Reissues
The Impossible Dream
Delve into the groovy sounds of a Japanese harp jazz trio led by Tadao Hayashi. Similar to Dorothy Ashby's small combo records, the trio, with Takao Kusagaya on bass and Koichi Suzaki on drums, maintains a lean approach. Hayashi's harp work, given ample space, weaves mesmerizing note combinations with a gentle groove, especially enhanced by skillful bass. Familiar tunes take on a fresh perspective, resonating strongly in this recording.
Farewell My Johnny
*2023 stock* The first album by the Teru Sakamoto Trio, whose beautifully lyrical piano music has enjoyed exceptionally long sales. This is a new standard work of Japanese jazz that is highly acclaimed even overseas.
Evolution
*2024 stock* "This release Shintaro Quintet’s private press release ‘Evolution’. It’s another well-chosen release that comes with superb packaging, high sound quality and some interesting sleeve notes which give a fascinating in-depth insight into the music and the musicians in Japan within the specified time period.
Recorded in New York, the one-off recording by bassist Shintaro Nakamura and his quintet features the brilliant trumpeter Shunzo Ohno, who has played on many of the quintessential J…
East Plants
*2023 stock* "A genuine ‘under the radar’ album known only to a handful of Japanese jazz collectors, ‘East Plants’ is now available once more, reissued as CD and digital formats. Originally released in 1983 on the Japanese VAP label, ‘East Plants’ is an essential album in the J Jazz canon. It’s an album that distils several key characteristics of Moriyama’s music: clearly articulated and inventive rhythms, open yet orderly arrangements, and an accessible groove balanced with a graceful control. …
Second Nature
We're excited to announce the reissue of the revolutionary album "Second Nature". This iconic album was the result of a collaboration between the outstanding musicians Bill Laswell, Atom Heart, and Tetsu Inoue. First released in 1995 on the legendary label FAX +49-69/450464, it immediately gained recognition and admiration. "Second Nature" impresses with its diversity. It brilliantly combines ambient melodies, deep basslines, experimental dub, and complex rhythms, creating a captivating and mult…
Distant Proximity: Soundtracks for the Films of Matthias Müller
* Handmade in an edition of 250 copies only; 180gr vinyl in custom-made screen-printed outer (sealed), containing Xerox-printed booklet with the words from the films of Matthias Mulle and a newly commissioned essay by S. Grisseman* The original soundtracks by Dirk Schaefer for the films of Matthias Muller: The Memo Book (1989), Home Stories (1990), Sleepy Haven (1993), Pensão Globo (1999), Vacancy (1999). Newly re-transferred from the original tapes by Schaefer himself, and remastered, these are…
Hey Let Loose Your Love
Pieced together with musty samples from children’s exercise records, vintage drama, clunky British jazz and library records, this is an archaeology of emotion, an exploration of the power of not only childhood memories, but of the collective unconscious. Julian House’s own The Focus Group; oddly assembled sampledelic collages, stitched together from fragments of library cues and forgotten soundtracks. A beautiful, unhinged stream of consciousness that seems to prod at buried memories."Julian Hou…
Räkenskapens Dag
A small chunk of early 80's Swedish DIY underground history from the legendary but rarely heard Fysisk Fostran. Based in the small town of Stenungsund north of Gothenburg and roughly active between 1980 and 1984, the group released a few cassettes as well as a fabled 7" that due to mysterious complications only exist as a testpressing in 4 copies. Fysisk Fostran were inspired by the early UK industrial sound as well as post-punk and synth music, this combined with the young age of the bandmember…
Live From Studio S2 Warsaw
*2023 repress* The now iconic ‘Live from Studio S2’ memorizing performance gets a sought after limited vinyl edition and now features all four tracks from the session including the previously unreleased ‘Hawaii Oslo’ and ‘Glass’ which will also be available to stream and download. First premiered on the Gondwana Records YouTube channel on Sunday March 28th 2021 at 8:00 PM / 9:00PM CET, it has since become a global success reaching 3 million views and counting and has earned Rani many more devote…
Windshift
Michael Atherton is a writer, composer and educator from Sydney, Australia. Originally born in Liverpool, England, to Welsh-Irish and German parents, his family later migrated to Australia in 1965. Moving to the suburbs in La Perouse, he grew up in a mixed, multicultural community, where he fostered friendships with existing indigenous members and Iberian migrants. His formative migrant experience and his curiosity about vernacular, as well as notated music, led him to study music formally where…
Enraku's Playboy Chapter 12 - The Playboy's Manual
*Limited Edition* This late '60s Japanese "Playboy Manual" features a sexy cover and a unique format. Each track begins with Japanese spoken segments from Norio Maeda, possibly on seduction, followed by groovy instrumental music. The blend of jazz and easy modes, with romping piano, blasting horns, and mod rhythms, makes it a stylish and lively record.
