After a while living of in Tokyo, the newness can start to fade, but there’s something about it becoming fresh again when you see it through someone else’s eyes.
That’s what the remix artist Kutiman has on offer with “Thru Tokyo/スルー東京,” a quick trip through the megalopolis’s many neighborhoods, set to a multifaceted soundtrack. Kutiman, an Israeli remix artist, put the video together with some backing from the US’ Public Broadcasting Service and it just released last week. Kutiman did a similar.
Like World Order’s recent video, “Thru Tokyo” gives us a look at some of Tokyo’s most well known sights, but some of the faster transitions give glimpses of the city’s hidden gems (How many places around town do you recognize?) and the music runs from traditional koto and shamisen to turntables, a masked percussionist, and a goofy little instrument you might have seen called the Otamatone, played by Nobumichi Tosa, the artist behind the collective Maywa Denki, which produces the musical gadget.
It’s a cool way to see the city in another light, regardless of whether you’ve been here for years or haven’t yet set foot in Tokyo.
One of the clips that made Kutiman a YouTube sensation, “The Mother of all Funk Chords,” is available below, as is his musical trip through Krakow, Poland:
And finally, to see the Otamatone in its unmixed, raw glory, check this out:
