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Out of stockThe legendary Ryuichi Sakamoto has been quiet since his 2017 album async, spending most of his time composing film scores, though earlier this year he dropped a bombshell; he’s suffering from stage 4 cancer He’s battled throat cancer since 2014 and rectal cancer since 2021, but few were privy to how much his condition had...
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Out of stockReissue, originally released in 1993 White Heaven's second album, Strange Bedfellow, is one of the great unsung albums of the '90s Japanese underground Released two years after their striking debut, Out, the album reveals the group shifting to a more dynamic and finely honed sound You Ishihara's songwriting and arrangements take...
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‘’Zouroku no Kibyo is the first album by Hijokaidan, released in April 1982 It is a compilation of live recordings from 1981, when the extreme performances of Hijokaidan first attracted attention, and is a record of the chaotic inner energy of young people in their early 20s, influenced by rock, jazz, contemporary music, and...
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Incapacitants are the best noise band to ever come out of Japan; the group was formed in 1981 in Osaka, as the solo project of Toshiji Mikawa, a member of the amazing noise group Hijokaidan Mikawa later moved to Tokyo, where he joined with Fumio Kosakai (also an occasional member of Hijokaidan, as well as a former member of CCCC)...
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Out of stockOn their fourth album BGM, YMO continued where they left off with X∞ Multiplies, by venturing further into synthesizers, drum computers and experimentation with rhythm, sequences and speeds This album is more focused on atmosphere and mood, some even say this album is a turning point for YMO and the international Pop music...
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Wewantsounds announce a special edition of the legendary 1979 Masahiko Togashi album Song of Soil, recorded in Paris with Don Cherry and Charlie Haden and released on Japanese label Paddle Wheel Supervised by Parisian producer Martin Meissonnier -- then Don Cherry's right-hand man -- Song of Soil reaches heights of spirituality...
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Out of stockReissue 1972 debut album by cultish Japanese combo This unbelievable psychedelic/progressive rock band came together the same year after Shigeru Narumo and Hiro Tsunoda shelved their project Strawberry Path (they had a sole album release in 1971 and eventually a 7") Their sound is pure adrenaline, a stormy, hard blues kinda thing,...
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Out of stockFinally this ghost gem left by Jiro Inagaki's Soul Media has been repressed on vinyl for the first time thanks to Cinedelic Records 'Woodstock Generation' is a masterpiece of Japanese jazz/rock funk/soul that for some it even considered better then the acclaimed 'Head Rock' in terms of perfection; surely there are many points in...
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Out of stockSince 2018, BBE Music has been leading the field in reissuing rare modern jazz from Japan’s golden period spanning the late 60s to the early 80s The J Jazz Masterclass Series continues to present the finest in Japanese jazz with 'Planets' by Masaru Imada Trio + 1 Originally released in 1977 as a private press album, 'Planets'...
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First released in 1976, “Shakuhachi Mountain Poetry” is one of a two part album collaboration between Shakuhachi master, Kifu Mitsuhashi and jazz musician, Kiyoshi Yamaya Together, the two artists blended their individual musical disciplines to compose an album that beautifully captures the spirit of both traditional...
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Kifu Mitsuhashi studied with Soufu Sasaki of the Kinko-style shakuhachi in 1968 He became a member of Pro Musica Nipponia and participated in many concerts both in Japan and overseas after completing the NHK Hougaku Training Program in 1972 Mitsuhashi studied with Chikugai Okamoto of the shakuhachi fukesyu meian souryuukai in...
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Out of stockThe first analog reissue of PIPER’s 5th album “LOVERS LOGIC” released in 1985 has been decided! The 5th album “LOVERS LOGIC” released by MOON RECORDS in 1985 by PIPER, led by guitarist Keisuke Yamamoto, who worked as a backup for Kazuto Murata, will be reissued for the first...
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FLATT THE LAIDBACK’s latest reissue project EXHUME EXHUME! Debbie’s Ally was formed in the 1980s by Okinawan singer, “Debbie”, who was formerly a member of funk-soul band, Jap’s Gap’s “Yoake no DREAMING” is the only album ever released by Debbie’s Ally Since its release, the album has been considered a...
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Out of stockKyohei Tsutsumi, a composer and arranger representing the Japanese music world, led the masked disco unit KYOHEI TSUTSUMI AND HIS 585 BAND in 1976, making full use of the best technology for audio fans [Toshiba PRO-USE series] This rare and legendary album is now being reprinted for the first time! “Hit Machine” is a...
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“Grave of the Fireflies”, directed by Isao Takahata in 1988, is now available as a part of the analog edition series of popular Studio Ghibli works! Both the image album collection and soundtrack collection of the movie “Grave of the Fireflies” have been remastered with the latest technology Included with the album...
