Tokyo Joe Orchestra
Tokyo Joe Orchestra
Despite the name, Tokyo Joe Orchestra isn't a room full of musicians — it's one mind wearing a new mask. The project is the latest alter ego of Joseph Salvador, the producer behind cult imprints TINK! Music and Tomorrow Is Now, Kid!. Under this moniker, Salvador reaches back to two golden eras at once: the original 1970s New York disco sound and 1980s Japanese City Pop, fusing them into something boogie-down, balearic, and unmistakably positive — music built equally for singing along and dancing all night.
Crucially, nothing here is a re-edit or a sample flip. Every huge organic bassline, orchestral stab, shimmering arpeggio and analog pad is played and produced from scratch, pulled from a studio stacked with vintage synthesizers of the era. Guest vocalists and musicians round out the sound, giving each record a warm, nostalgic feel without ever leaning on the mold of the original records that inspired it. As the story goes: Tokyo Joe doesn't need to sample the '70s and '80s — he has the original synths.
"I Release You"
The latest single from Tokyo Joe Orchestra, released via Universo Positivo, is a modern soul ballad built around organic bass, orchestral stabs and lush arpeggios — all lifted from the emotional memory of soulful disco and get-down boogie rather than any sampler. The track arrives in four versions: the Original Mix, which lets Angel‑A's vocal take center stage; Orlando Voorn's "Goosebump Remix," the deepest and most atmospheric cut of the set; Reece Johnson's "Soulful Remix," a pure house-vibes rework; and an Instrumental Mix for those who want the groove without the vocal.
Featured Artists
Angel-A — Vocalist
A native Detroiter, Angel-A brings powerhouse songwriting and a deep, sultry vocal to "I Release You." Her voice and writing have earned collaborations with Detroit house royalty including Moodymann, Karizma, Timmy Regisford and Roy Davis Jr., and she has shared stages on tour with The Clark Sisters, Oleta Adams and Patti LaBelle. Her recorded output spans respected soulful and deep house labels, with releases on Mahogani Music (Moodymann's own imprint), Quantize Recordings and Nervous Records.
Orlando Voorn — Remixer, "Goosebump Remix"
Born in Amsterdam in 1968, Orlando Voorn is one of Dutch dance music's most important figures and one of the first European producers to build a real bridge between Amsterdam and Detroit. A DJ from the age of twelve, he won the Dutch DMC DJ Championship in 1986 before turning to production, where he became a key European collaborator with Detroit techno's founding generation — recording with Juan Atkins (as the duo behind "Game One"), working alongside Derrick May, and teaming up with Blake Baxter as The Ghetto Brothers. Over more than three decades and a dizzying array of aliases, he has released on landmark labels like Metroplex, KMS and Fragile, and continues to put out music across house, techno and beyond. On "I Release You," his "Goosebump Remix" is the release's deepest, most chilling reinterpretation.
Reece Johnson — Remixer, "Soulful Remix"
A Yorkshire-born, Cornwall-based DJ and producer, Reece Johnson has been releasing music since the mid-2000s. He started out making '90s-influenced deep house before moving toward French-touch-inspired disco house, edits and reworks, drawing inspiration from classic imprints like Crydamoure and Roulé alongside contemporary labels such as Razor N Tape and Toy Tonics. His discography includes releases on Nervous Records, Robsoul Recordings, Lumberjacks in Hell and Tropical Disco Records, with support from tastemaking DJs across the house and disco scene. His "Soulful Remix" of "I Release You" brings his signature pure house vibes to the track.
