Music from Japan

**2006 release, long out of print, very few copies available** One of the rarest albums ever from the mighty Masahiko Satoh, a composer and arranger,as well as a key figure in the avantgarde music from Japan. Originally issued on Japan Columbia in 1970, the two sides of very free piano show a sensitivity that's really amazing – still moments of freedom that reflect Satoh's connection to the avant garde of the time, interwoven with his own sense of cosmic creation, in ways that are similar to his…

Wooden black box comes with LP, CD digipack and two cassettes plus postcard, insert, business card and sheet with notes in Japanese by Tamotsu Mochida, in 199 copies. Controlled Death is a new project by the Japanese noise legend Maso Yamazaki a.k.a. Masonna. In April 2018 he decided to make a shudder debut with 1st album "Symphony For The Black Murder" . In this LP, Maso Yamazaki tried to commit to the dark side of psychedelia deepest in his own projects history and surprised the fans, but as s…

Deluxe edition, 199 copies w/insert. Finally available again, is the MSBR (Molten Salt Breeder Reactor), a.k.a. Koji Tano, debut album! Msbr was one of the most respected noise artists to arise from Japan's exciting noise/experimental music scene of the 1990's. Much of his material was self-released on his own label, the astounding MSBR Records, which was dedicated to the production of limited edition releases wi…

Limited edition pressing of 300 copies * Includes text insert by Akio Suzuki. Originally recorded in 1984, “Jumping and Standing” consists of a live performance at Musashino Art University by pioneering Japanese sound artist Akio Suzuki, accompanied by five toy rabbits. This long-awaited release epitomizes Suzuki’s approach to performance, imbued with a characteristic sense of humor and an organic interplay with his audiences, as evinced by uproarious laughter heard on the opening track. Now som…

**Limited Edition 5 x CD box**Operating outside the limelight in the underground, Will Long has produced prolifically across genres, monikers, and countries since 2006. Predating his minimal house contributions under his given name to DJ Sprinkles’ Comatonse label and Smalltown Supersound, Long has put forth over a hundred collections of ambient compositions in stream of consciousness fashion under the name Celer. A native to America, Long has been based in Tokyo since 2011, where he has continu…

Room40 release Akio Suzuki and Aki Onda's Ke I Te Ki. "Akio Suzuki and I have been performing together frequently for the last five years; we have a tendency to perceive sound as space, or to always consider sound in relation to space. We don't usually hear sound sources as they actually are, since they are always modified by a space's acoustics and its reflections, absorptions, and attenuation. Sound is affected by the conditions and characteristics of a particular setting. We respond to the ex…

Re-Verbed (No-Input Mixing Board 9) is the latest edition from Tokyo-based artist Toshimaru Nakamura. The "No-Input Mixing Board" is a unique instrument pioneered by Nakamura. As its name suggests, it is a mixing console within which external no input exists. The instrument is fueled only by its own feedback. Initially used by Nakamura as a more tonal instrument, creating incredibly high frequency outputs, over time the mixing board has become decidedly more rhythmic and harmonic. It is this son…

Trost have unearthed another gem from the Japanese jazz maestro Akira Sakata, together with Bill Laswell, Hamid Drake, and Pete Cosey. Fisherman's.com was released originally on CD, Japan-only, by Starlets Records in 2001. This release marks its first time on vinyl and available worldwide. Fisherman's.com is Sakata's ode to folksongs of the sea -- an intense personal statement on the fluidity of tradition. Personnel: Akira Sakata - alto saxophone, vocals, synth; Bill Laswell - bass, synth; Hamid…

New "regular edition" on 140 gram vinyl. 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…

New "regular edition" on 140 gram vinyl. 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 ma…

** Edition of 199 copies. Deluxe silver silkscreen on black cardboard. Reissued for the first time in vinyl, the record has been pressed on 140 gr black vinyl with black label and black inner sleeve ** 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, a bank employee, later moved to Tokyo, where he joined with government office worker  Fumio Kosakai…

