Milk Crate Crawler: Mule Musiq

One of the hippest parts of Tokyo these days is the relatively subdued, quiet, and absolutely beautiful Nakameguro, which is smack-dab in the middle of Meguro, a district to the southwest of Shibuya. The Meguro River is one of the area's landmark destinations for its cherry blossom-lined banks. Being in Nakameguro isn't like being in the rest of Tokyo―it's too consciously, deliberately placid; it can honestly be quite jarring upon your first arrival. No wonder Cornelius made it his base-of-operations after the Shibuya-kei scene effective died.

One musical entity that truly internationally stands out that just so happens to be based out of Nakameguro is Mule Musiq, a four-year-old minimal techno-leaning label founded by Sapporo native Kuniyuki Takahashi. Takahashi has released a lot of his own stuff on M.M. under the names Kuni and Kuniyuki, but he's also released stuff by Mock & Toof, Force Of Nature, DJ Sprinkles, Isolée, and, believe it or not, Lydia Lunch. Their stuff is distributed through Kompakt, so if you'd like to browse through the catalogue, head over here to do so. Mule Musiq also has two subsidiaries: Mule Electronic (the label that dropped International Pony, for example) and Endless Flight (Betty Botox, I'm Starting To Feel Okay Vol. 3).

I've been a fan of Mule's for a while now, but it wasn't until I met DJ Cosmo that I finally decided to write something on the label. Cosmo appears on I'm Starting To Feel Okay Vol. 3 as Wild Rumpus, a duo comprising of the current Londoner and the ex-Captain Beefheart guitar god Gary Lucas. Download their hypnotic, psychedelic jam "Kazan" below.

I'm also giving you all a few samples of what September holds. Mark E's "Gunstone" is the b-side for an Endless Flight 12"; Ribn's consuming minimal ditty, "Lum Lum," is the b-side for a Mule Electronic 12"; and Culoe de Song's more tribal banger, "Inspiration," is the b-side for a Mule Musiq 12". How's that for a September sample pack!?

Wild Rumpus - Kazan

Mark E - Gunston

Ribn - Lum Lum

Culoe De Song - Inspiration