Fun 9

Fun 9
Fun 9
Studio album by Takako Minekawa
Released	July 7, 1999
Studio	Burning Trailer
Genre	Shibuya-kei; art pop; electropop;
Length	36:17
Label	Polystar
Producer	Takako Minekawa; DJ Me DJ You; Keigo Oyamada;
Takako Minekawa chronology
Alternative cover
	Emperor Norton issue

Fun 9 is the fourth studio album by Japanese musician Takako Minekawa. It was released on July 7, 1999 by Polystar.^[4] The album was released on November 16, 1999 in the United States by Emperor Norton Records.^[5]

The album's title is pronounced "fun-kyū", the latter half of the title referring to the Japanese equivalent of the numeral 9, and is intended to sound similar to the word "funk".^[6]^[7]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[3]
Alternative Press	4/5^[8]
The Baltimore Sun	^[9]
Pitchfork	8.3/10^[10]
Uncut	^[11]

Heather Phares of AllMusic wrote that Minekawa had produced a "more eclectic and polished" record while retaining her "playful musical vision", crafting "a wide array of lush, lighthearted songs into an album that is as self-assured as it is fun".^[3]

Drowned in Sound writer Samuel Rosean cited Fun 9 as a key Shibuya-kei release in a 2018 retrospective article.^[1] Tokyo Weekender's Ed Cunningham recommended Fun 9 to fans of the Cornelius album Fantasma (1997).^[2]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Gently Waves"	Takako Minekawa	1:50
2.	"Plash"	Minekawa Keigo Oyamada	4:11
3.	"Flow in a Tide" (フィーチャリング)	Minekawa Michiko Endo	3:42
4.	"Fantastic Voyage"	Minekawa DJ Me DJ You	4:56
5.	"Tiger"	Minekawa DJ Me DJ You	4:46
6.	"Shh Song"	Minekawa	1:52
7.	"Spin Spider Spin"	Minekawa Oyamada	2:56
8.	"Flash"	Minekawa Oyamada	1:21
9.	"Fun 9 (French)"	Minekawa	0:09
10.	"Soft Graffiti"	Minekawa Endo	4:58
11.	"Fancy Work Funk"	Minekawa DJ Me DJ You	5:36
Total length:			36:17

US edition bonus track
No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
12.	"Etoufée"	Minekawa Oyamada	2:53
Total length:			39:10

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.^[12]

Musicians

Takako Minekawa – vocals, acoustic guitar, guitar, turntables, arrangement
Craig Borrell – analog synthesizer, MTI Auto-Orchestra synthesizer, trumpet, turntables, vocals, backing vocals
Michiko Endo – additional vocals on "Flow in a Tide", acoustic guitar on "Soft Graffiti"
Ross Harris – analog synthesizer, bass, Boss SP-303 sampler, drum machine, guitar, turntables
Toyoaki Misha – sound manipulation
Keigo Oyamada – acoustic guitar, bass, drums, guitar, Stylophone keyboard, turntables
Takahiro Unno – French horn on "Spin Spider Spin"

Production

Takako Minekawa – production
DJ Me DJ You – production
Tadashi Matsuda – mixing, recording
Michifumi Onodera – mixing
Keigo Oyamada – production
Tohru Takayama – mixing

References

^ ^a ^b Rosean, Samuel (December 29, 2018). "A Beginner's Guide: Shibuya Kei". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on June 18, 2021. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
^ ^a ^b Cunningham, Ed (March 31, 2020). "A Complete Guide to Shibuya-kei: Tokyo's '90s Music Revival". Tokyo Weekender. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c Phares, Heather. "Fun 9 – Takako Minekawa". AllMusic. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
^ "fun9 | 嶺川貴子" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
^ "Upcoming Releases". CMJ New Music Report. Vol. 60, no. 9. November 15, 1999. pp. 34–35. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
^ Basford, Lee. "Milk Rock" (PDF). Level. pp. 24–25. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
^ Tartan, Suzannah (October 15, 1999). "Tell JB to get a new bag -- this girl's got her own funk". The Japan Times. Retrieved September 13, 2020.
^ "Takako Minekawa: Fun 9". Alternative Press. No. 141. April 2000. p. 92.
^ Considine, J. D. (January 13, 2000). "Takako Minekawa: Fun9 (Emperor Norton 7022)". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
^ Richardson, Mark (July 6, 1999). "Takako Minekawa: Fun9". Pitchfork. Retrieved March 5, 2018.
^ Johnson, Paul (September 2000). "Takako Minekawa: Fun 9 / Sam & Valley: A Miracle Is Simple". Uncut. No. 40. p. 104.
^ Fun 9 (liner notes). Takako Minekawa. Emperor Norton Records. 1999. EMN 7022.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)