Shikao Suga & Kazutoshi Sakurai

Shikao Suga is something of an anomaly in Japanese mainstream music -- though firmly ensconced in the machinery of J-pop, Suga has kept his original influences at the forefront of his music. While creating the music for a number of anime series (which can tend toward the predictable in their scoring), Suga has kept 1970s and 1980s funk at the core of his instrumentation. Under a layer of standard J-pop vocals, he may have a thicker layer of funk bass and stuttering beats, resulting in a sound almost in the vein of Jamiroquai. Beginning his career (originally a departure from a...