time. After a couple of misfires, Perfume finally hit the top 10 in late 2007 and their popularity has snowballed ever since. In July last year, they took things to another level by becoming the first "techno-pop" act (I guess we'd describe it as electro-pop) to score a #1 hit in Japan with the fabulous "Love The World". As much as I love that song and I love it A LOT, the follow-up is even better.

"Dream Fighter" is a truly spectacular pop tune. Released late last year in Japan (where it peaked at #2), the track is a rambling five and a half minute epic that keeps you hooked from the first kooky beat to the last. The girls sound amazing but much of the credit has to go to Yasutaka Nakata - the man in charge of Ami Suzuki's stunning "Dolce" and "Supreme Show" albums. His production is exquisite. I love the layers of sound, the quirky sound effects and the surprising flourishes of 70s space disco. Yasutaka's ability to avoid the coldness and sterility that commonly pervades electronic pop music is startling. "Dream Fighter" is deep, lush and catchy to the point of being ridiculous. I've been walking around singing the chorus for weeks and I can't speak a word of Japanese! It's only a matter of time before a western pop star comes along and hires this guy. I just hope it's someone worthy. Like a Minogue.

Make sure you check out the "Dream Fighter" video (below). It's a great example of a really simple concept executed brilliantly. The costumes, direction and special effects are all spot on. Then there's the loopy choreography. The girls from Perfume are almost as famous for their intricate dance routines as they are for their music and this clip demonstrates why.

My Failed Asian Pop Festival

So I had this great idea a couple of weeks ago. Bored and repulsed by just about everything on Australian radio, I decided to devote my blog to the only region currently churning out great pop music with any regularity - Asia. The plan was pretty simple. I would hold a month long Asian pop festival featuring a selection of my favourite Japanese and Korean acts. I knew it would turn off a lot of readers but I've never let that stop me in the past. The first step was supposed to be easy. I needed a glamorous new banner to herald my brief transformation and reasoned that nobody represents Asian appreciation better than Miley Cyrus. In retrospect, it probably wasn't my wisest decision. The intention was to take the piss out Miley-gate (and rail against militant political correctness in the process) but I ran the design (above) by my Vietnamese BFF, who advised me against it - after she had finished laughing.

After binning Miley, I settled on something more inclusive and universal - smut. My second attempt at a new banner would simply feature some random dude wearing as little as possible. Easy, right? I thought so too before wading through a small mountain of porn to find an image that was sleazy without being too lewd. Do an unfiltered Google search for "Hot Asian Guys" to see what I mean! The final product (above) wasn't going to win me any awards but I was reasonably happy with it. On a whim, I decided to run it by a different friend who remarked that it looked like "a poster for a Thai sex holiday". Charming. By that stage my enthusiasm for the whole concept had started to wane. Everyone I had mentioned it to expressed a distinct lack of interest and somewhere along the way it all just became too hard, so I canned the idea altogether. Despite the fact that my Asian pop festival was a massive flop before it even started, it hasn't affected my love for the music. So instead of devoting an entire month to the genre, I'm simply going to feature Asian pop stars more regularly - starting with the Queen of Japanese dance (and Kylie's #1 fan) Ami Suzki.

I've written more about Ami than any other Japanese pop star on this blog. It's no exaggeration to say that she's one of my very favourite divas making music today. Her past two albums have been sublime and I'm still working on reviewing her latest opus "Supreme Show". That post will happen (I hope) but in the meantime, Ami has gone and recorded new music for an upcoming greatest hits compilation. Her new song "Reincarnation" was released in Japan this week and it represents a radical change in sound. No surprise given the absence of her usual producer Yasutaka Nakata (the current king of Japanese techno-pop). It took me some time to get into "Reincarnation", and while I still think it lacks the grandeur of "Free Free" or "One", it's nevertheless a great pop song. M-Flo's production is heavier and less melodic but there's no denying the originality on display. I just think the track needs a good edit. At close to 6 minutes, "Reincarnation" sounds more like an extended club mix than a pop song. Happily, the video clip (below) is something of a triumph. Ami looks lovely, the photography is gorgeous and there can be no claims of plagiarism this time around. Enjoy!

Ami Suzuki Does Kylie - Twice!

My copy of Ami Suzuki's "Supreme Show" finally arrived from Japan - two months after its November release. I was concerned that the album might be a rush job, coming only 9 months after her last opus but my fears turned out to be completely unfounded. I loved "Dolce" (it made #15 in my year end album countdown) but "Supreme Show" is in a whole new league. Once I've had a chance to fully digest its brilliance, I'll write a detailed review. In the meantime, I just can't resist commenting on the album's first two singles - more specifically, on the video clips. In the past, I've jokingly referred to Ami as the Japanese Dannii but it seems the fabulous diva has loftier aspirations. This time around she's decided to pay homage to the more successful Minogue, chanelling Kylie in both of her new videos!

