Befriend the Panpipes
If this album is actually representative, then Okinawan producers have been useing the "Panpipe" button on their Casios quite a bit. Which takes some getting used to.
But the combination of might-be-cheezy synths, aggressive Japanese not-rap and absurd background yells on this track are so quirky that I keep coming back to it:
As for the lyrics, my Kyushu friends say there's too much Okinawa slang for them to understand.
But there's something happening here. Something weird. Not sure about this one. Curious to hear what y'all think.
The rest of the album has a mix of Okinawa classics and current hits. I've been told by many that it's a good place to start with Okinawan music.
It's crazy Okinawa vocal styles make me happy. Skip a couple of the overproduced tracks, and perhaps you'll be happy, too.
Go buy it on import here.