Jun Seba (Japanese: 瀬葉 淳, Hepburn: Seba Jun, February 7, 1974 – February 26, 2010), born Jun Yamada (Japanese: 山田 淳), better known by his stage name Nujabes (ヌジャベス, Nujabesu), was a Japanese record producer, audio engineer, DJ, composer and arranger best known for his atmospheric instrumental mixes sampling from hip hop, soul, and jazz, as well as incorporating elements of trip hop, breakbeat, downtempo, and ambient music.
In 2010, Seba died in a traffic collision at the age of 36.[1] Although relatively niche during his lifetime, Seba has since achieved posthumous acclaim and been referred as the "godfather" of lo-fi hip hop. Seba's production techniques and career have also been compared favorably with J Dilla, who was born on the same day.[2]
Life and career
1974–1998: Early life and career beginnings
Seba was born as Jun Yamada[3] on February 7, 1974, in the Nishi-Azabu district of Minato in central Tokyo, Japan. He grew up in eastern Tokyo, the city where he would remain in for all his life.[4]
Seba's father worked for the National Tax Agency, but was an amateur jazz pianist and exposed him to music at a young age.[5][6] Seba dabbled in music-making since high school and studied design at the Nihon University College of Art.[1][6]
In 1995 (shortly after graduating, at the age of 21) much to the dismay of his father but supported by his mother, Seba opened a record store in Shibuya called Bongo Fury Records, later renamed to GUINNESS RECORDS.[3] The selection skewed away from commercial releases, mostly featuring underground hip-hop.[7][1]
While operating GUINNESS RECORDS, Seba began exploring different aspects of the music industry. In 1996 he started writing for music magazines under the pen name Seba Jun.[8] Then, under the moniker Dimention Ball, he started making his own beats and pressing them into vinyl to sell in the store.[7]
1998–2003: The start of Hydeout Productions and early collaborations
In 1998 he founded an independent record label first known as Hyde Out Recordings, then as Hyde Out Productions, and ultimately renamed to Hydeout Productions.[7] In the same year, he released a 36-track mixtape titled Sweet Sticky Thing~Reload All Good Music From Old To The New~. The name was a nod to Ohio Players's homonymous track in their seminal album Honey. This was the first full-length work to be signed under the moniker Nujabes (his name spelled backwards).[7]
In 1999 he released his first 12" recording, Ain’t No Mystery, in collaboration with Verbal (at the time known as L Universe). In the same year he also released Peoples Don’t Stray in collaboration with Funky DL. In 1999 he discovered Substantial through the mutual friend, rapper, and employee of the store, Sphere of Influence, and in 2000, he flew Substantial to Japan to collaborate for a month on what would become Substantial's debut album: To This Union A Sun Was Born.[1] Both Funky DL and Substantial would go on to become lifelong collaborators.[1][7]
In 2000 he met the MC Shing02 in Tokyo, and exchanged music with him. One track in particular stood out to Shing02, a beat that Seba had created for American producer and songwriter Pase Rock. Shing02, who already knew Pase Rock thanks to a previous collaboration, obtained from him the permission to use the beat, and thus, in 2001, the track Luv(sic) was born.[7] This was the first track of the Luv(sic) Hexalogy, one of Seba's most popular and influential works. The second track, Luv(sic) Part 2 followed shortly in 2002, after the September 11 attacks forced Shing02 to stay in Tokyo longer than expected.[9]
Between 2001 and 2004 he collaborated with Nao Tokui, an artist and AI technology researcher, on a shared project called URBANFOREST.[10] Despite spending many days together over the years, experimenting with Max (software) and listening to new music, they only finished one track together, Rotary Park, one of Seba's most experimental works.[7]
In 2003 he opened a second record store, affiliated with Hydeout Productions, called Tribe.[11]
2003: 1st collection and Metaphorical Music
In April 2003, Seba put together a compilation album from songs produced by Hydeout Productions, Hydeout Productions 1st Collection, which featured artists such as Funky DL, Apani B. Fly, Substantial, Shing02, L-Universe, Pase Rock, Five Deez, Uyama Hiroto, and Cise Starr.[12]
In August 2003, Seba released his debut studio album, Metaphorical Music. Recorded and mixed in Seba's private Park Avenue Studio, the album's initial release was modest, with recognition growing significantly in later years, to eventually become the cult classic that it is considered to be today.[7]
2004: Samurai Champloo and international recognition
While Samurai Champloo was met with lukewarm reception in Japan,[14] it was critically acclaimed and developed a cult following in the West, partially due to its OST which was widely praised[15][16][17] and was ranked by IGN as tenth among their Top Ten Anime Themes and Soundtracks of All Time.[18] To this project Seba contributed some of the most popular tracks: the opening theme Battlecry (another collaboration with Shing02), Aruarian Dance, which spread virally through the internet,[19] and Departure and Impression which became seminal works for Lofi hip hop artists.[7][14] This success catapulted Seba, who at the time was still an underground figure, into the international spotlight and reached many fans who would later discover his earlier works.[14]
