ADSR Inspirations pod

Yuri Nagahori is a Tokyo-based DJ, promoter and producer who has been captivating hearts and dancefloors with her infectious beats. Music has been a constant throughout Yuri's life, with early expressions through piano, drums, and dance. Her journey led her to study abroad in Canada, the USA, and the Philippines, immersing herself in clubbing and electronic music culture. Upon returning to Japan Y...

Ian Lynam is the product of a life lived with post-modern art and endless curiosity. Originally from the small town of Averill Park, New York. He holds a BSc in Graphic Design from Portland State University and an MFA in Graphic Design from CalArts. Since 2005, he has led his Tokyo-based design studio, Ian Lynam Design , specializing in identity design, cultural research, and typography. Currently...

Meet May Inoue, the remarkable young Japanese jazz guitarist known for his electrifying sound and dynamic career. Hailing from Kawasaki in Kanagawa, May's journey into jazz began at just 15 years old inspired by a Mike Stern concert. He later honed his craft at Berklee College of Music and has since garnered recognition from legendary guitarists like Kazumi Watanabe and Kurt Rosenwinkel. Leading t...

Originally from sunny Australia, Will Robinson first came to Japan on a working holiday visa as a way to take a break from studying graphic design. Fast forward 14 years, and Will has established himself entirely in Japan. He dedicated himself to mastering the language and earned a Bachelor's degree in Arts. Will currently works as a freelance custom furniture creator and craftsman. He draws inspi...

Drew Damron's journey took an unexpected turn when he arrived in Japan from Grand Rapids Michigan over seven years ago. Originally planning a brief stay while pursuing his Master’s of Library and Information Sciences degree, Drew's fascination with the country’s culture, traditions and nature has captivated him ever since. As a community-oriented librarian and archivist, Drew has already left his...

Originally from Sweden, Mikael Senninge’s journey took him from mechanical engineering in Gothenburg to film school in Paris, where he kindled his passion for visual storytelling. Now based in Tokyo, Mikael has become an accomplished freelance camera operator, cinematographer and filmmaker. His specialty includes commercials, music, narrative, and documentary films. He has lent his expert eye to p...

Kyle Broyles is a video editor, a podcaster, a YouTuber, a tech gadget freak, an amateur musician and a lover of craft beer. Since arriving in Japan in 2016 Kyle has been working full-time as a video editor in Tokyo and dabbling in his own creative pursuits. It wasn't until last year with some persistence from Yuki, his wife, that they opened Pintology, a craft beer bar and art space. Just earlier...

Joe Oliver is an adventurous designer and DJ. He was formally educated in Graphic Design at Nottingham Trent University. Shortly after schooling, Joe took the freelance route with his design skills and illustration. Working short-term contracts meant Joe could work, then travel for months through Europe, Australia, South America and Asia. Joe’s nomad lifestyle finally slowed down when he reached J...

Charlie Abbott, originally from just outside of Boston, Massachusetts, had a deep curiosity about pushing the boundaries of music and live performances from an early age. This curiosity led him to formal studies at Oberlin Conservatory and conglomeration with many like-minded individuals. Together they produced projects that existed on the fringes of electronic music. Charlie's passion soon led hi...

Born in Saitama, Japan, but having grown up in Singapore, Matthew "MZA" Sekiya has built a life immersed in music. MZA is a beatmaker, a DJ, a record label founder, a radio show host on HKCR , and a big part of the Japanese jazz blog ZŪJAGO . All of this is in addition to his day job as a vinyl and music lifestyle manager. While MZA's style initially paid homage to early 90s to 2000s American hip...

AOKI Takamasa is a Kansai legend who carved the early sounds of minimal techno and glitch in Japan. AOKI has been pushing the boundaries of music since his teenage years from his debut album, Silicom, released in 2001 through the independent Japanese electronic label PROGRESSIVE FOrM and later releases on Op.disc and the German imprint Raster-Noton . Some of his recent work includes live performan...

Now residing in Tokyo, Toronto-born Demsky takes a lot of his inspiration from the chill instrumental, beat-making music scenes that he’s heavily involved in. Demsky's music is a unique blend of ambient soundscapes, trip-hop beats, and rock influences. Lessons of love, understanding, choices, perseverance, and adaptability are some of the themes in Demsky's sound. His music features the ambient an...

