Customer Reviews

Future Listening!

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Wow

I'm having a hard time believing the copyright of this CD. This came out a looong time ahead of it's time. I have it and even now look at the copyright... 1995. Towa Tei was eerily correct because look at the style today - Glucklich compilations, Brazilectro, Ian Pooley, Kyoto Jazz Massive, Jazzanova...

I love this CD. It's very creative, very soothing, and has a touch of everything in it. I can understand what the reviewer meant by the CD seeming a bit "all over the place", but I think that was sort of the idea - a broad sense of musical styles which is just, good music.

Bebel Gilberto was featured quite often here. If you've seen her live, she has a strong connection with the Japanese side of the "new" bossa nova movement, and you can tell that even further in her album Tanto Tempo. What's interesting in this cd is Towa Tei's interpretation of "Batucada". Upbeat, higher pitch and neat - especially if you compare it to the way Bebel Gilberto sang it on the Soundtrack to "Next Stop Wonderland". That version was highly acoustic, and a little lower keyed.

I definitely recommend this cd. It's perfect in my collection, and I listen to it all the time. It's very cool. If you're a fan of Kyoto Jazz Massive, Wei Chi or any of the sounds coming out of Japan (I'm not exactly sure if Wei Chi comes hails Japan) you'll probably enjoy this. Actually, if you're a fan of the "Bossa Tres Jazz" series, you'll REALLY enjoy this. I first heard Technova on the "Boss-A-Troniq" compilation a little over a year ago. I'd recommend that compilation to anyone interested in finding similar sounds - that track has Nicola Conte, Stereo Action Unlimited, EBTG and even Groove Armada on it.

Towa Tei showed with this album that he counted more than we could have expected in Deee Lite and that his talent was a lot broader than I thought. Without hesitation one of the best albums of the last five years, and by far one of the most inspiring. A light but un-superficial journey through India, Japan, America, Europe, with very post-modern and hip-hop influenced covers and re-interpretations of world classics. The best gift you can do to yourself and to your friends...

One of the credits missing from the track listing is that Bebel Gilberto is the vocalist for Batucada. It's a very up track with a serious bass-o-nova sound (think Austin Powers theme). Her very silky, Latin, jazzy voice goes perfectly with the syncopated melody. The lyrics are far from profound, but who cares?

See Bebel Gilberto's solo album Tanto Tempo for more of her great voice.

This album is worth the price just for this track.

I liked that each song had a different style because it kept me from being bored. Towa Tei's creativity amazed me. I do wish that he had included the lyrics to the non English songs.

This is a very funky collection of nice eclectic tunes brought together by Towa Tei. A talented DJ who has built a very brilliant career in his native country. This album shows a very interesting mix of funky disco with soulful bossanova. Several of Towa's friends show up in this album (Babel Gilberto, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Maki Nomiya of Pizzicato Five) and make it a very remarkable collage of music. There's no doubt that this is one of Towa's finest.

A blast from my record store past. This album is very diverse and danceable and has taken his sound further than and Deee-Lite record. A must listen.

I didn't know what to expect from this former Delight DJ, but I was pleasantly surprised at the very different and quality sounds presented on Future Listening. There's something for everyone on this album, from cool and fresh to easy and sophisticated. I love the album, which I bought not having heard a single review. I was definitely not disappointed and continue to enjoy the album after years of listening.

What a great CD. Very hip. Definitely one of the earliest examples of 1990's lounge music that I am aware of. Some tracks are so good it is unbelievable. There are about 6 tremendous tracks and the other 4 are definitely listenable at worse. You can play this album the whole way thru.

What is interesting is I loved this CD for years and I got Bebel's 2nd CD and had no idea that she was on this CD.

Anyway, if you somehow found this page and you are interested in it enough to have gotten this far, definitely pick this one up and you won't be disappointed. Definitely one of my top 10 favorite CDs of the 1990s, without hesitation. A no brainer. I remember going to more than one martini bar in SoBe back in 1997 and hearing this playing. It fit the mood so well.

this is an interestingly loungey cd.

computer-programming-and-dj-experimentationy, soft housey, loungey, mamboish, rastaish, mellow jazzy, japanese ballady, lotsofstuff for which i don't know the style names.

towa tei's got quite a unique mix of sounds. a couple of mellow ballad tracks reminded me of early Everything But The Girl. it's also quite reminiscent of Dimitri. Pizzicato Five lend their vocalist Maki, and there's other interesting contributions.

the cute computer/dj japanese feel to it might be annoying for some. but it's definitely cool all the same. particularly for geek parties at bars with ludicrously experimental cocktails. i also play it at the cafe where i work.

cuteness, soft beats, cool calm collected.

I arrived at the portal of Towa Tei by following a thread from Bebel Gilberto - and was I intrigued! His ken for Techno and Brazilian swing is underpinned by a basicly funky r&b and dance hall groove even more evident in his "Sound Museum" CD. If you experience deja vu, don't be alarmed or surprised, you HAVE heard it before. But, like suddenly realizing that the great feeling you, inexplicably, have is residual of the nice dream you had last night, so Towa's familiar and comfort-food tunes subtly and shamelessly delight. Towa truly loves pop music, it shows, kitsch and all, and you may also dig it better through his eyes.