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From Universal Music's vast catalogue, the essence of Japanese AOR, all tracks are selected and played in Muro's mix cd 'Diggin' Japanese AOR' released in 2017 and now released on 2LP.

This includes some of hidden gems such as Maki Asakawa's 'American Night', Yoshio Harada and more from the late 80's to early 90's - the golden time of Japanese AOR.

Named after the Latin word for the humble house spider, Oonops started his career as a club DJ in the early 2000s and has been collecting and playing strictly vinyl ever since.

In 2013, he started his own radio show » Oonops Drops«, a monthly mixtape-style show featuring a host of international top DJs, broadcast on Brooklyn Radio in New York City. This show inspired the first volume of this compilation, which was released in early 2018 on Agogo Records, alongside the album and 7-inch releases featuring artists from his radio network. Then, exactly five years ago, Oonops finally founded his own sustainable music label bearing the eponymous name. Now, just in time for the 200th episode of his Brooklyn Radio show, Oonops returns to Agogo Records with Vol. 3, which is packed with favourites and rare gems discovered through his extensive community of like-minded collaborators. As you would expect, it includes many unreleased songs that were previously only available digitally or were incredibly difficult to obtain on vinyl – true rarities from the crates. Expect a broad selection of genres, ranging from Japanese jazz and head-nodding beats and hip hop to samba-esque funk, rare groove, reggae and Brazilian-influenced styles. Get ready, enjoy and rewind!

The borderless, tropical band “of Tropique,” whose core sound blends funk and rock-infused exotica, releases a 12-track full-length album on vinyl LP!!
This work maximizes their core lineup as a guitar-less trio, featuring a diverse array of 14 guest musicians to construct a rich sonic landscape.
This landmark release in the history of domestic exotica and tropical music features Mutsumi Kobayashi of the Minyo Crusaders, Rockin' Enocky of Jackie
& The Cedrics, to global talents like Joshua Camp of CHICHA LIBRE and MIRAMAR, the standard-bearer of US new wave Latin bands, and more!
It's a masterpiece that delivers the full thrill, excitement, and pleasure of encountering unknown music.

At the time, Mikio Masuda was frequently mentioned as a Japanese jazz musician on par with the soft-and-mellow crossover sound of artists like Bob James and Ramsey Lewis. With a supple sensibility that moves effortlessly between jazz and rock, he stands as one of the defining figures of the 1970s. Now, one of his essential masterpieces, "Moon Stone", has been confirmed for reissue as the fifth installment from SPIN THIS NOW!

Electric Piano, Organ, Clavinet, Synthesizer - Mikio Masuda
Drums - Hideo Yamaki
Electric Bass - Motohiko Hamase
Electric Guitar - Kazumi Watanabe
Electric Guitar, Vocals - Kazumasa Akiyama

In late-1970s Japan, a new and unique “genre” called techno kayō emerged, blending catchy pop melodies with the futuristic sounds of synthesizers and drum machines. Rooted in the older kayōkyoku style, it was influenced by European electronic acts like Kraftwerk, but had a distinctly Japanese flair. Artists such as Yellow Magic Orchestra pioneered this retro-futuristic sound, creating music that felt both nostalgic and ahead of its time.

Dubby, owner of the legendary record shop Ondas in Tokyo, was one of the first to make Japanese music available to the outside world. He has teamed up with Antal, co-founder of the Amsterdam-based, Rush Hour Records, to release the first in a series of compilations.

Artwork from Johann Kauth (Stenze Quo)

TECHNO KAYO

An’archives is proud to present Hanabi, a compilation of material from legendary Japanese folk singer, actor and writer, Kazuki Tomokawa. Hanabi draws from Tomokawa’s three most recent albums, Vengeance Bourbon (2014), Gleaming Crayon (2016) and Going To Buy Squid (2024), all released in Japan only on the Modest Launch imprint. Pulling together highlights from these three extraordinary albums, Hanabi collects ten songs of shattering intensity, with Tomokawa performing at an ecstatic peak, a mere six decades into his musical career.

Tomokawa’s life story is one of change, risk and dedication. He appeared on the Japanese folk music circuit in the early 1970s, performing at such significant events as the legendary 1971 Folk Music Jamboree. Over the second half of the decade, he released five stunning albums that cemented his reputation as an expansive, lyrical singer-songwriter and performer whose music jack-knifed between pensive melancholy and righteous fury. His recorded output slowed in the 1980s as he became immersed in theatre, acting and painting, but his connection with the sainted Japanese label P.S.F. led to a prodigious burst of albums across the 1990s and 2000s.

Some of those albums had Tomokawa playing alongside free jazz musicians, such as his long-standing collaborator Toshiaki Ishizuka (Brain Police, Vajra, Cinorama), and late double-bass improviser Motoharu Yoshizawa. Some of that spirit can be found amidst the songs on Hanabi, leavened by a more romantic sensibility on a song like “Night Play”, where Tomokawa’s impassioned vocals and guitar swim and bob amongst a drifting string arrangement. The ferocity of “To The Dead Man” is reinforced by a guest appearance, on saxophone, by upcoming free jazz player Harutaka Mochizuki; the two spar with each other while Hiromichi Sakamoto’s cello and electronics swarm under the surface.

For those who’ve missed the three albums that Tomokawa has released across the past fifteen years – understandably so, given the relative impossibility of finding them outside of Japan – Hanabi is a welcome re-introduction to one of Japan’s most significant, poetic and quixotic folk singers and songwriters. As Michel Henritzi notes in his typically perceptive liner notes, capturing the oneiric and unique spirit of Tomokawa’s song, he is nothing less than “a poet who cries out, opening the darkness and shadows with his song, throwing handfuls of ashes from lives that have fled into the wind, to us, his fellow human beings.”

Selecting melodious and groovy crossover, fusion, and jazz-funk tracks from the Nippon Columbia catalog, including its sub-label Better Days, that City Pop fans will love.
The track selection and commentary are curated by Hitoshi Kurimoto, the most popular City Pop influencer in Japan.
This unique selection includes tracks from Soul Media, Hiromasa Suzuki, Kazumi Watanabe, and Kiyoshi Sugimoto, along with previously unreissued gems.
The artwork is designed by Stereo Tennis, known for its popular '80s-inspired graphics.
A must-have for fans of Japanese Jazz and City Pop.

2024 Repress

The ever-reliant Deepchord kicks off 2014 in his usual stylish way with two deep cuts in the Luxury EP. After last years jaunt into the ambient with 20 Electrostatic Soundfields, Rod Model return to the world of slick beats and even dreamier synths and atmospheres.

Luxury 1 ebbs in majestically as beautifully crafted layers of synths glide across field recorded drops of water that instantly play with your senses. Pumping sub bass fills the rest of the spectrum as Rod does what he does best by creating an unending slick groove, pieced together by crisp percussion.

Yet more atmospherics come into play in Luxury 2 as otherworldly field recordings are brought to life through the use of Rod's unique processing and layers of dream state synths. A perfectly worked groove seems to come out of nowhere and glides gently under the atmosphere; again subtle percussion ties everything together seamlessly.

The master of Deep Techno strikes again with nothing short of 2 elegant works that typify his skills as a producer.

Pan-Pot - Luxury 1 +++++
Alan Fitzpatrick - digging this! excited to play it!
Steve Rachmad - Luv Luxury 2
Joel Mull - Lovely warm music. Timeless pieces right here.
Jonas Kopp - cool vibes over here , thanks.
Tommy Four Seven - thanks!
Markus Suckut - deepchord as I like him!
Martin Landsky - yep...both tracks are brillant..Deepchord never disapoints....
Nadja Lind/Klartraum - what a luxury indeed :) Happy New Year!
John Selway - into Luxury 2
Stacey Pullen - cool thanks
Shlomi Aber - another cool one from soma
Heron - This deepness is more than impressive. Completely mindblowing!
Manic Brothers - Both tracks are super fat ! Thank you :)
Toma Hades - Epic tracks ! it sounds like real film music ! love it ! :)
Daniel Stefanik - follow them from the beginning. i love it! thx.
Vector Lovers - Lovely mixes, really warm production to chase those winter blues away. Great start to 2014!
The Welderz - Great opener tracks !
Master-H - Fantastic release! I Love DEEPCHORD!
Hermanez - love the sound from deepchord, thank you
Kazumi Ihii - Quality release as usual from Deepchord

NECHTO introduces the first compilation to the catalogue be released on a 12" vinyl remaining open to both fresh talent and known faces on the label roster. The record features six dynamic tracks, which have been road-tested on global dance floors by NECHTO founder Nastia. Gifted producer Namhar, featured on the compilation with his powerful track 'Run Baby Run' , and Mexican producer JNKS, debuting 'Refill', are no strangers to NECHTO, as their tracks have previously been featured on digital releases. New faces are the Italian powerhouse Fabrizio Di Santis who's track '90128' has debuted during Nastia's Mixmag In The Lab set along with the high-energy banger 'Go With U' by Croatian techno sensation Insolate and 'Serpents' by promising Ukrainian talent Kichi Kazuko. 'Go Back' by Jay York's rounds up the compilation, introducing a new but familiar face to the minimalistic intelligent techno scene.

This compilation is a potent mix of energetic tracks, showcasing electronic music in its most vibrant and unfiltered form. It introduces skilled producers from Italy, Croatia, Mexico, India, the USA, and Ukraine

2025 Repress

SHDW & Obscure Shape invite Invexis for his first 12" in almost 20 years as the German live act and producer returns to Mutual Rytm for his impactful EP, 'Odyssey'.

With an ethos of merging the past with the present and future, harnessing classic techno influences and shaping them into the sounds of tomorrow, SHDW & Obscure Shape's Mutual Rytm imprint has become an exciting home for rising talents of note and established artists to shine a spotlight on the genre. However, the next release on the label welcomes a long-awaited return from Georg Kohler, aka Invexis. Known for releases such as 'Kalibreur' on Salpeter Records and 'Chiffre' on Planet Rhythm Records, with further releases via Compound and Kazumi, the German talent crafted and shaped his own sound within the techno landscape in the early 2000s. Returning with his first EP release in close to two decades, late December welcomes a return to Mutual Rytm, following on from the inclusion of his track 'Elektronenwind' on the label's 'Federation Of Rytm I' release, as he delivers a selection of dynamic, melodic and driving techno offerings across 'Odyssey'.

'Silhouette' opens the package with authority as spirited drums and spiralling synths take hold of a twisting and turning lead effort, with 'Non Return To Zero' building a spiralling groove via frantic yet measured percussion, sweeping melodies and funky stabs. 'Red Storm' opens the B-side with a more up-front production combining harsher metallic tones with relentless drive and crashing hats, while 'Body Impulse' utilises dubby stabs and eerie atmospherics to balance light and dark. The title track 'Odyssey' closes the vinyl offering, with a euphoric and rapturous production harnessing resonant chords, looping drum grooves and elated leads to bring things to an impressive crescendo and deliver a record that will remain in the ears of listeners for a long time. As always with the label, digital purchasers are treated to an exclusive track as Kohler combines zig-zagging grooves, refined synths and off-kilter glitches and bleeps across digital exclusive 'Transition'.

SAISEI founder Junki Inoue continues his vital archival work uncovering the riches of Japan’s distinctive electronic music scene and bringing them to new audiences around the world. The Sounds Of Transonic compiles six tracks recorded in Tokyo between 1991 and 1995 and released by the pioneering Transonic label, founded in 1994 by Kazunao Nagata and active until 2004.

Transonic’s catalogue is a glittering roll call of the scene’s major players, whose inventive and genre-blending work established forward-thinking house and techno in Japan in a way that would shape the country’s electronic sound for years to come. Transonic was instrumental in giving exposure to the work of these artists with its emblematic series of CD compilations, released over a short couple of years in the mid 90s. Beginning with 970-1450km/h, Feedback and Range, the series also included The Roots Of Transonic, featuring music from parent label Trigger. Alongside these compilations came much sought-after solo albums each packaged with striking cover art that makes the discs a visual treat for collectors to this day.