Jay Holmes, originally from North Carolina, has been residing in Japan for the past two decades. As a musician, he is best known for his band Fever Moon , which gained acclaim after releasing two albums in November of last year and performing live shows around Tokyo. Music has always been an integral part of Jay's life. He has been writing songs, making music, and playing in bands since his high s...

Lee Reeve, originally from Glasgow, has been living in Japan for over 20 years, mainly in the Yokohama region. He is the CEO and founder of inCider Japan , a marketing and creative consulting firm also known for publishing the only bilingual cider magazine in Asia under the same clever name. InCider Japan is dedicated to all things cider! In addition to being an importer, retailer, and maker of ci...

Lisa Wallin is a self-described travel writer, novelist, bookworm and research junkie. She grew up traversing the globe as she immersed herself in various cultures, driven by a deep-seated need to understand the world around her.  She's been writing professionally here in Japan for well over 10 years now, initially writing on Japan's varied and dynamic music scene and then branching out into...

Mark Schilling is one of the world's leading writer in Japanese film. He’s been reviewing Japanese films for The Japan Times since 1989 and has reported on Japanese film since 1990, first for Screen International and currently for Variety . Schilling also serves as an adviser to the yearly Udine Far East Film Festival in Italy. He's been on juries for international film festivals, interviewed coun...

Patrick St. Michel is a freelance writer, copyeditor and consultant based in Tokyo. He reports on and writes with a focus on Japanese music, pop culture, food, internet culture and travel. Originally from the Los Angeles area, Patrick moved to Japan in 2009 and has been writing for publications like The Japan Times, The Atlantic, Pitchfork, NPR and many more. A milestone in Patrick's writing caree...

Derrek Buston is originally from Seattle Washington, where he attended the University of Washington first majoring in music, then Japanese linguistics. His sophomore year in 2000 was also when he studied abroad at Keio University Tokyo. After graduating college and then working for a Japanese company in Seattle he soon found himself drawn back to Japan and settled in the Shizuoka area. Around this...

Ian Martin is a 20-year resident of Japan by the way of the UK. Shortly after finishing his studies in script writing for film and television at Bournemouth University Ian made the leap to Japan and quickly immersed himself in Tokyo's indie music scene. Ian has worked extensively as a freelance journalist, specializing in Japanese pop and media culture with an emphasis on underground music. He wro...

Originally from Michigan, USA, Stuart Galbraith IV is a film historian, a critic and a respected author with expertise in Japanese film. A selection of his books includes: "The Emperor and the Wolf – The Lives and Films of Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune", "The Toho Studios Story", "Monsters Are Attacking Tokyo! The Incredible World of Japanese Fantasy Films", and "The Japanese Filmography".&nbs...

Goh Iromoto is a director and cinematographer based in Toronto, Canada. As a child of immigrant parents who founded a Japanese Canadian newspaper company, Goh was able to travel across Canada and grow his sense of curiosity from a young age. After receiving his B.A. in Human Geography at the University of British Columbia, his interest in people, places and environments further deepened his passio...

Adonis "Doc" Saverson is a Tokyo-based illustrator, designer, brand coordinator, and artistic director. He is originally from Chicago aka Chi-town! He also lived in Illinois and Minneapolis. Doc specializes in streetwear, skateboards, vinyl figures, and branding. In the past, he's studied with some of the industry's most prolific and influential players. He's been in Tokyo making art since 2012, a...

Miki Setlur is a design leader working and living outside of San Francisco. For the past 12 years, he's had various roles leading, teaching and designing. He's held product design positions at Evernote, Twitter and Facebook just to name a few. Miki taught university courses on design in the bay area. He focuses on creating lasting positive change, and tackling social issues locally and in the worl...

Adam Esposito is a self-described creative collaborator and cultural explorer. He is also an English-Italian living in Tokyo. After completing his BA and Master's in design at the Ravensbourne University of London, he jumped into the field working for Gensler London, and eventually Gensler's Tokyo branch. Working for one of the industry's biggest design firms allowed Adam to work on different desi...

Today's episode features an interview with Tokyo-based creative agency CEO Daniel Rosen. Daniel Rosen is a 25-year-plus resident of Japan, by way of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Since he's been in Japan he's completed both his Master's and Ph. D. in Fine Arts from Tama Art University in Tokyo. Individually, he's done work as a visual artist, a curator, a VJ, a film director and an art writer. Then...