2005–2007: 2nd collection and Modal Soul
In 2005 Seba released his second studio album, Modal Soul. Like his other studio album, Metaphorical Music, Modal Soul fuses jazzy, smooth rhythms and hip hop, but with more downtempo and a different quality to transitions and mixing that has been attributed to Fat Jon's influence. The fourth track is another installment of his collaboration with Shing02, Luv(sic) Part 3.[7]
In 2007 Seba released another compilation album that would be his very last, Hydeout Productions 2nd Collection. The album features some of his most recurring collaborators such as Pase Rock, Uyama Hiroto, and Shing02.[7]
2010–2013: Death and posthumous work
On February 26, 2010, Seba was involved in a traffic collision leaving the Shuto Expressway in Tokyo: he was taken to a hospital in Shibuya Ward, where he was pronounced dead after efforts to revive him were unsuccessful.[20][21] Seba is buried in Tama Cemetery, Tokyo.[22]
His death interrupted work on his third studio album, Spiritual State, and his decade-long collaboration with Shing02, the Luv(sic) hexalogy, both of which have been completed posthumously by his friends and collaborators.[23]
Spiritual State
Spiritual State features work from some of Seba's classic collaborators like Pase Rock, Substantial, Cise Starr, and Uyama Hiroto, as well as introducing Haruka Nakamura. The tracks featuring vocals focus on encouraging messages, touching on themes of perseverance and pursuing one's aspirations.[23]
After Seba died unexpectedly, many doubted that the Luv(sic) series would ever continue. However, Luv(sic) Part 4 and Luv(sic) Part 5 were very close to completion, and after putting the finishing touches in Seba's recording studio in the basement of his home in Kamakura, they were released by Shing02 shortly after Seba's death in 2011. The instrumental to what would eventually become Luv(sic) Grand Finale was discovered on Seba's cell phone a few weeks after his death.[24] The track was completed once again in the Kamakura studio, and then released on February 26, 2013, on the third anniversary of Seba's death.[25]
Recognition and legacy
Seba was an underground figure in Japan's hip hop scene and was virtually unknown in the West until the success of Samurai Champloo, which propelled his popularity both in Japan and, especially, abroad.[14] While this rise in fame started when he was alive, it significantly increased posthumously thanks to the popularity of lo-fi hip hop in the 2010s and its spread through internet culture, and it culminated with Seba becoming widely regarded as the godfather of lo-fi hip hop.[26][14][7]
Frequent collaborator Shing02 paid tribute to Seba, saying he was "a unique talent", "a close friend", and that "he [had] touched so many people around the world, even beyond his dreams".[27] He has since performed at several tribute concerts for Seba, including at the anime convention Otakon in 2019, along with artists such as musician Minmi and rapper Substantial.[28]
On November 11, 2010, his label released a tribute compilation album, Modal Soul Classics II, featuring previous collaborators and covers and remixes of his songs.[29] Several other tribute albums and songs have been released: the 2013 tribute album 25 Nights for Nujabes by Australian hip-hop producer Ta-ku;[30] "Kwiaty dla J", a 2018 tribute song by Polish rapper Zeus;[31] and the track "Nujabes" from American rapper Chester Watson's 2020 album, A Japanese Horror Film.[32]
In 2016 Kei Nishikori, a Japanese professional tennis player who has been ranked in the top 10 of the ATP World Rankings, released a compilation album titled Kei Nishikori meets Nujabes that features his favorite pieces from Seba's repertoire.[33]
Seba has been mentioned in two songs by American rapper Logic: in the track "Thank You" from his 2018 album YSIV, which was written "over a Nujabes vibe",[34] and in "Perfect" from his 2020 album No Pressure, where Seba was cited as a major inspiration in his production style.[35] Seba was also mentioned by American rapper SahBabii in his 2018 song "Anime World", with the rapper stating in an interview that he admired Seba's music.[36]
The 2022 adventure video game Stray features the song Cool Down inspired by Seba's track Counting Stars.[37]
Personal life
Seba has generally been described as humble, quiet, calm, unassuming, and shy,[9][8][38][39] but also as having strong passions for food,[7] soccer,[39] and being uncompromising, meticulous, and a perfectionist when it came to his work.[38][9][8]
Seba had two brothers: an older brother who continues to manage Hydeout Productions,[9] and a younger brother that operates Usagi (うさぎ), a ramen shop in Shibuya that plays Seba's music and is decorated with Nujabes memorabilia.[40] Seba is survived by his wife and daughter.[38]
^パンチ, たぬき (February 4, 2022). "ヌジャベスの名前の由来は？家族や結婚と学歴も気になる！" [Where does the name Nujabes come from? We're also curious about his family, marriage, and educational background!]. tanuki-punch.com (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-11-02.
^"錦織圭選手96年ぶり五輪メダル獲得！ その活躍の裏にあった音楽の存在とは" [Kei Nishikori wins first Olympic medal in 96 years! What is the music behind his success?]. Billboard JAPAN (in Japanese). 2016-08-16. Retrieved 2024-11-26.
