Since its inception, Mule Musiq has released work from an international sampling of artists, from London-based producers Mock & Toof to U.S.-born Terre Thaemlitz and even Norway’s disco king, Prins Thomas. But half a decade later, the Tokyo, Japan-based label is examining what’s within the borders of its own homeland for its latest project.

One need only look to the title of The Definitive Japanese Scene to know what this release is all about. Eleven tracks will showcase Japanese electronic-music artists in a compilation that’s the first of its kind for Mule.

According to label owner Toshiya Kawasaki, the decision to release a collection like this was something of a no-brainer. “I just asked my friends and good artists to join this compilation. They were happy with my idea to show their music outside of Japan.”

Music-wise, the tracks here cover a range of styles, with cosmic-disco, tech-house, and hip-hop among them. “I think that Japanese artists [were] following and influenced [by] the sound and scene of the U.S. Now, Japanese artists are going to have [their] own scene,” says Kawasaki, who’s quick to add that ultimately, the aim of the release is “to show the Oriental and alternative sound by this compilation.”

The Definitive Japanese Scene will drop April 27.

Stay tuned for a reported second installment of the series, for which Kawasaki is currently choosing the artists.

Japanese Scene
01 Righteous – “Midnight Muse”
02 Olive Oil – “But No Enough”
03 Kaoru Inoue – “Esc”
04 Kza – “Open Up (Slow Version)”
05 Soft – “Fullmoon In Triangle”
06 Dedication – “Pito Deep”
07 Yoshihiro Tsukahara & Kuniyuki – “Wild and Survive”
08 Galarude – “Audio Video Disco”
09 Force Of Nature – “I-ight”
10 Kentaro Iwaki – “Kinuta”
11 Haruki Matsuo – “Spy vs Spy”

Listen: Dedication (Foolish Felix & Tsuyoshi Kosuga from Cro-Magnon) – “Pito Deep”

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