Re-mastered from original mono master tapes.
Limited edition 1000 copies.
180 gr vinyl pressed by Pallas in Germany.
Deluxe high-gloss flipback album jacket.
Facsimile reissue using the original cover art.
Double insert using an original photo by JP Leloir from 1955.
Each record has been visually checked to prevent defects.
Recorded December 27 and 29, 1955 at the Pathé Magellan studio, Paris.
Original LP issue: Barclay 84.023.
After hitting Paris in 1950, saxophonist Bobby Jaspar enthralled jazz fans and jazzmen alike with his smooth, elegant playing, with the lyricism of his tranquil phrases heavily influenced by Stan Getz in particular. So when Jaspar began regularly performing with a small ensemble at the Club St-Germain five years later, he adopted the same instrumentation as that of his idol’s illustrious quintet, with Sacha Distel on guitar and René Urtreger on piano in the roles of Jimmy Raney and Al Haig, respectively.
Contrary to what its title might suggest, ‘Modern Jazz au Club St-Germain’ was actually recorded in the studio. It features compositions by Milt Jackson, Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis along with a handful of standards, in which the angular aridity of bebop gives way to the generous and yet sensitive idiom of cool jazz.
Jaspar’s premature death in 1963 robbed the jazz world of a promising talent; this record is among his best efforts as a leader. Bobby Jaspar is in top form here !!!
Text – Pierre de Chocqueuse
Bobby Jaspar (Tenor Saxophone & Flute)
Sacha Distel (Guitar)
René Urtreger (Piano)
Benoit Quersin (Bass)
Jean-Louis Viale (Drums)
Cerca:cool
- A1: The Springfields - Are We Gonna Be Alright
- A2: Talulah Gosh - Talulah Gosh
- A3: Blueboy - Meet Johnny Rave
- A4: The Flatmates - I Could Be In Heaven
- A5: Primal Scream - Velocity Girl
- A6: The Primitives - Way Behind Me
- A7: The Orchids – I’ve Got A Habit
- A8: Popguns - Waiting For The Winter
- A9: Mccarthy - Should The Bible Be Banned
- B1: The Soup Dragons - Soft As Your Face
- B2: The Darling Buds – Burst
- B3: The Wedding Present – A Million Miles
- B4: 14 Iced Bears – Sure To See
- B5: The Wake - Crush The Flowers
- B6: Even As We Speak - Falling Down The Stairs
- B7: The Pooh Sticks - Indie Pop Ain't Noise Pollution
- B8: Brighter - Does Love Last Forever?
- C1: Heavenly - Over And Over
- C2: Bmx Bandits - I Wanna Fall In Love
- C3: Blake Babies – Look Away
- C4: The Vaselines - Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam
- C5: Velocity Girl – Sorry Again
- C6: Milky Wimpshake – Scrabble
- C7: Helen Love - We Love You
- D2: Veronica Falls - Waiting For Something To Happen
- D3: Joanna Gruesome - Do You Really Wanna Know Why Yr Still In Love With Me?
- D4: The Hit Parade - You Didn't Love Me Then
- D5: Allo Darlin' - My Heart Is A Drummer
- D6: The Spook School - Speak When You're Spoken To
- D7: Ribbon Stage – Playing Possum
- D8: The Lost Days - Mess You Made
- D9: The Goon Sax - Boyfriend
- C8: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Young Adult Friction
- D1: Dum Dum Girls - Blank Girl
Two-Piers bringt mit "Come To My World" eine kurze Geschichte und Tauchgang in die Welt des Indie-Pop, von seinen bescheidenen Anfängen in den 1980ern bis zu den vielen grossartigen Bands, die heute die Flagge hochhalten.
