Nu-Jazz | Broken Beat Vinyl 303 Items

Meitei’s 2020 album 'Kofū' was the bold bookend to an expedition, where sounds were first navigated and then subverted in 2018’s 'Kwaidan' and 2019’s 'Komachi'.

All three albums were Meitei’s attempt at immersive storytelling, reimagining moments of Japanese history he felt were being washed away – not least by the unforgiving sands of time – through wistful compositions that stretched across ambient music, hauntology, and musique concrete.

When it came to finalizing 'Kofū', Meitei found he was left with over 60 fully realized tracks, bursting with ideas that fired in divergent, curious directions. Meitei was content with the 13 tracks he had selected. But when it came time to begin his next album, he found that it had been sitting in front of him all along. He realized his work wasn’t over yet.

Meitei sounds right at home celebrating the past he first reimagined in his previous work. The merriment is palpable in its first two tracks of 'Kofū II' – a loop of cheery whistling amidst the clanking of wood leads into strings, cricket sounds and flutes, all united in bustling harmony.

'Happyaku-yachō' is where it comes into focus. Pitch-shifted vocal samples roam around in the crowded sonic field. “My image of this music is that it expresses the vibrant mood of Edo's merchant culture,” says Meitei, “where old Japanese dwellings were densely packed together in a vast expanse of land.” The affair becomes bittersweet as the track leads into the desolate 'Kaworu', a compositional piece lifted from his 'Komachi' sessions – a final requiem to his late grandmother.

The album is bursting with spectral vignettes of wandering samurais, red lanterns, ninjas, puppet theatres, poets, even a vengeful assassin ('Shurayuki hime', known to Western audiences as ‘Lady Snowblood’).

'Saryō' is as elegant and refined as you would expect. It induces stillness in its repetition, with each synth note a brushstroke. It was inspired by a Sengoku-era tea house he once visited, designed by national icon Sen no Rikyū. Meitei tied it to the reaction he felt while poring over the ink paintings in his grandmother’s house. “The decayed earthen walls and faded tatami mats gave me an emotional impression,” he says. “And the cosmic flow of time drifting in the small room. I decided to put my impression of this into music.”

In 'Akira Kurosawa', an appropriately thunderous track, Meitei finds deep resonance in his vast filmography, which drew equally from Japan’s rich heritage and troubled circumstances post-WWII.

'Kofū II' is not a leftovers album, nor is it a straightforward companion piece. In this album, Meitei has his biggest reckoning with the Japanese identity yet. Over the years, he has attempted to peel back what he believes has defined Japan and its people. After seeking answers with three full-length albums, his fourth poses more questions.

If his first three albums inspired a sense of longing – or, perhaps inevitably, fed an irreparable nostalgia doomed to history – 'Kofū II' compels us to reassess our relationship with the past. By constantly looking back, are we ever afforded a clearer present? After capturing the “lost Japanese mood”, where does that leave its country in the modern world? Meitei offers no immediate answers with 'Kofū II'. It forces you to sit with its disparate moods, to meditate amidst the textured fragments.

'Kofū II' will be released on 180g LP, CD and digital format on December 10, 2021 (LP expected to land January 28, 2022) via KITCHEN. LABEL. Both LP and CD format are presented in a debossed sleeve with obi strip and include a 16-page insert with words in Japanese and English from Meitei, printed on premium paper stock with design by KITCHEN. LABEL founder Ricks Ang, and is mastered by Chihei Hatakeyama in Tokyo, Japan.

"The Remedy," is I G Culture's latest album under Likwid Continutal Space Motion, Culture draws parallels between the complex world of fungi and London's Underground dance music scene. Both are intricate networks that thrive beneath the surface, connecting diverse elements and influencing one another. The London dance music scene, like fungi, encompasses a variety of styles and genres, from drum and bass to Garage Dance Subcultures may go unnoticed to the casual observer but are musical corner stones in our society. Dance floors and clubs serve as spaces for communal healing, allowing people to let go of daily stresses and connect through music and dance. I G Culture's "The Remedy" celebrates this vibrant underground culture and highlights the interconnectedness of all musical styles. Through his innovative production and thematic depth, he underscores the transformative power of dance music, emphasizing its role in promoting well-being and unity. The idea of Fungi also is expressed in the artwork by Amsterdams 'Machine' with IG's direction, who used fungi in an original collage revealing a secret world.

