ISIDCORE
Creative Studio & Blog — New York
Isidcore is a creative studio and blog founded by Isidore Lu (isid or). The studio produces music, film, and live events where pop, Japanese culture, and technology meet. The blog publishes short writing on culture, arts, and technology.
Isidcore began as a blog on Substack and Instagram. In summer 2026 it became a production company. Its first project was a self-financed $10K campaign: a full-production music video, a Japanese mini-album, a merchandise line, and two release parties in New York. That same summer the studio took on its first corporate client, Kodansha. Isidcore is now open to commissions.
Selected Work
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01
“Everything” — isid or
The lead single from Sincerely, Mr. Love & Pop, filmed as a full narrative production with three models, three actors, two dancers, and a styling team of four, dressed from four archives. Isidcore financed and produced the video. Isidore was executive producer and creative director, and edited, color-graded, and sound-mixed the final cut himself.
Studio roles: Production company · Executive producer · Creative direction · Edit · Color · Sound mix · Song (writing, co-production, mix & master)
Full credits
- EP / Creative Director
- Isidore Lu
- Director / Writer
- Tin Lee
- AD
- Ellen Davis
- DOP
- Jun-ting Zhou
- AC
- Adriana Cuevas
- Production Company
- Isidcore (with TABÚ Productions)
- Models
- Klaire Pham, Malcolm XL, Arabella Landry
- Actors
- Annabel Jones, Gagbert, Lisa Marinelli
- Dancers
- Yujun Wu, Cindy Liu
- Choreographer
- Yujun Wu
- Stylist
- Tommy Do
- Stylist Assistants
- Vincent Luu, Chuwei Zheng, Edgar Alejandro Barrios
- Wardrobe
- Future Treasure, Shanice Archive, Roy Luo, Graeme Schneider
- Hair
- Alexis Shan
- Makeup
- Hinana Nishitomi
- Editor / Colorist / Sound Mixer
- Isidore Lu
- BTS
- Claire Su
- Key PA
- Ellen Davis
- PAs
- Klaire Pham, Chuwei Zheng, Claire Su
- Song
- “Everything” by isid or, from Sincerely, Mr. Love & Pop
- Songwriter
- Isidore Lu
- Producers
- Janghoon, isid or
- Mix & Master
- Isidore Lu
- Special Thanks
- Junlin Zhu, Tan Sawaddichai
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02
Sincerely, Mr. Love & Pop — isid or
A Japanese-language electronic pop record released through isid music, the studio's music label. Isidore wrote, co-produced, mixed, and mastered it himself. The video, both parties, and the press push were all planned around this release.
Studio roles: Label · Songwriting · Production · Mix & master · Campaign strategy
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03
Kodansha House — Los Angeles & New York
Kodansha, Japan's largest manga publisher, ran Kodansha House as a series of pop-up fan experiences. For its Los Angeles and New York (Hudson Yards) editions, Isidcore served as audio supervisor and composer, creating the music and immersive audio for all five activations. Each activation was built around one Kodansha property:
- Blue Lock
- AKIRA
- Attack on Titan
- Ghost in the Shell
- Witch Hat Atelier
Studio roles: Audio supervisor · Composer · Immersive / spatial audio
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04
Sincerely, Mr. Love & Pop — End-of-Summer Party
A pre-release party for the mini-album, co-hosted with Blizzy McGuire and presented with Life After Trance. It ran 5pm to 2am. Isidore had met more than 300 creatives in New York since March, and the night was meant to bring them together in one room.
DJs: Océane, Robyn Dabank, Cute Boys, Gagbert, Aster, Mini Lis
Studio roles: Concept · Booking · Promotion · Host
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05
Isidcore: J-Pop Night @ Kodansha House
After the audio commission, Isidcore was invited back to program its own night inside the Kodansha House NYC pop-up. The set list covered J-pop, J-core, and anime openings across eras, from Hikaru Utada and Ayumi Hamasaki to Perfume, m-flo, and Crystal Kay. The night also promoted Sincerely, Mr. Love & Pop.
DJs: Aster, Bubucore, Cute Boys, Gagbert
Studio roles: Programming · Booking · Promotion · Host
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06
isid or — Campaign Merchandise
Isidcore designed and produced several merch lines for the campaign and sells them through its online store. They include the “Early Investor in isid or” T-shirts in two designs, the NUGU NUMBERS collection with its “Who are you?” shirts, and a T-shirt for the Isidcore J-Pop Night at Kodansha House. Product photography is by Claire Su.
“Early Investor in isid or” T-shirt
“Early Investor” T-shirt, alternate design
NUGU NUMBERS T-shirt
NUGU NUMBERS: “Who are you?” T-shirt
J-Pop Night @ Kodansha House T-shirt
Studio roles: Design · Product development · Production · Online store
Event archive: isidorelu.com/pop
Writing
The blog is where Isidcore started, and it keeps going alongside the studio work. It runs essays and dispatches on Substack and short curated posts on Instagram, covering culture, arts, technology, and New York.
- Substack — isidcore.substack.com
- Instagram — @isidcore
Services — Open for Commissions
Creative Direction & Production
Music videos, campaigns, shoots, and merchandise: concept, budget, crew, and delivery.
Music & Audio
Composition, production, mixing and mastering, and immersive audio for installations and live experiences.
Post-Production
Editing, color grading, and sound mixing for music video and short-form film.
Events
Party and activation concepts, DJ booking, partnerships, and hosting in New York.
Editorial
Cultural writing, curation, and copy for artists and brands.
About
Isidore Lu (isid or) is a musician, visual artist, and model based in New York. He writes, produces, and engineers his own electronic pop, and directs and edits the visuals that go with it. He founded Isidcore to run all of this work, and work for clients, under one studio.
He studies Music & Technology at Carnegie Mellon University.
Contact
For commissions, collaborations, and press:
isidorelu3@gmail.com
Instagram: @isidcore