The Sounds Of Transonic brings together six tracks from the catalogue into one breath-taking package. The influence of hi-tech jazz and machine funk from Detroit is undeniable in ‘Dream Trance’ (Mind Design) and ‘Blasting Soul’ (Interferon), while ‘Under The Ground’ (Palomatic) and ‘Chelsea’ (Suzukiski) are permeated by the artificial intelligence and trip hop emanating from the UK at the time. The compilation is bookended by two tracks by Nagata himself (as Organization): ‘Space Ball’, a Model 500-worthy chase through the cosmos, and ‘Call’, an eerie echo of Kraftwerk’s telephone, transmitting expectantly out into the void and, finally, receiving its celestial answer.

With The Sounds Of Transonic these formative pieces of music will now be available internationally and, for the first time, on vinyl.

SAISEI is a Japanese word which translates to ‘reproduction’ and ‘to play’ (as in playing records). Japanese culture is widely known for its traditional nature just as much as it is for being forward into the future and this label’s concept does justice to exactly that. Having started digging for records as early as 16 years old, Inoue delved into productions from 1990s Japan to uncover these native gems. SAISEI’s core concept is to recapture and reintroduce unique pieces of Japanese electronic music onto vinyl, to an audience it never reached before as most of this music was only released in Japan.

Repress!

A MAJOR EXPLORATION OF TOKYO'S CUTTING EDGE 80S SOUND THROUGH THE MUSIC OF CULT JAPANESE LABEL NIPPON COLUMBIA AND ITS BETTER DAYS IMPRINT, SELECTED BY BRITISH RADIO PRESENTER AND DJ NICK LUSCOMBE.

‘Tokyo Dreaming’ is a superb selection picked from the highly collectible Nippon Columbia label and its Better Days sub-label. For the occasion, we’ve teamed up with journalist and Japanese music expert Nick Luscombe who was granted rare access to the much-guarded Nippon Columbia's vaults for a masterful selection encapsulating the fascinating sound of Tokyo in the late 70s and 80s. The selection mixes electro, synth-pop, funk and ambient and features such artists as Ryuichi Sakamoto, Mariah, Shigeo Sekito, Juicy Fruits, Hitomi "Penny" Tohyama and Yumi Murata. The tracklist includes many sought-after rarities and hidden gems which have never been released outside of Japan and the set has been newly remastered by Nippon Columbia. The album has been designed by famed London-based designer Optigram and is annotated by Nick.

Nippon Columbia, one of Japan's oldest music labels is also one of its most collectible thanks to its sub-label Better Days which, in the late 70s, became a hotbed for Tokyo's new generation of pop artists eager to experiment with ambient, electro and funk. Armed with a string of new Japanese-made synthesizers and drum machines that would soon take the world by storm, they made cutting-edge music, which has since become highly sought-after by a new generation of Japanese music lovers. Nick Luscombe, who has long been a leading advocate of Japanese music from this era, has handpicked a selection of some of the sharpest music released on these labels at the time.
According to Nick, “Tokyo Dreaming is a look back to an incredible era of Japanese music, that still sounds and feels like the future. It was a moment when brand-new music tech from Japan helped forge new ideas and experiments that permeated pop, soul and jazz and helped create new forms of music including electro and techno. The perfect meeting point that would help create a new soundtrack for modern living.“
?The selection starts with "The End of Asia" by Ryuichi Sakamoto from his 1978 ground-breaking debut "Thousand Knives Of" (reissued last year by Wewantsounds). The track became a staple of Sakamoto's and YMO's live shows and was even re-recorded by the group for their 1980 album 'X Multiplies'. The track is followed by Mariah's cult Armenian folk flavoured synth pop classic "Shinzo No Tobira" (1983), which first spread outside of Japan when the Scottish DJ duo Optimo started playing the track regularly at their shows.
?Chika Asamoto's "Self Control" (1988) and Jun Fukamachi's "Treasure Hunter" (1985) are perfect songs in the synth-pop canon, while Yumi Murata's rendition of Akiko Yano's "Watashi No Bus" and Hitomi "Penny" Tohyama's "Rainy Driver" both from 1981, move closer towards the slicker, funkier sound of City Pop.
?'Tokyo Dreaming' superbly showcases the breadth of 80s Japanese music and the way electro pop was a playing ground for musicians to experiment with many styles, as showcased by Akira Sakata's dub-enfused "Room" from 1980, Kazumi Watanabe's discoid "Tokyo Joe" (1980) and Juicy Fruits' "kawai" robotic Techno pop song "Jenie Gets Angry".
?The selection flows effortlessly between many shades of synth and ends with two cult classics in the form of Yasuaki Shimizu's "Semi Tori No Hi" and Shigeo Sekito's ambient-jazz masterpiece "The Word II" from his highly sought-after album "Kareinaru Electone (The Word) Vol.2" which, although recorded in 1975, perfectly announces the synth revolution to come. Tokyo Dreaming showcases the groundbreaking sounds of a city turned giant sonic lab which was restlessly inventing the music of the future.
Nick Luscombe is a highly respected and in-demand music influencer who discovers great music from all over the world and shares it internationally through his many radio shows and DJ sets. He has been in charge of music selection for various radio programs since 1999, and from 2010 - 2019, was the DJ for the popular BBC Radio music program "Late Junction”. He has also curated and presented music shows for Monocle and British Airways radio stations. He has worked as both Chief Music Editor at iTunes and Director of Music at London’s Institute of Contemporary Art, and is the founder of MSCTY.

First time reissue of JP free jazz rarity, pre-Seikatsu Kōjyō Iinkai group.

The single album self-released by the quartet Shūdan Sokai in 1977 is one of the most vital documents of mid-seventies Japanese free jazz, documenting Tokyo’s free scene at the precise moment when it began to shift to a handful of tiny venues on the western fringes of the city. In Free Jazz in Japan, Teruto Soejima identifies the extant venue Aketa no Mise in Nishi-Ogikubo as the pioneer of this decamping from the centre: a cramped basement beneath a rice shop, seating just 20 people. Musician-run, operated on a shoestring, these spaces offered a vital site for community, creativity, and a small measure of financial independence — “even though it was in a basement, in spirit it was a loft.”

Among the most active of the new venues was Alone in Hachiōji, nearly an hour from Shinjuku, in a district shaped by universities, lower rents, and a thriving counterculture. Originally opened in 1973 as a jazu kissa, Alone was unusually spacious and equipped with a stage, grand piano, and drum kit. Around 1974, Junji Mori and Yasuhiro Sakakibara began working there, booking free jazz players on weekends and establishing the venue as a crucial hub. Mori recalls early appearances by figures including Kazutoki Umezu, Toshinori Kondo, and others who would define the scene.

In early 1976, Umezu and pianist Yoriyuki Harada — recently returned from New York’s loft jazz environment, where they had played with musicians such as David Murray and William Parker — formed Shūdan Sokai with Mori and drummer Takashi Kikuchi. The name, meaning “mass evacuation,” pointed to their self-chosen exile in Hachiōji. With Alone as their home base, the quartet developed a music characterized by an infectious sense of enjoyment and a willingness to integrate free jazz with elements of song structure. Harada switched between piano and bass; the group experimented with rap-like vocal pieces, jabbering nursery rhymes over bass rhythms.

They returned to Alone on December 24 to record Sono zen’ya (Eve), releasing it on their own Des Chonboo Records, partially funded by advertisements from local businesses printed on the rear cover. The closing “Ballad for Seshiru,” dedicated to Harada’s newborn son, unfolds over a delicate piano melody that moves into emphatic chords as intertwining alto lines rise and spiral.

Alone closed in September 1977, and Shūdan Sokai soon dissolved, later morphing into the expanded Seikatsu Kōjyō Iinkai Orchestra. What remains is a recording rooted in a specific place and moment: a fiercely independent scene sustained by small rooms, close listening, and collective commitment.

Released in November 2023, "Piranha" is the electrifying collaboration album between Brooklyn's own CJ Fly, the lyri-cal virtuoso of Pro Era fame, and masterful producer Stoic. Dive deep into the sonic depths of this mesmerizing pro-ject as CJ Fly's razor-sharp lyricism cuts through the beats crafted by Stoic with surgical precision for a sonic feast that devours everything in its path.

With guest appearances including the likes of Mick Jenkins, Nyck Caution, Lord Apex, Blvck Svm and AMARAH, as well as young legend Lord Sko on one of the bonus tracks featured on this deluxe edition, each track on "Piranha" is a testament to the raw talent and creativity of its collaborators.

With Stoic's immersive production providing the perfect backdrop for CJ Fly's impassioned delivery, "Piranha" is an album that demands your attention from start to finish, a tidal wave sure to leave a lasting impression on hip-hop heads everywhere.

Stacey Kent is an American jazz singer in the mould of the greats, with a legion of fans, a host of honors and awards including a Grammy nomination, album sales in excess of 2 million and more than one billion streams, and Platinum, Double-Gold and Gold-selling albums that have reached a series of chart-topping positions.

Stacey, a comparative literature graduate with a passion for music, travelled to Europe to further her studies after receiving her degree from Sarah Lawrence College in NY. Through a series of twists of fate, she found herself in London where she enrolled in a graduate music program at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where she met her future husband and musical partner, Jim Tomlinson.

Kent's musical journey began with childhood piano lessons. A keen ear and true voice lead her to search out opportunities to express her love of music. However, nothing suggested the shift from the academic path to the one that propelled her to international recognition as one of the foremost jazz singers of her generation. With a catalogue of 13 studio albums, including the Platinum selling, Grammy-nominated Breakfast On The Morning Tram (Blue Note/EMI 2007) and an impressive list of collaborations, Stacey has graced the stages of nearly 60 countries over the course of her career.

Her worldwide fan base is testimony to her ability to express the emotional heart of her songs with delicately nuanced interpretations that transcend borders and defy categorization. Her unique multi-lingual repertoire includes standards, chanson, Bossa Nova, and originals written by Jim Tomlinson, her saxophonist/producer/composer/arranger husband in collaboration with the Nobel Prize-winning author, Kazuo Ishiguro with whom they have worked since 2006. She has also recorded with Brazilian legends, Marcos Valle, Roberto Menescal and Danilo Caymmi, and the celebrated French string quartet, the Quatuor Ébène.

Stacey's last studio album, Summer Me, Winter Me, was released in November 2023 on Naïve Records. A collection of fans' requests from her as yet unrecorded concert repertoire, Summer Me, Winter Me entered the French jazz charts at number 1 and has quickly established itself as a new highlight in her discography. She now returns with A Time For Love.

During his time with the Yosuke Yamashita Trio, Nakamura poured his entire being into every note, weaving flashes of inspiration and raw impulses into powerful blows in the early 1970s. With this work, he undergoes yet another transformation. As Nakamura himself described: “Sharing space with everyone, feeling as if we’re flying freely like birds that’s the ideal.” Here, layers of sound and moments of silence expand the sonic space, and within it, Nakamura’s saxophone runs vibrantly and unrestrained.

Highlights include the exhilarating “Wolf’s Theme”, inspired by Kazumasa Hirai’s Wolf Guy series; the nostalgic melodies and relaxed groove of “Harappa”; elegant, richly textured interpretations of standards like “Body & Soul” and “I Can’t Get Started”; and the dynamic, liberating energy of “Viva Giappone”. In every track, Nakamura’s ideal is vividly realized. Featuring contributions from Toshiyuki Daitoku, Aki Takase, and Ryojiro Furusawa.

Nikaido Kazumi’s acclaimed and enduring masterpiece "Nijimi", originally released in 2011, returns on vinyl. The album eventually led to her performing
the theme song “Inochi no Kioku” for Studio Ghibli’s The Tale of the Princess Kaguya. Filled with songs capturing her heartfelt emotions and charm—such
as “Onna wa Tsurai yo” and “Totsutotsu I Love You”—this is a truly precious record.