"Come To My World" beginnt mit coolen Bands wie Talulah Gosh, The Flatmates, Blueboy, Primal Scream, McCarthy, 14 Iced Bears und The Springfields auf bahnbrechenden DIY-Labels wie Sarah Records, The Subway Organization und Creation. Über die einflussreichen C86-Kassettenjahre gelangen wir zu den kommerzielleren Spät-1980er-Sounds von The Primitives, The Soup Dragons und The Darling Buds. Wir navigieren durch die 1990er mit der unterschätzten Brillianz von Heavenly, der florierenden schottischen Szene mit Acts wie BMX Bandits und The Vaselines, bis zum Durchbruch der Indie-Pop-Sounds von Velocity Girl und Blake Babies in den USA. In den 2000ern brachte die US-Szene exzellente Bands wie Dum Dum Girls und The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart hervor, neben Underground-Acts wie Joanna Gruesome, The Spook School und Veronica Falls. Die Zusammenstellung endet mit einem Blick in die glänzende Zukunft des Indie-Pop mit Künstlern wie The Goon Sax, The Lost Days und Ribbon Stage.
Für Indie-Pop-Liebhaber ist diese Underground-Musik seit fast 40 Jahren eine ständige Quelle der Freude. 2LP mit 34 Tracks. 2CD mit 40 Tracks.
- Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!
- A Winter Romance
- Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer
- The Things We Did Last Summer
- I Ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm
- The Christmas Blues
- Dream A Little Dream Of Me
- It S Beginning To Look Like Christmas
- Winter Wonderland
- Out In The Cold Again
- Baby, It S Cold Outside
- White Christmas
- June In January
- It Won T Cool Off
- Brahms Lullaby
- Silver Bells
- Silent Night
Fresh from starring as the town drunk, no typecasting here!, in Rio Bravo’ (the movie) Dean was at the height of his popularity when he entered the Capitol studios in the summer of 1959 to record his first Christmas-themed songs accompanied by an orchestra arranged and conducted by Gus Levene. The results of the recordings were a charming, thoroughly entertaining Christmas record, highlighted by fine versions of "White Christmas", "Let It Snow! Let it Snow! Let It Snow!", "Winter Wonderland", "Baby, It's Cold Outside", "The Christmas Blues", “Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer” and bonus broadcast recordings of "Silent Night", “Silver Bells” and “It’s Beginning To Look Like Christmas.”
Computer Future is the sprawling and ambitious third album by amorphous Brisbane, Australia garage rock outfit Velociraptor! The 14-song opus is the best recorded capture yet of everything that makes the ‘Raptors so beloved, a stream of addictively catchy rockers characterised by stupidly infectious melodies, an overabundance of earworm hooks, guitars aplenty plus of course their trademark gang vocals and harmonies. The shadowy cabal behind Velociraptor have returned from a spell away from the spotlight with renewed vigour and focus, more committed to and appreciative of their combined talents and chemistry than their younger selves, who were perhaps more about concerned about chasing good times rather than long ones. These days there are more cooks in the ‘Raptors kitchen than before but that’s only allowed them to expand the palette of the Computer Future menu without compromising on quality. Their distinctively melodic take on the garage rock form is still entirely evident, only it’s now augmented by quirkily compelling sonic detours into psych and new wave realms, the band all the while sounding wholly like themselves and nobody but themselves (apart from perhaps the Devo-indebted title tracks). In their halcyon days Velociraptor were a force to be reckoned with, an amorphous collective sometimes up to 12 members strong - many of them wielding guitars of some description - who partied hard and played even harder, attacking their live shows with unbridled glee and genuine gusto. They toured Europe/UK, and staged with bands the calibre of Black Lips, New York Dolls, OFF!, Radio Birdman and Violent Soho. The unparalleled camaraderie of their renowned live blitzes - plus sheer size of the band - at times threatened to overshadow the genuine strength of their songwriting and recorded output, but now with Computer Future those concerns are firmly in the past!
System Olympia drops her album debut and, in turn, initiates her Okay Nature label. 'Delta Of Venus' takes elements of minimal synth/wave, pop, contemporary R&B, and fashions them into this steely, icy cool and highly original new form whilst keeping loyal to the DIY tradition. Stunning release that you really don't want to miss.
