globe – FREEDOM (a J!-ENT World Groove CD Single Review)
March 28, 1996 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
I absolute love “FREEDOM” and like how everything is all balanced between TK, KEIKO and Marc Panther. Everything works just right for this song! Definitely recommended!
GROUP: globe
CD SINGLE: FREEDOM
LABEL: avex globe
CATALOG #: AVDG-71005
DURATION: 16:19
RELEASE DATE: March 27, 1996
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1. FREEDOM (Radio Edit)
2. FREEDOM (Extended Mix)
3. FREEDOM (Tv Mix)
globe’s fifth single “FREEDOM” was denied the #1 spot again (debuted at #3 on the Oricon Charts) but I have to say that I love this single! Of the five singles that have been released, I would put “FREEDOM” and “DEPARTURES” on the top.
The song is fast-paced, upbeat and enjoyable! I like the musical arrangement by TK and I like the harmony between KEIKO and TK and I even like the rapping of Marc Panther on this single. If anything, the song is unlike their previous released CD singles. It’s probably the first single in which the three are well-balanced in what they bring to the song vocally and musically.
The second track is an extended mix of “FREEDOM” featuring more music tacked onto the beginning and end. Also, more guitar playing this time around by TK. The third track is the usual “TK Mix” which is the instrumental version of the song plus TK’s background vocals.
Overall, I feel that “FREEDOM” is a pretty awesome song and one of my favorite tracks from the group thus far. Definitely recommended!
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globe – DEPARTURES (a J!-ENT World Groove CD Single)
January 1, 1996 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
“DEPARTURES” is a fantastic globe song and unlike their previously released singles. The arrangement for this track is awesome, KEIKO sounds spectacular and Marc Panther was very good as well. If you enjoy the music of globe, “DEPARTURES” is highly recommended!
GROUP: globe
CD SINGLE: DEPARTURES
LABEL: avex globe
CATALOG #: AVDG-71004
DURATION: 17:22
RELEASE DATE: January 1, 1996
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1. DEPARTURES (RADIO EDIT)
2. DEPARTURES (EXTENDED MIX)
3. DEPARTURES (INSTRUMENTAL)
When I first listened to globe’s “DEPARTURES”, I knew immediately…this song is going to be #1!
And sure enough, the fifth single from globe has reached #1 and is the second #1 single for the trio who just debuted five months ago.
A lot of credit has to go to this well-oiled machine ala the TK Family and the domination Tetsuya Komuro and his artists/groups have literally had since 1994 beginning with trf and continuing today with his own group, globe.
What’s not to like about “DEPARTURES”. The song features an awesome arrangement and piano background. KEIKO is just magnificent vocally in this song and Marc Panther, his rap is kept to a minimum and it’s not happy or anything distracting. Everything comes together quite well for this song but most of all, the vocal performance by KEIKO really grabs your attention and for me, I haven’t stopped listening to this CD single since I received it.
The second track on the single features an extended mix and is more music on the intro and bridge of the song and the third track is the instrumental version of “DEPARTURES”.
An insert does come with the single featuring the lyrics to “DEPARTURES” and on the other side, a promotion for TK’s website and the globe fan club “house of globe”.
“DEPARTURES” is a fantastic single and if you are a globe fan, I highly recommend purchasing this single!
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globe – SWEET PAIN (a J!-ENT World Groove CD Single Review)
November 12, 1995 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
“SWEET PAIN” is the third globe single features cool vocals from KEIKO but felt the happy rapping kind of put a damper in the overall rhythm of the song.
GROUP: globe
CD SINGLE: SWEET PAIN
LABEL: avex globe
CATALOG #: AVDG-71003
DURATION: 18:19
RELEASE DATE: November 1, 1995
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1. SWEET PAIN (Original Mix)
2. SWEET PAIN (Extended Mix)
3. SWEET PAIN(Space Groove Mix)
I actually thought globe would go for three consecutive singles per month but here we with globe’s third single SWEET PAIN, the group was denied out of the #1 position on the Oricon Daily Charts but they did take #2.
“SWEET PAIN” is a pretty cool song, in some ways, I think that TK was going for a more futuristic tone with this release (not just with the robotic vocoder intro but with the Space Groove mix included with this single). What I liked about this song is the overall vocals from KEIKO. I like the overall flow but the rap segments of the song kind of turned me off as it was a bit too “happy” for me and it was a bit distracting to the rhythm that KEIKO had set forth during her verse. But I suppose it’s all subjective to the listener.
The second track “SWEET PAIN (EXTENDED MIX) is not really a true extended mix, if anything, it’s just more music tacked on to the front and thus you get 47 more seconds of extra music. The third track is a Space Groove Mix of “SWEET PAIN” and it’s TK getting funky with the synth and sampling. I actually like this mix and the experimental segments in it.
Overall, “SWEET PAIN” is a good single, my least favorite of the three released thus far but by no means is it a bad single, it’s just a bit too happy for me during the rap segments. But still another globe single worth checking out!
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globe – Joy to the love (globe) (a J!-ENT World Groove CD Single Review)
September 27, 1995 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
Another awesome followup to “Feel Like dance”, “Joy to the love (globe)” is an upbeat track that TK fans will surely love!
