“Due to the effects of COVID-19, we have experienced the loss of freedoms, favorite stores, and cherished places that we have taken for granted over the past three years. We also feel that world peace is going from bad to worse every day. It is during these days that we have been working on this album.
Therefore, we wrote the songs with the image of the changing scenery of the city over time, and we titled the album “Afterimage” to include the meaning of our own common sense changing.”
re:plus
“What I was conscious of was expressing the scenery of the city where we live through music.
When we made “never”, I’d just moved to a new town. I was walking around my previous town where I lived for so long time and my new town, then I realized that time will never come back. It didn’t feel pessimistic but a little bit sentimental. The song reflected those personal experiences and scenery.
Through this album with re:plus, I sometimes used several nature soundscapes recorded by me at Fukuoka, Japan. I like using the sounds of scenes from everyday life.”
Osamu Fukuzawa
re:plus
Osamu Fukuzawa
[ Key Achievements ]
- 30+ editorials on Spotify, including Road Trip To Tokyo, Mellow Beats, Midnight Chill, New Music Wednesday, Jass Fusion Japan
- supported on Apple Music’s Jazz Scene: Japan, Lofi Jazz, Lofi Japan
- supported by PlayStation Japan
- featured on Amazon Music’s LoFi Hip Hop
- featured on Deezer’s Lofi Japan
- 1st single “never” topped up the iTunes Global Jazz Chart
- re:plus’ debut single “Everlasting Truth” reached #1 iTunes Hip Hop Chart – Japan
- 25k copies sold on re:plus’ debut album Everlasting Truth
- 26M streams on Spotify combined
- 37K Spotify followers altogether
- featured on Amazon Music’s Lo-Fi Hip Hop
- supported by 240k independent Spotify playlists, including The Jazz Hop Cafe
re:plus & Osamu Fukuzawa – Afterimage
[ Schedule ]
Jan 24th – “never”
Feb 21st – “Hakumei” (feat. Yuichiro Kato)
Mar 7th – Afterimage
[ Genres ]
jazz, lofi hip hop, jazzhop
[ Similar Artists ]
Kazuki Isogai, Nujabes
[ Release Info ]
Being among the most prominent jazz musicians & producers in Tokyo (25k physical copies sold on debut album, support from PlayStation Japan), re:plus teamed up with leading Japanese keyboardist Osamu Fukuzawa for a heart-melting, 8-piece jazz/lofi album called Afterimage. The project was inspired by the way the Pandemic changed our lives, including all of us on the inside – hence the name.
The sound defies the oversaturated lofi genre by adding mind-bending jazz compositions – all created in a way that will “firmly stay in the listeners’ minds”, as the artists elaborate. In the album, you’ll find beautiful keys, soft beats & a number of guest artists – including renowned guitarist Kazuki Isogai (with 7 releases on Stereofox Records) on “Town bustle” & established saxophonist Yuichiro Kato (Superfly & Kaela Kimura live bands) on “Hakumei”.
1st single “never” tells the story of moving on in life which makes you realize old times are never coming back. It’s not sadness per se but rather sentimentality. It’s a melancholic jazz/lofi journey with heartwarming piano, dusty drums & natural sound design.
2nd single “Hakumei”, meaning “dusk”, is the sonic equivalent of this quiet time at the end of the day – soft keys, hazy sax & smooth beats.
On the records, you’ll also find a remix of “Hakumei” and a remastered version of re:plus & Osamu Fukuzawa’s renowned single “Far away from the noize”, which amassed dozens of millions of streams across DSPs.
*The cover art is a photo, taken by re:plus himself at a temple in Kyoto.
[ Artist Bio ]
re:plus is Hiroaki Watanabe – pianist & producer based in Tokyo. His debut single “Everlasting Truth” was released in July 2009 and reached No. 1 on the iTunes hip-hop chart in Japan. His debut album with the same name has been a super long-running hit, selling over 25K copies to date. He’s so far released 7 more albums, a genre-bending fusion of jazz & lofi and has received support from PlayStation Japan & editorials on all major DSPs (Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, etc).
Osamu Fukuzawa is a composer and keyboardist from Fukuoka, Japan, influenced by hip hop, jazz & much more – drawing inspiration from the likes of Nujabes & re:plus. Aside from self-releasing, he works for both indies and major artists in Japan – a song he produced and co-wrote in 2021 reached #1 on the Spotify viral chart in Japan.