Snowk - Powder
Surrounded by mountain ranges, the primary way to access Niigata from Tokyo is to pass through a long tunnel below the mountains. And once you emerge from the tunnel, snow country lies before you. A magical winter wonderland.
So it is with Snowk's music - a trip into a beautiful world beyond the ordinary. Taking their name from "snow country" (the northern regions of Japan) where they both grew up, Snowk is a side project of soulful house masters Fuminori Kagajo and Namy, yet sounds nothing like their previous work. In fact, it sounds a whole lot more like what's currently trending worldwide right now from the likes of SG Lewis, Pat Lok, Moon Boots or Darius. Either it's not such a large stretch from soulful house to deep house/UK R&B, or Snowk just happen to be geniuses who can adapt to anything. Perhaps the truth lies somewhere in the middle, but given their long careers, it really feels like Snowk is something of a timely reinvention or evolution for the two of them.
So instead of the diva vocals and the feelgood disco vibes, the sound of Snowk is a little more reserved, the emphasis on atmosphere and mood rather than having your hands in the air. Delicate, light and airy, listening to Snowk feels like a snowflake falling softly onto a warm cheek, lasting only for a precious moment before melting away. Partly because its on trend, it has a very chilled out electronica vibe, but its grounded by smooth grooves with touches of classic house, synthpop, R&B and soul, making it well suited to the bars and lounges of the 2020's.
Maybe it's just the times, but despite the efforts of Dua Lipa and Kylie Minogue to get everyone onto the disco dance floor (again), most of us are staying home missing our friends and family, wondering what's going to happen to the world in the near future. We no longer take for granted the brief encounters we have with others, and we long for intimacy, the touch and warmth of company. Those feelings seem ever present on "Powder" which was made throughout 2020. With melodies and lyrics provided by rising international talent like Froya, MARICELLE, J.Lamotta Suzume, Ari De Leo, Lee Wilson and J.O.Y, the songs here aren't about relationship difficulties or existential problems, most of "Powder" is about searching for others, thinking you're in love, trying to figure out whether feelings are real or not.
In that sense it focuses on the most romantic and beautiful part of courtship and none of the hard realities. Love, or whatever that is, is a means of coping with isolation, loneliness and uncertainty - it's something amazing that we are constantly in search of and can't live without. You can just imagine the singers encountering someone beautiful by chance, maybe seeing their reflection on the bar (or train) window and their reactions - "stars align, intertwined, on cloud nine" (Froya on "Margarita?"), "I think I'm in love with you" (Ari De Leo on "Forever"), "I don't know you well, but who cares because baby I choose you" (Miraa May on "This is Good"), "I've been searching for real love, good love…somebody to sweep me off my feet" (Lee Wilson on "Good Love") . Each singer may hail from a different corner of the world from Singapore to Berlin to Tel Aviv, but the feelings and desire to connect remain the same worldwide.
While Snowk makes everything look and sound gorgeous, the cold reality of the new normal is that the perfect romance, the stuff dreams are made of, is unsustainable (and unattainable) for the most part. We are just left dreaming about it. But that's exactly what "Powder" is for - crossing to a fantasy land where anything is possible in an instant. Back in Yasunari Kawabata's novel "Snow Country" set in post World War 2, main character Shimamura didn't have streaming audio in his pocket for the long journey to Yuzawa onsen, but if he were here in the present, "Powder" would be a most fitting soundtrack for a well-crafted, immersive exploration of beauty, isolation and melancholy today.
Check out our interview with Snowk.
Tokyo ON also recommends: Fuminori Kagajo - Timeless, SIRUP - FEEL GOOD