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Out of stockA highly coveted record! A reissue of instructional records by talented studio musicians! Super Percussion Vol1 is the only solo album released by Tatsuo Hayashi, who played drums for Tin Pan Alley and Caramel Mama This album, which has historically been famous as a drum break album by Japanese DJs, has an A-side that extracts...
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Out of stockJapan’s leading big band, Sharps & Flats, created a unique work featuring 22-year-old up-and-coming pianist, Takehiko Honda The sound of an electric piano rolling comfortably over the powerful big band sound is absolutely incredible! In addition this record features covers of some of the the latest rock hits at the time,...
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Out of stockYokobue player Michiko Akao’s 1983 publication “Yokobue: Michiko Akao’s World”, which was also published in the “New Age Music Disc Guide” (published by DU BOOKS), is reproduced for the first time! A new age work that greatly transcends the realm of pure Japanese music, created with Shigeaki Saegusa as the composer...
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The 2nd album “Ame agari no Machi”, which was released in 1973 by Tomio Terada, a rare melody maker who made his major debut as the first Japanese artist on the MGM label in 1972, has been highly acclaimed as a masterpiece of cafe rock The first LP reprint! A masterpiece of Japanese folky and mellow groove that combines the...
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Kyouko Furuya began her career as a piano student in Tokyo’s Kunitachi College of Music Debuting in a duo dubbed Virgo with future actress Yumi Mizusawa, they quietly became a popular thing in the acoustic Tokyo folk scene With time, though, Kyouko Furuya pursued other opportunities First released off of the Japanese...
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Twin Cosmos is not only the name of the musical output of fraternal twins Morihito & Yasuhito Ito, but more philosophically, an album that encapsulates, “the universe of twins” The pair were born 1953 in Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture A port city 50 kilometres west of Nagoya, famous for its chemical plants Despite their...
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Out of stockEver since he made his first trip to Japan to DJ, Optimo Music founder JD Twitch has been bewitched by Japanese music, and particularly the vibrant, imaginative, and often far-sighted sounds which emerged from the island nation during the 1980s Now he’s put years of digging in Japanese record shops to good use on Polyphonic...
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2022 repress "Eiko Ishibashi's sixth solo album, The Dream My Bones Dream, rides the rails into a partly envisioned, partly imagined past Eiko's previous songs-with-singing records explored the ambitions and intoxications of pop music -- but never so dramatically as with The Dream My Bones Dream Here, her songs open up into...
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Out of stockA private press rarity that few know of, ‘Song of Island’ was the third album from pianist Yasuhiro Kohno’s trio, recorded live at the jazz club and live house (gig venue) ‘Again’ in August 1985 Pressed up in small numbers, ‘Song for Island’ was issued on the private ASCAP Records, set up by pianist and band leader...
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In a generation of musicians that came of age in postwar Japan, Kazuki Tomokawa stands as a pioneer of radical individualism—forging a sound and sensibility marked by shocking intimacy and blistering honesty In his third album, A String of Paper Cranes Clenched between My Teeth, released by Harvest Records in 1977, Tomokawa...
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Out of stockThe Body Is A Message Of The Universe, originally created and released in a small edition in Japan back in 1987 by Shiho Yabuki "The Body Is A Message Of The Universe features floating shimmering synthesizer textures It's unique and extra ordinarily serene with shifting tone colours and spatial textures bringing the listener to...
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NYC’s amazing Blank Forms Editions give a gripping introduction to Kazuki Tomokawa’s avant-folk vitality, documenting the early years of the “screaming philosopher” via his first three albums, all collected and reissued internationally for the first time - think Nick Drake meets Keiji Haino "At the tender age of...
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NYC’s amazing Blank Forms Editions give a gripping introduction to Kazuki Tomokawa’s avant-folk vitality, documenting the early years of the “screaming philosopher” via his first three albums, all collected and reissued internationally for the first time - think Nick Drake meets Keiji Haino "In the 1970s, Kazuki...
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Reissue, originally released in 1986 A dreamlike dispatch from mid-80s Japan, the first and only Hallelujahs album is an entrancing and gentle work of psychedelic pop brilliance In a series of informal studio sessions between 1985 and 1986, Shinji Shibayama (Nagisa Ni Te) gathered a group of friends, emerging luminaries from the...
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50 years ago, Hokkaido-born singer-songwriter Morio Agata released his debut single, Sekishoku Ereji (Red Elegy), an emotive, shuffling piano ballad that (shockingly) sold half a million copies in Japan While he would never have another Top-40 hit, Agata would spend the next half century issuing a series of idiosyncratic,...