This new volume in the “City Music Tokyo” series, curated by Kunimond Takiguchi (Ryusenkei), focuses on Jazz Funk. From among crossover, Japanese jazz,
and soundtrack works released by Nippon Columbia, Takiguchi has carefully selected urban and sophisticated tracks that resonate with his musical sensibility.

Each piece carries a faint scent of the Showa era, evoking words like “night,” “drive,” “dandyism,” “car chase,” “city,” “hard-boiled,” and “man and woman.”

Selected, supervised, and annotated by Kunimond Takiguchi (Ryusenkei).

Bass: Sam Jones
Cello, Bass: Isao Suzuki
Drums: Billy Higgins
Electric Guitar: Kazumi Watanabe, Kazumasa Akiyama
Recording & Remix Engineer: Yoshikane Okada
Executive Producer: Toshinari Koinuma
Piano, Electric Piano, Fender Rhodes: Cedar Walton

A gem of a crossover album from Isao Suzuki, who has continued to lead the Japanese jazz scene as a bassist.
Capturing the vibrant energy of the 1970s, this record has been rediscovered by club music aficionados and rare groove collectors alike.
The album fuses Van Morrison–like bluesy grooves with deep funk and jazz sensibilities, along with a uniquely Japanese melodic sense.

A duo album by guitarist Kazuma Fujimoto and pianist Masaki Hayashi

A sonic dialogue between two artists creating a trend in Japan's quiet music scene.
This acoustic duo, characterized by tranquil, ever-changing tones, has been mastered for vinyl and will be released on vinyl! "Unfolding in Time," a duo album
by guitarist Kazuma Fujimoto and pianist Masaki Hayashi, has been mastered and released!

Time when listening to music is a strange thing; it doesn't progress linearly. Sometimes it passes by in the blink of an eye, and other times it feels as if time has
stopped. Rather than simply playing a song, Kazuma Fujimoto's guitar and Masaki Hayashi's piano manipulate time, slowly enveloping the listener in the resulting
space. This music never ceases to captivate, no matter the situation. This seems to be the ideal form of duo performance, the ultimate expression.

One of the leading Japanese alternative rock band, GEZAN’s leader, MahitoThePeople’s director debut film, i ai was released in March 2024, and it is an atypical coming-of-age film decorated with tinge of red.

　The film takes place in Akashi and Kobe, Hyogo prefecture. This film’s main characters are Ko (Kentaro Tomita), a rookie member of a band and a brother-like figure of his, Hee (Mirai Moriyama) who Ko idolizes and the story of this movie is based on their struggles with life and death. The story is also based on Mahito's real-life experiences and while reality and fiction are duplicated, the boundary between them slowly melts away. The film co-stars Honami Satoh, Kazuki Horike, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Eita Nagayama, Kyoko Koizumi, K-BOMB, Ichi Omiya and many other unique personalities. It should also be noted that the transparent images filmed by photographer, Masafumi Sanai gives the film, a special emotional quality.

　The film is not bound by any film theory but it poses a theme common to GEZAN's recent works and Mahito's writing activities: How can we live in a crumbling society while interacting with others? We can never live alone but living with others is also never easy. How can we overcome this time of extreme division of the world?

What left quite a strong impression in this film that not only Mahito personally directed but also wrote the script and composed the soundtrack as well was the main theme song, entitled “i ai”. This new piece of GEZAN is an extension of the work that this band has continued doing over the last few years. This 12" single, contains the song, “i ai” and it will be the first time released on vinyl.

Led by soft guitar arpeggios, the song gradually builds to a fever pitch, condensing the mood of the film which encompasses both tranquillity and intensity. The chorus of ineffable, multiple voices united together sounds like a lament that has spilled out of society or a cry of joy. GEZAN's collaboration with the 15-member chorus group, Million Wish Collective has been in development of late and the cultivated sensibilities through their activities are put to use in this song.

The song can also be considered a slow, relaxed dance track that lasts 9 minutes and 8 seconds. It has something in common with organic dance tracks from South America and other regions, and it is significant that GLOCAL RECORDS which represents glocal music from around the world in Japan are releasing it as a DJ-friendly 12-inch single.

The B-side features a remix by COMPUMA who is also closely associated with GEZAN. The song starts with an African styled percussion, with a thumb piano in the middle of the song and then returns to that memorable chorus. This song feels like a 18 minutes and 18 seconds long short movie like suite, with some dizzying changes from the beginning to the end. It is remix filled with enormous drama!

The cutting and mastering of this 12” was done by TOREI who is also active as a DJ and the artwork was created by jvnpey, a visual artist and graphic designer based in Tokyo. Their loving work also makes this 12" very special.

When I asked AI to find a synonym for the word, “division,” it displayed in succession, a series of words: “integration,” “consolidation,” “unification,” “unity”, and “reconciliation". All of these phrases are somewhat whitewashed and embarrassing but the mirage-like chorus echoing in the song, “i ai” seems to be trying to find a new word, that is a synonym for the word, "division. In this film, “i ai”, the message, “Let's live together after the end roll” was thrown out but included in this 12-inch, the message, “Let's live together after the music stops”, emerges.

An’archives presents 'sensitive', a new album, and the first solo vinyl release, by Japanese keyboardist and synth player, Mitsuhisa Sakaguchi. A deftly assembled suite of glistening electronic tonalities, 'sensitive' is the latest in a lengthy run of excellent, idiosyncratic albums by Sakaguchi. A low-key yet productive artist, Sakaguchi has released banks of solo titles via his own Bandcamp page, and is also an in-demand improvisor for electronics: see, for example, recent collaborations with Yoshiki Ichihara ('TO(R)RI INFRANTA', 'Ftarri', 2025), Tatsuhisa Yamamoto ('non equal mad', self-released, 2020), and the - trio with Yamamoto and Uchihashi Kazuhisa ('self-titled', Modern Obscure, 2023).

'sensitive' is a startling album for many reasons, not least its rich attention to detail. Sakaguchi’s ear is sensitized to the complexity of electronic sonority, something he’s developed through decades of performance and improvisation, though he’s not limited to that language. “I mainly use multiple synthesizers and process the sounds with effects,” he clarifies, detailing his approach to his music. “I also use a lot of acoustic sounds such as field recordings and percussion; sometimes I also use sounds such as prepared piano.”

Indeed, you can hear this see-sawing balance between the electronic and acoustic written across 'sensitive' – see the activated cymbals that twist and stutter through the first half of “metatoxic”, which are soon replaced by a similar stream of burbling synth-flow. The opening “sensitive rot” folds field recordings into Sakaguchi’s electronic kit to such a degree that the differing forms dissolve into each other; on “green shrine”, the field recordings are more present, yet still poetically framed, taken as they are “from the mountains of my hometown, Yawata City, Kyoto,” Sakaguchi explains.

The tender balance achieved by Sakaguchi as he moves between practices, tonalities and temporalities helps manifest the guiding conceptual force behind 'sensitive', where Sakaguchi explores a cleansing reverie. “What I wanted to portray with this album was to create an album of sounds that shattered and reassembled my current ‘sense’ and ‘toxins’,” he nods, “along with the ‘nature’ around me. Electronic sounds, our bodies, the environment around us, and nature all blend.”

From there, Sakaguchi attempts a transformation, or transmutation – an alchemical process of exchange. “I am attempting to explore whether it might be possible for the sounds to come closer to each other,” he concludes, “or perhaps even to interchange places.” On the five pieces that comprise 'sensitive', you can hear this fusing and exchange. Inhabiting similar spaces as the music of Nuno Canavarro, Asmus Tietchens, Omit, and other like-minded visionaries, 'sensitive' traverses curious, quixotic terrain between electronic composition, electro-acoustics, and improvisation.

Nosh releases "Meanwhile feat. Senninsho," featuring rapper Senninsho, physically on a 7-inch record!

Nosh will release "Meanwhile feat. Senninsho," featuring Senninsho, on a 7-inch record.
Nosh is a producer/trackmaker known for producing numerous artists, including KANDYTOWN, KID FRESINO, and JJJ, as well as providing beats for
Red Bull 64Bars and Rapstar 2025.

This track follows singles under his own name featuring rappers C.O.S.A. and ACE COOL, and will be included on an EP currently in production.
SIDE A features a vocal version featuring Senninsho, while SIDE B contains an instrumental version.
Mixed by Atsu Otaki, mastered for vinyl cutting by Ted Turner.
Artwork by Marfa by Kazuhiko Fujita.

The smash hit album "Glass Heart" is now available as a limited edition vinyl record!

The Netflix series "Glass Heart" has just begun streaming worldwide. The band "TENBLANK," featured in this passionate youthful musical love story, has
released their debut album, "Glass Heart," in conjunction with the drama's release.
TENBLANK is a rock band formed by four members: the solitary genius musician Fujitani Naoki (played by Sato Takeru), college student drummer Saijo Akane
(played by Miyazaki Yu), hardworking and charismatic guitarist Takaoka Hisashi (played by Machida Keita), and music-obsessed pianist Sakamoto Kazushi
(played by Shison Jun).
The album was released digitally alongside the drama's release on July 31st, and was released on CD the following day, August 1st.
Glass Heart, which attracted attention thanks to the contributions of a stellar lineup of composers including Noda Yojiro (RADWIMPS) and Yaffle, has dominated
charts not only in Japan but also in other Asian countries, creating a global buzz.
Now, this smash hit album "Glass Heart" will be released as a limited edition vinyl record. Experience TENBLANK's music in a new way with the warm texture
and depth of sound that only analog can provide.

Blazing with raw energy and searing guitar riffs, the second album from Blues Creation—the legendary rock band led by guitarist Kazuo Takeda—is a cornerstone of Japan’s hard rock legacy. Drawing heavy inspiration from the likes of Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin, this record delivers a powerful, riff-driven sound that helped shape the dawn of Japanese hard rock. What sets it apart is its hypnotic blend of British-style heavy rock with vocals sung in English tinged with a distinctly Japanese flavor—creating a one-of-a-kind psychedelic atmosphere that continues to mesmerize rock enthusiasts across the globe.

Mit The Shadow of the Guest veröffentlichen Blonde Redhead eine traumwandlerische, leicht entrückte Neuinterpretation ihres gefeierten Albums Sit Down for Dinner (2023). Das Album ist seit dem 27. Juni 2025 digital erhältlich – die limitierte physische Edition erscheint am 24. Oktober 2025 über section1.

In Zusammenarbeit mit dem Brooklyn Youth Chorus entstanden neu arrangierte Versionen von „Before“, „Rest of Her Life“ und „Via Savona“, die das Originalmaterial auf überraschende Weise vertiefen. Hinzu kommen frische Interpretationen des Rick-and-Morty-Klassikers „For The Damaged Coda“, darunter eine ebenso hypnotische wie unerwartete mariachi-inspirierte Variante.

Ein besonderer Bestandteil des Albums sind mehrere ASMR-Tracks, komponiert von Kazu Makino – ursprünglich als Soundtrack für eine Modenschau von Isabel Marant gedacht. Was als akustisches Experiment begann, entwickelte sich zu einem intimen kreativen Projekt mit starker emotionaler Tiefe.

„Diese Veröffentlichung ist für uns etwas Besonderes“, sagt Kazu. „Es sind nicht einfach neue Versionen – sondern die Verwirklichung eines langen Traums.“

Für Fans von Art-Rock, atmosphärischen Klangwelten und mutiger musikalischer Neugier.

The latest release from the music project "Tokimeki Records," which has garnered worldwide attention for its covers and unearthing of classic J-pop songs
from the 80s and 90s, with a focus on city pop, is a cover of the 1987 hit "Tsuteibo" by 80s singer and gliding writer Nina Atsuko.

