Half a decade before the emergence of music distribution platforms like Bandcamp would open the floodgates for artists to freely upload their tracks on a moment’s whim, the fledgling netlabel movement was already carving out a third way for those seeking to independently release music without investing in physical media or hosting it on the iTunes store. Though the initial wave of DIY imprints set

Photo by Jun Yokoyama All Kouichi Furutono wanted to do was expose Japanese audiences to the skittering sounds of Chicago juke music. “Ten years ago, only 120 to 130 BPM house and techno, along with 170 to 175 BPM drum & bass music, existed in clubs,” the Osaka artist, who records and performs as DJ Fulltono, says. He adds that tracks moving at 160 BPM—an average speed for a juke cut—were just not