I first heard "Can't Stop The Disco" way back in September but like a lot of songs released last year, it kind of fell through the cracks during my trip. I would have paid the song considerably more attention if I had bothered to watch the video clip (above). This will be old news to J-Pop fans but I almost fell off my chair when I finally checked it out a couple of days ago. "Can't Stop The Disco" is a virtual scene by scene remake of Kylie's "In My Arms" video - only filmed on one tenth of the budget. The result is pure trash heaven. Instead of Gareth Pugh couture, Ami wears a hoodie from K-Mart and rolls around in a box that could well be made out of bin liner. It seems that my girl copped a lot of criticism for "copying" Kylie's video but I prefer to view it as a loving tribute to another fabulous diva. Happily, the controversy didn't prevent the song debuting in Japanese top 20. $ucce$$!

After the unprecedented fabulousness of "Can't Stop The Disco", I thought it would be prudent to check out the film clip for the album's first single. Unfortunately, "One" (below) completely passed me by last July. In my defence, I was probably getting pissed with ladyboys in Thailand at the time but I still can't believe I missed one of the year's best songs - from one of my favourite divas, no less! I could rave about "One" all night but I'll leave that for my "Supreme Show" review. Needless to say, the song is pure genius. I don't know what I was expecting from the video but I thought the chances of two Minogue knock offs were pretty slim. It seems I underestimated my beloved Japanese princess. "One" is clearly inspired by Kylie's "Wow" but it's not quite as shameless. In fact, if I hadn't just watched "Can't Stop The Disco", I would have given Ami the benefit of the doubt. A lot of videos share the same premise (Kelly Rowland's "Work" comes to mind) and the similarities are nowhere near as glaring. "One" does use the same neon light sticks and epilepsy inducing editing but there's no fatsuit or unflattering bob to be seen. If nothing else, the Japanese diva can take solace in the fact that she actually looks good in her video. "One" seems to have sparked the usual allegations of theft but Ami's resourceful approach to music videos makes me love her even more. I just hope this fabulous bitch rips off "All I See" for her next clip!

Ami Suzuki - Free Free

Earlier this year I posted "Tell Me" by the fabulous Wonder Girls and wrote about my tentative exploration of the Asian pop scene. I'm still taking baby steps but since then I've discovered a wealth of poptastic acts to rival anything Australia or Europe has to offer. Funnily enough I'm completely underwhelmed by the big names. The appeal of J Pop megastars like Ayumi, Utada and Namie is lost on me. Instead my taste in Asian pop mirrors my English language listening habits. Basically, I'm partial to trashy pop tarts with plastic surgery addictions and nude calenders, floptastic girlbands and middle aged divas who are still dressing in school uniforms well into their 40s. It seems my yearning for pop trash is truly universal!

Ami Suzuki isn't the trashiest diva in Asia but her pop trash credentials are impeccable. 15 year old Ami shot to stardom in Japan after winning a televised talent show in the late 90s. Her first album sold almost 2 million copies and she briefly enjoyed a level of fame to rival that of J Pop queen Ayumi. That is until Ami's father sued her record company for a larger share of the profits (she was only being paid 3 million yen a week!) and the poor bitch found herself blacklisted by the music industry, thus experiencing an almost unprecedented fall from grace. After five years of relative obscurity, Ami was re-discovered performing at university and signed a record deal with Avex - a Japanese dance label similar to AATW. Since then Ami has developed a large gay following by releasing a string of trashy club anthems that rarely tickle the top 30. In other words, she's the Japanese Dannii!

At the beginning of 2008 Ami released her third album for Avex called "Dolce" and unveiled a sexy new baby doll image. "Dolce" is an irresistibly upbeat collection of Japanese house tracks with a hefty dose of bright and shiny pop thrown into the mix. The first single "Free Free" is one of my favourite songs of the year. Another #32 smash hit for Ami, "Free Free" is an eccentric dancefloor stomper with an endearingly uplifting English language chorus. The heavy beats are fantastic and I love the crazy vocoder effects. The more concise single edit is slightly superior but the album version I'm posting is a weird and wonderful treat. Make sure you check out the fabulous video (above), which steals shamelessly from Kylie and Madonna. Ami's latest single should be of interest to fans of the American girlband Aly & AJ. It's a sparkling dance cover of "Potential Break Up Song"! Check out Ami's stunning version here. You can purchase "Dolce" from YesAsia and HMV Japan. It's definitely worth hunting this gem down.