MINMI - MINMI BEST 2002--2008 (4 June 2008)

MINMI (Michiko Evwana) began performing in the Osaka club scene in 1996. By her own admission it was difficult at first because her reggae and soul influenced hip-hop stylings were in stark contrast to the techno-pop which was dominant at the time—a tug-of-war that lasted the entire 90’s and then some, in my opinion. So it was not until 2002 that attracted the attention of a label (JVC Records) and released her debut single, The Perfect Vision. It was a huge success and marks the beginning of the six-year period in her career covered by this collection. Every popular song she released during that time ends up here, including collaborations with artists like Nujabes, Red Spider, Soundbreakers, m-flo, Daisuke Touyama, VADER, et al. The twenty-eight tracks of the first two discs are a comprehensive presentation of MINMI’s first six years following her debut. The third disc, with its unnamed tracks, is a mix CD with shorter songs but runs without any real pause for its entirety, mixing and overlaying MINMI’s music from the first two discs throughout.

Enjoy!

Note: I wanted mention that Summertime!! (Disc Two, Track Five) is recognized as the first soca-influenced song by a Japanese musician, something you will rarely ever hear in Japanese music.