Hellbilly Deluxe 2: Noble Jackals, Penny Dreadfuls and the Systematic Dehumanization of Cool is the fourth solo studio album by former White Zombie frontman Rob Zombie. The album is a sequel to his debut album Hellbilly Deluxe and was released on February 2, 2010. This is the first album with bassist Piggy D and the last with drummer Tommy Clufetos.
Hellbilly Deluxe 2 is also the first release where Rob Zombie worked with his full touring band. Previous albums were written and recorded by Rob Zombie himself and a rotating set of musicians. The lead single ""What?"" debuted on radio stations on October 6. Rob Zombie enlisted the help of artists Dan Brereton (creator of Nocturnals), Alex Horley (of Image Comics and DC Comics) and David Hartman (storyboard artist) to create the album artwork. British dark/horror/science fiction/steampunk artist Sam Shearon aka 'Mister Sam Shearon' (artwork for Ministry, Slayer, Clive Barker, and tour merchandise for Iron Maiden) also contributed to the artwork of Hellbilly Deluxe 2.
Hellbilly Deluxe 2 is now available as a limited numbered edition of 1500 copies on Dracula coloured vinyl, housed in a gatefold and it comes with a 4 page booklet.
Next up on Feral Child comes the debut vinyl release from Austin Tx psych outfit NEON LEMON.
Having caught the eye of label head Dom on some cool looking, local Spacemen 3 themed nights’ posters; further digging revealed this incredible, richly melodic, yet deep psychedelic beauty with -seemingly- no home for a release on wax, so it was pretty easy to step in and offer to release it. “Hypnagogic Visions” is a superb, fuzz n’ drone drenched 6 track 10” LP in a sleeve designed by the legendary Jim Franklin (a friend of the band) who famously designed beautiful posters, flyers and gig tickets for the Elevators, Shiva’s Headband and Canned Heat amongst others, in his role as owner of the Vulcan Gas Company, a revered 60s Austin psychedelic club and concert hall. As Ben Siebert from the band explains: “This record was mostly written and recorded in a warehouse space outside of Austin (that no longer exists) called The Inner Chamber. We tried best to capture our live sound in this space, and with most band members in a state of constant turmoil at the time of its recording, this space offered a refuge from our personal lives and a place to transcend reality through creation of this music.” Neon Lemon blends together mind altering psychedelic sounds of the 60's with transcendent space rock of the early 70's. Finding their own balance between free form psychedelia and a mainline of roots rock and roll.
Limited one time 10” pressing, distributed by Forte Music Distribution and available late October 2024.
- Keep Up With Jones
- Country's Cool Again
- Good Horses (Feat. Miranda Lambert)
- Broken Hearts Still Beat
- Whirlwind
- Call A Cowboy
- Hang Tight Honey
- Bar In Baton Rouge
- Counting Chickens
- X4Xu
- Ring Finger
- Middle Of It
- Devil Don’t Go There
- Whiskey Colored Crayon
Die mehrfach mit Platin und Grammys ausgezeichnete Künstlerin Lainey Wilson liefert mit Whirlwind einen
gewagt ehrlichen Einblick in das Leben und die Reise der Sängerin durch Nashville.
Das von Jay Joyce produzierte Album mit 14 Titeln folgt auf Wilsons sieben Auszeichnungen der Country Music Association
(CMA), darunter „Entertainer des Jahres“, sechs Auszeichnungen der Academy of Country Music (ACM)
und einen Grammy für das „Beste Country-Album“.
- A1: The Springfields - Are We Gonna Be Alright
- A2: Talulah Gosh - Talulah Gosh
- A3: Blueboy - Meet Johnny Rave
- A4: The Flatmates - I Could Be In Heaven
- A5: Primal Scream - Velocity Girl
- A6: The Primitives - Way Behind Me
- A7: The Orchids – I’ve Got A Habit
- A8: Popguns - Waiting For The Winter
- A9: Mccarthy - Should The Bible Be Banned
- B1: The Soup Dragons - Soft As Your Face
- B2: The Darling Buds – Burst
- B3: The Wedding Present – A Million Miles
- B4: 14 Iced Bears – Sure To See
- B5: The Wake - Crush The Flowers
- B6: Even As We Speak - Falling Down The Stairs
- B7: The Pooh Sticks - Indie Pop Ain't Noise Pollution
- B8: Brighter - Does Love Last Forever?
