With heavy influences of Krautrock seeping into the electronic music, Brighton’s Fujiya & Miyagi are darlings of the Pitchfork/NME set. For those on the cutting edge or for those wanting to be on the cutting edge, F&M ought to be on the playlist.
First, a bit of housekeeping. Fujiya & Miyagi are not Japanese, they are not a duo, and they aren’t German masters of bleak techno. They’re English and they’re almost ironic in their ridiculous deadpan approach. Indeed, F&M might be quite at home as guests on SNL’s DJ Dynasty Handbag-hosted Deep House Dish.
Like many bands, Fujiya & Miyagi spent their first few years in relative obscurity. They toiled away, releasing their debut Electro Karaoke in the Negative Style in 2002 (it was reissued in 2008) and their follow-up, Transparent Things, in 2006. Pitchfork, pretentious trend-setters that they are, mounted Transparent Things with a whopping 8.3/10. How F&M missed the coveted 8.4/10 rating, I’ll never know.
With popularity on the rise among kids who are cooler than you, Fujiya & Miyagi got set for 2008’s Lightbulbs.
David Best’s vocals are perhaps the most striking thing about this record. Half-whispering, half-bored, Best comes across disinterested in his own material. And yet he’s enthralling in the role, punching out his featureless textures over a minimalistic thump and adding a sense of disconnection that actually works with the music. Where he was robotic on past releases, now David Best is almost apathetic.
The rest of F&M sound almost as uninterested (Steve Lewis on synth and programming, Matt Hainsby on bass, and Lee Adams on drums) and disconnected, but there is still a sense of clarity here. The music is gauzy, light, and flowing. Tunes feel like clouds heaving with moisture but too jaded to rain.
Take the breathy “Goosebumps” as an example. The song almost oozes into existence, seeping through the speakers with effortless minimalistic consistency. Canned drums, easy synth, and Best’s vocals wash over the haze, adding multiple dimensions. And yet the track never takes off, never goes anywhere, and simply sits as though a vapour waiting to dissolve.
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