Home Made Kazoku

The hip-hop outfit Home Made Kazoku traces its beginnings to 1996, although the central trio only locked into place in 2001. After spending a couple of years performing in Nagoya clubs and completing a wider club tour, the act secured a deal with a major label in 2004 and shifted focus to concentrated single production. Bolstered by strong single-chart performance and placements of their material as theme songs for several widely followed anime series, Home Made Kazoku issued their debut full-length album in 2005, which moved briskly. Subsequent releases in 2006 and 2007 preserved the act’s Top Ten placement on the Oricon charts, a run extended by a 2008 compilation. The group favors an airy, mid-tempo aesthetic. Prominent disco elements color the instrumental tracks, while funk accents anchor the grooves. English phrases and stray words recur throughout their material. At peak form the trio suggests an upbeat, all-ages counterpart to Nitro Microphone Underground, especially on microphone-passing tracks such as “Shounen Heart.” In more mainstream moments, notably “Nagareboshi,” they lean toward breezy pop.