New Arrivals
Rare And Lost Tapes
"Rare & Lost Tapes" is a compilation of singles by the renowned band Cortex that were never put on an album. This album collects previously unpublished and rare songs such as "Les Oiseaux Morts" (Alternative Take 76), which was only available as a test pressing, "Mary & Jeff" (Fender Rhodes Version 77) recorded for TV, and "Californie" & "Stevie" issued for the Side Project Caribou as 7". This iconic set by Cortex is a classic example of jazzy funky fusion from the French scene of the 1970s, wit…
A Child In The Wind
Fumio Karashima, who was active in Jazz Machine led by Elvin Jones, recorded this work in 1981 when he returned to Japan. The trio is led by George Otsuka, the drummer who gave Kashima his breakthrough, and Richard Davis, the famous bassist from Chicago, and their performance is the most attractive of all. Kashima's piano is vivid and fresh, like a fish moving in a large current.
Piece for Cello and Saxophone (2LP)
Much-Needed repress * Limited edition. Gatefold Cover, quality vinyl pressed at RTI. Includes a four-page insert with liner notes by La Monte Young, Charles Curtis, Anthony Burr, and Tashi Wada * Saltern's latest offering marks the first-ever release of "lost minimalist" Terry Jennings' visionary 1960 composition, Piece for Cello and Saxophone, as arranged in just intonation by legendary composer La Monte Young for renowned cellist Charles Curtis. Born in Los Angeles in 1940, Jennings was a clos…
Red Apple
In contrast to their previous work "Impact", which had a large ensemble, they welcomed Kazutoki Umezu as a guest and performed a relaxed performance with a small ensemble. A masterpiece released in 1986, which he himself admits was a really good one, with an effortless performance (from the LP liner). What shines is the trio composition of "Alicante" and "Don't Say Goodbye," a masterpiece that allows you to enjoy Itabashi's singing spirit. "Don't ~" can be said to be an answer song to the popula…
Sir Tad Goes Deeper & Deeper
*2023 stock. 50 copies limited edition* Tad is back! His first tape since 2015's slew of cassingles. These five songs (15 minutes) contain his classic weirdo keyboard-driven experimental pop sounds. Now known as Sir Tad (he got tired of grunge fans complaining), this EP "Sir Tad Goes Deeper & Deeper" spans five songs of slow, bubbly keys and syrupy dubby samples. A mix of songs recorded this past winter and some from back in his Oakland days circa 2014. Enjoy this short EP while he works on more…
You're Home
*2023 stock. 100 copies limited edition* Nostalgia comes in multiple forms - words, sounds, people. The directions to a place you haven't been in years, walking by a boombox playing on an apartment windowsill. Remembering love, and remembering loss. At times 'You're Home' feels like you're wandering around a carnival taking in all the lights and sounds on a visceral level, too much going on to form more than an idea of a landscape around you. Then there are the slower moments, not in their pace …
Meadow Argus II
*2023 stock. 100 copies limited release* "“Warmth and woozies,” that’s what Meadow Argus is made of! Tynan Krakoff of Columbus, OH recently revived that ol’ solo moniker for a followup to his tape from over five years ago. And yeah, there’s already a Meadow Argus III on the way! But today, we’re looking at the Meadow Argus II self-release from back in April. It’s a simple C35 kind of affair; one that is legitimately keeping me on edge as I type this up.
