“Crazy Crazy” [ft. Charli XCX and Kyary Pamyu Pamyu]

Japanese producer Yasutaka Nakata’s work with late 1990s electronic duo Capsule pioneered a robotic, techno-influenced electro-pop that has influenced everything from EDM to the post-ironic bubblegum of PC Music. He’s now a sort of J-pop King Midas. His recent work as the exclusive producer for both the massively popular girl group Perfume and pop idol/IRL anime princess Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, has earned him a rabid fan base at home, and helped shaped ever-growing interest in J-pop abroad. With the exception of a small handful of remixes, Nakata has never worked with a Western artist—until now. “Crazy Crazy,” a collaboration with Charli XCX, is a natural fit for both artists.

Charli XCX might be the perfect pop star to mingle with Nakata's current muse Kyary; both have a chameleon-like capacity to adapt to their surroundings and Charli has partially modeled her candy-colored image on Japanese idols. On “Crazy Crazy,” Nataka processes Charli's voice heavily, retaining just enough of her throaty style to contrast Kyary’s cartoonish, high-pitched vocals. While the overall production recalls Nakata’s usual hard, stuttering beats and busy signal synths, the song's chorus is an all out sing-along, somewhere between Eurodance frivolity, old-school pure pop, and vintage Barbie commercial. Whether “Crazy Crazy” is a one-off or a grab at a larger audience for Nakata, it's a welcome evolution to the genre he's already the godfather of.