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On the verge of their 40th and in the midst of their 20th anniversaries, respectively, HIJOKAIDAN and SISSY SPACEK merge in Tokyo for their first collaboration, featuring JOJO HIROSHIGE, JUNKO, T. MIKAWA, CHARLIE MUMMA, FUTOSHI OKANO, TENENKO (guest) and JOHN WIESE. Hijokaidan formed in 1979, marking the first wave of groups in Japan exploring extreme noise. Sissy Spacek formed in 1999, often playing in large ensembles of players, and frequently exploring grindcore as a base for creating extreme music, often while eschewing the notion of music altogether. During Sissy Spacek’s 20th anniversary tour in Japan, the recordings of “Amok Time” and “Seven Directions” were made with Hijokaidan in collaboration. While Hijokaidan’s sound has been described as a continuous climax of your entire progressive rock collection, Sissy Spacek’s “Twenty-Five Fragments” is a sequence of peak chaos from their 2018 tour, recorded on walkman for maximum effect.

Slow Waves is a collection of multi-layered memories, stacked like grainy polaroids in an old box in the closet or under the bed while the colours fade. A young Rob at the beach or on his first day of grammar school. Images of travels across Europe and Japan, moments slipping in trains or planes while landscapes pass by. Memories so unique to his life, yet so similar to the fading memories of youth and adolescence we all have...

After a series of well acclaimed EP’s, each of them created at very specific moments in the artists life, submerse took the time and sat down to reflect and convert all these memories into his first full length album on Project: Mooncircle.

'Slow Waves' comes out worldwide on limited double vinyl, limited handmade and handpainted cassette edition (both including download code) as well as a limited edition CD including a bonus track via flau records in Japan.

Slow Waves is a collection of multi-layered memories, stacked like grainy polaroids in an old box in the closet or under the bed while the colours fade. A young Rob at the beach or on his first day of grammar school. Images of travels across Europe and Japan, moments slipping in trains or planes while landscapes pass by. Memories so unique to his life, yet so similar to the fading memories of youth and adolescence we all have...

After a series of well acclaimed EP’s, each of them created at very specific moments in the artists life, submerse took the time and sat down to reflect and convert all these memories into his first full length album on Project: Mooncircle.

'Slow Waves' comes out worldwide on limited double vinyl, limited handmade and handpainted cassette edition (both including download code) as well as a limited edition CD including a bonus track via flau records in Japan.

Slow Waves is a collection of multi-layered memories, stacked like grainy polaroids in an old box in the closet or under the bed while the colours fade. A young Rob at the beach or on his first day of grammar school. Images of travels across Europe and Japan, moments slipping in trains or planes while landscapes pass by. Memories so unique to his life, yet so similar to the fading memories of youth and adolescence we all have...

After a series of well acclaimed EP’s, each of them created at very specific moments in the artists life, submerse took the time and sat down to reflect and convert all these memories into his first full length album on Project: Mooncircle.

'Slow Waves' comes out worldwide on limited double vinyl, limited handmade and handpainted cassette edition (both including download code) as well as a limited edition CD including a bonus track via flau records in Japan.

Record Store Day Japan 2021 Drop 2 release. From the original album “What’s happening!” Released by actor Akira Emoto in 1987, the highly acclaimed cover work “What’s Going On” (original: Marvin Gaye). Two single cuts of the original song “Sadly Ordinary”. A variety of arrangements by singer Akira Emoto and Makoto Saito are the best couplings to listen to.

Hi-pressure club futurism from Japan’s Prettybwoy, deploying anxious, metallic, sweaty nu-dance pressure, cooled off by swirling videogame synths and emotional vocals from collaborator lIlI. Another rapid-fire dancefloor burner from Shanghai’s unreasonably reliable Svbkvlt, ‘Tayutau’ makes a bridge to Japan, curving Prettybwoy’s well-worn raw materials into a pneumatic neon club structure. He put these tracks together during a time of upheaval while dealing with isolation, job loss, burnt hard-drives and almost losing the whole project, the chaos reflected in the album’s writhing, anxious mood, dipping from mind-throbbing intensity to lithe, poppy delirium. Machine-gun bursts of overdriven kicks and burnt synths form the backbone of ‘Island’, ‘Brontides’ and ‘Mikoshi’, while ‘Genetic Dance II’ and ‘slt’ drag the weightless bounce into breathy, florid East-Asian landscapes. Prettybwoy’s confident engineering carries the tracks, and whether he’s exploring the limits of granular ambience (‘ó‹ (Tear)’), weightlessly melting piano and Japanese voices into bouncing subs (‘Isol’) or forming grime-flecked nu-club (‘Rat’s Talk’) there’s the sense that each sound is intricately and meticulously sculpted. The results fall somewhere between Foodman’s wiped-clean eccentric bangers and the damaged ‘n deranged club philosophy of contemporary prophets like Lee Gamble.

