Fujiya & Miyagi

Fujiya & Miyagi is a British electronic duo formed in 2000 by David Best and Steve Lewis. Their name comes from Japanese words for 'wisteria' and 'temple,' though the music itself has more to do with Brighton than Tokyo. They put out their first album, 'Electrolite,' in 2001, and followed it with records like 'Mechanical' in 2006 and 'Ventriloquizzing' in 2008.

Their sound is built around steady, motorik rhythms and deadpan vocals, with songs like 'Uh!' and 'Ankle Injuries' showing their knack for minimalist grooves that stick in your head. In 2007, there were some plagiarism claims about 'Uh!' that the duo denied, but it didn't slow them down much. They kept releasing albums through the 2010s, including 'Lightbulbs' and 'Artificial Sweeteners,' and put out a self-titled record in 2017.

They've never been a flashy act, just two guys making electronic music with a certain dry wit. Tracks like 'Knickerbocker' and 'Transparent Things' have that same economical feel, basslines that lock in, keyboards that bubble under, and vocals that barely rise above a murmur. They put out another album called 'Flashback' in 2022, still working in that same spare, rhythmic lane they've occupied for over twenty years.