Various

This is a special issue supplementing the well-received IMPROVISED MUSIC FROM JAPAN 2002-2003 (IMJ-301), the launch issue of an annual magazine (published last December). While the annual magazine provides an overview of the year's trends, each EXTRA will include an expansive special feature on a particular theme. The special feature of IMJ EXTRA 2003 is "Improv's New Waves," a close look at JAPAN's young improvisers (with an emphasis on electronics MUSICians). It contains a comprehensive essay by MUSIC critic Yoshio Otani, and interviews of artists like Taku Unami, com-yas and Tetsuro Yasunaga, BusRatch, Takefumi Naoshima, Kazumi Namba, asuna, and nentegaine, as well as articles on labels associated with these artists--Hibari MUSIC, commune-disc, cubic MUSIC, and Flyrec. In addition to the special feature, EXTRA includes interviews of Ami Yoshida, Shoji Hano, and Katsura Yamauchi; a conversation between Tetuzi Akiyama and Toshimaru Nakamura; and a wealth of CD reviews. The two accompanying CDs contain 17 tracks by MUSICians presented in the special feature (asuna, Masafumi Ezaki, Takefumi Naoshima, Kazuhiro Kinoshita, Ju Muraoka, Masahide Tokunaga, DJ Peaky, DILL, Taku Unami, Taku Hannoda, nentegaine, aen, Yoichiro Shin, Kazumi Namba, Takumi Toki, Teruyuki Ohshima, and BusRatch), plus two bonus tracks--a sax solo by Katsura Yamauchi, and a duo by Shoji Hano and Masaharu Shoji (19 tracks in all). Bilingual English-JAPANese.