NUKG 24/7 has a soft spot for some of the NUKG which has come out of Japan in recent years. Garage has had a following there dating back to the late-90s, & artists like Mondo Grosso recorded some of the finest music the scene has ever heard - so it's fitting that a new generation of artists would seek to build on the roots laid down by the great Shinichi Osawa.
Let's have a look at some standouts you need to know about: -
Carpainter
Taimei Kawai a.k.a. Carpainter is perhaps the best-known artist on this list & has been turning heads out of Kawasaki since his debut on Trekkie Trax (a label he founded with his brother) in 2012. Released on NUKG 24/7's very own Riddler Records in 2014, his track 'Simulated Experience' remains a favourite here at HQ.
Takaryu
In between appearances on mighty stations the likes of Rinse FM, Clubasia & J-Wave; Takaryu has found time to craft an impressive discography spanning House & Garage, and earnt himself a solid reputation in the process. Most recently heard via Spraybox with 'Your Winter', he continues - a decade on from his debut - to be one to keep an eye on.
Shunji Fujii
A relative newcomer, Tokyo's Shunji Fujii has made a huge impact in recent times since turning heads in London with 2020's Infinity Sense release 'Luminance'. He has gone on to release tracks through Strictly Flava, Garage Shared, Riddler Records & Spraybox: impressing with his high-level jazz-based musicality along the way & earning himself a 2023 In The Garage award for 'Jazziest Stepper' in the process.
Stones Taro
Kyoto-based Taro Nakano (co-owner of NC4K) has been releasing NUKG, House & Jungle records for several years. He's another artist who has featured on NUKG 24/7's vast discography - having dropped a fantastically ethereal & well-crafted 3-tracker via Strictly Flava four years back. But it's perhaps Stones Taro's work with Shall Not Fade which has impressed the most & taken his name to the next level.
Mameyudoufu
Mameyudoufu's (rather hilarious) Spotify biography lists him as "a small ball of fluff [living] in a land of soy sauce", & it's fair to say that's a very apt precursor to his zany synth-heavy Kawai / Future Bass-twinged sound. With releases coming out of his ears, it's fair to say he's amassed a considerable back-catalogue over the last 6 or 7 years. Although much of it falls outside the NUKG bracket, a standout for us here at NUKG 24/7 is stepper 'Sunday Night' (featuring Kanata.N) - released on Megarex's SPD GAR compilation in 2020.
Tokyo's Satoshi Tomidokoro (a.k.a. Tom-i), has showcased a very high level of skill with a plethora of NUKG releases over the last couple of years c/o Steppers Club & Spraybox. He has collaborations with the likes of Sharda & Sam Deeley on his discography; along with fellow Tokyo producers Shunji Fujii & kyo. One thing that's consistent across all those releases is a super-slick level of production.
Risa T
Risa Tsuchikawa is the only artist on this list based out of London. Born & raised in Tokyo - in spite of having jetted half-way across the world - the influence of her cultural roots is still a prominent fixture in her choppy & skippy, slickly arranged sound. 2021's 'Galaxy' really hit the mark when it dropped via CoOp Presents.
Feline Teck
We've been shouting for a while at anyone who'll listen about Feline Teck's skills, & posted recently about their feature on the latest edition of Garage Shared's annual 'Around The World in UKG' series. But it's undoubtedly 2024's 'Super Casually', 'Heaven' or 'Rose' which have gripped us best... Take your pick!
kyo
kyo first popped up on our radar with 2021's fantastically chilled & musical Garage Shared release 'Ghost'. He's since wowed us by seamlessly switching up between Garage, Bassline & Jungle - with seamingly no effort at all. The Kyoto resident certainly knows his way around a studio.
Saitama's Shunya Watanabe has been experimenting with fusing genres for some time & has come up with some really interesting NUKG-twinged results! With releases on NUKG 24/7's own Strictly Flava & Downplay, as well as Point Blank & Step2 - he's on a good a run & definitely worth checking out, particularly if you enjoy sounds which fall outside the norm.
Perhaps one of the lesser-known artists featured here, Kyoto's young Hizuo is piecing together some high-level, progressive NUKG as we write! Recently released 'Stun' - taken from his Arctic Tools EP - is absolutely worth a listen, & perfectly showcases his potential.
SAM
SAM's an arguable addition to a list of NUKG artists - given that he's actually a rapper who mixes things up & vocals a variety of beats. But he simply cannot be overlooked when you take into account 2021's 'Drama' - an undeniably brilliant slice of soulful 2 Step which turned heads in London when it dropped.
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