GHOST IN THE TAPES
Photo: Moses Moro
Ghost In The Tapes is a musical project founded by Genshu Fukaya, who is behind the microphone and production and Samy Abboud, multi-instrumentalist and also founder of French electronica band M.A BEAT!.
The unit’s creative modus operandi is based on collaboration with diverse instrumentalists and vocalists blended with ever changing production ideas.
Their first project, Happily Confused released in April 2020 on Bindividual and BMM Records, features songs that were recorded around the world, including New York, Tokyo, London and France with local guests. Since then, the band has moved its base to London at the now legendary Total Refreshment Center, the heartbeat of recent years’ UK Jazz scene (with members including Shabaka Hutchings, Nubya Garcia, Yusef Kamaal, Emma-Jean Thackray, The Comet Is Coming, Kokoroko, etc).
The project has pushed the envelope even further while consolidating their identity on their new LP Holidays On Earth, relying more on live instruments and welcoming a whopping 26 guests, such as Danalogue, Matt Gedrych, Marysia Osu, Arthur Sajas, Ermhoi, PremRock.
The instrumentals are rich with textures, synthesizers, harps, flutes, strings and vocal harmonies that keep on evolving stylistically, keeping you guessing what’s next. You will find post-punk, musique concrète-inspired moments, classical music and jazz nods, drum n bass and boom bap reinterpretations, trip hop and their take on Japanese folk and ambient… all of it amounting to a journey full of left turns.
RELEASES
VIDEOS
HOLIDAYS ON EARTH
4 years after their groundbreaking debut album, Ghost In The Tapes return with a new full-length that sonically expands multilingual hip-hop and rap towards spiritual jazz and uplifting electronica. Still following the same process of creation through international collaboration, they gathered 26 musicians and vocalists from all around the world, including Matt Gedrych, Danalogue, Marysia Osuchowska, Susumu Mukai, Phil FMU, The Brothers Nylon, amongst many others.
HAPPILY CONFUSED
Synth wizard Samy Abboud from M.A BEAT! allies forces with Tokyo-based rapper and producer Genshu Fukaya to create the collaborative hip-hop project Ghost In The Tapes. Their debut release, Happily Confused, has been three years in the making and recorded in 7 cities across Europe, Americas and Asia. The album starts off with boom bap-style hip-hop that progressively morphs into blissful ambient and electronica soundscapes, featuring a wide variety of artists from all around the world.