SHIGETO ...CHERRY BLOSSOM BABY...

Cherry Blossom Baby, Shigeto's first full-length statement since 2017, sprouts out from a collective thaw, ambitious, collaborative, and fully realized. The Detroit-based, Japanese-American musician, DJ, Portage Garage Sounds label co-founder, and long-time Ghostly International artist embraces the role of producer and composer. Bold and cultivated with intention, the band-built sound honors traditions in electronic, jazz, R&B, and hip-hop, a fusion that's become his signature, now more vibrant than ever. Zach Saginaw and a group of guests and players present a snapshot in time, a celebration of self-love and an expression of vitality distinctly rooted in Detroit and informed by his family’s cultural history.

"I am a cherry blossom baby," he says. "We all are cherry blossom babies, we all are resilient, we all are growing, we all will continue to."

Heritage has been at the heart of Saginaw's recording project from the start; his middle name is Shigeto, a name passed down from his great grandfather, which means 'to grow' — it was apt given his premature birth weight of less than a pound, and remains fitting for the evolution of his artistry, now nearly 15 years since he signed to Ghostly. On Lineage (GI-148, 2012), Saginaw grappled with an ancestral story; the artwork contrasted photos taken of his great-grandfather's home in Hiroshima in 1916 and later at the Amache Internment Camp in Grenada, Colorado, where he and his family were sent during the Second World War. The line continues through Cherry Blossom Baby, which finds Saginaw drawing inspiration from the cherry trees that bloom every spring at Hiroshima, an enduring image of hope, resilience, and renewal..

Saginaw's been searching, a simmering introspection that surfaced in recent years as nightlife paused and he began to question the idea of Shigeto, the performer and Michigan fixture.

"My identity is always something I've struggled with, not being really considered Japanese, not being considered white. I think Shigeto was a way for me to have this identity, to create one for myself that I can latch onto, and it suddenly didn't exist anymore."

The realization pushed him to work on himself, to come back to his craft and his community, laying the groundwork for a record that rises from the figurative ashes anew.

A reaffirmed sense of self, momentum, and maturation is apparent in where Saginaw situates here as a songwriter and producer arranging ideas alongside Detroit's finest, a physical manifestation of his WDET 101.9FM show highlighting “forward-thinking music from the Detroit Diaspora.” Every track is collaboration, be it with a vocalist or multiple instrumentalists, a tradition forged in his Portage Garage studio sessions.

"It's the first time I'm writing this stuff myself and getting these players to make it even better…it's impossible to have made it at this level without them."

The production and mix favor a full, throwback quality, eschewing modern compression for more spacious dynamics, a nod to psych and jazz records of the '70s and '80s.

"It was on purpose but also subconsciously, playing live with jazz bands and DJing b2b with mentors like Dez Andrés, playing older sounds over the last decade. Sonically I wanted to make this record feel like you could see multiple people in a studio."

The collaborative spirit that runs through Cherry Blossom Baby widens its range. Rapper, Cleveland Thrasher brings raspy bars to the hypnotic "Runnup On'm" with harpist Ahya Simone, the trap/breakbeat-wielding "BookaMagick," and across the pop grooves of "Nothing Simple," where he bobs and weaves with producer/DJ Tammy Lakkis. Guitarist, Sasha Kashperko riffs through several tracks, giving the material a loungier feel — "I've always wanted a great guitarist on my tracks," says Saginaw. Ahya Simone returns to elevate "Let's Talk" to the cosmos. Her harp parts represent a natural progression for the Shigeto sound; whereas in the past, he might have collaged string elements together, he leans back in the open space and lets it all flow organically.

Expanding on the title's metaphor, Shigeto is pushing forward with the people around him:

"A cherry blossom is regrowing, but it's always different too, and I'm speaking to that with all the different musicians on this record, getting everyone involved and honoring their contributions is part of that cherry blossom philosophy.”

• ARTIST: Shigeto
• TITLE: Nothing Simple (feat. Tammy Lakkis and Cleveland Thrasher)
• TYPE: Focus Track from album, Cherry Blossom Baby (October 25th)
• RELEASE DATE: October 25th
• LABEL: Ghostly International
• Listen Link: HERE
• Smartlink: HERE
• Video: HERE
• Download: HERE

Static art video for Nothing Simple (feat. Tammy Lakkis and Cleveland Thrasher)

“This song happened in a spur of the moment kind of way. Zach and I don’t really ‘jam’ or collaborate very often but whenever we do it is very fun, fluid, and free. I think the song is speaking of an awaited return to creation.” - Tammy Lakkis

“’Nothing Simple’ came together almost effortlessly. Tammy and I were in the studio listening to the instrumental and she casually sang the words "waiting for the sound, waiting for the simple words but they don't come... waiting for the words to come... but there's nothing simple about this love" and I was like "that's it right there!" I thought it would be great as a duo so I brought Cleveland in and he wrote his part in less than an hour. The combo of Tammy and Cleveland’s voices is the spirit of this cut but the secret sauce for me is the Moog basslines, dancing all over the track, from Detroit bass veteran, Calvin Scruggs (Dwelle)" – Shigeto

Matt at TableTopMusic - ‎ tabletopmusic@yahoo.com

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