compiled by Nicholas D. Kent
email: ndkent "at" optonline.net
Last updated 06.1.28
Dip In The Pool are Miyako Koda and Tatsuji Kim (Kimura).
They were still doing shows in late 1999 but I've not heard from them since and their label's site is no longer online.
In 2005 Miyako Koda co-starred in the movie Kanaria.
Does anyone know anything else about what they've been up to in the last 5 years?
They always did an extremely refined kind of pop. Their earlier albums are wonderfully pure in terms of sounds used, they progressed or perhaps the Japanese music scene in general progressed to a still classy but more elaborate pop sound on each album. The earliest albums have a unique feeling of air and purity that becomes more filled out pop in later albums, which are still quite admirable but don't have the lovely and somewhat otherworldly feeling of the first few, the first having the most of that feeling.
Their Grandisc releases are still be in shops (Wonder 8 and MK's Jupiter). Their Sony and Alfa/Moon releases are out of print.
Guests Sakuma (ex-Plastics), Seigen Ono.
Miyako Koda has an outstanding voice. Very clear, precise synths. One of the great technopop albums. Most songs produced by Seigen Ono, the rest by Sakuma and Kim.
dip in the pool
The 12" Alfa Moon 12": MOON-180003,
Seigen Ono produced. 4 Songs, 2 songs made it onto the LP, all 4 onto the CD. Includes Deborah Turbeville photo postcards of the band
dip in the pool 32XM-17, Moon AMCM-5026 The CD is 10 songs (includes the 2 from the 12" not on the LP). I think there is some kind of catalog mixup in Japan. I managed to order a copy and after several tries and over a year, I finally got a copy. (worth the effort) AMCM-5026 was remastered and budget priced but is now also out of print. |
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1986 Rough Trade (UK) lp: ROUGH 107
Includes 2 tunes from the above 12". Same style as the above. Besides amazing looks, Miyako Koda has the most solid English language singing ability of any Japanese artist I've heard. Kim's synth work is excellent also. I'm surprised, this is the only Western-released album. No UK CD afaik.
It came out on LP in Japan but I'm not 100% sure it was also called Silence.
1988 East West 32XM-68, AMCM-5027
More complex arrangements than the prior album. The prior one is much more simple and elegant. This one has some superb moments though. Masahide Sakuma co-produces and performs. Highly recomended but out of print.
1989 Moon/East West 32XM-87, AMCM-5028
Sakuma co-produced with Shimizu, Morgan Fisher. Wonderful but out of print.
1991 Moon/East West AMCM-4096, MSCD-17(promo)
Co-produced by Peter Scherer. This strikes a great East-West balance. A more acoustic sound.Out of print.
1991 MSCD-17 (promo)
a short promo compilation album coupled with the above as a 2 CD set
1993 Epic/Sony cd: ESCB 1401
Recorded in NYC with a who's who of NYC studio musicians and sounds like it. Tony Levin too. Miyako Koda is fantastic as usual. Not enough synths!! Not as good as the previous one. Still this one has superb singing and memorable melodies and music. Complex arrangements.
1993 Sony ESCB-1449
The title meant to be a radio station call name. I liked this one a little better overall than the prior or next album, though the tunes on The Sea of Serenity are much more memorable.
71994 Epic/ Sony ESCB-1526 More samples and contemporary sound. Nice moments but not as interesting as the earlier albums. |
1997 grandisc GDCD 0001
On their own new label. Memorable songs with nicer beats than the last several albums. Guests-- Vagabonde Suzuki, Yasuaki Shimizu, Haruo Kubota, Satoshi Tomiie, Mishio Ogawa are among the guests. Some wonderfully memorable songs.
Miyako Kodajupiter1998 grandisc GDCD 0003 A solo with all tracks produced by different artists: Ochi Brothers, Yasuaki Shimizu, Towa Tei, Haruomi Hosono (from a song by Hosono and Kimura), Light In Darkness, Gonzalez Mikami, Peter Scherer. Includes some Macintosh goodies on floppy. At times a little minimal sounding with a spoken word piece, but many wonderful sounds and textures and vocals. |
Here are some dip in the pool singles or EPs (I have none of these)
青く光る夜のプール (Epic/Sony cd single: ESDB-3497) (translation?) Pool of night that shines in blue
KIMI NO KOE O KIKITAI (Epic/Sony cd single: ESDB-3390)
KIMI-NO-HITOMI-NI-USTURU-WATASHI (Epic/Sony cd single: ESDB-3520)
NIJI NO SHIRUSHI (RAINBOW LINE) (Epic/Sony cd single: ESDB-3426)
Miracle Play (1995 Epic/Sony) I've seen a Mauri Department store tie in on the Moon label. I'm not sure if there are the same
thanks to Tatsuji Kimura, Ralf Kraus