Tokimeki Records has taken the original song's arrangement, which evokes the classic 80s AOR, and created a sparkling, summery 2025 sound.
The groovy medium beat and brass ensemble are a perfect match for the seaside at the end of summer.
Hikari (Mime) features on vocals. Based on a neo-soul style, the lyrics and melody evoke 80s city pop, and are expressed in a cool and solid way.

The jacket is an artistic surf photo by surf photographer Sasao Kazuyoshi, which seems to capture the world of the song.
This single is from the surf music compilation "SALT... meets ISLAND CAFE -Sea of ​​Love 3-," supervised by the magazine "SALT...," which proposes new
values ​​for beach lifestyle and surf culture.

Focusing on tracks released between the late 1970s and 1980s, the selection spans from major artists beloved by music fans—such as Terumasa Hino and Sadao Watanabe—to hidden gems.
Carefully curated not by fame or signature songs, but with an emphasis on "fresh-sounding tracks to rediscover now," it’s a collection tailor-made for fans of city pop and DJs digging into Japanese grooves.
The jacket design was specially illustrated by STEREOTENNIS, known for their popular 1980s-inspired graphics.

The undiscovered recordings of jazz pianist Fumio Itabashi's iconic work Watarase were compiled from the perspective of a pioneering figure in the Japanese jazz scene, Minoru Wakatsuki, and garnered widespread acclaim with Watarase ECHO. The second installment, Watarase VOICE, focused on "voice" and featured unpublished tracks with a diverse range of vocalists. Now, as the third volume in the series, the complete version of the 2001 performance of Symphonic Poem “Watarase” by the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Kazuhiko Komatsu, with Fumio Itabashi and Yukki Kaneko, will finally be released! The full version could only be heard on VHS video at the time, and is now being released for the first time as a physical edition, making it a highly anticipated and long-awaited release.

Previous album, "Brow Up," which made it known to the jazz world, this is Isao Suzuki's second album. You can enjoy the interplay with the Watanabe Kazumi, ...etc. This is a masterpiece of one creature.

A long-lost Japanese acid folk gem, Niningashi’s 1974 private press debut Heavy Way shimmers with originality, deft song writing and a dream-like groove.

Although he was training as a pharmacist, Kazuhisa Okubo was much more interested in prescribing musical medicine.
A coming-of-age album, Heavy Way captured a turning point in Okubo’s life, and Japanese society more widely as a nostalgia for the pastoral calm of the traditional life, met the cosmopolitan thrill of coffee, sex and cigarettes in the big city.
Intoxicated by Tokyo, driven by a passion for music and surrounded by a thriving acid folk scene, the young student filtered his experiences through a psychedelic cocktail of soulful influences from the US and Japan.
Niningashi was his first band, and Heavy Way was their only album. It was honest and raw, deep and strangely funky, in an off-beat kind of way. Across nine tracks, Okubo and the 6-piece band put their own spin on the new folk sound of Japan, combining witty lyrics with electric guitar-driven solos and crisp, understated grooves.

Melancholy and profound, opening track ‘Ameagari’ feels like a synthesis of Harvest-era Neil Young and Haruomi Hosono’s Happy End. Then there’s the whimsical washboard country sound of ‘Semai Boku No Heyade’; the moody, low-lit charm of ‘Restaurant’; and ‘Hitoribotchi’, a sensitive portrayal of childhood, steeped in memories of rainfall that will resonate with fans of Woo and Mac Demarco.
While Okubo would go on to taste success with psychedelic folk bands Neko and Kaze, the latter of which scored three #1 albums, little is known about his mysterious debut with Niningashi.
Self-released by Okubo in 1974, and featuring album artwork by his brother, it has slowly generated a cult following online, intrigued by its soft and enchanting sound. So few records were ultimately pressed that those remaining have fetched up to £1,500 online.

Featured on Time Capsule’s era-spanning collection Nippon Acid Folk, Niningashi’s Heavy Way is a deep-cut grail of a vibrant time in Japan’s musical history, where even the pharmacists were making jams.

Koichi Tsutaya's pseudonymous project "Kerenmi" has announced that the full album "Interchange", released on November 20, 2024, will be released on vinyl!

Tracks on the album include "Sekai feat. Moto from Chilli Beans. & Who-ya Extended" which was used as the commercial song for the Honda VEZEL "Adult feat.
Avu-chan from Queen Bee & Ryuhei from BE:FIRST" a collaboration long awaited by fans, in which Avu-chan himself appears in the music video, which has
become a hot topic "Namae wo Wasuretamama no Anohi no Kodou feat. Kazunobu Mineta" the theme song for the movie "Angry Squad: Civil Servants and the
Seven Swindlers" as well as "Interchange" "Join my band feat. Skaai" "Border line feat. Azsagawa" "Fuzoroi feat. Yuuki Tani & Hitomi from Atarayo" "Tokyo Kimi
Ga everything feat. Tatsuya Kitani & Kai Kubota" "Boy feat. asmi & imase" "Ketatama feat. Mori Calliope" "Oboro feat. Chiaki Sato" "RE:interchange feat. Kohd"
and "Otona feat. Mayuu Yaginu from Chevon" All 13 songs featuring such fabulous artists as have been released on vinyl!

An’archives present the debut album by Tokyo avant-pop duo Jyuriaano, Dreaming Glass. Consisting of Morimoto Ariomi and Cobalt, the two members of Jyuriaano have long histories in Japanese underground music. Morimoto’s history traces back to the late nineties; his nascent interests in noise collage and solo acoustic performance slowly transmuted to group endeavours, and more recently he’s performed with the likes of Akiko Toshimitsu (Usurabi), Maki Miura (Shizuka) and Doronco (Los Doroncos).

Cobalt has released a string of excellent singer-songwriter albums, many on his Poet Portraits label, which has also released material by the likes of Kazumi Nikaido, Place Called Space, Cuthberts, and moools, the latter of which he also performs with on occasion. While Morimoto and Cobalt have known each other for decades, they decided to form Jyuriaano in 2016, and since then have performed at live houses and small bars in Japan, all while slowly working together on their gentle, spirited songs.

The group’s formation story is typically playful – “It all started when we brought an acoustic guitar into the car on a rainy afternoon and started writing songs while eating Japanese sweets,” Cobalt recalls. That sense of play is important to the songs on Dreaming Glass, which vary wildly, from bright, infectious pop songs with a sixties lilt (“Dreaming Baby”, “How Close”), through slinky jazz-pop numbers (“Drawing A Nude”) to melancholy folk laments (“Erica”, “Night Window”). There’s something in Jyuriaano’s collaborative dynamic that gifts Morimoto and Cobalt a particularly open field, when it comes to their creative endeavours.

Some of this might also be down to their listening habits. When asked about their interest in Japanese folk precursors, legendary groups like Folk Crusaders and Itsutsu-no-Akai-Fusen, Cobalt agrees that they have a place in the duo’s listening pantheon, but that’s not where the story ends. “We’ve also listened to commercial folk music outside of those core genres,” he reflects, “We don’t just listen to one genre, but also rock and roll, noise industrial, punk, new wave, jazz, chanson, and more.”

You might also hear touches of groups like the forementioned Usurabi, or Maher Shalal Hash Baz, or songwriters like Kazumi Nikaido and Shintaro Sakamoto. But Jyuriaano’s songs, somehow, feel quite sui generis in the way they magic up alternative visions for pop’s possibilities. Dreaming Glass is, quite simply, a lovely, unpretentious joy of an album.

Renowned DJ and selector MURO is a Jedi-level compiler and this new collection of his delves into Victor's extensive archives to spotlight a world of Japanese jazz, fusion and AOR. It take sin plenty of internationally known names like Yasuko Agawa on the sunset sounds of 'L.A. Night', Sadistics who offers the more psyched out guitar leans of 'On the Seashore', Yuji Ohno's neo-Balaeric bliss-out 'The Dawn of Seychells' and Hiroshi Fukumura's soul soothing Ry Ayres-style melodies on 'White Clouds.' These are luxurious sounds and timeless tracks with MURO's signature funky perspective making this a brillaint choice for brighter, warmer days.

In late 2023, Tokyo-based musician, Daigo Sakuragi, temporarily relocated to London, where he revisited material recorded with fellow Japanese musicians in Tokyo, drawing inspiration from the city’s energy, music, and atmosphere. This new perspective culminated in Togenkyo, a 28-minute work blending early 2000s folktronica and contemporary ambient styles. Sakuragi crafts immersive sonic textures with synthesisers and spatial production, while the organic groove of drums and bass anchors the piece, subtly inviting physical movement. Floating above this foundation, the saxophone weaves through the soundscape, leading the music with an elegant yet exploratory presence.

The session took place at aLive recording studio in Tokyo, with the following personnel:

Daigo Sakuragi: synthesiser, guitar, post-production
Jinya Ichikawa: bass
Shoei Ikeda: saxophone
Kazuya Ooi: drums

The lineup reflects a network of notable Japanese artists: Ichikawa, Sakuragi’s longtime collaborator in D.A.N.; Ikeda, known for his work with Maya Ongaku; and Ooi, a drummer for yahyel.

Sakuragi is best known for his band project D.A.N., where he contributes vocals, guitar, and production alongside bassist Jinya Ichikawa and drummer Teru Kawakami. Since its formation in 2014, D.A.N. has gained recognition for their unique fusion of indie rock/pop, dub, and electronic music. Under his solo moniker Daigos, Sakuragi explores electronic dance music through DJing and production, experimenting with Eurorack modules and samples in a refined, microscopic aesthetic. Recently, his creative output has expanded into diverse fields, including advertisements, artist collaborations, and films.

The term Togenkyo resonates with the concept of utopia, yet it diverges—it does not symbolise a flawless paradise but rather an attainable state of peace within oneself. Sakuragi reflects on finding his own Togenkyo in London, far from his hometown of Tokyo. The EP brings a sense of comfort and calm, reminding listeners that such a space exists not far from reach.

'Challenge Me Foolish' is an almost lost album of µ-Ziq material circa 1998-99, an era that saw Mike Paradinas release 'Royal Astronomy' on the now defunct Virgin subsidiary Hut records, and also tour with Björk.

It's an era of his music that's definitely worth re-exploring, in which Mike went against the grain by producing music that was baroque, melodic and whimsical, while the IDM movement he was lumped with made instrumental music that was often neurotic and complicated. His taste for melody and dreamy beauty above roughness and intricacy confused people who were hanging on too tightly to the rules. He even brought in Japanese vocalist Kazumi, adding an extra human touch.

'Challenge Me Foolish' is something of a companion to the Royal Astronomy record, arguably even better given the fresh ears selecting the material. It's imbued with a confident sense of pastoral colour, and a gentle optimism, utilising bells, studied orchestral arrangements and airy synthesisers that sit the album somewhere between, Jean Jacques Perrey (the French electronic composer whose whimsy was always balanced with serious innovation and chops) and the colourful, optimistic soundtracks of Joe Hisaishi. There's a strange sense of the old and new throughout, the sentimental and utopia, with nary a hint of darkness. Even when the album dips into the hyperkinetic rhythms of jungle, the melodies and mood still retain a sense of gentle warmth. Dive into peak time Paradinas.

Sony Japan is pleased to present Isao Suzuki's fourth album off the Three Blind Mice label, "Orangutan". The 1975 free jazz album features acclaimed saxophonist Mori Kenji and guitarist Kazumi Watanabe, and remains undiminished by the years.

Discover the deeply personal work of Japanese saxophonist Hidefumi Toki through his 1975 masterpiece, "Toki". Accompanied by a quartet featuring Kazumi Watanabe on guitar, Nobuyoshi Ino on bass, and Steve Jackson on drums, Toki's expressive alto and soprano saxophone fill the space with gentle, raspy tones. The album's laidback and mellow atmosphere, highlighted by original compositions like "Darkness" and "Lullaby For The Girl," as well as soulful renditions of classics such as "When Sunny Gets Blue" and Ornette Coleman's "Blues," creates a captivating listening experience.

