OK, this is only a year-in-review post because I was really bad about posting my music and gaming loves during 2012. Too busy? Not enough stuff? Hard to say.
Music
What a year in hip-hop I had! First and foremost:
Spotify: I've written about it before, but once I moved over to Tokyo I gave in and did something I swore I'd never do: sign up for a subscription music service. It has made fantastic sense living here, since $10 a month gets international and mobile access, aaaaaand my phone has truly unlimited data transfer.
It's also way cost-effective for how quickly I've started consuming music. I remember in high school when a single burned CD would stay in my car stereo for months at a time. I'm pretty sure every note to every early Incubus, Telepopmusik and The Avalanches album is planted firmly in my head.
Now? It's a new album on heavy rotation once in two weeks. Incredible. I'm almost concerned that it's skewing the economic value I place on a musical album.
So where have I ventured off to? Mostly in search of a jazzy hip-hop beat. I'm amazed at how prolific some of Nujabes' old collaborators are. Check it:
Funky DL: This cat drops albums like he's hungry. It's seriously like more than once a year. Tons of beats, tons of rhymes. Starting in late 2011 I had Blackcurrent Jazz 2 on heavy rotation in my car, and that album has followed me around for a lot of nights out. It's pretty awesome the whole way through. For more hotness, check out The Lawshank Redemption instrumental collection. The latest, NANE, isn't my thing, but DL is active on Facebook and is promising a new album pretty soon.
Substantial: Another Nujabes collaborator. A talented MC that could be described as mellow, mature and deep - both in voice and personality. I personally think he shines the most when collaborating with other DJs, but his new one Home is Where the Art Is has such an intensity of message that it's hard to pass up. Don't miss the tracks "Spilled Milk" and "Check My Resume":
Marcus D: Oh. My. Goodness. People. Go listen to Marcus D. Constant awesomeness and atmosphere from this guy's beats. Last year's Melancholy Hopeful is hard to argue with, but I'm possibly more partial to his earlier one, Shoshin. The guy's a legit Japan freak and spends time in Tokyo collecting old-school 8-bit games.
Substantial and Marcus D: As a duo known as Bop Alloy, these two are the peanut butter and chocolate of hip-hop. The whiskey and Coke. The … ok, I'm out of amazing combinations. Still. Marcus D's beats and Substantial's vocals make for some of my favorite stuff I've come across in years. You need these two tracks in your life:
For the times when you're about to paint the town red:
For the times when it's so dark outside that it turns you dark inside:
I hate myself for not being 23 anymore when these guys came to Tokyo a few months ago. I just could not stay awake for a show that started after midnight. That settles it: I'm taking time off work next time.
Kero One: I've followed this Korean-American hip-hopper with a deceptively svelte voice since a visit to Tokyo's Tower Records in 2009 introduced me to the track "Welcome to the Bay." I've reviewed his albums before, and his last album didn't quite do the job for me. But 2012's Color Theory is back on form.
Want to fall in love? Put on this little jam:
Dela: Oh man, so much atmosphere. So perfect for a year that sometimes seemed a little.. desolate. The catalogue is a little thin, but the original Changes of Atmosphere is definitely stuck in my head somewhere. The exemplary track is a collab with Talib Kweli:
Think Twice: I finally found an album on Spotify I had been looking for: a live-instrument hip-hop album from the beatmaster of Specifics. This one's a little off the beaten path. Maybe it's better for jazz lovers who are open into wading into hip-hop. Start with this little funky number:
Gaming
Hmmm, 2012 wasn't good to me for gaming. I spent most of the year without any appreciable hardware. But I finally snapped up a Nintendo 3DS (which will get its own post soon). Spoiler alert! I adore it.
I've also finally picked up a new computer with a discrete 3D card. I'm taking the opportunity to catch up on my Blizzard releases. Pretty sure I'll fail my challenge to myself to finish the first StarCraft II installment campaign before Heart of the Swarm comes out, but at least I'm staying in character: I'm still a terrible RTS player!
Otherwise, gaming is just too much in a state of transition to really settle into any rhythms. It'll be great to get back on a rental service in a year or two and fly through a catalog of 2012 and 2013 releases.