About

Heritage has been at the heart of Saginaw's recording project from the start; his middle name is Shigeto, a name passed down from his great grandfather, which means "to grow" — it was apt given his premature birth weight of less than a pound, and remains fitting for the evolution of his artistry, now nearly 15 years since he signed to Ghostly. Shigeto produces organic electronic music traversing jazz, hip-hop, house, and IDM, often integrating field recordings and familial themes. During his live performances, he frequently veers from his electronic equipment and lays down jazz-rooted rhythms on his first instrument, the drums. He made his full-length debut in 2010 with the cosmic hip-hop of Full Circle, establishing his long-term affiliation with hometown label Ghostly International. Later releases such as 2017's The New Monday concentrated on more club-friendly material, while 2019's Versions paid direct homage to his jazz roots. A keen collaborator and supporter of developing artists, Shigeto has also recorded albums separately with trumpeter Dave Douglas and rapper ZelooperZ, and he and his brother Ben Saginaw co-founded the label Portage Garage Sounds. He worked with Mark de Clive-Lowe and Melanie Charles on the ambitious soul-jazz-inspired album Hotel San Claudio, released in 2023. Cherry Blossom Baby, spotlighting several peers in the Detroit music scene, appeared in 2024.

Cherry Blossom Baby, Shigeto's first full-length statement since 2017, sprouts out from a collective thaw, ambitious, collaborative, and fully realized. The Detroit-based, Japanese-American musician, DJ, Portage Garage Sounds label co-founder, and longtime Ghostly International artist embraces the role of producer and composer. Bold and cultivated with intention, the band-built sound honors traditions in electronic, jazz, R&B, and hip-hop, a fusion that's become his signature, now more vibrant than ever. Zach Saginaw and a group of guests and players present a snapshot in time, a celebration of self-love and an expression of vitality distinctly rooted in Detroit and informed by his family’s cultural history. "I am a cherry blossom baby," he says. "We all are cherry blossom babies, we all are resilient, we all are growing, we all will continue to."

A reaffirmed sense of self, momentum, and maturation is apparent in where Saginaw situates here as a songwriter and producer arranging ideas alongside Detroit's finest, a physical manifestation of his WDET 101.9FM show highlighting “forward-thinking music from the Detroit Diaspora.” Every track is a collaboration, be it with a vocalist or multiple instrumentalists, a tradition forged in his Portage Garage studio sessions. "It's the first time I'm writing this stuff myself and getting these players to make it even better…it's impossible to have made it at this level without them." The production and mix favor a full, throwback quality, eschewing modern compression for more spacious dynamics, a nod to psych and jazz records of the '70s and '80s. "It was on purpose but also subconsciously, playing live with jazz bands and DJing b2b with mentors like Dez Andrés, playing older sounds over the last decade. Sonically I wanted to make this record feel like you could see multiple people in a studio." — via Label

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Label: Ghostly International
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Sakura Droplet
Released: 2024
Genre: Electronic, Hip Hop
Style: Jazzy Hip-Hop, R&B Swing

File under: Contemporary R&B
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