Calling on the talents of DJ Shimamura and YUC’e, BACK2THEFUTURE Pt. 4 offers an incredible take on m-flo classics.
If asked to describe the state of Japan’s underground music scene in the early stages of 2018, there’s one word that comes to mind, “frantic.” It happens once every few years, a seemingly natural transition from underground to mainstream appeal for a lot of young talent who are constantly paving the way for new sounds. Making the transition from underground to mainstream is rarely something that just happens, however, and it’s often through the keen eyes of industry veterans assisting the next generation of musicians that we get such change. In my eyes, m-flo has always been a group that excelled in propelling the next generation, and that’s again exemplified with both DJ Shimamura and YUC’e.
For 20 years now m-flo has been the go-to place to discover the next big thing musically here in Japan, with each member constantly looking to push the boundaries of the entertainment industry. Their latest efforts to do as such have led to them to recruit 12 artists across all genres to remix and flip the group’s all-time classics, releasing each remix in sets of two across six remix packs. The fourth entry into these packs contains the hardcore legend DJ Shimamura and the shooting star that is YUC’e. Each has made an incredible name for themselves in their respective scenes, which makes hearing them on such a major release all the sweeter.
Between the flurrying hardcore groove presented in DJ Shimamura’s remix of “All I Want Is You,” and the glitch hop fueled burst of energy that is YUC’e’s remix of “the Love Bug,” there’s absolutely no room for error in this release. From start to finish, each song takes listeners on an adventure unlike anything else, creating an experience that would energize even the most laidback of clubs, while remaining appealing to casual listeners. Both DJ Shimamura and YUC’e really outdid themselves on this one and I can’t be more impressed.
With two more releases to go, as well as the three releases prior to this, I really must implore you to delve into the incredible roster of talent that m-flo has called on for these releases. Each release is available on just about every platform imaginable, though finding them can be streamlined immensely by checking out the official website.