Review | Dotsuitare Hompo “Ah, Osaka dreamin’night”

Dotsuitare Hompo‘s “Ah, Osaka dreamin’night” overflows with a unique energy that is, in essence, Osaka encapsulated in music form.

Dotsuitare Honpo consists of Ryota Iwasaki, Takaya Kuroda and Kengo Kawanishi.

Title: あゝオオサカdreamin’night
Label: EVIL LINE RECORDS/KING RECORDS
Release date: 30/10/2019
Genre: Hip-Hop/Jazz-Hop/Trap

Tracklist:

1. あゝオオサカdreamin’night (performed by Dotsuitare Honpo)
2. Tragic Transistor(performed by Sasara Nurude - CV: Ryota Iwasaki)
3. Own Stage (performed by Rosho Tsutsujimori - CV.Kengo Kawanishi）
4. FACES (performed by Rei Amayado - CV: Takaya Kuroda) 
5. Drama Track（TBD）

Track by track analysis:

1 – Ah, Osaka dreamin’night

In the middle of puns and jokes of Osaka’s Manzai comedy style, Dotsuitare Hompo‘s leader, Sasara Nurude, introduces us to the playful, shamisen and shakuhachi-driven song we have in hand. The beat is simple yet incredibly addictive following the shamisen’s uptempo beat and the deep bass-driven beat that adds the groove to the track.

The verses are short and entertaining, adding a deep bass line to give an extra punch to the beat’s bass drum.

When it comes to the vocal performances, we find three completely different rappers. The song kicks off with puns and jokes of Sasara and shifts to the intimidating and flowy rap by Rei Amayado to then grace us with the comical banter between Sasara and Rosho Tsutsujimori when the latter’s time to rap kicks in and he struggles to keep up with the tempo.

Rap flows incredibly well within the group. Add the fact that traditional Japanese musical instruments play a major role in setting the tone for this crew, and we have more than enough to make this song the highlight of the release.

2 – Tragic Transistor

The first solo track is performed by Dotsuitare Hompo‘s leader, Sasara Nurude. The song has a quirky vibe in its simplicity. A minimalistic beat and bass line serve as the background to the playful brass that leads the way.

At times there are some beat/drum fills that quickly shift the pacing, a nice touch that adds a different dynamic to this song. Between wordplays and direct attacks to the other crews in the franchise, Sasara showcases the charm in Osaka and in his rap style.

3 – Own Stage

The vibe changes as we shift to Rosho Tsutsujimori. Alluring saxophone melodies and a jazzy piano set the classy tone for what is a surprising song. The soundscape created is funky and intimidating, a direct result of the slow-paced, smoothly nostalgic instrumental. A groovy slap bass line adds an extra bit of class to this jazz-hop tune.

The performance is groovy and slow-paced, exuding a nostalgic 90s vibe that is impossible not to groove while listening to it, even if a lot of math is being spewed at the listener. Surprising performance, especially taking into account how Rosho was having a hard time finding his groove in the title track.

4 – FACES

The mini-album wraps up with the powerful tune, FACES. The song is slow-paced and with an imposing chorus that will make sure you will not forget this release. The verses are slow and focus on orchestral hits and a hard-hitting beat that puts the listener on edge. The drop leading to the chorus can be felt for how well executed it was.

The vocals feature a variety of effects, with the most noticeable being the heavy use of auto-tune in the chorus. Although auto-tune is not commonly a good addition to performance, for this track it works well with the themes explored and the whole imposing vibe going on. Certainly, a performance to remember.

FACES manages to close this mini-album on a cool note.

Final considerations

Dotsuitare Hompo make an astounding debut with Ah, Osaka dreamin’ night. The album is playful, fun, and overflowing with a unique energy that is essentially, Osaka encapsulated in music form.

It has the fun, comedic aspects, and characteristics of Osaka’s comedy that we find in Tragic Transistor, it has the classy, jazz bar-vibe that is common in Osaka’s night in Own stage but it also has the menace of Osaka’s shadier nightlife or the other side of the quiet Osaka, something that FACES easily grasped. This is a gritty portrait of Osaka, a portrait of a city as charming as it is intimidating.

Ah, Osaka dreamin’night is a release that couldn’t have any other thing other than top marks. Powerful and quirky, one of the best debut releases within the franchise.

This album is available worldwide on Spotify.

Ah, Osaka dreamin’night is available for purchase at CDJAPAN.

Ahh Osaka dreamin’night

Dotsuitare Honpo