Music from Japan

Double LP edition. A classic from Haruomi Hosono’s late ’80s and ’90s abstract electronica period, Medicine Compilation From The Quiet Lodge is a sublimely inviting ambient album with touches of acid house, downtempo pop, and ethereal trip-hop. Standout “Laughter Meditation” opens up the album with gorgeous zither and kalimba from Laraaji, a peaceful 4-to-the-floor beat, and spoken word. Medicine Compilation from the Quiet Lodge features ultimate ambient music that invites listeners to another w…

Another favorite from the Haromi Hosono canon. This was the score for the first animated adaptation of The Tale of Genji, a sprawling piece of 11th century literature written by noblewoman Shikibu Murasaki, considered by many to be the first modern novel in recorded history. (Isao Tomita later write his own symphonic adaptation of the story.) The anime was directed by Gisaburō Sugii, and while it only covers a small part of the epic storyline, the score is highly ambitious. Unlike much of Hosono…

*75 copies limited edition* Fumitake Tamura (Leaving Records) and Jason Kolàr (Dauw, Stroom) return to Dauw with 'Suki-Ma', a cassette only mixtape including music from the same sessions that led to their debut 'Ōki-sa' which was released last year. According to the artists, 'Suki-Ma' is conceived as a mixtape rather than a new album. A draft rather than a new step. The album is out on January 21 and available on limited edition cassette.  隙間 (Suki-Ma) refers to the space or gap between objects,…

This was his first studio album in four years since his last album, "Endless Talking", and the first release since moving to Epic/Sony Records. This work was the result of sessions and collaborations with Arabian musicians, with an inclination towards the 'world music' that was gaining attention at the time. Deployed often in pop culture as punchline, Hosono takes such sight-seeing and transforms it into a metaphor for sample-heavy electronic music, drawing from various cultures and weaving them…

We Release Jazz announce the official reissue of Ryo Fukui's New York sessions with Lisle Atkinson and Leroy Williams, the aptly titled album Ryo Fukui in New York, sourced from the original masters. Recorded in February 1999 at Avatar Recording Studios in New York and inspired by Ryo Fukui's idol and mentor Barry Harris, the fourth album from the famed Sapporo pianist captures memorable sessions with seasoned American jazz musicians (and frequent Barry Harris collaborators) Lisle Arthur Atkinso…

We Release Jazz (WRWTFWW Records' new sister-label) presents its first release, the official reissue of Ryo Fukui's highly sought-after masterpiece Scenery, originally released in 1976. Unquestionably one of the most important Japanese jazz albums ever recorded, Scenery reveals Ryo Fukui as a miraculously brilliant self-taught pianist fusing modal, bop, and cool jazz influences for a very personal, dexterous, and game-changing take on classic standards made famous by Bing Crosby and John Coltran…

We Release Jazz (WRWTFWW Records' new sister-label) present the official reissue of criminally overlooked Japanese jazz gem Mellow Dream by Hokkaido pianist wunderkind Ryo Fukui, originally released in 1977. Released in conjunction with the its legendary predecessor 1976's Scenery (WRJ 001CD/LP/LTD-LP). Firmly standing on the foundation he laid down with Scenery, Ryo Fukui continues his exploration of modal, bop, and cool jazz sounds with meticulous grace and absolute mastery. As its title sugge…

CD version. We Release Jazz announce the official reissue of Ryo Fukui's final album, the very personal contemporary jazz offering, A Letter from Slowboat, sourced from the original masters. Known for his miraculous albums 1976's Scenery (WRJ 001CD/LP) and 1977's Mellow Dream (WRJ 002CD/LP), legendary Hokkaido pianist Ryo Fukui, with the help of his wife Yasuko, opened his very own jazz club in Sapporo in 1995, Slowboat. This is where Ryo Fukui spent the latter half of his career, playing again …

The title, Gaiaphilia, is a newly created word to encompass our love and respect for nature and life, this feeling is the theme we hoped to express.

