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.