‘Cherry Blossom Baby’ is Shigeto’s first full-length album since 2017’s “The New Monday”, his personal tribute to Detroit techno. For the new album, the Japanese-American musician, DJ, co-founder of the Portage Garage Sounds label and among the top names at Ghostly International embraces the role of producer and composer.
Bold and cultivated with intention, the sound built by the new band honours the traditions of electronica, jazz, R&B and hip-hop that have always distinguished the sound of Zach Saginaw’s projects, the fusion that over the years has become his signature, now more vibrant than ever.

Zach, accompanied by an eecezionale group of special guests and friends, presents a snapshot in time, a celebration of self-love and an expression of vitality clearly rooted in his Detroit. ‘I am a cherry blossom child,’ he recounts. We’re all cherry blossom babies, we’re all resilient, we’re all growing, we’re all going to keep growing.’

Legacy has been at the heart of Saginaw’s recording project from the beginning; his middle name is Shigeto, a name handed down from his great-grandfather, meaning ‘to grow up’ – it was apt given his premature birth weight of less than half a pound, and it remains apt as his art evolves, now almost 15 years since he signed with Ghostly.

Each track on the new album is a collaboration, either with a singer or with multiple instrumentalists, a tradition forged in his studio sessions at Detroit’s Portage Garage. ‘It’s the first time I’ve written these things myself and asked my favourite Detroit musicians to enhance them. It would have been impossible to get to such a high level without them,’ says Zach Shigeto Saginaw.

The production and mix favour a full, throwback quality, eschewing modern compression for more spacious dynamics, a nod to the psychedelic and jazz records of the 70s and 80s, not disdaining feats from local rappers.

Expanding on the metaphor of the title ‘Cherry Blossom Baby’, Shigeto pushes forward with the people around him: ‘A cherry blossom is growing back, but it’s also always different, and I talk about it with all the different musicians on this record, involving everyone and honouring their contribution is part of the cherry blossom philosophy’. This Is Pop? today’s song of the day is here for you.