“While You Are There," is a re-interpretation of classic tunes from the esteemed jazz catalog of ECM Records, along with originals inspired by those songs. Rejoicer delved deep into ECM's vast catalog, listening to hundreds of albums, and carefully selecting tracks to reinterpret. Collaborating with artists who are also friends from the label, he composed new music inspired by the sounds that have defined ECM's legacy.

noquestionsasked & Vanishing Berlin present: »Diskothek Harmonie«

An ode to places we will remember with wistfulness, even though we had no idea we would ever miss them. A homage to a sub- and neighborhood culture that threatens to disappear. Nothing lasts forever!

Diskothek Harmonie was created in cooperation with photographer Alexander Steffen's Vanishing Berlin project. The cover comes in five variations: One photo motif from each of the districts of Neukölln, Schöneberg, Mitte, Friedrichshain and Prenzlauer Berg. Framed by a handmade screen print, with individual coloring. Each motif is limited to 50 copies.

The vinyl EP's four tracks are held together by short atmospheric soundscapes and spoken cut-up lyrics. In the titular track, the warm voice of actress Barbara Philipp invites us to dance with the time signs and slogans of the present. The remaining tracks by Projekt Freizeit come from their archives of the last 15 years. Created between long gone wastelands and brick walls, pressed on vinyl to last forever.

New album by the maestro! Parrish's electronics getting blended with a good dose of Jazz & Soul influence - here the past collides with the future.

Sound Signature celebrates 20 years with an LP from Dego & Kaidi.

Kenichiro Nishihara's 3rd album "Illuminus" is now available on long-awaited LP! The urbanity of jazz and the streetwise nature of hip-hop are sublimated to a higher dimension with electronics as the key word, resulting in the rebirth of a masterpiece. The latest form of Jazzy HipHop, drawn by a mysterious gravity.

Akira Mizumoto is a DJ, editor, and writer. His full album "A.M.", originally released in 2002, will finally be released as an LP on Record Day 2023!! Guest vocalists include Tomomi Sano, Yasuyuki Horigome (ex:Kirinji), and Rie Aoki (flex life). In addition to the remastering of all songs, the artwork will be updated to LP-only version by Keiji Ito, who also worked on the artwork of the original CD. The sound of bossa, jazz, and electronics intersecting with a beat based on 4x4 should be reevaluated today. The music is a collection of gems that color the floor, and we hope that you will experience the reincarnation of club music that transcends the ages and continues to spin.

Kenichiro Nishihara is a highly acclaimed musician who has gained support from many in the dance music scene. His long-awaited 6th album "Elastic Afterwords", released in 2019 to celebrate 10 years of his career, is now available on LP!! Guest vocalists include Michael Kaneko, Sirup, Marter, and Pismo. The album also features Finland's national jazz player, Jukka Eskola (Flugelhorn), Daisuke (Sax) of "jabberloop", one of the leading instrumental jazz bands in Japan, and Akihiko Ogi (Gt) of Zainichi Funk, and many other live musicians. The album is a milestone work that bridges the club jazz scene of the 2010s and 2020s.

The sophomore album from Honest LEE is a soulful excursion featuring many prominent guests including Javier Miranda of Empresarios, Matt Rippetoe and JOE Herrera, horn players for Thievery Corporation and former bandmates of LEE’s in THE Funk ARK, Trevor Olexy of THE MOD, Jerry Busher of Fugazi, Peabody alum and educator Delandria Mills, Growroom’s own Slanigiro Renguez, Baltimorean Troy Long, Elijah Jamal Balbed of THE Chuck Brown Band and from NYC, Mkmkmk, first call horn player for Antibalas. By bringing diverse instruments, moods, and guest artists to this venture, Honest LEE has created an instrumental cinematic soul masterpiece with his own stamp of collective musicianship. Consistently funky, the 12 track album is sure to please fans of modern funk, downtempo and soul. Super limited pressing, the 50th release on Growroom Productions.

