TuneAttic: find music, know music
TuneAttic: find music, know music
TuneAttic: find music, know music
TuneAttic: find music, know music
TuneAttic: find music, know music
TuneAttic: find music, know music
casino versus japan

Casino Versus Japan is the production alias of US Downtempo and Intelligent Dance Music (IDM) producer Erik Kowalski.  Since the eponymous Casino Versus Japan debut album 1998 Kowalski has released a total of five studio albums.

Casino Versus Japan scales of success
Casino Versus Japan timeline

 

‘Aquarium’
(Carpark Records 2002)
‘Whole Numbers Play The Basics’ (Carpark Records 2002)

Early Years: 1998 to present

Erik Kowalski started experimenting with guitar-based ambient music in the mid 1990’s.  By the late 1990’s Kowalski was incorporating a mix of electronic influences and real world sounds and had become part of the Milwaukee underground Electronic music scene. 

In 1998 Kowalski sent some demos to local label Star Star Stereo’s owner Mike Bailey.  Bailey was sufficiently impressed to sign Kowalski and the eponymous debut album followed later that year: ‘Casino Versus Japan’ (Star Star Stereo1998).

Kowalksi’s profile was boosted in 2000 when his track ‘It's Very Sunny’ (Wobblyhead 2000) was featured on a Hummer TV ad.

The last full Casino versus Japan studio album was ‘Whole Numbers Play The Basics’ (Carpark Records 2002), since which time he has released two collection of unreleased material.

Erik Kowalski’s Casino Versus Japan releases are atmospheric and sophisticated but don’t quite have the star quality of peers such as Carbon Based Lifeforms.