- C1: Heavenly - Over And Over
- C2: Bmx Bandits - I Wanna Fall In Love
- C3: Blake Babies – Look Away
- C4: The Vaselines - Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam
- C5: Velocity Girl – Sorry Again
- C6: Milky Wimpshake – Scrabble
- C7: Helen Love - We Love You
- D2: Veronica Falls - Waiting For Something To Happen
- D3: Joanna Gruesome - Do You Really Wanna Know Why Yr Still In Love With Me?
- D4: The Hit Parade - You Didn't Love Me Then
- D5: Allo Darlin' - My Heart Is A Drummer
- D6: The Spook School - Speak When You're Spoken To
- D7: Ribbon Stage – Playing Possum
- D8: The Lost Days - Mess You Made
- D9: The Goon Sax - Boyfriend
- C8: The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart - Young Adult Friction
- D1: Dum Dum Girls - Blank Girl
Black Vinyl[34,41 €]
Two-Piers bringt mit "Come To My World" eine kurze Geschichte und Tauchgang in die Welt des Indie-Pop, von seinen bescheidenen Anfängen in den 1980ern bis zu den vielen grossartigen Bands, die heute die Flagge hochhalten.
"Come To My World" beginnt mit coolen Bands wie Talulah Gosh, The Flatmates, Blueboy, Primal Scream, McCarthy, 14 Iced Bears und The Springfields auf bahnbrechenden DIY-Labels wie Sarah Records, The Subway Organization und Creation. Über die einflussreichen C86-Kassettenjahre gelangen wir zu den kommerzielleren Spät-1980er-Sounds von The Primitives, The Soup Dragons und The Darling Buds. Wir navigieren durch die 1990er mit der unterschätzten Brillianz von Heavenly, der florierenden schottischen Szene mit Acts wie BMX Bandits und The Vaselines, bis zum Durchbruch der Indie-Pop-Sounds von Velocity Girl und Blake Babies in den USA. In den 2000ern brachte die US-Szene exzellente Bands wie Dum Dum Girls und The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart hervor, neben Underground-Acts wie Joanna Gruesome, The Spook School und Veronica Falls. Die Zusammenstellung endet mit einem Blick in die glänzende Zukunft des Indie-Pop mit Künstlern wie The Goon Sax, The Lost Days und Ribbon Stage.
Für Indie-Pop-Liebhaber ist diese Underground-Musik seit fast 40 Jahren eine ständige Quelle der Freude. 2LP mit 34 Tracks. 2CD mit 40 Tracks.