Ltd Black Vinyl Gatefold edition + 32 Page Booklet + Download Code The LP contains original compositions by Ryuichi Sakamoto, Pascal Comelade, Laurie Spiegel, Lyra Pramuk, Chassol, Nicolas Godin and Pierre Rousseau, Pedro Vian and Pierre Bastien, Visible Cloaks, Kelman Duran, Raul Refree, Lucrecia Dalt, Lafawndah. + a booklet with writings by contemporary thinkers like Shumon Basar, François J. Bonnet, and pictures by, Araki, Juergen Teller, Elizaveta Porodina, Dani Pujalte, P Jack Davison, Zhong Lin, Alessandra Sanguinetti, Adrià Cañameras, Javier Tles among others. Lacquer cut by Josh Bonati & Mastered by Rashad Becker ‘prsnt’ is a unique global artistic project combining the input of artists across the worlds of music, video and written word which acts as a statement on how we, as consumers, engage with music in the 21st century. Vital electronic musicians including Ryuichi Sakamoto, Lafawndah, Lyra Pramuk, Lucrecia Dalt and Visible Cloaks have each contributed tracks, which are approximately 32 seconds long. The concept was devised by Created By Us and the Barcelona-based label Modern Obscure Music. They read a study which identified that the overwhelming volume of instantly accessible information online is shortening attention spans and altering how audiences engage with music digitally. Their curiosity about the state of online consumption developed further on discovering that around a third of all listeners using digital platforms skip to the next track, within the first 30 seconds of playing. Each musician was given a fascinating challenge to create engaging compositions with real artistic merit, inside the confines of this shortened span. Akin to Brian Eno’s famous Windows 95 start-up music, the time constraints are crucial, and the compositions are deceptively complex and more substantial than expectations of their nano nature would suggest.

Ltd White Vinyl Gatefold edition + 32 Page Booklet + Download Code The LP contains original compositions by Ryuichi Sakamoto, Pascal Comelade, Laurie Spiegel, Lyra Pramuk, Chassol, Nicolas Godin and Pierre Rousseau, Pedro Vian and Pierre Bastien, Visible Cloaks, Kelman Duran, Raul Refree, Lucrecia Dalt, Lafawndah. The booklet includes writings by contemporary thinkers like Shumon Basar, François J. Bonnet, and pictures by, Araki, Juergen Teller, Elizaveta Porodina, Dani Pujalte, P Jack Davison, Zhong Lin, Alessandra Sanguinetti, Adrià Cañameras, Javier Tles among others. Lacquer cut by Josh Bonati & Mastered by Rashad Becker ‘prsnt’ is a unique global artistic project combining the input of artists across the worlds of music, video and written word which acts as a statement on how we, as consumers, engage with music in the 21st century. Vital electronic musicians including Ryuichi Sakamoto, Lafawndah, Lyra Pramuk, Lucrecia Dalt and Visible Cloaks have each contributed tracks, which are approximately 32 seconds long. The concept was devised by Created By Us and the Barcelona-based label Modern Obscure Music. They read a study which identified that the overwhelming volume of instantly accessible information online is shortening attention spans and altering how audiences engage with music digitally. Their curiosity about the state of online consumption developed further on discovering that around a third of all listeners using digital platforms skip to the next track, within the first 30 seconds of playing. Each musician was given a fascinating challenge to create engaging compositions with real artistic merit, inside the confines of this shortened span. Akin to Brian Eno’s famous Windows 95 start-up music, the time constraints are crucial, and the compositions are deceptively complex and more substantial than expectations of their nano nature would suggest.

All music by M. Rose, T. Parrish Art & Graphics by Nep Sidhu 2023 Whobody Publishing BMI