PAIRING 01
Izumikawa Junmaiginjo x Hiroshi Fujiwara
"HIROSHI FUJIWARA in DUB CONFERENCE"
Izumikawa Junmaiginjo (Hiroki Shuzo Honten Co.,Ltd.)
The standard local brand line from the brewers of "Hiroki."
Hiroshi Fujiwara "HIROSHI FUJIWARA in DUB CONFERENCE" (VIJP 23001)
His second solo work. A collection of instrumental tracks featuring delicate performances on piano and glass harp.
――― A "Masterpiece" that Doesn't Fade with Time
I've been a huge fan of Hiroshi Fujiwara since high school, and he is the reason I wanted to start DJing. On the other hand, "Izumikawa Junmaiginjo" is the first brand I started selling consciously as a local sake. "Hiroki," from the same brewery, is distributed nationwide, but for me, Izumikawa is my number one standard, the yardstick by which I measure. The "color of the sound" and "high-level sense" I feel from this album, and the "quality" of Hiroki Shuzo, are the common threads. They are both refined "masterpieces" born from a high level of consciousness and an unwavering core.
PAIRING 02
Suppin Yaemon x Thelonious Monk "the man I love"
Suppin Yaemon (YAMATOGAWA SHUZO)
An organic sake brewed using the kimoto method.
Thelonious Monk "the man I love" (BLP 30141) The second installment of the London sessions,
released in 1973. A trio session featuring Art Blakey and Al McKibbon.
――― To be Savored with Sharpened Senses, While Relaxing
This sake is an organic brew made with the kimoto method, using home-grown Yamada Nishiki rice that is hardly polished at all to express the original flavor of the rice, and without any added yeast. It is a Junmai sake with a deep, nourishing flavor where an enveloping acidity and the umami, bitterness, and astringency of the rice become one. The performance on this album has a breathtakingly dignified atmosphere, yet it is a masterful performance showing the gravitas of Monk's later years. I would like to savor the room-temperature "Suppin" with sharpened senses, alongside "the man I love."
PAIRING 03
Yama no I 40 Cup x Bud Powell "Relaxin' At Home, 61-64"
Yama no I 40 Cup (Aizu Shuzo)
A well-known standard product of the "Yama no I" brand.
Bud Powell "Relaxin' At Home, 61-64" (MS60042)
A masterpiece from the later years of this pioneer of the piano trio.
――― To be Enjoyed at Dusk, in a Relaxed Mood
One-cup sake often has an image of being inexpensive, but "Yama no I 40" is a sake that was entered into the Annual Japan Sake Awards. We released it as a shop original out of a desire for people to enjoy a top-class Daiginjo in a casual setting. "Relaxin' At Home, 61-64" is a work that Bud Powell recorded at his home in Paris. It's an album full of a relaxed mood, where he is surrounded by friends, playing the piano while humming along. This is a perfect combination for spending a good time with close friends.
PAIRING 04
Aizumusume "Hagurowest64" x Jackie Mittoo "Macka Fat"
Aizumusume "Hagurowest64" (Takahashi Shosaku Sake Brewery)
An item from the distinctive Junmai Ginjo "Jyo" series, where each brew is made with rice harvested from a single paddy field.
Jackie Mittoo "Macka Fat" (SOCD1120)
A masterpiece by the organist who represents reggae music.
――― Feeling the "Way of Life and Warmth of People Rooted in the Land"
Takahashi Shosaku Sake Brewery operates under the theme of dojodoho (local production with local methods), brewing with Aizu's own rice, water, and people, with the philosophy of bringing out the maximum appeal of their home-grown Gohyakumangoku rice. The brewery president is a person who embodies the "stubborn honesty of an Aizu native," and that character is reflected in the sake's flavor. On the other hand, what I feel from Jackie Mittoo's "Macka Fat" is the ruddy way of life of the native people of Jamaica. The part that's like "the way of life of people rooted in the land" links them together perfectly. I feel a human warmth.
PAIRING 05
Aizu Chujo Junmai Ginjo Yumenokaori Nama Genshu x KOKI NAKANO "PRE-CHOREOGRAPHED"
Aizu Chujo Junmai Ginjo Yumenokaori Nama Genshu (Tsurunoe Sake Brewery)
Making use of the characteristics of the "Yumenokaori" sake rice, it is sweet, aromatic, and has a soft mouthfeel.
KOKI NAKANO "PRE-CHOREOGRAPHED" (NOF46LP)
A second album filled with a yearning for "an era when music and dance were closely intertwined."
――― The Forefront of Individuality that has Polished the Basics
This is a Junmai Ginjo sake brewed with a combination of "Yumenokaori," a sake rice developed by Fukushima Prefecture, and yeast. It is a special order for our shop, bottled as an unpasteurized raw sake (nama genshu). It's smooth, clean, and faintly sweet and sour... It has a flavor that feels like it's at the cutting edge of Fukushima sake. "PRE-CHOREOGRAPHED" is an electronica work where you can enjoy new tones created by digitally editing a piano performance. The "urban and avant-garde atmosphere played on a traditional instrument" and "the most 'Fukushima-like' tasting sake of today, created by a long-established brewery" are an outstanding match.