Recorded May 17, 1975 at AOI Studio, Tokyo.

Last release of a productive year for Feral Child sees a fabulous mini LP from London based, Japanese Psych band BARBICAN ESTATE. Six beguiling tracks of atmospheric, occasionally acid folk flavoured, melodic > freakout shifts, taking in tips of the hat to Popol Vuh (check Miri’s beautiful vox on “Angel”), Amon Duul and fellow countrymen Acid Mothers Temple and Kikagaku Moyo amongst others. Formed in 2019, this three-piece consists of Kazuki Toneri (guitar, sitar), Miri (bass, flute, vocals), and Koh Hamada (drums, percussion). Each member is well-versed in music, film, and various other arts, drawing inspiration not only from experimental, psychedelic rock, and noise music but also from art across the world, both past and present. Their music weaves solid, architectural elements with destruction into a dark and gloomy soundscape, is often described as "dark psychedelic." They released their first album, “Way Down East”, in 2021. In 2022, they relocated to London, where they performed on UK tours and at festivals. Having already played nearly 50 live shows, they are gaining attention in the local scene. Their latest EP, "Viscum" was released in June 2024. “Barbican City of Tokyo” is a compilation of tunes previously consigned to digital release only that label head, Dom had free rein to assemble an EP from, which luckily the band wholeheartedly agreed upon! …and all four tracks appear on vinyl here for the first time. This release hopefully cements a growing interest in the band’s fabulous music, and early reviews of both the LP here and their live shows are overwhelmingly positive.

Kumio Kurachi is a Japanese singer-songwriter who has been active since the 1980's.

This is his 11th solo album and only the second to be released outside of Japan following ‘Sound of Turning Earth’ (2018) on bison. Though his songs are written and performed primarily on guitar, “Open Today” is a return to Kurachi’s full, multi-instrumental recording style - featuring drums, bass, strings, keys and Kurachi’s rich, distinctive vocals in multiple voicings. Incredibly, all instrumental performances and arrangements were performed and recorded by Kurachi himself - marking a brilliant return to the fully fleshed out visionary world we fell in love with on Supermarket Chitose (Enban, 2006). The super fine detail and dense landscapes of ‘Open Today’ should come as no surprise really - Kurachi is an illustrator by trade and it bleeds right through to his music. Even to the non-native speaker Kurachi’s vocals hold centre stage - at times enormous and thundering over urgent guitar and toms, then switching to softly spoken words amongst keys. Frequently Kurachi multiplies, whether multitracking himself or summoning voices for the characters he writes from sightings on train platforms or supermarkets. His lyrics - translated to English for both formats - are more like poetry, and though written about the mundane they quickly become surreal, bringing the quality of dreams into the everyday. The hours spent on buses, trains or walking home towards a cheap flat - familiar to us all - are catalysts for microcosms of detail.

Again, we shouldn’t be surprised - Kurachi is well known in Japan for winning the national championship of NHK's "Poetry Boxing" in 2002, which also might explain his amazing Discogs photo. Poet, illustrator, multi-instrumentalist - Kurachi is thought of by many as a genius. He’s worked with Jim O’Rourke, Tori Kudo, Eiko Ishibashi and Taku Unami (who did the mastering on this LP). There are lines to be drawn between Kurachi and Kazuki Tomokawa or Kan Mikami, but also Francis Plagne and Fairport Convention.

Ultimately though there is nothing else like it - it’s a brand of strange songcraft that’s totally captivating.

**Synopsis:** Kazuya Kinoshita is a fairly ordinary college student who has just been dumped by his girlfriend, who decided to move on. Devastated and feeling at rock bottom, he decides to download the new trending app, Diamond, on his phone and rents a new girlfriend to feel better. He ends up meeting a certain Chizuru Mizuhara, a young woman who, at first glance, seems to have everything he's looking for.

This vinyl includes songs dedicated to each girl from the anime (Ruka, Chizuru, Nami, Sumi) sung by their respective Japanese voice actresses, as well as the corresponding instrumental versions. Each song reflects the adventures, thoughts, and emotions that each of the girls experiences.

Unbound by place or genre, mercurial, experimental pop duo Soft as Snow find freedom to intuitively reflect the disarray of human connection with their intricate, shape-shifting pop production. With each successive release, the duo evolves, unfurling into their own poetic sound, now fully realized on their intimate, third full-length, Metal.wet.

The oft-present trappings of male-female duos are eschewed here as the Berlin-based Oda Starheim and Øystein Monsen contribute equally across a canvas of analogue synthesizers, samplers, live drums, and processed guitars. At once a part of and yet apart from the zeitgeist, their forward-thinking modernity stretches the limits of expectations across Metal.wet's ten insouciant tracks. Fans of Tirzah, Hype Williams, and even Angelo Badalamenti will find much to love in this haunting work peppered with ASMR moments and rough sampling wrapped in high production –– twinkling glasses and sirens in the distance, rhythms and voices up front. The result is synth-driven, noisy, and dripping with laidback, confident sensuality.

Although Starheim's voice begins the album in a whisper, it quickly becomes apparent that the group has jettisoned their previous tendency to bury and distort her vocals. Nested in a bed of thorny electronics and broken rhythms, her multifaceted vocals might bring to mind Kazu Makino of Blonde Redhead or Hope Sandoval fronting Massive Attack. London MC Brother May (Mica Levi, CURL) makes an appearance on the driving and ethereal “Whip,” while Øystein’s own voice appears for the first time in a state of languid background haze.

Soft as Snow create and record across Europe. Defiantly averse to genre, the pair become vessels for their “electronic music pushed to the brink of collapse” (The Wire), previously released by Infinite Machine and Houndstooth. Informed by backgrounds in film and performance art, “there’s a surrealism that comes with watching Soft as Snow in the flesh,” (Vice) as seen at L.E.V. and Lunchmeat Festivals. Collaborations with visual artist Guynoid, designer AGF Hydra, and sculptor Camilla Steinum add depth to the corporeality of their “strange, mesmerising and utterly unforgettable” electronic experimentations. (DJ Mag).

What if Japanese city pop met no wave? Neither in your wildest dream such occurrence could be real, but let’s make things clear. Frank Chickens could have been possibly forerunners for several famous alternative bands, Cibo Matto on top of all, but sure had a development on their own. Our history began in London, early eighties, art duo Frank Chickens is the original creation of Japanese performers Kazuko Hohki and Kazumi Taguchi. All of a sudden the band debuts with a pair of singles and a full length on Kaz Records, it’s 1984, but could have been easily 1994. Backed by the likes of Steve Beresford (Alterations, The Slits, General Strike, London Improvisers Orchestra), Annie Whitehead (Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Robert Wyatt), Lol Coxhill, Tony Coe and Clive Bell (the top of the cream of the English avantgarde) the band soon became a case in history. Now we have the pleasure – 37 years after its original release – to reissue their second album: Get Chickenized!

The record came out in 1987 on the british label Flying Lecords and showed a different side of the project, with a major focus on the so-called synth wave counterculture, still maintaining a certain avant feel. With original conspirator Steve Beresford still on board, the band was propelled in the studio by another key figure of the London underground: journalist, composer and producer David Toop. Being John Peel’s favorite for a while, the band built a cult following retaining some absurd live performances, well known for their idiosyncratic choreography. Later revamped in the year 2000 - thanks to cult label Ninja Tune – the band enjoyed a second wave of success, with a remix album featuring the likes of Pizzicato 5, Fink and Neotropic. With a cover embellished by the labor of Pere Ubu David Thomas, this second influential album is finally available for your listening pleasure. Here’s your chance to dive deep into this exotic pop extravaganza.

Son Goku is back to face a new threat that is descending upon Earth. Synopsis: Goku goes to train with Master Kaio, who informs him that a powerful enemy has awakened from a 39-year slumber: Beerus, God of Destruction. Beerus is searching for a warrior who appeared to him in a dream, the Super Saiyan God, whom he wishes to challenge. The vinyl includes numerous BGM from the Future Trunks and Universe Survival arcs. They range from dark to epic in a very orchestral style with the legendary Norihito Sumitomo composing (DBZ: Battle of Gods, the film, as well as video games like Gran Turismo). Some BGMs were created by Kazuya Yoshii and Takafumi Iwasaki, the latter having worked on musical projects for spin-offs of Digimon and Konosuba.

Wewantsounds is delighted to announce the reissue of Steve Beresford's highly sought-after album "Dancing the Line", released in France in 1985 on the French label nato. The album, taking its inspiration from French designer Anne Marie Beretta's fashion, features his Alterations acolyte David Toop plus Alan Hacker and Kazuko Hohki (Frank Chickens) with lyrics by Andrew Brenner. The music mixes sophisticated ambient pop powered by a RX11 drum machine with elements synth funk and experimental music. "Tendance" and "Comfortable Gestures" have become underground classics over the years and this is the first time the album is reissued, in partnership with nato who will release the CD version later this year. The reissue includes audio newly remastered by Translab in Paris, original gatefold artwork and a 4-page insert with liner notes by nato's Jean Rochard....

- For this brand new chapter in the highly acclaimed Wamono series, DJ Chintam goes digging into the vaults of one of the most revered Japanese labels, Trio Records, and unearths some killer drum breaks, dope bass lines and funky horns, for an essential selection of jazz funk fusion and rare groove vibes produced on Trio between 1973 and 1981!

- 180g heavy vinyl pressing, reverse board jacket.

- Fully licensed Trio Records masters.

- Mastering and lacquer cut by Jukka Sarapää at Timmion Cutting Lab, Helsinki, Finland.

- Signature artwork by Yoxxx.

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After many years working as a buyer for several record stores, DJ Chintam opened his own Blow Up shop in 2018 in Tokyo's Shibuya district. A member of the Dayjam Crew and a specialist of soul, funk, rare groove and disco music, Chintam is also an expert of the home-brewed Wamono grooves. He supervised and wrote the legendary Wamono A to Z records guide book together with DJ Yoshizawa Dynamite.

For this brand new chapter in the highly acclaimed Wamono series, our man Chintam goes digging into the vaults of one of the most revered Japanese labels: Trio Records. Established in 1969 by audio manufacturer Trio Electronics, now known as Kenwood, the label - and its subsidiaries such as Showboat and Trash - released high quality music spanning a large variety of genres including rock, jazz, fusion, soundtracks and popular songs, until its end in 1984. Through the eight tracks selected here, Chintam unearths some dope drum breaks, heavy bass lines and funky horns, for an essential selection of jazz funk fusion and rare groove vibes produced on Trio between 1973 and 1981.

Put the needle on the record, turn up the volume and dig right now into the Wamono sound - the cream of the Japanese jazz, funk, soul, rare groove and boogie music developed throughout the years since the sixties in Japan!

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180GWALP05 - Manufactured and distributed by 180g.

Bandai Namco Europe S.A.S. und Laced Records haben sich zusammengetan, um die Musik des brandneuen Teils des legendären 'TEKKEN 8'-Franchise auf Vinyl zu bringen.

Diese komplette OST-Box enthält 42 Tracks, die speziell für Vinyl gemastert wurden. Sie werden in einem Schuber aus festem Karton geliefert und sind in Spined Sleeves untergebracht. Das atemberaubende Cover-Artwork stammt von Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. und Illustrator Samuel Donato und zeigt Jin und Jun Kazama, Kazuya Mishima sowie die Neuzugänge Azucena, Victor Chevalier und Reina.

Das 'TEKKEN 8'-Musikteam hat für den Soundtrack einen Knaller nach dem anderen abgefeuert und dabei den für die Serie typischen Sound aus knallharter Dance-Musik und Electronica beibehalten. Viele der Komponisten sind langjährige Mitarbeiter der Serie, das gesamte Team besteht aus mifumei, Hiroshi Okubo, AJURIKA, Yoshihito Yano, Go Shiina, sanodg, Rio Hamamoto, Sho Okada, Yuu Miyake, Shogo Nomura, Ayako Saso, Mitsuhiro Kitadani, Shinji Hosoe, Yoshinori Hirai und Qing Yan.