** Edition limited to 105 hand numbered copies w/insert in black ink on black paper. Lp has been pressed on 140 gr black vinyl with black label and black inner sleeve and comes in black polyurethane sheet with laser engraving and black silk Obi ** Masonna's groundbreaking album, originally released as double tape in the mid 90s. The question of what’s one’s favorite item from their collection (or accumulation) consistently pops up in conversations amongst fans and collectors, and this unquestion…

**Reissued for the first time, the record has been pressed on 140 gr black vinyl with black label and black inner sleeve and comes in a deluxe silver silkscreen on black cardboard sleeve in 199 copies.** Along with Merzbow and Hijokaidan, Masonna is one of the best (known) Japanese noise projects. A psychedelic touch, cascades of electronic noise and vocal belching mixed together constitute the ingredients of Mademoiselle Anne Sanglante Ou Notre Nymphomanie Auréolé, the double-barrelled named fo…

Om Kult 1 - the first set of 31 tracks of the Om Kult 3CD triptych, recorded and processed at Om Kult Osaka between 2016 and 2018.  Evolving from his extended “Brainnectar” studies on psycho-spiritual cleansing rituals derived from various shamanic and yogatantric traditions - and his examinations of aural hallucinations and paranormal perceptions - Rudolf Eb.er focuses now on the occult knowledge and techniques for the transition from life to death, on the ejecting mind as well as on the …

Merzopo is a collaborative two CD album of Japanese noise legend Masami Akita (aka Merzbow) and the Czech seven member ensemble Opening Performance Orchestra, based in Prague. The first CD contains four compositions by Merzbow. "Futaomote" means 'double face' and it was originally titled 'Janus'. "Yasugibushi" is a Japanese old folk song which was sampled. The second CD contains two live tracks from Opening Performance Orchestra which were played live in Tokyo and Prague in 2017 and studio …

LP version. 180 gram vinyl; Includes printed inner sleeve with lyrics; Includes download code. Repressed; 1999 release. A Perfect Pain is a manifestation of the incredible power created by Genesis Breyer P-Orridge (Psychic TV/Throbbing Gristle) -- the founding father of the industrial world, and Merzbow -- the undisputed king of Japanese noise. Recorded exclusively for Cold Spring, A Perfect Pain has been hailed as an important album and an extremely successful collaboration. "a long overdue c…

A rare soundtrack session from Japanese jazz legend Hideo Shiraki; Also with pianist Takeshi Inomata and saxophonist Hidehiko "Sleepy" Matsumoto "Inomata and saxophonist Hidehiko "Sleepy" Matsumoto as well! The cover's somewhat unassuming, but the music inside is quite vivid and rich – jazz tracks used as a film score, often with a quality that's like the best jazz soundtracks coming out of French and Italian cinema at the end of the 50s – with a very different vibe than some of Shiraki's later …

A great Japanese jazz soundtrack from the late 60s by Toshiro Mayuzumi and Masao Yagi– as full of feeling and creative inspiration as some of the best French jazz scores of the New Wave! The tunes here mostly stand out as strong jazz numbers on their own – although there are a few shorter, more introspective or scene-setting passages – and although the players and notes are all in Japanese, we can tell you that the music's mostly in a small combo mode, with strong solos on tenor, trumpet,…

A tense crime soundtrack from Japan by the legendary Toshiro Mayuzumi a Japanese composer known for his implementation of avant-garde instrumentation alongside traditional Japanese musical techniques. His works drew inspiration from a variety of sources ranging from jazz to Balinese music, and he was considered a pioneer in the realm of musique concrète and electronic music – served up in a host of shorter tracks with a really evocative feel! There's a definite jazz bent to some of the music, bu…

A very cool mix of music by the legendary Toshiro Mayuzumi a Japanese composer known for his implementation of avant-garde instrumentation alongside traditional Japanese musical techniques. His works drew inspiration from a variety of sources ranging from jazz to Balinese music, and he was considered a pioneer in the realm of musique concrète and electronic music– served up here on a soundtrack that's almost like having an audio version of a movie! The songs are all relatively short, and are …