At only 16 years old, SASUKE has accomplished more than most of us will in our whole lives. He’s been dancing since he was 2 years old and got into music production from there. When he was just 10, he won amateur night at the world-famous Apollo Theater in New York City. Now, he’s signed to Warner Music Japan and putting out all sorts of fun tunes where he does the majority of vocals and production. Earlier this year he was even tapped to do a remix for m-flo. Now, he’s come out with a new track of his own that pays homage to the history of Japanese Pop called ‘J-Pop wa Owaranai’!
SASUKE’s track translates to ‘J-Pop Doesn’t Stop’ which is a very appropriate title for a track that incorporates different eras of the genre. The opening 30 seconds are straight-up glorious 80s J-Pop cheese which very successfully transitions into a more modern pop sound. It’s almost as if there’s a dry/wet filter on the track that goes periodically goes back and forth between 1986 and 2016 net-label pop. It’s an incredibly fun track whose gimmick, which takes from the likes of older music as well as some Future Funk notes, actually only accentuates the experience.
The video too is an absolute banger. It circles in between 2D animation, claymation, and filmed segments making SASUKE’s ‘J-Pop Wa Owaranai’ a treat for the eyes as much as it is for the ears. You have homages to Robocop, vaporwave, Kimagure Orange Road, the Nintendo 64, as well as other prominent modern-retro imagery. My one question is this; I’m not surprised to see a younger talent influenced by older toons as the entire internet sub-culture has gone through a big 70s and 80s J-Pop revival the past decade. I do want to know, however, who gave this 16-year-old born in 2003 an N64 and a copy of Robocop? While I imagine some of the direction of the track and video came from the very major label he’s signed to, I have to commend everyone involved for doing a good job.
You can listen to SASUKE’s ‘J-Pop Wa Owaranai’ now.