Our dear friends over at Wewantsounds continue their tear of incredible reissues by reviving an absolute psychedelic funk monster album by Yoshiko Sai. From the Bandcamp site: “Wewantsounds is delighted to continue its Yoshiko Sai reissue program with the release of “Mikkou”, the Japanese singer-songwriter’s 2nd album released in 1976 Continue Reading
Japan
Masayuki Takayanagi New Direction Unit – Axis/Another Revolvable Thing
Blank Form Editions out of New York has reissued a concert by Japanese free jazz guitarist Masayuki “Jojo” Takayanagi from 1975. From their Bandcamp site: “Axis/Another Revolvable Thing is the second installment of Blank Forms’ archival reissues of the music of Japan’s eternal revolutionary Masayuki Takayanagi, following April is the Continue Reading
Toshiyuki Tsuchitori & Ryuichi Sakamoto – Disappointment / Hateruma
The void left by Ryuichi Sakamoto’s passing is far too immense to ever be filled. One can hope for a reissue here and there, for some lost studio and live recordings to resurface, and for some demos and live tracks to pop up. However, this month, we’re graced with a little Continue Reading
Eiko Ishibashi – For McCoy
Black Truffle is an intriguing new label that offers a fine album by composer Eiko Ishibashi, one that sounds like it would have found a place on ECM Records had circumstances been different. From the release’s Bandcamp site: “Black Truffle is pleased to announce For McCoy, a new work by Continue Reading
Hikari Honda – Japanese Folk 1
This will be the last post of 2025. I’ve had a long year, and the burnout is nasty, so expect a flood in 2026. I had the pleasure of being introduced to the music of Hikari Honda, a Japanese folk singer (oh, hell, yes, they still exist!) who is based Continue Reading
Hitomi “Penny” Tohyama – Tokyo Funk Diva
Wewantsounds Records maintains its impressive track record of high-quality reissues with its latest release. This time, they feature the music of Hitomi “Penny” Tohyama, a Japanese pop and funk singer whose style beautifully blends City Pop, funk, and catchy pop grooves, resulting in a fun listening experience. As always, the Continue Reading
Yoichi Kamimura & Olli Aarni – Kōri no ryokō / Jäämatkailu
Yoichi Kamimura, a Japanese composer, teams up with Finnish musician Olli Aarni for a release on mappa, a Slovak record label. From mappa’s Bandcamp site: “Water can retain or wash away memory; flowing or freezing. It gives life and shapes earth, while frozen imprints of an ancient past are waiting Continue Reading
Hiroshi Wada & His Mahina Stars – Yoru No Komori Uta (1964)
No review today due to having some foot problems, but I will leave you with a tune by Hiroshi Wada & His Mahina Stars. Hiroshi was a Japanese bandleader who worked with Hawaiian music. I came across him on accident thanks to Facebook and the lounge band Pink Martini, and Continue Reading
Virgo – Novel
Mahorka Records has surprised us with a release that leans less toward experimentation and more toward the style of Sakamoto. Although the talented Japanese artist Virgo is categorized as performing IDM (Intelligent Dance Music), this release is much more elegant than that genre suggests. In fact, it resembles something you Continue Reading
Merzbow – Tauromachine (Remastered)
Due to the vastness of Merzbow’s catalog, I took a break from keeping up with his work for a while. Today, I stumbled upon a release from 2023, and it remains as brutally noisy as ever. I have noticed that, with clearer editing and digital recording, the intense noise he Continue Reading