- A1: Queen - Don't Stop Me Now (Remastered 2011)
- A2: The Police – Walking On The Moon
- A3: Blondie - Heart Of Glass (Original Single Version)
- A4: Abba - Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
- A5: Olivia Newton-John – A Little More Love
- A6: Kate Bush – Wow
- A7: Elton John - Song For Guy (Single Edit / Remastered 2017)
- B1: Donna Summer - Hot Stuff (Single Version)
- B2: Chic - Good Times (7" Edit)
- B3: Sister Sledge – He’s The Greatest Dancer
- B4: Amii Stewart - Knock On Wood (7” Edit)
- B5: Gloria Gaynor - I Will Survive (Single Version)
- B6: Village People – Ymca
- B7: Mcfadden & Whitehead - Ain't No Stoppin' Us Now (Single Version)
- B8: Commodores - Still (Single Version)
- C1: Ian Dury & The Blockheads - Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick
- C2: The Boomtown Rats - I Don't Like Mondays (Album Version)
- C3: Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Accidents Will Happen (Remastered 2020)
- C4: Sex Pistols – Something Else (Remastered 2012)
- C5: The Clash – I Fought The Law
- C6: Siouxsie And The Banshees - The Staircase (Mystery)
- C7: Squeeze - Cool For Cats (Single Edit)
- C8: The Specials - Gangsters
- C9: The Selecter - On My Radio
- D2: Electric Light Orchestra - Shine A Little Love
- D3: Blondie – Dreaming
- D4: Pretenders – Stop Your Sobbing
- D5: Dave Edmunds – Girls Talk
- D6: Gerry Rafferty - Night Owl (Edit)
- D7: Billy Joel - My Life
- D8: Gary Moore & Phil Lynott - Parisienne Walkways
- E1: Abba – Chiquitita
- E2: Art Garfunkel – Bright Eyes
- E3: Roxy Music - Dance Away (Single Version / Remastered 2012)
- E4: Neil Diamond - Forever In Blue Jeans (Single Version)
- E5: Cliff Richard - We Don't Talk Anymore
- E6: Milk & Honey – Hallelujah
- E7: Sad Café – Every Day Hurts
- F1: The Crusaders - Street Life (Edit)
- F2: Earth, Wind & Fire – September
- F3: Wings - Goodnight Tonight (Remastered 2016)
- F4: The B-52'S - Rock Lobster
- F5: The Flying Lizards - Money (Edit)
- F6: M - Pop Muzik
- F7: Gary Numan – Cars
- F8: The Buggles - Video Killed The Radio Star (Single Version)
- C10: Madness - One Step Beyond (7” Single Version)
- D1: Meat Loaf - Bat Out Of Hell
48 tracks on a 3-LP collection – including: Queen, The Police, Blondie, Abba, Elton John, Donna Summer, Chic, The Boomtown Rats, The Clash, Meat Loaf, Pretenders, Billy Joel,
Electric Light Orchestra, The Specials, The Selecter, Gary Numan, The Buggles…
This release is a nod to the club. 5 tracks that are made for dancing in the dark.
Hypnosis is a mind control laced phenom. S.Ringer lends his voice as your guide to gratitude, and a good time as you move to the chords that push and pull your body to the beat.
The title track Echo Chamber, is an aggressively rhythmic beat. The atonal melody is accompanied by a looping bass-line that calls for circling the floor indefinitely.
Nasty is Stefan's current interpretation of a chicago style jack track. Simple and effective chunky drums with a jackin’ cadence are agreeably accompanied by panicked staccato synth lines and an almost hollow growling distorted bass that enforce the assignment…. to Jack!
Slanted House is a cool down. Feels like a tall glass of ice water after the heated dance session you just had. With chords that are smooth and deep, laced with that rhythm and bass-line that moves you instantly.
Sweet Chariot is a jewel in the crown of this release. Simply put, a song that is so smooth and yet grooves so strongly. A skating song if you will. Reminiscent of the so so def era in Atlanta but more laid back.
These are indeed 5 interesting dance cuts to match different temperatures of a party.
diskJokke - Loving HowardCurses - Hell yeah. I vibe with this!
Jorkes - U la la. Thanks so much. superduper <3
Heidi Lawden - Nice release for all moods
Gameboyz - Slow and power. Thanks
Pete Herbert - Yes solid all round!
Chloe - Nice EP
Severino Panzetta (Horse Meat Disco) - Yeeeeees
Xinobi - Lisbon and Porto legends. Super cool tunes
DC Salas - Howard is big!
Mufti - Fantastic EP all around! Howard my favorite
Thomass Jackson - New Ears for me Thanks!
Long time friends and Lisbon-based Mirror People & OITO//OITO for the last 20 years have been lighting up dancefloors all over their native Portugal and beyond, with their passion for eclectic sounds as the main fuel for their sonic mission. ‘MP88’ marks their first EP together. ‘Howard’ opens with rugged 4/4 rhythms, acid squelches and meandering arps to set the tone, ‘New Ears’, takes things on saturated drums & fills, vintage stab sequences and enigmatic strings. Last but not least, is the dropped tempo acidic feel ‘Alive & Kicking’. Another flawless EP in OITO//OITO Discos, limited to 300 copies, this time in Yellow vinyl.
