This&That Café Vol. 31This&That Café Vol.31

Once again TokyoDex christens the New Year with our flagship event “This&That Café” at SuperDeluxe. The 2017 Jam features a musical journey around the world, with stops in Amami-Oshima, Latin America, Jamaica and beyond. Together with the bold street-art strokes of Whole9’s live painting and an interactive digital diversion designed by TokyoDex’s own Alexis Andre, #tntcafe Vol. 31 promises to take you on a deeply artistic multi-sensory journey. Not to be missed!

Featuring:
SHAMANZ
Alexander LP & Kombinow
Anna Sato
Toshiyuki Sasaki
Hassy & the Arabiannighters
WHOLE9
onnacodomo
Alexis Andre
Jay Horinouchi
Yuya Takeda (VJ)
Birds Of Rhythm (DJs)

SHAMANZ
SHAMANZ emerged from Tokyo as a Fusion Acoustic Dance Band in 2012. With Tama Tsuboi’s songwriting and musical arrangements from Kai Petite, Mike Marrington and Winterhawk Spencer, SHAMANZ has a very unique sound covering a wide range of genres such as Latin, Reggae, Ska, Pop, R&B, World and Wa music (Traditional Japanese music). With help from the worldwide sound equipment manufacturer Audio-Technica, SHAMANZ recorded their first mini album and was released at This&That Cafe in August 2015.
[www.facebook.com/shamanzsounds](https://www.facebook.com/shamanzsounds/)

Alexander LP & “Kombinow”
Kombinow is a newly formed Latin music group lead by Japan-based cuban singer and guitarist Alexander Laborde Padron. His musical styles vary
from salsa to ballads and beyond, blending unique guitar stylings with a sweet strong voice that attracts seasoned Latin-music fans as well as first-time listeners. Born 1976 in Cuba, Alexander studied under Director Lineres of the Cuba National Opera and became a singer in the National Polyphonic Chorus directed by Professor Carmen Collado from the Cuban National Art University. He has been performing professionally from the age of 21 and his career has taken him throughout Europe and later Asia where his popularity continues to grow.
[www.alexanderlp.com](http://www.alexanderlp.com)

Anna Sato
Born and raised in Amami Oshima, Anna learned Amami Shimauta (Amami Island songs) from the age of three from her grandfather. When she sings, Anna uses a falsetto tone in her voice that is unique to the island’s original folk songs, sometimes referred to as ‘the voice of escape.’ She plays the Sanshin and Tategoto and also sings Shimauta in the island’s original language which is fast becoming extinct. Though in the past she has embraced other genres such as pop and musicals, in June 2015 Anna released her very first self-produced album called ‘tsumugi uta’ that features the traditional music of Amami. Since then she has been active doing live performances where she plays Shimauta and performs storytelling in the island’s original dialect. Last year in 2016, she played her own music in a performance called ‘ICON’ directed by the Belgian Choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, marking her debut at the Gothenburg Opera in Sweden. This same ensemble is set to have its world tour in May this year. Anna strives to pursue original expressions through Shimauta with a combination of her own vocal stylings, percussion instruments, and collaborations with other artists. This effort has led her to form a unit with drummer Toshiyuki Sasaki who will share the stage with her at This&That Cafe.
[www.facebook.com/anna.amami.music](https://www.facebook.com/anna.amami.music/)

Photo Credit: Rino Kojima

Toshiyuki Sasaki
Toshiyuki Sasaki is the leader of Nautilus, a modern groove band that mixes jazz, funk, disco, soul and hip hop. In this unit with Anna Sato, he adds percussive beats to traditional Shimauta, bringing a modern twist to a primitive sound. This performance at #TnTCafe marks this duo’s second collaboration after debuting in September 2016 at the annual music festival ‘Rencontres de Chants Polyphoniques’ held in Corsica, France.
[www.nautilusmusic.net](http://www.nautilusmusic.net)

Photo Credit: Silvio Siciciano

Hassy & the Arabiannighters
Some of the most amazing cultures and music from around the world are still unknown in Japan. Integrating familiar sounds with traditional instruments from the Middle East and India, Hassy & the Arabiannighters hope to discover new sounds and expand new possibilities. This approach can only be taken because the band members all have a rick background in music from various cultures. They hope to create music that respects these different cultures but also embraces a more free-spirited and modern sense of sound. In this world where there seems to be no end to fighting, music is one of the few forces that unites people regardless of national or religious boundaries. Hassy & the Arabiannighters strive to become a successful band not only in Japan but around the world.
[www.facebook.com/Hassythe-arabian-nighters](https://www.facebook.com/Hassythe-arabian-nighters-1617432031899622/)

