Bring Me / Destiny

Fujimoto Tetsuro returns to Diskotopia after eleven years, this time, teaming up with fellow Cosmopolyphonic-associated producer RGL — whose 'It's Not There' opened the debut release on Diskotopia's dancefloor-orientated-compilations sub-label Ashigakari — for an exciting split EP of classic-sounding dancefloor gems.

On Bring Me / Destiny, each Tokyo-based artist brings their A-game with two new stunningly-produced tracks while also serving up remixes of one another's work. Across the release, they paint from the same dusty palette of jazz-fusion, garage, house, Kudo-vein trip-hop, and more to create eight tracks of the "Shibuya-soul" club vibe that will bring as much joy to the Air and Seco Bar OGs as it will the next generation of fans of Japanese dance music.

Fujimoto Tetsuro lays the chill down hard on the sassy foot-tapper 'Bring Me', fusing lounge rhodes and teasing sax cuts driven by a spring-propelled amapiano-inspired beat. Meanwhile, RGL's rework jacks up the tempo into a killer swung-house groove that confidently tips its hat to Mood II Swing, MAW, and the Strictly Rhythm catalog.

On his A-side, 'Destiny', RGL offers more 90s NYC-dancefloor swagger, and you can almost hear the clinking of cosmopolitan glasses somewhere between the hypnotic synth swirls and sensual vocal samples that float weightlessly over the Euro-handbag bass line. Fujimoto drops the mercury by 20 BPM for his neo-soul-jam remix, creating a slinky aura that has the seductive power to get close enough to you to implant false memories of a non-existent 15-year-old Falty DL remix of Azymuth.

On 'Sway' Fujimoto arranges his signature textures and tones into a more Badarou-Balearic cascade, the flow of which is offset by a shuffling drum-machine beat that skips like it's going to fall on itself. RGL strips out the drums completely to offer a Café Del Mar sunset version on the remix.

Rounding off the release, RGL's 'Good Times' is a euphoric deep-house roller that Yuji Takenouchi could be forgiven if he believed was his own. Wait for the 3-note MIDI-vibraphone part, and please enjoy. Fujimoto's fast-slow bubbling 2-step boogie version certainly brings even more….erm… good times.. while having a slight touch of James Stinson's The Other People Place project somewhere in the full-on neo-acid-funk workout.

Seriously classy, mature productions from both artists on these eight tracks — and all absolutely certified to bring a massive smile to festival/club crowds. RIYL Floating Points, Sound Stream, Onra, Jimmy Edgar, Beaumont, Oriol, Soichi Terada, Palm Trax, Motor City Drum Ensemble… you get the picture.