More Japanese lysergic madness ! The 1972  soundtrack for Shuji Terayama's visionary movie of the same name contains all the elements necessary to reach composer & theatre producer J.A. Caesar's intended pleasure-centers. Disturbing, but in the end truly innovative, this soundtrack is as certified gateway to the underworld in the vein of classic by Faust, Cosmic Jokers or early Amon Düül. "This mighty soundtrack for Shuji Terayama's nihilistic movie of the same name contains all the elements nec…

We are excited to announce the eagerly awaited reissue of Merzbow's seminal album 'Mercurated' on double vinyl, originally released on CD in 1996 by Alchemy Records. This milestone in the noise genre captures the essence of Masami Akita's innovative approach to sound, an exploration of the boundaries of auditory experience that continues to resonate with artists and listeners alike. The new vinyl edition features a remaster by James Plotkin, whose expertise breathes new life into the album, reve…

*50 copies limited edition* Tip! Rudolf Eb.er plays "The Mare" Live at Bar Om Kult, Osaka 2024. Line recording, no layering, no editing. "The Mare" was performed 2024 in Osaka, Shanghai, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand. Pro-duplicated C-30. 3-panel J-Card, both-side printed on 165g/m2 paper. Printed labels. Transparent cassette shell and case.

*2024 much needed repress!!* Victory present a reissue of Haruomi Hosono, Takahiko Ishikawa, and Masataka Matsutoya's The Aegean Sea originally released in 1979. The album is somewhat of a companion piece to the previous year's Pacific (V 25AH426). A beautiful piece of Japanese smooth fusion-jazz with elements of traditional Greek music and Balearic grooves, it's one of Hosono's cleanest and most focused works to date. Long sought-after by collectors, this record is nearly impossible to find in …

Massive free-from psych from the Japanese cult band, three long tracks almost approaching 55 minutes in pure controlled chaos ! Formed by band leader Mizutani Takashi, their music remained remarkably familiar over the years, and is best described as high volume, raw lo-fi repetitive feedback-drenched guitar noise fests with nods in the direction of the Velvet Underground and Blues Creation.

Huge Tip! 200 copies. Sulphuric Sonics is Rudolf Eb.er’s new studio album. "The girl's voice on this one was recorded in the backyard of a shinto shrine in the outskirts of Tokyo. I didn't touch those recordings for over ten years. I was too spooked. The girl was maybe 12 to 15 years old and seemingly possessed. It couldn't have been her voice. Her parents (who probably took her to the shrine in hope for relief) did shield her from onlookers. Even my recording equipment failed. I restored some v…

*150 copies limited edition* Ferns is proud to present the new release on the label : Kiyoshi Mizutani Actual Infinity​/​2 Variations CD. Reissue of a cassette released on Kiyoshi's label, Ulcer House, in 1990 with artwork different from the original.

We are pleased to reissue the masterpiece cassette of the early Acid Mothers Temple, which is an exquisite mix of psychedelic and noise that creates an unidentifiable sound. The reason for the mysteriousness of the sound is the editing that forms the composition and development of the sound in a way that would normally be unthinkable, and will reaffirm the uniqueness of Acid Mothers Temple.

Bassist-composer Joe Fonda’s Eyes on the Horizon is a gift—a gift from a former student to his master teacher, Wadada Leo Smith. It is the best possible gift a mentor can receive—it doesn’t imitate Wadada’s own work, it’s entirely in Joe’s voice. Featuring Wadada Leo Smith himself, pianist Satoko Fujii, and drummer Tiziano Tononi, it is a gift given by a mature artist out of respect to another whose example of  artistic integrity, perseverance, and ongoing creativity continues to inspire him to …

Merzbow’s Batztoutai with Memorial Gadgets finally restored in its original 1985 form. A sprawling 3LP of raw tape collage, political subtext, and proto-noise abstraction—essential listening from the dawn of Japanoise.

A pivotal reissue of K2's seminal 1984 cassette "Herzmuskelgewebe," capturing Kimihide Kusafuka's earliest experimental noise explorations. This long-awaited vinyl edition preserves a raw, formative document from Japanese noise history, showcasing the K2's initial sonic dissections during his crucial first creative phase.