Fresh rhythms. Gorgeous melodies. A powerful yet full touch that pleasantly stirs the emotions of the listener. The origins of the great pianist Masaru Imada are here.
Masaru Imada has been active as a professional since the 1950s and now has a career spanning 70 years. He has been at the forefront of music from hard bop to fusion, and has released over 30 titles as a leader. He is one of Japan's leading pianists in both name and reality. His powerful yet full touch creates a sound that pleasantly stirs the emotions of the listener. His first album, "Maki," can be said to be the origin of this. The performances by the trio or one horn quartet are so fresh and beautiful. The carefully woven "Autumn Leaves," the dynamic "On Green Dolphin Street," the ambitious "Gad," the ballad "Maki" dedicated to his beloved daughter, and the hot and cool "Sea Horse."
From standards to originals, his talent is fully displayed throughout the album. Released as part of the Victor "Japanese Jazz" series, this is an undoubted masterpiece. - Yusuke Ogawa (UNIVERSOUNDS / DEEP JAZZ REALITY)
- Make It Big (Ft. Khrysis)
- Band Practice (Instrumental)
- Enjoy (West Coastin’) (Ft. Warren G, Murs, & Kendrick Lamar)
- Streets Of Music (Ft. Tanya Morgan & Enigma Of Actual Proof)
- Hearing The Melody (Ft. Skyzoo, Fashawn, & King Mez)
- Loyalty (Ft. Masta Killa & Halo)
- Now I’m Being Cool (Ft. Mela Machinko & Median)
- Never Stop Loving You (Ft. Terrace Martin & Talib Kweli)
- Band Practice Pt. 2 (Instrumental)
- Piranhas (Ft. Blu & Sundown Of Actual Proof)
- Peanut Butter & Jelly (Ft. Marsha Ambrosius)
- Your Smile (Ft. Holly Weird & Thee Tom Hardy)
- No Pretending (Ft. Raekwon & Big Remo)
- 20: Feet Tall (Remix) (Ft. Erykah Badu & Rapsody)
- That’s Love (Ft. Mac Miller & Heather Victoria)
- A Star U R (Ft. Terrace Martin, Problem, & Gq)
Finally back on vinyl, this 2011 release was the first proper full-length showcase for the Grammy Award-winning superproducer. The signature soulful style of 9th’s beats was a sensation in hip hop and R&B--for underground fans and in the mainstream--and he played a leading role in bringing North Carolina to the forefront of American music culture in the 21st century.
- A1: Despertar
- A2: Mutty (Feat. Stove God Cooks)
- A3: Give & Give (Feat. Cool & Dre)
- A4: Milano Nights, Pt. 1
- B1: Kin Xpress (Feat. Larry June)
- B2: Meth Back! (Feat. Method Man, Sk Da King & Flee Lord)
- B3: Ninja Man (Feat. Swizz Beatz)
- C1: Vertino (Feat. Joey Bada$$)
- C2: Ten / Rya Interlude (Feat. Key Glock & Rya Maxwell)
- C3: Dasani
- C4: Raw! (Feat Tech N9Ne)
- D1: Surf & Turf (Feat Jay Worthy, T.f, 2 Eleven & Ab-Soul)
- D2: Karimi
- D3: The Red Moon In Osaka (Feat Raekwon)
Following his most commercially and critically successful year to date, Conway the Machine returns with his first full length offering of 2024, “Slant Face Killah.” Long teased as the second half of the chart-topping 2023 album, “WON’T HE DO IT,” fans see Conway the Machine embracing his killer instincts on the mic, and doing so with versatility - rapping over the familiar gritty, dark beats fans remember discovering him on during his come up (Milano Nights, Pt. 1) to more unconventional beats, showcasing his ability to adapt and grow (Raw!). With an impressive feature list including Method Man, Raekwon, Joey Bada$$, Larry June, Key Glock, Jay Worthy & more, and production from heavyweight producers such as The Alchemist, Daringer, Conductor Williams, Cardo, Swizz Beatz & more, The Machine illustrates both his reach in today’s rap game, as well as his ability as a tastemaker. Known for consistently delivering quality music for his die-hard fans, The Machine is back to put his stamp on 2024. 2xLP Vinyl, includes Gatefold Jacket.