“The Castle II” is a collection of works composed and recorded by the Japanese artist Tomo Akikawabaya between 1986 and 1989. An album filled with obscure atmospheres, hypnotic rhythms, electronic melodies, experimental interludes and the unique and mesmerizing voice of Akikawabaya.

Since the release of the album “The Castle I” in 1984, Tomo Akikawabaya became disappointed with the music scene in Japan and thought that the only way to continue as a musician was to release his music abroad. After finish to record some new songs, he embarked on an adventurous trip to London in order to look for an opportunity for a new release. Unfortunately, after three months and despite meeting many artists and important people in the music industry, luck was not on Akikawabaya’s side and with time running out he had to return to Japan without a concrete proposal. In the following years, although he continued to work with his long-time partner Takaaki Han-ya with a project called Beata Beatrix, he never published anything and later focused to other activities. It was until 2015 that the New York label Minimal Wave released “The Invitation of The Dead” compiling songs from “The Castle” (1984) and “Anju” (1985), both originally released on his own label Castle Records. Tomo Akikawabaya is currently working under the moniker of Th, together with his wife Rinko, on a project called The Future Eve. They released an album in 2019 with the collaboration of the legendary Robert Wyatt.

Limited edition of 500 copies. Double vinyl record on gatefold sleeve with embossing and printed inner sleeves.

Japan-born, London-based composer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Hiro Ama (Teleman) announces his debut solo album ‘Music for Peace and Harmony’, set for release on 4 October via Prah Recordings.

Seeking solace amidst today’s chaotic world, Hiro turned to an obscure 1980s Japanese synthesiser called the Waraku – literally translated to “peace and harmony” – to craft an album that blends electro-acoustic textures and warm melodies, while drawing on classical romanticism, spiritual jazz and electronic music. The album features collaborations from British singer Keeley Forsyth and flautist Gail Tasker.

“A lot of things are fragile and chaotic at the moment in this world, and I wanted to make music to soothe my mind and heart. Modern music sometimes sounds too pristine and sanitised. I like those spontaneous sounds. ’ says Hiro.

Hiro Ama’s meticulous approach is evident in every aspect of the album, from playing almost all the instruments to producing and mixing. Incorporating sounds of the Waraku’s koto (Japanese harp), drums, and synths alongside the Jupiter 8, DX7, and piano, Hiro explores organic and electronic sounds. Notably, instead of traditional drums, Hiro can be heard humming the drum parts to create a texture reminiscent of old jazz records. Keeley Forsyth’s haunting vocals on the tracks ‘Metal Wires’ and ‘Billowing’ bring a particular intensity that complements the album’s spacious instrumentation. Hiro was inspired by Debussy’s famous adage, “music is the space between the notes”, and throughout, the album is underscored by an ethos of spaciousness and simplicity.

Thematically, ‘Music for Peace and Harmony’ also explores the healing power of nature. Tracks like ‘Find Me In The Nearest Forest’ and ‘Forest Bathing’ are rooted in Hiro’s love of the natural world and inspired by the Japanese practice of Shinrinyoku (forest bathing).

Hiro Ama's debut album unfolds with gentle melodies where classical and jazz influences meet modern electronic production. ‘Music for Peace and Harmony’ is an essential record to discover life’s moments of peace and beauty.

Drop Shadow also explores Rowell’s fascination with American and Japanese music culture and their many intersections, most evident to me on the upbeat “Drop Shadow” which utilizes the Korg Wavestatoion and M1 VST (which is the highest selling synth of all time in its hardware form) and lands somewhere between early house music, a Madonna instrumental, and something from a Nintendo 64 soundtrack.

Minimal Wave presents a reissue of Sympathy Nervous’ pioneering debut album originally released in 1980 on Vanity Records out of Japan. Sympathy Nervous was Yosihumi Niinuma’s lifelong project which he started in his Tokyo living room in 1979. Through Sympathy Nervous, Niinuma was able to channel his energy into what he loved – building his own synthesizers and speakers from scratch.