Future Sounds of Derry

When I was a young teenager, I had a revelation that has shaped my musical taste ever since.

After Sunday’s religious ritual of listening to the new Top 40 countdown on BBC Radio 1, I left the radio on beyond 7pm. And the doors of a whole new world opened up. Annie Nightingale’s request show went on to be the place where I heard some of the music I loved from that day to this: Tom Waits, Beefheart, Zappa, and hundreds more.

Years later, once again, I find myself indebted to Annie for introducing me to another great band, the Japanese Popstars.

When she played a stomping remix of Let Go on her late-night breaks and beats show on BBC Radio 1, with its nation-conquering bassline, I was hooked, and searched out their earlier releases and remixes. They have worked with the likes of Editors, Depeche Mode and, heavens to betsy, Beyonce, and their debut release, We Just Are, was a fine piece of electronica.

Since then, the Derry-based trio have been wowing club and festival audiences, winning plaudits from all quarters along the way with their live and DJ sets.

On Controlling Your Allegiance, their second album, the Japanese Popstars have, it has to be said, taken a huge step into the realms of superstar DJs and producers. Soaking up the subtleties and dynamics of dance from their time in the field, and applying that knowledge and experience into their new material has resulted in something which at turns is epic, infectiously danceable and utterly listenable.

There are all kinds of reference points from the roll-call of dance and electronic music in here – Underworld, Orbital, Kraftwerk and New Order, for instance – but the most obvious is Chemical Brothers. On this showing, the Japstars have the potential to be heirs to the former Dust Brothers’ mantle as one of the ultimate stadium house acts.

The collaborations with the likes of Tom Smith from Editors, Lisa Hannigan, Robert Smith from The Cure, Jon Spencer and James Vincent McMorrow on Controlling Your Allegiance are pitch-perfect uses of each contributors’ vocal strengths and idiosynchracies.

Japanese Popstars are taking to the East Dance stage at Glastonbury this weekend for a live set, and if there’s any justice, they should be representing high up the bill on one of the two biggest stages at that festival in years to come.

Close your eyes listening to tracks like Catapult and Falcon Punch, and just see the hands-in-the-air madness kick off at festivals worldwide.

If you’re lucky enough to have a ticket to the Sea Sessions this weekend, or Electric Picnic, you’ll be able to have that experience a little more locally. It’s just the way the future’s meant to feel, with 40,000 people standing in a field. And the Japanese Popstars leading the dance.

Just relax. And let GO!