When a 9.0-magnitude earthquake struck eastern Japan less than 24 hours after London-based DJ and journalist Laurent Fintoni arrived in Tokyo for a visit, he got to work.
Assembled by Fintoni and Tokyo-based musicians from Japan, Ukraine and France, the "Nihon Kizuna" compilation album to benefit the quake relief efforts of the Japanese Red Cross Society was released on the Internet on March 18, a week after the disaster. On Tuesday, it hit $13,000 (¥1 million) in donations and the creators hope for even more as the album is set to be released through the Japanese iTunes store March 25.
More than 40 artists from seven countries donated electronic and hip-hop tracks for the compilation. Social networking and the Internet allowed Fintoni and his team to put the album together in five days.
"We wanted to not feel helpless, so we did the only thing we know how," Fintoni says. "We've all been fairly shocked by the amount of support we've received; everyone's been really receptive."
Many of the artists on the album have some sort of connection to Japan. The name "Nihon Kizuna" roughly translates to "bond of friendship with Japan" — something Fintoni, a former Tokyo resident, says he feels strongly.
For more information about "Nihon Kizuna," visit www.nihonkizuna.com.
