Yukari Fresh, the solo unit of tomboyish Yukari Takasaki, is indeed a fresh melange of lo-fi, jazz, mellow rock, house, disco, and pretty much anything else that strikes Takasaki's fancy. Toss in a cute vocal delivery and loopy lyrics, and Yukari Fresh has all the elements of an instant cult favorite. Yukari Fresh debuted in 1997 with the cheekily titled
Yukari's Perfect on Escalator Records, featuring guest slots by
Hideki Kaji and the Genbeat. A whimsical, self-indulgent trip with a sizable dose of hooks and smart-alecky attitude, the album did well with fans of Takasaki's loose circle (
Cornelius,
Kahimi Karie, and others generally associated with Shibuya-kei), and also caught the attention of Germany's Bungalow Records, which gave her the nod to split a single with Stereo Total later the same year. Yukari Fresh was granted a slot along with
Kahimi Karie,
Takako Minekawa,
Fantastic Plastic Machine, Yoshinori Sunahara, and others on the 1998 compilation album
Sushi 4004, for which she provided the synth-driven, bubbly "Yukarin' Disco" from her debut. In January 2000, Takasaki released
Cityrama, which featured appearances from Kaji, Mike Alway, Pop Tarts, and more of the usual suspects. After a three year hiatus, Yukari Fresh released its third album,
Trefoils Hat, in February 2003. Perhaps the most fully realized release to date,
Trefoils Hat focused more on the songwriterly, poppy side of Takasaki's work, leaving some of the more d...
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Yukari Fresh, the solo unit of tomboyish Yukari Takasaki, is indeed a fresh melange of lo-fi, jazz, mellow rock, house, disco, and pretty much anything else that strikes Takasaki's fancy. Toss in a cute vocal delivery and loopy lyrics, and Yukari Fresh has all the elements of an instant cult favorite. Yukari Fresh debuted in 1997 with the cheekily titled
Yukari's Perfect on Escalator Records, featuring guest slots by
Hideki Kaji and the Genbeat. A whimsical, self-indulgent trip with a sizable dose of hooks and smart-alecky attitude, the album did well with fans of Takasaki's loose circle (
Cornelius,
Kahimi Karie, and others generally associated with Shibuya-kei), and also caught the attention of Germany's Bungalow Records, which gave her the nod to split a single with Stereo Total later the same year. Yukari Fresh was granted a slot along with
Kahimi Karie,
Takako Minekawa,
Fantastic Plastic Machine, Yoshinori Sunahara, and others on the 1998 compilation album
Sushi 4004, for which she provided the synth-driven, bubbly "Yukarin' Disco" from her debut. In January 2000, Takasaki released
Cityrama, which featured appearances from Kaji, Mike Alway, Pop Tarts, and more of the usual suspects. After a three year hiatus, Yukari Fresh released its third album,
Trefoils Hat, in February 2003. Perhaps the most fully realized release to date,
Trefoils Hat focused more on the songwriterly, poppy side of Takasaki's work, leaving some of the more dance oriented disco tracks out. In 2004, reversing the trend, Takasaki informed the world that Yukari Fresh had become Yukari Rotten, and that punky electropop was now the word. Featuring the outstanding, if mysteriously titled single "C.L.I.J.S.T.E.R.S.", as well as other wacked out titles like "Going To Heaven To See The Househunters & Fat Truckers If It Rains", "Dub Rotten Fan Club", and "Bankrupt Black Book",
Not Dead has got more punch and verve than anything she has released to date. In addition to recording solo and with other domestic and international artists, Takasaki also has a DJ show called Radio Active Man, where she introduces listeners to her own personal, obscure favorites.
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