A few years back, the big news on the J-pop scene was the "independent producers boom." Following the lead of the then-ubiquitous Tetsuya Komuro, freelance producers such as Takeshi Kobayashi (Mr. Children, My Little Lover), and Hiromasa Ijichi (Speed) were supposed to usher in an era in which a new generation of Japanese Phil Spectors and George Martins would raise J-pop to new heights of creative brilliance.

Unfortunately, it didn't quite work out that way. While producers undoubtedly have a higher profile than the days when they were simply anonymous salarymen working for labels, there hasn't been the explosion of artistic wonderfulness that many people had expected. Instead, Japan's best-known producer is Tsunku, the man who gave the world Morning Musume. In the immortal words of showbiz legend Bud E. Luv, I really like what Tsunku is trying to do with Morning Musume -- but hey, it's not my cup of ocha.

To my way of thinking, producers should help artists realize their creative vision without imposing their own -- unless they are a demented/inspired genius like Phil Spector. Which is why I find the collaboration between young Japanese band Feed and American producer Lenny Kaye (best known as guitarist/songwriter with the Patti Smith Group) so interesting.