‘From the Sauna to the Mizuburo
Ecstasy only for those who endure it.‘
Taken from Ill Japonia’s eponymous EP ‘Ill’, Sauna Mizuburo’ dives head first into an ice-cold plunge pool. Frozen synths, crushed snares & Ill Japonia’s piercing screams populate an aural landscape that mutates through (t)rap, shoegaze & metal. Sung in English, Japanese and his own self-invented language, ‘Sauna Mizuburo’ is the sound of artist crystallising their identity right in front of you.
‘Ill’ is the the stargazing debut EP from Ill Japonia. Drawing from a decade of influences being a ringleader of psychedelic acid rock weirdos Bo Ningen, ‘Ill’ is vulnerability and introspection; screamed to the world with pride. Tracing a line between the swagger of The Blue Hearts, the ecstasy of Babymetal and the vivacity of Shibuya’s 2020 rap scene, Ill Japonia places a marker in the sand for all challengers.
This is the first release from Eastern Margins, a platform for sounds from the margins of East & South-East Asia and its diaspora. Rooted in physical community, Eastern Margins is a portal into a new world of unheard voices.
credits
from Ill,
released February 7, 2020
All songs written, produced & recorded by Ill Japonia
Mastered by ENA
Creative Direction: Xiao Wei-Lu & Adjorka
Photography: Adjorka
Typography: bod [包家巷]
Design: Anthony Ko
Video: Zhudi Zhu
Eastern Margins is Anthony Ko, David Zhou, Jex Wang, Patrick Wu, Stefan Nigam & Zhudi Zhu.