Saxophonist and musical omnivore Benjamin Herman has been one of Holland’s most productive musicians of his generation for over three decades. Aside from thousands of gigs, Benjamin has released over 50 albums as a solo artist and as frontman of his groove-orientated ensemble New Cool Collective. His wonderfully diverse musical output includes straight-ahead jazz, Gypsy jazz, punk jazz, film scores, Afrobeat, Latin music and postmodern interpretations of pieces by Dutch composer Misha Mengelberg, as well as collaborations with vocalists, poets, pop stars, hip-hop artists, and instrumentalists from all over the world. The common thread is his quest for a recognizable, personal sound on the alto saxophone. As usual, his latest album finds him exploring new territory.
With his Bughouse project, he fulfills his long-standing desire to blend his old loves of punk and jazz. The latest Bughouse album, "Bughouse: The ERUS / ARC Sessions”, displays the versatility of Benjamin Herman's Bughouse, covering a wide range of styles from jazz-punk to noise, free jazz, and beyond.
Diving deeper into the story of Japanese reggae pop, Tokyo Riddim Vol. 2 explores an electronic, new wave and often experimental sound unlike anything Japan or Jamaica had ever heard before.
The first time Ryuichi Sakamoto left Japan, he did not go to the United States or Europe - he went to Jamaica. It was 1978, YMO were about to release their debut album, but Sakamoto was in Kingston, invited to play synths for Japanese idol singer Teresa Noda at Dynamic Sound Studios in a band alongside Neville Hinds and none other than Rita Marley. It’s not a story many know, but one which would spark Sakamoto’s fascination with dub and mark a new chapter in the ongoing Japanese love affair with reggae.
The Teresa Noda tracks they cut - ‘Tropical Love’ and ‘Yellow Moon’ - bookend this second volume of Time Capsule’s Tokyo Riddim compilation, which tells the wider story of how a fascination with Jamrock swept Japan, adding a dash of lime to that sweet city pop sound, embracing a globalised musical palette and creating a whole new genre in the process.
For some, like Sakamoto, a diversion into reggae was part of broader fascination with new sounds and styles, tipped into the global disco of homage and appropriation that made Japanese music of the late ‘70s and early ‘80s some of the most creative and undefinable in the world.
You had iconic shape-shifter Yosui Inoue, who toyed with reggae, afro-beat and electro-Balearic, (and whose For Life Records released several tracks on this comp), and Kay Ishiguro, who enlisted J-reggae originator Pecker on the ambitious Stevie Wonder-esque ‘Red Drip’.
Then there were the Compass Point devotees - producers and musicians alike who were enthralled by the sound of the Bahamas studio and drew on the detached cool of Grace Jones - as heard in the music of Juicy Fruits, and the disco noir of Casablanca-signed femme fatale Yuki Nakayamate. Sometimes, as was the case with Risa Minami, the J-reggae influence said more about Japan than it did about Jamaica.
But where Tokyo Riddim Vol. 1 focused on the city pop sound, this compilation goes further, digging out the more experimental collaborations and hybrids exemplified by Tomoko Aran, who in working with Yusuaki Shimizu and Mariah emphasised just how far reggae had travelled to be recast into something entirely new on the other side of the world.
Perhaps more than anything, in connecting the dots between Tokyo and Kingston, between Jamaica and Japan, the Japanese reggae was building a musical language that existed outside of the paradigms of US and European cultural hegemony - an encounter shaped by commerce, capital and creativity that is now being recognised more broadly for the first time.




