Whole9
WHOLE9 is a Japanese artist unit formed in Osaka Japan in 2007. The members of WHOLE9 are “hitch,” whose main focus is representational painting, and “simo,” whose concentrates on abstract painting. Their work is heavily influenced by street art, and they strive to maintain exceptional quality and include various expressions in their high-speed painting and large-scale murals. The range of their activities is wide. In addition to live painting, mural production, client work for brands such as adidas, RedBull, SEIKO etc., they have also performed in commercial films and music videos,
etc. Sometimes producers, the also are involved in making videos and organizing art events. Throughout the years, WHOLE9 has taken part in various art events and group exhibitions and will continue to work in various styles.
[whole9-web.jp](http://whole9-web.jp/)

onnacodomo
Taking their inspiration from moments and objects from everyday life, visual unit Onnacodomo make the ordinary decidedly extraordinary. Eschewing computer-generated graphics or recorded material, the three members (DJ Codomo, Yasuko Seki and Ruka Noguchi) perform in real time using a video camera to capture their spontaneous creations. Shimmering projections are created using water, mirrors and an array of lights, while a world of fantastic images is constructed with found photos, kitchen utensils, toys, stationary and improvised artwork. Kaleidoscopic, absurd and unreal, Onnacodomo takes you into a slightly-unhinged world that is absolutely original in its conception. (Text Cal Lyall)
[Homepage](http://www.onnacodomo.com/)

Alexis Andre
French media artist residing in Tokyo, Alexis does research on “Interactive Aesthetics” for Sony CSL. His works span data visualization to new interfaces for sound interaction.
[alexisandre.com](http://alexisandre.com/)

Jay Horinouchi
Born and raised in the Bay Area, California, Jay spent a couple years studying art in Napa County, then moved down to Southern California and graduated from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena in 2006. He then worked as a professional artist and designer in Los Angeles for a few years before moving overseas to Tokyo in the spring of 2010. Duality is a theme that Jay constantly explores with his art. Being a bilingual Japanese American, there is a duality in thoughts, words and translation. He also receives a lot of his artistic inspiration from the Japanese culture itself, and how that differs from his American life. His art is a mix of abstract watercolor and hyper detailed robot technology, constantly questioning the balance between man vs nature, old vs new.
[Jay Horinouchi Homepage](http://www.jaykun.com)

Yuya Takeda (VJ)
Born in 1988, Tokyo. Yuya Takeda is multi 2D/3D, motion graphics, musician, interaction design general artist working in Japan.
[Yuya Takeda Homepage](http://cargocollective.com/Skybase/)

Birds Of Rhythm
Birds Of Rhythm is a refreshing, melodic project from San Francisco’s Lips & Rhythm Records, featuring its founding partners Soleil Kellar & Jesse Sizmo. Formed in 2015, the colorful English-American duo have built a reputation on playing the warmer, jazzier side of House music,
gaining a following of likeminded artists and fans in California and abroad. With a healthy obsession for dancing in the sunshine they have helped usher in a new era of marathon daytime parties in San Francisco, hosting a quarterly label showcase that features unique, emerging talent on their roster from far and wide. Between running the label and DJing, Birds Of Rhythm also release remixes and originals for other artists they work with. Sizmo hosts his weekly radio show at Radio Valencia and Kellar spends her time making strange field recordings to include on their debut EP due out Spring 2017. Whenever they get behind the controls their main mission is to transcend musical boundaries between house and disco, bringing a timeless, warm
& soulful vibe to the masses out on the dance floor.
[facebook.com/Birdsofrhythm](https://www.facebook.com/Birdsofrhythm/)

This&That Cafe is a periodic event open to the public in which artists from all genres and backgrounds donate their time and talents in the spirt of sharing. It is a place where music and visual arts meld in unexpected collaborations. A forum for artists from afar to meet with local luminaries amidst the dense and eclectic pool of talent in Tokyo. A venue to gather, exchange ideas, share artistic inclinations and wax poetic in a causal community of old friends and new acquaintances. Come early to get a seat and take advantage of the fetching fare on the SuperDeluxe menu, or just pop in for a drink on your way home from work. All are welcome. If you have an idea for a future This & That Cafe event, please drop a line to <[thisnthat@tokyodex.com](mailto:thisnthat@tokyodex.com)>. We look forward to hearing from musicians, DJ, visual artists et al looking for a new and exciting venue for their expressions.

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