Dank des soliden und einzigartigen Gameplays und der epischen Geschichte verkaufte sich die TEKKEN-Reihe über 57 Millionen Mal und ist damit die meistverkaufte 3D-Kampfspielserie aller Zeiten.

Kazuo Shiina, Hiroyuki Namba, Yoshihiro Naruse, Akira Inoue and other skilled musicians participated in Takako Mamiya's only album released in 1982,
a masterpiece representing 80's city pop, on clear sky blue vinyl. Limited re-release!

When Mano asked Gebrüder Teichmann to do a remix for Joãozinho Morgado, the King of Drums (O Rei dos Tambores) the two brothers couldn´t get more excited:
Starting from a love for dirty fast Kuduro beats those two pale potatoes, who spent years in dark Berlin basement underground clubs have been infected by energetic Angolan rhythms.
During their stays and musical collaborations in Luanda, they soon found Semba, Kazukuta, Kilapanga, Rumba and Merengue and all that fantastic musicians and music of the 60´s and 70´s golden age of Angolan music. Morgadinho was originally recorded at Gravisom studio in Lisbon, where Joãozinho Morgado orchestrated a groovy jam session with the Turma da Bênção project by Conjunto Angola 70 & Paulo Flores. Joãozinho was accompanied by Botto Trindade (Solo Guitar), Pirika Duia (Viola Ritmo), Mayo Bass (Viola Bass) and Galiano Neto (Percussion). The session was coordinated by Armando Gobliss.

We are happy to continue our series of Electric Bird reissues in collaboration with King Record with the a killer jazz-funk release, saxophonist Toshiyuki Honda's "Burnin' Waves", originally released in 1978. Son of jazz critic Toshiyuki Honda, the Japanese composer was a skillful flute and saxophone player, and in the 70's he worked with George Otsuka and the Burning Waves ensemble. In the 1980s he worked with Chick Corea, Tatsuya Takahashi, and Kazumi Watanabe, lead his own ensemble, Super Quartet as well as being a member of the ensemble Native Son. His 1978 debut album "Burnin' Waves" boasts with hectic saxophone explorations over funky bass and happy keyboards, making it one of the grooviest releases of the Electric Bird catalog, now available on vinyl again for the first time!

"The wash of flangers & shimmery reverb have been the foundation in Cali psych ever since the Byrds went electric. And while that sound might've dropped off occasionally, it never dropped out. The Velvets minimalist stylings were infused into the mix by The Dream Syndicate in the early 80's & thus a game changer was born. Clay Allison, Opal, Green On Red all took their charge from that current. Then the Shoegaze scene of the 90's looked at those bands as vectors, things got a little more drenched, so yet more seeds were sown into the fertile terroir. Cut to current climes & the bay area is teeming with the latest iterations: Children Maybe Later, Now, & Cindy easily come to mind. But curiously the band most steeped in the mohair constitution is April Magazine, who (thus far) have been content in the shadows. Up till now they've seemed like characters plucked out of a Kazuo Ishiguo novel-mysterious & ethereal-but perhaps this pressing of last year's cassette only release will flush them out. 'Wesley's Convertible Tape For The South' shows the band defly balancing all those that have come before them while also incorporating flourishes of Les Rallizes DeNudes, Hallelujahs & Nagisa Ni Te into the pageantry . So in a way, April Magazine is transforming the landscape yet again; denser, fuzzier, lush & wistfully challenging. 'Wesley's Convertible Tape For The South' is the band's 1st vinyl release stateside (an LP of older tracks was released last year via a UK only label) so no import tariffs! What were once whispers are now proclamations. Just because you don't know them doesn't mean you can't love them. So grab a copy & hug it out amongst yourselves." -- Tom Lax (Siltbreeze Records)

After a long period of silence from the Teenage Bad Girl project, Greg Kazubski and Guillaume Manbell had the strong desire to get together to create music together again.

If the first two albums, Cocotte (2007) and Backwash (2011), were entirely produced remotely by exchanging audio files, for this third opus, the French electro duo found themselves in the studio for several weeks. Greg and Guillaume wrote and composed together and side by side, the 13 titles of Separate. Each piece transcribes the spontaneity felt by the group during these sessions. There we find electronic sounds which give pride of place to disco funk, tinged with modernity and pop melodies flirting with the eighties.

Nippon Psychedelic Soul 1970-1979 is Time Capsule’s continuation of the deep dive into Japan’s rich history of folk and psychedelic soul music.

Vinyl LP with 4 page insert, original artwork and photos

The kaleidoscopic psychedelia of 1970s Japan captured a fragile and fertile moment as the country sought its future in funk grooves, heavy reverb and lyrical hallucinations.

The follow-up compilation to Time Capsule’s Nippon Acid Folk, Nippon Psychedelic Soul takes myriad pathways into the tripped-out undergrowth of 1970s Japan. Finding their feet at home and looking for inspiration abroad, the musicians featured here were engaged in the communal soul-searching that followed the breakdown of the 1960s protest movements. Some made it big, others drifted into oblivion. The music they left behind shimmers with intensity.

At the core was Happy End, the first project of YMO’s Haroumi Hosono, whose distortion-heavy guitar and crisp back-beat laid the foundations for Japanese lyrics that flipped the paradigm of Japanese rock music on its head. With it came a new found sonic ambition, such as in the bold Philly-soul style arrangements of producer Yuji Ohno, whose work with occult wandered Yoshiko Sai shares some of the bittersweet grandeur of Rotary Connection or David Axelrod.

Then there was Jun Fukamachi, a pioneer of Japanese synthesis, whose debut album was a carnival of orchestral funk, euphoric horn lines and rich production, complete with soaring guitar solos, psychedelic organ and a truly cinematic finale. The first and only time Fukamachi would sing on record, ‘Omae’ rips like the ultimate end-of-nighter.

Influenced by giants of the US soul scene, maverick composer Hiroshi “Monsieur” Kamayatsu (otherwise known as ‘the Brian Wilson of Japan’) went one step further, enlisting Tower of Power to play on ‘Have You Smoked Gauloises?’ The B-side to Monsieur’s biggest-selling single, it coasts with sophisticated cool - a liquid bassline and suave keys comping under a roaring trademark ToP sax solo. No surprise it found favour once more on the Acid Jazz dance floors of ‘90s London.

Such was the spirit of experimentation that big studio productions and private press releases sat side-by-side, with the likes of Momotaro Pink and Kazushi Inamura, taking their hopes of success into their own hands with the resources available to them. More reflective but no less robust, theirs was a heavy, fat-backed drum sound, soaked in dramatic, soulful psychedelia.

If some were dreamers and others space cadets, none were further out than sci-fi writer, musician, activist and self-made scientist Tadashi Goino, who transformed his own fantasy novel Messenger from the Seventh Dimension into an operatic prog odyssey with few discernible musical reference points – a majestic and completely bonkers outlier even among company as strange and brilliant as that which is collected here.

Less a compilation of a scene, as a compilation of a sentiment, Nippon Psychedelic Soul is a wild ride from start to finish, shattering the narratives of the Japanese folk and rock tradition into a million tiny pieces.

A counterculture movement united by an expansive, experimental and deeply soulful sensibility, Japan’s rebel protest music challenged the status quo and changed the country’s music industry in the process.
The birth of Japan’s nascent acid folk scene was rooted in the messy and invigorating political climate of the late 1960s. It is a story of Dadaists, communists, pharmacists and cult leaders, led by a young generation of upstart students, artists and dreamers hellbent on turning their world upside down.

Born on the campuses of Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka, and centred around newly formed independent label and left-wing stronghold URC, this uniquely Japanese form of folk expression provided an outlet for musicians who were tired of aping Western sounds and instead found ways to sing in Japanese and integrate traditional forms in new ways.

At the forefront of this movement was Yellow Magic Orchestra’s Haroumi Hosono, a polymath innovator whose band Happy End released the first Japanese language rock album, and whose influence would go on to be felt across Japanese music for decades. Alongside, and informed by the Kansai scene’s Takashi Nishioka and Happy End collaborator Ken Narita, they experimented with cadences and accents of the Japanese language to open the door for others to experiment with their own forms of psychedelic folk too.

Some, like Nishioka, were more inspired by Dadaism than drugs, while others, like Kazuhisa Okubo, would ultimately find work as a chemist, having founded two further folk groups that flirted with varying levels of success. Obstinately uncommercial, relentlessly creative, the music featured on Time Capsule’s Nippon Acid Folk represents a broad church of influences.

Perhaps the wildest addition to this congregation however was Hiroki Tamaki, a classically-trained violinist and committed iconoclast, whose synth-prog odysseys hinted at his obsession with the divine. Subsumed by the teachings of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, he penned an album in praise of the infamous religious leader of which two superbly mind-bending tracks are featured on this compilation.

Charting the decade from 1970 to 1980 as the dreams of political and spiritual liberation seeded in the ‘60s turned to dust, Nippon Acid Folk surveys a little explored corner of Japanese music history, but one which ultimately laid the foundations for an independent music industry, launching the careers of Hosono and others in the process.

Nippon Acid Folk 1970-1980 is pressed on 12” vinyl and represents the start of Time Capsule’s deep dive into Japan’s rich history of folk and psychedelic soul music.

We are thrilled to introduce the world to the innovative sounds of the Japanese improvisational music trio 'I-I'. Composed of three exceptionally talented musicians, Kazuhisa Uchihashi (guitar, daxophone, pedals), Mitsuhisa Sakaguchi (synthesizers, pedals) and Tatsuhisa Yamamoto (percussion). This dynamic ensemble has embarked on a remarkable musical journey with their homonymous debut album.
"There's no inspiration from others. We just played." With this raw and unfiltered approach to music, 'I-I' promises a unique listening experience. The album's overall sound and style can be described as completely improvised, devoid of any predetermined theme or content. Instead, the musicians rely on their deep understanding of each other's musicality to create spontaneous and captivating harmonies. This organic approach results in a tension-filled sound that challenges traditional norms.
In their own words, the musicians stated that there are no particular themes or messages they seek to convey through the songs. Their creative process is one of pure exploration, allowing their musical intuition to guide them.
'I-I' is the trio's debut album, marking the beginning of their musical journey as a collective.
Despite the complexities of spontaneous creation, the trio revealed that they faced no significant challenges during the album's production, making the creative process smooth and seamless."We hope you will listen to this album from the first track to the last track in order, as like 'Album-oriented music.' The trio hopes that listeners will fully immerse themselves in "I-I" by sitting down in front of their audio systems and playing it as loudly as possible. Their goal is to provide a unique and unforgettable musical experience that transcends traditional boundaries.
"I-I" is now available for listeners who crave the thrill of uncharted musical territory. Embrace the unexpected and embark on a sonic adventure with this groundbreaking debut album.

Trailblazing instrumental synth pop experiments created to soundtrack Japan’s booming 1980s cartoon and comic industries. The brightly futuristic instrumentals on this collection reflect the mindset of composers and musicians who believed in a technological future where everything was possible.

In the late 1980s Japan experienced a brief but heady period where societal changes combined with new-found wealth to open up a world of possibilities. A huge influx of cash - artificially created by slashed interest rates after an agreement with the US to weaken the dollar relative to the yen - resulted in the inflation of real estate and stock market at a rapid pace. While the economic bubble it created was unprecedented and impossible to sustain, for a while money was in plentiful supply.

The musical genre City Pop reflected the aspirations of the country’s booming leisure class. Video games flourished with Nintendo's 1983 launch of their Family Computer (or FamiCom). Studio Ghibli was founded 1985 to later became one of the most famous and respected animation studios in the world, and Anime and Manga were established as major forms of entertainment for all generations of the Japanese public.