GROUP: globe
CD SINGLE: Joy to the love (globe)
LABEL: avex globe
CATALOG #: AVDG-71002
DURATION: 15:25
RELEASE DATE: September 27, 1995
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1. Joy to the love (ORIGINAL MIX)
2. Joy to the love (JUNGLE MIX)
3. Joy to the love (TV MIX)
After a successful debut with their single “Feel Like Dance”, a month later we have a new single from globe titled “Joy to the love (globe)”. The single is currently being used to promote Toyota’s CYNOS and it’s probably a single that many people are familiar hearing as it has been featured on television quite a bit lately.
The single kicks of with “Joy to the love (Original Mix)”. When I first heard this song, I loved it and I’m actually quite interested in learning more about KEIKO and Marc Panther as there is not much information about them at this time. Otherwise, we do know about TK who has literally has had the Midas Touch with trf, Namie Amuro, Ryoko Shinohara, Yuki Uchida and now with globe.
The track features a pretty cool synth arrangement from TK but the highlight of this unit is KEIKO’s vocals and Marc Panther’s rapping and for the most part, this single is pretty cool. The second track is a JUNGLE MIX and a style that TK has been experimenting with a lot lately with his H-JUNGLE with T project with Hama-chan of DOWNTOWN.
The final third track is the TV mix of “Joy to the love”. If anything, this is mainly the usual offering of the karaoke track with TK singing.
Overall, another exciting single from globe and I look forward to their next! Another single worth recommending!
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Tomomi Kahala – keep yourself alive (a J!-ENT World Groove CD Single Review)
September 8, 1995 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
The first single from bikini model turned singer Tomomi Kahala but unlike other models who have tried before, she has mega producer Tetsuya Komuro on her side. A decent single but we’ll have to wait and see how this artist progresses for the upcoming second single.
ARTIST: Tomomi Kahala
CD SINGLE: keep yourself alive
LABEL: Orumok Records/Pioneer LDC
CATALOG #: PIDX-1001
DURATION: 17:14
RELEASE DATE: September 8, 1995
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- keep yourself alive [Radio Edit MIX]
- keep yourself alive [Original Full Length MIX]
- keep yourself alive [Instrumental]
Tomomi Kahara was a former bikini model and when she paired up with Tetsuya Komuro. For those who haven’t been keeping up with the J-Pop music scene of late, Tetsuya Komuro aka TK has become the top producer in Japan and everything he has touched, has seemed to be gold. From trf to Namie Amuro and his recent group globe, #1 hits keep coming. And if you thought the man was busy, he is taking on another artist and it will be interesting to see how much he puts in to this new artist…Tomomi Kahala.
“keep yourself alive” is the debut single for Tomomi Kahara and a CF image song for Oracle. “keep yourself alive” is a fast, electro pop single and the type of music that Komuro is known for. A release for Komoro’s Orumok Records and mixed by Gary Wright, “keep yourself alive” is an OK song. If anything, I felt that I enjoyed the song much more when I was watching the music video for it, but overall, it’s an OK song. If anything, it’s going to be interesting to see how far TK will be able to take this star and see if he can add another artist to his list of artists in which he has generated #1 hits for.
The single features a radio edit mix, an original full length mix and an instrumental version of “keep yourself alive”. Again, it’s an average song at best but it’s catchy and I definitely will wait and see how Tomomi Kahala does with her second single.
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globe – Feel Like dance (a J!-ENT World Groove CD Single Review)
August 15, 1995 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment
An excellent musical debut for TK’s new group, globe!
GROUP: globe
CD SINGLE: Feel Like dance
LABEL: avex globe
CATALOG #: AVDG-71001
DURATION: 18:30
RELEASE DATE: August 9, 1995
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1. Feel like dance
2. Feel like dance (CLUB MIX)
3. Feel like dance (TV MIX)
Just when you think that mega producer Tetsuya Komuro is too busy making #1 hits with trf, Namie Amuro, Alisa Mizuki, Yuki Uchida, Ryoko Shinohara and hitomi, TK has decided to create a new group.
I don’t know how long this group is going to last, especially knowing how busy he is right now. But sure enough, TK has once again shown us how he has the Midas Touch and his new group globe which consists of himself, lead vocalist KEIKO and rapper Marc Panther have debuted at #1 on the Oricon Charts.
“Feel Like dance” is an upbeat synth-pop dance group but unlike trf, there are no background dancers, the man people on the stage are the three performers. Good beats and as always, solid synth work by TK.
The track features solid vocals from KEIKO and as for the rapping portion, I hear that Marc Panther is a former model and perhaps if TK takes his chances with a female model like hitomi and have made her to a solo artist, why not a male model who can rap. If anything, it will be interesting to see how these three continue in the near future and what kind of CD singles TK has in store for us.
The second track is a CLUB MIX of “Feel Like dance” which is a pretty cool remix by TK and definitely like arrangement that went into this son. As for the third track, the TV MIX is pretty much a karaoke track with TK lending his vocals to the instrumental version of the song.
Overall, despite being a successful debut for globe, I have no doubt that with the success TK is having in his career as a producer and as a musician that globe will continue to have a string of #1 hits similar to others in the TK family.
If you are a Tetsuya Komuro fan, I highly recommend “Feel Like Dance”. Highly recommended!
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