As the producer behind electro-idol trio Perfume and oddball techno-pop style icon Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, Yasutaka Nakata has been behind some of the most interesting and forward-thinking pop in Japan, consistently pushing back the boundaries of what the mainstream can handle while maintaining a musical identity that marks anything he touches as distinctly his.
In a year where Kyary¡¯s ¡°Nanda Collection¡± and Perfume¡¯s ¡°Level3¡± have both streaked to the top of the charts and staked strong claims for end-of-year J-pop bests, Nakata may have been saving the best till last with ¡°Caps Lock¡± by his own project, Capsule (in tune with the title, the album and band name are officially stylized in all caps as the shouty ¡°CAPS LOCK¡± and CAPSULE).
Analyzing Nakata¡¯s work can sometimes feel akin to hunting for a man in a hall of mirrors, his various projects forming a labyrinth of reflections, none of which gives a complete picture. Ideas flow back and forth between Perfume, Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and Capsule, but as some seem to converge, others pull apart and the relationship remains in flux.
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