Music was no mere footnote to the anime and manga boom: the two forms of media often went hand in hand, and not simply through the presence of background melodies. With generous budgets available, even two-dimensional static manga comics could be released with an accompanying soundtrack of original music known as an ‘Image Album’.

Composer and arranger Kazuhiko Izu was one such beneficiary of this open budget approach. Written to accompany artist Katsuhiro Otomo’s manga comic Domu, the composer and arranger took advantage of the world-leading (and wallet-busting) Japanese synthesiser technology available at King Records’ fully equipped studio. Featured on this compilation, A3: Act 2 Scene 26 reflected the story’s sci fi themes with a blazingly futuristic yet warmly funky slice of synth pop that presents a joyful celebration of synthesisers and their seemingly endless possibilities.

Kan Ogasawara was another composer who made early mastery of the litany of synthesisers, drum machines and sequencers that had become available. Two tracks written to accompany the 1985 period manga Yume No Ishibumi are featured here; Honowo’s experimental electronic textures add spice to a jaunty electro pop melody that recalls the Rah band’s 1983 hit Messages From Stars; the jazz-tinged Utage rounds out Ogasawara’s shimmering synth textures with beautifully crafted backing from legendary musicians Yuji Toriyama (guitar), Pecker (percussion) and Jun Fukamachi (piano).

Before becoming one of the pioneers of Japanese Kankyo Ongaku (Ambient Music), Takashi Kokubo worked on the proto techno track Kiki (Jungle At Night). It was put together for the 1984 anime film Shonen Keniya (Kenya Boy) using some of the most expensive music technologies available at the time. This Africa-Inspired dance track offers a contemporary parallel to the early techno music that young Detroit based producers were then creating using cheap Japanese Roland drum machines and synthesisers.

This is the first compilation of Japanese anime and manga soundtracks curated by Kay Suzuki and Rintaro Sekizuka from Vinyl Delivery Service (a Tokyo based online record shop which also operates in East London's renowned wine and hifi shop Idle Moments). With a cover by artist Kazuki Takakura and two pages of liner notes, this vinyl only compilation of music never before released outside of Japan, captures a vital aural snapshot of an era whose forward-thinking sounds went hand in hand with cutting edge technology.

With J Jazz volume 4, the BBE J Jazz Bullet Train continues its journey traversing the expansive landscape of modern Japanese jazz. Volume 4 is the latest in the universally praised compilation series exploring the best, rarest and most innovative jazz to emerge from the Far East. Please take your seats for a first-class ticket to J Jazz central. This latest station stop off is with the famed Nippon Columbia label, one of the biggest labels in Japan, whose jazz output embraces every possible style imaginable. Focussing on the key years 1968-1981, J Jazz volume 4 sees compilers Tony Higgins and Mike Peden dig even deeper into their record collections and pull-out tracks that span styles ranging from solo to big band, jazz classical interpretations and heavy jazz rock, to febrile post-bop, white hot samba fusion, and modal psychedelic wig-outs. J Jazz volume 4 features icons such as drum master Takeo Moriyama, keyboard magi Hiromasa Suzuki, Fumio Itabashi, and Masahiko Satoh, and guitar wizards Kazumi Watanabe and Kiyoshi Sugimoto, alongside big band maestros and innovators Nobuo Hara and his Sharps and Flats, and Toshiyuki Miyama’s New Herd. Thunderous basslines nestle alongside glistening runs of electric piano, bubbling synths and air-tight drumming as the heavy psychedelic modal blues of Jiro Inagaki flows with the infectious samba grooves of Takashi Mizuhashi featuring Herbie Hancock; Shigeharu Mukai’s fusion funk epics take the music to another level and Mikio Masuda’s driving keyboard rhythms brings the heat to an incendiary dancefloor zone.

The Land of the Snow is a project and a state of mind of Joel Gilardini (baritone guitars, electronics, and drums programming), backed up on drums by Jacopo Pierazzuoli (Obake, Morkobot, and Deneb) TLOTS is devoted to massive, metal-oriented soundscapes: a constantly evolving sludgy mix of doom and post metal (often seasoned with noise and dub elements), which often takes its inspiration from alpine landscapes and Tibetan traditions The new album "As Within, So Without" (2023, Subsound Records) is about what's inside us, how we interact with the outside, and vice versa. Everything we do and experience through our thoughts, our skin, and our actions, constantly infuence our inner selves and our surroundings. It's a constant exchange and confrontation that drives our lives and pushes us to widen our horizons with each step we take. "As Within, So Without" was conceived together with Jacopo Pierazzuoli (drums), Eraldo Bernocchi (mix and additional guitars), and Petulia Mattioli (artwork). Joel is an experimental guitarist and sound designer, based in Zurich (Switzerland). Beside TLOTS, he is also known for his ambient- drone works (released on labels like ZeroK, Unexplained Sounds Group and Endtitles) and is a member of the noise-industrial combos Mulo Muto (with Attila Folklor, CH) and Psychic Drones (with Kazuyuki Kishino, JP)

The Land of the Snow is a project and a state of mind of Joel Gilardini (baritone guitars, electronics, and drums programming), backed up on drums by Jacopo Pierazzuoli (Obake, Morkobot, and Deneb) TLOTS is devoted to massive, metal-oriented soundscapes: a constantly evolving sludgy mix of doom and post metal (often seasoned with noise and dub elements), which often takes its inspiration from alpine landscapes and Tibetan traditions The new album "As Within, So Without" (2023, Subsound Records) is about what's inside us, how we interact with the outside, and vice versa. Everything we do and experience through our thoughts, our skin, and our actions, constantly infuence our inner selves and our surroundings. It's a constant exchange and confrontation that drives our lives and pushes us to widen our horizons with each step we take. "As Within, So Without" was conceived together with Jacopo Pierazzuoli (drums), Eraldo Bernocchi (mix and additional guitars), and Petulia Mattioli (artwork). Joel is an experimental guitarist and sound designer, based in Zurich (Switzerland). Beside TLOTS, he is also known for his ambient- drone works (released on labels like ZeroK, Unexplained Sounds Group and Endtitles) and is a member of the noise-industrial combos Mulo Muto (with Attila Folklor, CH) and Psychic Drones (with Kazuyuki Kishino, JP)

The sound that swallows jazz rock, mode jazz, and free jazz is serious and profound.

A magnificent concept album that will remain in the history of Japanese jazz with the theme of global anti-war and peace

Hiromasa Suzuki, a rare pianist/composer/arranger who showed his skills in the groups of Terumasa Hino and Akira Ishikawa. Collaborating with Big Soul Media, led by Jiro Inagaki, one of the best jazz rock groups of our time, this work is unusual for a Japanese jazz work, and the concept is based on the theme of “global anti-war and peace.”

The sound that swallows jazz rock, mode jazz, and free jazz is serious and solid, but at the same time, it is full of overwhelming dynamism.

Suzuki’s ability to manage a big band and create a masterpiece sound is also splendid, and Big Soul Media, which listened to Suzuki’s intentions and responded to his request, is also splendid.

Both Suzuki and Inagaki’s activities in the jazz-rock era are at their peak, and this work is also important in that it captures the overlap.

text by Yusuke Ogawa (universounds/Deep Jazz Reality)

Composition/Arrangement/Conductor: Hiromasa Suzuki
Performed by Jiro Inagaki and Big Soul Media
Jiro Inagaki (S.Sax, T.Sax)
Shigeo Suzuki (A.Sax)
Tadayuki Harada (B.Sax)
Takehisa Suzuki (Trumpet)
Tetsuo Fushimi (Trumpet)
Takeshi Nomura (Trumpet)
Shigemichi Domoto (Trombone)
Tadataka Nakazawa (Trombone)
Kazuo Usui (Trombone)
Tsunehide Matsuki (Guitar)
Masaru Imada (Piano, Organ)
Hiromasa Suzuki (Piano, Organ)
Yasuo Arakawa (Bass) / Gen Ishimatsu (Drums)

Zwar ging das New Yorker Trio einst in den Indierock-Kindergarten und wurde gar von Sonic-Youth-Schlagzeuger Steve Shelley entdeckt, vom Noise der frühen Tage findet sich in seinen letzten Arbeiten aber herzlich wenig. Von Album zu Album entwickelte man sich beständig weiter. Nach dem melancholischen "Misery Is A Butterfly" überraschten sie beim 2007er-Longplayer "23" mit faszinierend-hypnotischen und höchst elektronischen Sounds. Auf ihrer mittlerweile dritten Veröffentlichung für das Label 4AD betören Kazu Mazino und die italienischstämmigen Zwillingsbrüder Amedeo und Simone Pace mit einer weiteren Soundvariante in ihrem opulenten Klangkosmos, welche die elektrisierende Atmosphäre ihrer Stücke auf den Punkt bringt. "Penny Sparkle" entstand 2009 mithilfe des Produzentenduos Van Rivers & The Subliminal Kid (Glasser, Fever Ray) in New York und Stockholm. Die wundersame Stimmung eines tiefen schwedischen Winters prägte das Album nachhaltig. "Penny Sparkle" ist schillernd, dunkel und schön.

2023 Reissue

After releasing Undefined, Kazufumi Kodama and Babe Roots, the 4th release from a Japanese experimental dub label newdubhall welcomes the ever-evolving pioneer of minimal dub and dub techno Deadbeat, a solo project of Scott Monteith hailing from Canada. Side A 'Things Fall Apart' will feature a beatless dub ambient which shares a perspective of free jazz and 'Adieu Chez Cherie,’ an absolute knockdown four on the floor dub techno on the flip side. Though simple, both sides are layered with complexity, let yourself experience the profundity of newdubhall with this masterpiece.

Japan has produced some exceptionally talented jazz drummers and among them is Tatsuya Nakamura, who joins the BBE Music J Jazz Masterclass Series with his album ‘Locus’ from 1984, a session covering several bases, from heavy percussive samba to meditative avant-ambient. This is the album’s first ever reissue, although a track from ‘Locus’, ‘¼ Samba’, was included on J Jazz vol. 3. Nakamura began his drumming career as a teenager, inspired after seeing the documentary film “Jazz on A Summer’s Day” and listening to his idols Art Blakey and Miles Davis. By his early twenties, Nakamura was working with such luminaries as free jazz guitarist Masayuki Takayanagi, pianist Masaru Imada and band leader & composer Mitsuaki Kanno. In the mid-70s, like several other Japanese jazz players, Nakamura decided to make the move to New York where he studied drumming with Roy Haynes, and performed with members of the AACM and players from the loft and free jazz scenes including Richard Davis, George Adams, John Hicks, and Pharaoh Sanders. Returning to Japan, Nakamura continued playing as leader of his Japanese band The Jazz Fellows and in 1979, he went into the studio as leader for the classic “Where Is The Quarter” session featuring Masaru Imada, Hideto Kanai and Kenji Mori. This session includes the original percussion heavy version of ‘¼ Samba’ and was followed by a period back in NYC during which he recorded the funky/free session ‘Rip Off’ in 1980. 1984 saw Nakamura working as leader of a heavy-duty fusion septet and in February of that year he led them in a performance at Audio Technica Hall. The album ‘Locus’ on Sea Horse Records is the label’s one and only release. On ‘Locus’, Nakamura is joined by a stellar line-up. On trumpet is Shinobu Fujimoto and he’s joined by seasoned bass player Hideto Kanai (1931 -2011) who began playing in the mid-1950s, appearing on King Recs All-Star Jazz Series before going on to be a regular fixture on the legendary Three Blind Mice (TBM) label, backing many of its leading artists. He even released his own album on TBM, ‘Ode to Birds’ in 1975. On guitar is Kazumasa Akiyama. Born in Tokyo in 1955, he taught himself guitar at 10 years old and was influenced initially by The Beatles and Ray Charles, and later Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Chicago Blues, and jazz. When he was a student, he got a chance to appear on Sadao Watanabe's radio program ‘My Dear Life’, which led him to join the Isao Suzuki Group and Mikio Masuda Group. Akiyama released his first leader album ‘Dig My Style’ in 1978 and is still an active musician. On keys is the incredible Jun Fukamachi (1946-2010). Born in Harajuku, Tokyo, Fukamachi started playing the piano at the age of three, showing an extraordinary talent, recognised as a child prodigy. He became a professional musician while still in school and released his first album ‘Portrait of a Young Man’ on Polydor in 1971.

