Before I start sharing music here, I want to talk about the roots of “Digging Through Asia”. In the early days of COVID, I started a record label with two close friends. It came from a place of pure passion. A desire to discover, connect, listen deeply, and to find music makers across the East who were waving their own individual flags. We wanted to tell stories together, and release EPs and albums in a way that felt honest and aligned with a shared vision.

That spirit never really left…Being here today, using this space on Substack, feels like a continuation of that same pulse. A place to share music coming from parts of the world that feel especially alive right now.

All I ask is for your support. If you connect with the music, please support the artists. Buy their albums, reach out, and build a connection (that is the whole point of this series)

Thanks for being here, and happy listening!

virtualwound - VW002 [MMRY.]

This is some perfectly honed sometimes laidback and other times straight up in your face raw DNB. And i for one just love the atmospheres of rhythmic tension of the more liquid sides. Straight out of Osaka, This is an album that'll be on heavy rotation when im under the moon, sitting on the balcony with a CBD joint in the hand. Highly recommended to hear from start to end.

Reviver - Optimal Lifeform [Curvature]

If deep, atmospheric breakbeat and sci-fi-tinged drum and bass is your vice, look no further. Out on a UK Based label, China’s ‘Reviver’ makes this album feel considered and finely personal, made for both deep listening and long DJ sessions. last vinyl copies are for grabs.

Jonathan Kusuma – Bank The Drums [Bless You]

A match made in sweaty rooms for exotic creatures who pray to the chug. Two favorites collide as Berlin’s Sound Metaphors release a brand new EP via their Bless you outlet from Jakarta’s Jonathan Kusuma. Once again, he twists our brains with his signature percussive rhythms that sends tickles up the spine, and naturally, I like what I hear here. I like it a lot.

(no streaming available) Buy the record here : www.soundmetaphors.com/release/35493304/jonathan-kusuma-bank-the-drums-ep

The Evil B-Side Twins - The Golden Mother (Kohra & Monophonik Remix) [Harmony Rec]

Seems like the astral portals between Harmony in Prague and India are forming. Following their Eastern Timbres EP by Kohra and Monophonik, the exchange continues with a new remix offering. The duo of the deep reimagine The Evil B-Side Twins (aka DJ Tool and Yazzus) with a trippy, respectful, and bold treatment that adds their signature modular and psychedelia groovements.

Que Sakamoto ＋NT - Kokowadoko Feat.Eryyy (Cartulis Music)

A highly creative and well produced breakbeat firecracker by Que Sakamoto + NT. Carefully built, full of raw character, and designed to generate real heat on the dancefloor. A track that shows both skill and imagination in its construction. This one appears part of a celebratory 4×LP V.A. by UK based Cartulis Music, and it feels right at home there.