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Out of stockAkira Miyazawa, a tenor saxophonist, is one of the musicians who laid the foundation for the Japanese jazz scene “We are Japanese, so I think we have to make someone who can only be Japanese,” said Miyazawa, who said “For Units,” “Iwana,” and “Kiso” from 1969 to 1970 He will release works that pursue the...
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Out of stockKeitaro Miho, a pianist/composer/arranger who has influenced not only jazz but also the Japanese music world He also worked as a film director, actor, racing driver, writer, and commentator, and became popular as a versatile cultural figure Since the latter half of the 1960s, when jazz has diversified, many works have been...
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Samurai Champloo Music Record: Playlist is a soundtrack album created by Tsutchie, originally released on September 22, 2004, for the anime series Samurai Champloo It is the third of four soundtrack albums released for the show The music of the Samurai Champloo anime series was created by a group of producers: Japanese hip-hop...
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Samurai Champloo Music Record: Masta is a soundtrack album created by Force Of Nature and Tsutchie originally released on June 23, 2004 It is the first of four soundtrack albums released for the show The music of the Samurai Champloo anime series was created by a group of producers: Japanese hip-hop producer Tsutchie of the rap...
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Out of stockSamurai Champloo Music Record: Impression is the fourth soundtrack album in the series of the anime show Samurai Champloo It contains tracks by Nujabes, Force of Nature, Fat Jon and MINMI The lyrics on “Hiji Zuru Style” are written and performed by S-Word and Suiken The lyrics on “Who’s Theme” are written and...
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Out of stockSamurai Champloo Music Record: Departure is a soundtrack album, originally released on June 23, 2004 It is the second of four soundtrack albums released for the show The album was produced by Japanese DJ / producer Nujabes, and American MC/producer Fat Jon, and featured Japanese rapper Shing02 and Japanese singer-songwriter...
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Available from Blank Forms for the first time since its original 1980 release on ALM-Uranoia, New Sense of Hearing documents a collaboration between Takehisa Kosugi and Akio Suzuki, two luminaries of Japanese experimental music in the lineage of Fluxus Blank Forms’s high-quality reissue of the sought-after, long out of print LP,...
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Out of stockThe music Coltrane, Tyner and others did back in their prime made a sizable ripple in jazz Many went on to emulate their style well after the originators either died or moved on For the most part I find these emulator (or keepers of the flame, to be more polite) to be either alright or great Kohsuke Mine Quintet is one of those...
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Out of stockThe only work of the progressive rock band Strawberry Path by the legendary Japanese rock world, Shigeru Narumi (g, key, b) and former food brain Hiro Tsunoda (vo, ds) “The day when he came to the earth” is officially decided to reprint the LP for the first time in a long time! As a hard, bluesy and funky full-scale rock...
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Out of stockThe new wave jazz album left in 1987 is the first analog reprintBased on the sound produced by Masanori Sasaji (ex Maria), the left field-avant jazz work (‘87) that was imbued is the first reissue that reproduces the artwork of that time as much as possible! Starting with the mysterious opening “Door” reminiscent of...
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The popular Japanese AOR / City Pop is the first reissue following the 1st album! Two years after the debut work “MOONLIGHT SINGING” in which Tatsuro Yamashita and Hiroshi Sato participated, the 2nd album, which further developed the AOR line, is an analog reprint From the cool and solid city pop “MIDNIGHT STATION...
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The respected Japanese jazz drummer Akira Ishikawa was not messing around when he recorded the 'Uganda (Dawn of Rock)' album with his band the Count Buffaloes For this offering, originally released in 1972 on Toshiba Records, Akira Ishikawa takes us on a deep tripped-out journey 'Uganda (Dawn of Rock)' is a fusion of progressive...
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Out of stockOperating out of a small upstairs space just around the corner from the train station in the Kichijoji neighborhood of Tokyo, OZ was a scruffy, DIY affair that lasted not much more than a year Between June 1972 to September 1973, the cafe and performance space became the nerve center for the city’s burgeoning underground and...
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Future Shock present a reissue of Hiroshi Suzuki/Masahiko Togashi Quintet's Variation, originally released in 1969 Essential jazz album among the influences of the future-jazz quartet Sleep Walker by trombonist Hiroshi Suzuki Variation is a joint project including the legendary jazz drummer Masahiko Togashi featuring pianist Yuji...
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An'archives are thrilled to announce the release of 'Ricshari,' the first LP from Japanese free improvising duo Mai Mao Consisting of Shizuo Uchida of Hasegawa-Shizuo, Albedo Gravitas, Archeus, Kito Muzukumi Rouber, Terror Shit, UH, etc on bass, and Kyosuke Terada, of HUH (who have their own release due on An'archives soon),...