The whispers of the underworld told us to give the music of Yakuza: Like a Dragon (Ryū ga Gotoku 7: Hikari to Yami no Yukue) the wax treatment, and so we’re honoured to present this Laced-exclusive Limited Edition vinyl. The complete soundtrack has been specially mastered and will be pressed to heavyweight vinyl.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon’s EDM and rock soundtrack threw up some mighty music moments: few boss battle themes go as hard as dubstep banger “War Maker” (aka “Cold-Blooded”) as your rag-tag team finally get to take on Mabuchi; or “Receive You The Hyperactive” kicking into gear as Majima flips down the stairs with Saejima in tow.

It took an entire family of talent to produce the OST, led by RGG Studio stalwarts Hidenori Shoji and Chihiro Aoki. Other contributors included, among others, Hyd Lunch (YasuyukiMatsuzaki& Hiroaki Watanabe), Yuri Fukuda, 83key (ShunsukeYasaki) and ZENTA; while karaoke songs were created by Shoji-san, Fukuda-san, Kiyo and ZENTA with lyrics by Ryosuke Horii and vocals by Kazuhiro Nakaya, Nobuhiko Okamoto and SumireUesaka (performing as Ichiban, Zhao and Saeko, respectively.)























u D1 Yume Mita Sugata E [ Full Spec Edition]
[v] D2 Akuma No Jigokunabe [ Full Spec Edition]
[w] D3 Harukaze [ Full Spec Edition]

The whispers of the underworld told us to give the music of Yakuza: Like a Dragon (Ryū ga Gotoku 7: Hikari to Yami no Yukue) the wax treatment, and so we’re honoured to present this Laced-exclusive Limited Edition vinyl. The complete soundtrack has been specially mastered and will be pressed to heavyweight vinyl.

Yakuza: Like a Dragon’s EDM and rock soundtrack threw up some mighty music moments: few boss battle themes go as hard as dubstep banger “War Maker” (aka “Cold-Blooded”) as your rag-tag team finally get to take on Mabuchi; or “Receive You The Hyperactive” kicking into gear as Majima flips down the stairs with Saejima in tow.

It took an entire family of talent to produce the OST, led by RGG Studio stalwarts Hidenori Shoji and Chihiro Aoki. Other contributors included, among others, Hyd Lunch (YasuyukiMatsuzaki& Hiroaki Watanabe), Yuri Fukuda, 83key (ShunsukeYasaki) and ZENTA; while karaoke songs were created by Shoji-san, Fukuda-san, Kiyo and ZENTA with lyrics by Ryosuke Horii and vocals by Kazuhiro Nakaya, Nobuhiko Okamoto and SumireUesaka (performing as Ichiban, Zhao and Saeko, respectively.)





















u D1 Yume Mita Sugata E Full Spec Edition
[v] D2 Akuma No Jigokunabe [ Full Spec Edition]
[w] D3 Harukaze [ Full Spec Edition]

Japan's guitar hero Takeshi Terauchi reworks traditional songs and lets everything go wild with his magnificent and frenzied guitar sound. Enter the electrifying world of Eleki!

Gatefold 180g heavy vinyl LP, reverse board print. Comes with extensive liner notes by Japanese pop culture writer Julien Seveon (Cinexploitation)

All tracks licensed by King Record Co., Ltd., Tokyo, Japan.

Mastering and lacquer cut by Jukka Sarapää at Timmion Cutting Lab, Helsinki, Finland.

Artwork by Nker

The aftermath of World War II gave rise to a global phenomenon that saw new generations of young people rise up determined to forge new paths from their elders – culturally, politically, and musically. Japan was no exception and the recent past made the local youth angrier, hungrier and even more determined to fully experience something different from their parents. The country caught on to the early rock & roll craze almost in tandem as it was happening in the States. Teenager Chiemi Eri singing "Rock Around The Clock" and Kazuya Kosaka with "Heartbreak Hotel" were among the first to make what would soon be called Rokabiri accessible to a large audience. Teacher and parent associations showed concern regarding this new music when teenagers started missing school to attend afternoon shows – one of which most notably being the Nichigeki Western Carnival where all the top names of Rokabiri played to sold out audiences. But by the end of the 1950s, the youth of Japan had moved on to something else entirely: Eleki.

The 50s and 60s were a time of rapid change that saw trends come and go. Japan, like all other industrial countries, saw its youth move from one musical sensation to the next. And in the early 60s, there was one band in particular that created a distinct new flavor: The Ventures. Leaving behind vocals and focusing strictly on the impact of the sound of the electric guitar, The Ventures drove kids crazy all over the world. Other bands followed, most notably The Shadows, but in Japan, no other instrumental rock band managed to leave such an impact. The sound of The Ventures helped boost guitar sales in Japan and soon hundreds of cover bands were popping up all over the country. The Eleki Bumu (electric boom) was now in full effect with Takeshi Terauchi emerging as its first and greatest guitar hero.

Terauchi was born January 1939 in the prefecture of Tochigi, north of Tokyo. His mother taught music and played the shamisen – a traditional Japanese stringed instrument – while his father ran, among other things, an electronics shop. Their respective professions were to be decisive in the path that Terauchi would later take. Serendipitously, at the age of five, Takeshi was given his first instrument – a guitar. His destiny sealed, he quickly began experimenting with different tools from his father's shop to give his instrument a stronger sound. The technological approach came from his father, the technique from his mother. Terauchi's signature playing style owes a lot to his mother's instrument of choice, as he attacks the notes on his guitar as one plucks the strings of a shamisen.

This exceptional compilation you are holding in your hands explores some of the best works by Takeshi Terauchi, recorded between 1966 and 1974, where the guitar hero looks inwards to Japan for inspiration. A meeting between traditional folk songs and the unique way Terauchi and his band play: the content is explosive, inspired, and highly addictive! The 60s and 70s were undoubtedly Terauchi's finest hours, and in the late 60s, one Japanese critic said that Terauchi was not only the best guitarist in Japan, but also in the world. You can now find out why.

Under the alias The Rodeo, French artist Dorothée has been curating her discography since 2010. An exercise in self-exploration that her fourth album, Arlequine, refines and reveals with the confidence of someone who has cast doubt aside. With these nine baroque, complex and catchy French pop tracks, the singer-songwriter reveals her many faces. Truly multi-faceted, she is as much a performer on stage as she is an artist in real life. She toys with appearances instead of falling victim to them. Backed by a group of loyal virtuoso musicians, Arlequine marries melancholy and melodic clarity, anger and orchestral density, loss and pop idealism, in ambivalent songs with powerful choruses that paint a portrait of "a battle-hardened woman with a smile (...), a woman warrior with makeup" ("Arlequine"): resilient, resolute, reborn. The Rodeo has played all over the world (Europe, USA, Canada, Brazil, South Korea, Taïwan) and shared the stage with many artists (Salif Keita, Stereophonics, Villagers, Nada Surf, The Do, Kazu...). She"s involved in the European program Keychange for increased parity in the music industry.

Nosaj Thing meldet sich mit seinem fünften Album 'Continua' samt hochkarätigem Ensemble zurück. Nach privaten Schicksalsschlägen in den letzten 5 Jahren schaut Jason W. Chung mit gleichgesinnten Künstlern aus Hip-Hop, Jazz, Soul und Avantgarde (u.a. HYUKOH, Toro y Moi, Kazu Makino (Blonde Redhead), serpentwithfeet, Malone und Panda Bear) nach vorne und legt eine Platte vor, die ermutigt, weiterzugehen. Nosaj Things Expertise in der Erzeugung einzigartiger, stimmungsgvoller Klanglandschaften führte ihn quer durch seine Heimatstadt L.A.: von Noise/Punk-Shows im DIY-Treffpunkt The Smell über DJ-Sets im Low End Theory bis zu Gigs mit Toro y Moi, The xx und The Weeknd. Seine 16-jährige Diskografie macht ihn zu einem Kultkünstler, der mit dem neuen Album nun alle Erwartungen an ihn als Komponist, Produzent und Arrangeur übertrifft.

Nosaj Thing meldet sich mit seinem fünften Album 'Continua' samt hochkarätigem Ensemble zurück. Nach privaten Schicksalsschlägen in den letzten 5 Jahren schaut Jason W. Chung mit gleichgesinnten Künstlern aus Hip-Hop, Jazz, Soul und Avantgarde (u.a. HYUKOH, Toro y Moi, Kazu Makino (Blonde Redhead), serpentwithfeet, Malone und Panda Bear) nach vorne und legt eine Platte vor, die ermutigt, weiterzugehen. Nosaj Things Expertise in der Erzeugung einzigartiger, stimmungsgvoller Klanglandschaften führte ihn quer durch seine Heimatstadt L.A.: von Noise/Punk-Shows im DIY-Treffpunkt The Smell über DJ-Sets im Low End Theory bis zu Gigs mit Toro y Moi, The xx und The Weeknd. Seine 16-jährige Diskografie macht ihn zu einem Kultkünstler, der mit dem neuen Album nun alle Erwartungen an ihn als Komponist, Produzent und Arrangeur übertrifft.

Directed by Isao Takahata, "Grave of the Fireflies" is now available in the analog edition

series of the popular "Studio Ghibli" works! !

The image album collection and soundtrack collection of the movie "Grave of the Fireflies

released in 1988 have been remastered with the latest remastering.

A precious analog board with a complete reprint of the gorgeous liner included.



Grave of Fireflies Image Album Collection (original LP release date 1987.11.25)

All 10 songs

Music: Michio Mamiya, Masahiko Sato, Kazuo Kikkawa

An album inspired by the thoughts of three musicians,

Yoshio Mamiya, Masahiko Sato, and Kazuo Yoshikawa,

about "war", and the story of the main characters' young siblings, Seita and Setsuko.

*Saddle-stitched 12-page liner notes

(music/round-table talks by directorTakahata and three composers) included.

Following the long-awaited Paradise Of Delusion LP from 2021, An’archives announces Lunatic Pearl, a 10” EP by Japanese psych-pop legends Shizuka. As with the material on Paradise, 狂気の真珠 Lunatic Pearl draws from the deep well of music the quartet recorded in 2001, this time from two studio sessions. Here, though, the group’s classic line-up of Shizuka, Maki Miura, Jun Kosugi and Seven is augmented – on the a-side, they’re joined by Yasushi Nagata on guitar; flip the record, and Kazuhide Yamaji chimes in on acoustic guitar and bass.

Both Nagata and Yamaji were members of long-running Tokyo psych-out gang Dip (also known as dip the flag); Yamaji eventually joined Shizuka for a time, appearing with them on the 2010 DVD, Owari No Nai Yume, released by PSF. Part of Lunatic Pearl finds Shizuka in Paisley Underground mode, the spaced-out acoustic mantras of “Shiroi Inochi” and the instrumental “The Street The Fairy Goes” surprisingly reminiscent of the smeared, slow-motion psychedelics of Opal’s early EPs. The latter, a weightless blur, hovers in the air on dreamy drifts of DX-7, drifting melodies landing on the track like an astral traveller, lost and delirious.

“Lunatic Pearl” itself is a monster, one of Shizuka’s most rock-reverent moments, its bold riff soaring over a rhythm section that thuds menacingly, as though they’re the kings of the rumbling spires. “Signs”, another track from the Studio EUN session, features some gloriously unhinged playing from Miura, as though he’s tearing the song’s seams apart, as the group push Shizuka’s simple, perfect song into the stratosphere. Brief yet perfectly formed, Lunatic Pearl is another gorgeous entry in the Shizuka discography.