You see, I recently swapped boomboxes and …
Meadow Argus III
*2023 stock. 50 copies limited release* Fresh off their April cassette, Meadow Argus returns with "III," 34 minutes of tape manipulation soundscapes in an arrid region that was once a lush forest. Tape loops made from field recordings collected in Summer 2009 while on a freight trainhopping journey up & down the west coast. Backwards metallic drum circles unspool into industrial muck of monsters struggling. There is no water in the fountain but that doesn't stop the mirage. Side A contains eight…
Peristera
*2023 stock. 100 copies limited edition* "I’ve been a big fan of Tynan Krakoff’s Meadow Argus project for a while now, but Peristera is my favorite album so far. Dust-covered loops tug at memories buried deep in our subconscious, coaxed out by operatic samples and the increasing glassine electronics. Urgency fights against a current of clanging, broken down chimes and toy piano skeletons. Krakoff has an uncanny ability to push old, broken-down sounds up an ever-rising, the palette continuing to …
The Palace
*2023 stock. 37 copies limited release* "The first side of the new Meadow Argus tape has unsettling creaking and crunching noises and looped layers of decayed piano melodies, turning potential distractions and irritants into something oddly comforting. The best part is the last few minutes, when it turns into a gentler ambient part that could almost be an outsider house track stripped of its beats and left outside to dry in the breeze. The other side incorporates clips from what I assume must be…
This Old Rotten Barge
*32 copies limited release* "[This] Meadow Argus tape is the project’s most evocative recording yet, making the listener feel like a stowaway on a haunted ship on the path to total disappearance from civilization. The album extensively incorporates field recordings run through a delay pedal, with the first stretch of the first side taken from the banks of the Ohio river under a bridge, while a spooky backwards voice bleeds through from the other side of the master tape. Then there’s “It’ll heal …
For The Birds
*27 copies limited edition* "The newest Meadow Argus tape melds his usual field recordings and tape loops with a particularly soothing set of organ drones, possibly made by a harmonium. The fuzzy organ rolls throughout, and cheerful conversations, birds chirping, and thickets full of insects enter the sound-picture. It’s all a pleasant stroll that gradually gets trippier, as you realize when a crowing bird echoes deep into the ether, and other sounds feel out of balance. The second side gets par…
The Chameleon's Dish
Tapes, field recordings, synth and other tape manipulation magic. Recorded 2022 at Lilleypad Studios, Ohio. Art by Pearl Morgan/Purple Akronym
Live In Masuda
Seikatsu Kōjyō Iinkai (Committee for the Improvement of Life) began its activities in the early 1970s, led by Kazutoki Umezu and Yoshiyuki Harada. Many musicians came and went and engaged in multifaceted activities, but one of the pillars was the so-called Life Improvement Committee (Matsugumi), centered on Koichi Shofaze. This work, recorded live in Masuda City, Shimane Prefecture, is the only work left by Matsugumi with the same members. The saxophone cuts like a knife into the solid trio's pe…
Chiko
The Japanese jazz cult work is one of the most popular Japanese jazz collectors around the world, including Tetsu Aizawa quartet and Yukasasasa Hino, and the original Jazz Rality series has been released as the world's first CD. As a musician, the prestigious Independent Jazz Label and Acetaz's Disc was reissued in the early 23 works of the famous Tokyo independent Jazz Label, and Acetaz's Disc. 11 of the 12 pieces released as the first release was released in the world for the first CD. These c…
Liaisons Dangereuses
*2023 much needed repress!* The only full-length from the West Germany trio known as Liaisons Dangereuses, this self-titled record (originally released via TIS records in 1981) is somewhat of a Holy Grail for fans of EBM and minimal synth. Thankfully, Soulsherrif Records has reissued this rarity! Comprised of members Beate Bartel, Chrislo Haas, and Krishna Goineau, Liaisons Dangereuses was only active for a couple of years. Beate and Chrislo played in numerous famous German electronic and goth …
Rice Field Silently Riping In the Night
*2023 much needed repress!* Reiko Kudo first appeared on the Tokyo underground music scene in 1980 with Noise, a duo which consisted of Tori Kudo on organ and herself (then under her maiden name Reiko Omura) on voice, guitar and trumpet. Their only album "Tenno" (1980 on Engel) is probably one of the most outstanding and uncompromising records of all time. Besides other pioneering female producers from Japan such as Non (of Non Band), Phew and Haco, who all had started their startling careers in…
Aya's Samba
CD reissue of Eiji Nakayama’s incredible 1978 album, a crate diggers dream find for many years, this is deep spiritual jazz, post-modal impressionism and grooves at the top
My Present Song
Dive into the brilliance of 1970s Japanese jazz with this exceptional bass-led trio session. While piano trios had their spotlight, the bassists led equally enchanting ensembles. Eiji Nakyama's bass takes center stage, weaving lyrical lines complemented by energetic guitar and drums. The album seamlessly blends straight jazz and modal explorations, showcasing creativity without gimmicks. A testament to Japanese jazz greatness, this session stands out for its dynamic and innovative approach.
Individual Beauty
The long awaited second album by Colored Music, the avant-rock unit of Atsuo Fujimoto and Kazuko Hashimoto, is now available on vinyl. In 1983, two years after the release of their first album "Colored Music" in 1981, which has been reevaluated worldwide, they released their second album "Individual Beauty", which was planned to be released as a cassette book but ended up being put aside. In 1983, two years after the release of "Colored Music," the album was released as a cassette book. This is …