Flash
*Limited Edition* This trio, led by drummer Motohiko Hino and featuring Masahiko Satoh on piano and Nobuyoshi Ino on bass, delivers truly unique work that transcends the typical piano trio conventions of its time. The trio breaks open the format with their creative exploration on the album. Satoh's piano work initially leans towards lyricism before expanding, while Ino's bass rolls and dips with its own beautiful sense of melody. Hino's drumming diverges far from a straight rhythm, often adding …
First Flight
*Limited Edition* This Japanese trio session from the 70s is precisely the kind of record that has us exploring this era so fervently. Filled with warm, soulful sounds, inventive changes, and engaging rhythms, the album maintains a subtle funk undercurrent without overpowering the best lyrical lines of pianist Kichiro Sugino. The trio, featuring Kishio Kitahara on bass and Mitsaki Katayama on drums, is perfectly synchronized, soaring elegantly throughout the record, living up to the "flight" in …
Valencia
*Limited Edition* Percussionist Masahiko Togashi collaborates with the exceptional piano accompaniment of Takashi Kako in a unique and captivating musical journey. Kako's piano work, marked by a distinctive sense of touch and tone, complements Togashi's drumming. Kako's ability to extract guitar-like sounds from the piano, characterized by an airy chromatic quality, adds a warm and poetic dimension to the moments of freer improvisation on the record. While the music remains rooted in free jazz, …
Baraka
** Special mirroring/olographic cover. Edition of 300 copies ** After his participation in a masterpiece such as Popol Vuh’s Hosianna Mantra, in the early 1980s Klaus Wiese produced a series of seminal works in the field of ambient-drone and healing music. The first of these, Baraka, was released on tape by Acquamarin in 1981, and already contained all the aspects of his future research into the mysticism of sound. Wiese shares the path with other German explorers such as Michael Peter Hamel, …
Maracaibo
*Limited Edition* Japanese drummer George Ohtsuka reunites with the Maracaibo group, creating a fusion of Latin influences on extended tracks that diverge from the smoother sounds of the contemporaneous scene. The ensemble includes Mabumi Yamaguchi on tenor and soprano sax, Tsunehide Matsuki on guitar, and Toshiyuki Sekine on Fender Rhodes. Special guest appearances by Miroslav Vitous on bass and Nana Vasconcelos on percussion and vocals add depth to the musical landscape. In contrast to other J…
Live Life
*Limited Edition* In this early 80s trio collaboration, Japanese pianist Kunihiko Sugano teams up with the legendary American drummer Jo Jones, resulting in a pleasingly traditional vibe. Sugano opts for the acoustic piano, and the album features laid-back tracks adorned with lyrical nuances. Kunihiko delivers soulful and warm solos, subtly propelled by Jo Jones' drumming expertise, while receiving solid backing from bassist Kunimitsu Inaba. The album's lengthier tracks showcase a delightful fus…
Black Orpheus: Date In Daté
*Limited Edition* Album released in 1977 by Japanese jazz pianist Kunihiko Sugano, who started playing in a trio with Isao Suzuki and George Otsuka in the early 1960s and recorded the classic album Blow Up with the aforementioned two and Takashi Mizuhashi on Three Blind Mice in 1973. Recorded live in Date City, Hokkaido in 1976 as a trio with Osamu Kawakami and Hiroshi Murakami. The air from the venue was recorded to give a realistic impression, and standard numbers such as Luiz Bomfa's A1, whic…
Live!
*Limited Edition* Immerse yourself in the charm of a Japanese piano trio session, elevated by the rhythmic enchantment of conga player Yohichi Ogawa. The trio, featuring Kunihiko Sugano on piano, Eizoh Honda on bass, and Teruhiko Takada on drums, takes on a sweet and dynamic quality. Ogawa's conga rhythms add a distinctive flair, injecting energy into Sugano's music—a blend of lyrical imagination, gentle swing, and freewheeling vitality. With extended tracks this session is a delightful explorat…
Solo
*Limited Edition* Pianist Kunihiko Sugano unveils a collection of solo pieces, featuring shorter tracks than his trio albums of the time but brimming with emotion. Sugano's gentle and expansive piano touch, reminiscent of Bill Evans, is complemented by a unique phrasing that suggests an approach to the acoustic instrument akin to an electric one. The notes unfold with a measured attack and a lingering sustain. Sugano's distinctive style shines here offering a beautiful and individual musical jou…