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\n\tShinichi Osawa (MONDO GROSSO) has had a profound impact on Japan\u2019s music scene through his musical sensibilities, focused on the newest and most creative dance music and his collaborations with a wide range of artists. RHYME is an Australian artist (poet, performer, DJ, and beatmaker) based in Japan. These two contrasting creators, with their differing backgrounds, nationalities & musical careers, make up the dance music duo RHYME SO.<\/p>\n
\n\tThey debuted in 2019 with the 88rising single \u201cJust Used Music Again.\u201d Then in the spring of 2020 they dropped \u201cFashion Blogger.\u201d The music video featured MILK, who rose to popularity on RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race<\/em>, and the song\u2019s title itself, \u201cFashion Blogger,\u201d is deeply intertwined with the RHYME SO concept.<\/p>\n \n\tOsawa:<\/strong> \u201cI think it was back in 2017, when I was getting my hair cut, I saw some video on my iPad of this woman overseas talking about the outfit she was wearing that day. When the interviewer asked her what her job was, she said \u201cfashion blogger.\u201d I don\u2019t think she was actually writing a blog, but she was making a living sharing her fashion on Instagram. That came as a bit of a surprise to me. The internet and social media permeate our society, but there are a lot of things that we take for granted that make me think \u2018Is this really an everyday thing?\u2019 I think it would be interesting to use music to pose questions like \u2018What do you think of this situation?\u2019 Not as criticism, just as questions. That\u2019s the concept behind RHYME SO.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tRHYME:<\/strong> \u201cRHYME SO sounds like \u2018I\u2019m so.\u2019 \u2018I\u2019m so happy,\u2019 \u2018I\u2019m so sad,\u2019 \u2018I\u2019m so hungry.\u2019 I, I, I\u2026 Sometimes that (showing off on social media) is a positive, but sometimes it\u2019s not. That\u2019s one of the statements that RHYME SO is making.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tRHYME had been exposed to Japanese culture since she was a high school student, and she was an avid MONDO GROSSO listener. You can see this in a line she sings on MONDO GROSSO\u2019s song \u201cBIG WORLD,\u201d \u201cI saw MONDO GROSSO back in high school, I used to cry listening to life.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tRHYME:<\/strong> \u201cI listened to MONDO GROSSO\u2019s back catalogue and watched videos of his live shows. It stirred up all kinds of emotions. I\u2019m Osawa\u2019s pupil, and he\u2019s my teacher. It\u2019s an honor to be able to make music with him.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tRHYME SO has continued to release exciting music. It\u2019s a unique group, set apart by its genre-spanning production and its cynical and poetic lyrics about modern society. In November 2023, it released its first album, IAFB<\/em>.<\/p>\n \n\tThe first thing to note about the album is the rich diversity of its production. It freely flits between genres and decades, touching on everything from acid house, industrial techno, and trap to Eurobeat, making it a microcosm of Japanese culture and society.<\/p>\n \n\tOsawa:<\/strong> \u201cI did have Japan in mind when making the songs. However, I didn\u2019t really think about current trends. Honestly, I don\u2019t know if I\u2019m even good at identifying them. It even feels a little like I\u2019m ignoring them.\u201d [Laughs<\/em>]<\/p>\n \n\tRHYME:<\/strong> \u201cRHYME SO\u2019s sound is a fusion of dance music, new age, post-punk, electro, para-para, festival music, and more. That, and word play.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tThe core of RHYME SO\u2019s concept, bring up questions about modern society, is highlighted even more vividly on the album. The first song, \u201cACT THE SAME,\u201d is the antithesis of the music scene, which places so much value on doing the same thing as what\u2019s already being done by other hit songs.<\/p>\n \n\tOsawa:<\/strong> \u201cIt\u2019s become a fundamental part of the music industry to assign artists to create music that sounds like what\u2019s already out there, based on the existing market. And that\u2019s not a current development. But is that really what we should be doing?\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tRHYME:<\/strong> \u201cDoing the same thing as everyone else is the safe approach, but that\u2019s not art. The people who sing songs like that aren\u2019t artists, they\u2019re more like puppets. What\u2019s even the point of doing that? That\u2019s what the song is about.\u201d<\/p>\n