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For its 9th release after its relaunch, Apnea Records proudly presents another E.R.P. record, this time in the form of a 2x12" album. "Faded Caprice" is a mesmerizing journey into the heart of summer's fading glow. Crafted with meticulous attention to detail, each track is a sonic tableau, capturing the essence of hot afternoons and wistful sunsets. E.R.P.'s signature blend of deep, cosmic funky electro gems resonates with emotional depth, inviting listeners to lose themselves in its hypnotic embrace. From the pulsating rhythms of "Miami Nice" to the introspective melodies of "Cape Earl," "Faded Caprice" stands as a testament to E.R.P.'s artistry and vision, offering audiences a glimpse into the boundless possibilities of sound and emotion.

POiSON GiRL FRiEND is a musician who reigned as a worldwide cult underground diva in the 20s and has been reevaluated in recent years, including being selected for inclusion in "Heisei no oto: Japanese Left-Field Pop From the CD Age (1989-1996)," a renowned compilation of music from the "Music From Memory". Originally released on Victor's Endorphin label in 1992, a mini-album commemorating the band's major label debut, is being re-released on vinyl for the first time ever by Sad Disco!

Ever since he made his first trip to Japan to DJ, Optimo Music founder JD Twitch has been bewitched by Japanese music, and particularly the vibrant, imaginative, and often far-sighted sounds which emerged from the island nation during the 1980s. Now he’s put years of digging in Japanese record shops to good use on Polyphonic Cosmos, the latest release on his compilation-focused Cease & Desist imprint.

Subtitled ‘A Beginners Guide to Japan In The ‘80s’, the collection offers a personal selection of Japanese gems recorded and released between 1981 and ’86 – a period when advances in recording and musical technology offered the nation’s artists and producers a whole new tool kit to employ. When combined with the unique musical culture of Japan, where local traditions are frequently fused with Western styles to create timeless, off-kilter aural fusions, this embrace of locally pioneered music technology had spectacular, often unusual results.

Eight years in the making, Polyphonic Cosmos provides an endlessly entertaining musical snapshot of Japanese music of the early-to-mid ‘80s with all of the open-minded eclecticism and sonic twists that you would expect from the Glasgow-based DJ.

Compare and contrast, for example, the gently breezy, morning-fresh folk-plus-electronics bliss of ‘ばら二曲 Baranikyoku (Fellini&Rota)’ by World Standard – the most familiar alias of long-serving musician/producer Sohichiro Suzuki – and the hallucinatory, slow-motion tribal rhythms, post-punk rhythms and tape delay-laden electronics of Imitation’s ‘Exotic Dance’. Or, for that matter, the tipsy mid-‘80s electronic reggae of Pecker’s ‘Sha La La’, the grungy but melodic post-punk strut of ‘You Go On Natural’ by Earthling (a track Twitch accurately describes as “sheer unrelenting groove”), and the unearthly, swirling sonics, new age instrumentation and flotation tank vocals of prolific (and seemingly mysterious) act Geinoh Yamashirogumi’s ‘Rimme Kohkyogaku Meiki’.

It’s a credit to JD Twitch’s curatorial skills that the quality never dips, and sonic surprises lurk around every corner. Consider for a moment the hard to describe, far-sighted audio immersion of D-Day’s ‘Ki-Ra’ – all languid post-pop guitar, enveloping chords, spoken word vocals, shuffling 808 beats and marimba melodies – and the two contributions from video games soundtrack specialist (and driving instrumental synth-pop specialist) Hiroyuki Namba.

The collection naturally includes some selections that have long been favourites in Twitch’s DJ sets – see Masumi Hara’s ‘Your Dream’ – as well as a handful of tracks from artists who may be more recognisable to those with only rudimentary knowledge of Japanese musical culture. The great Yasuaki Shimizu, whose work as Mariah has become far better known in recent years thanks to reissues of some of his most magical albums, is represented via ‘The Crow’, a picturesque chunk of horizontal, hard-to-define jazz-not-jazz smokiness, while the collection fittingly concludes with a sublimely funky, oddball electronic workout from Yellow Magic Orchestra legend Ryuichi Sakamoto (the frankly incredible ‘Wongga Dance Song’).

Wrwtfww Records is very happy to announce the release of the new album from legendary Deee-Lite member Towa Tei, celebrating the 30th year of his career. It is available on (orange) vinyl for the first time outside of Japan. The album, simply titled LP features Japanese music icons Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi (Yellow Magic Orchestra), Yasuaki Shimizu (Kakashi), fellow Metafive colleagues Tomohiko Gondo and Yoshinori Sunahara, Hana, Wataru Iga, Shunji Mori, Hidefumi Ino and more. It was mixed by famed engineer Goh Hotoda and the artwork comes from painter Tomoo Gokita. Poppy, catchy, dancy, and very funky, Towa Tei’s 10th solo album is 100% delirious ride and a testament to the Deee-Lite member’s ever-expanding creativity, combining simplicity and experimentalism in the most feel-good ways. Indoor, outdoor, and every day of the year, this one will make you dance and smile! This release is a collaboration between legendary Japanese label Nippon Columbia/Better Days and Wrwtfww Records.

Heavy Nerd Tip!

Limited edition 2x7" edition of a wildly experimental and unique gem from 1981 (originally released in an edited single 7" form on Japan's Pinakotheca) .

Spread over two records packaged in a bubble wrap outer sleeve - the set features unreleased full length takes and unheard material from the band's master cassettes. All transferred and mastered with the blessing of the original musicians.

The record features heavy involvement from Morioka based musician, Onnyk (key member of the near mythical The Fifth Column group) an underground behemoth who's music has appeared on seminal labels such as Vanity Records (jp), Insane Music (be) & Thirdmind (uk) & Omega Point (jp) to name a few.

Apnea Records proudly welcomes a new face to the family, though one whose name resonates deeply in the electronic music world. Versalife, also known as Conforce, steps onto the label with the first of two meticulously crafted EPs in the "Parallax Effect" series. With a career spanning over 20 years of sonic innovation, Versalife delivers a masterful blend of broken rhythms, metallic textures, pulsating synths, and analog tones. From industrialesque electro to deep IDM explorations, "Parallax Effect PT.1" takes listeners on an immersive journey through cutting-edge soundscapes. And with Part 2 on the horizon, this is just the beginning of an exciting new chapter for both Versalife and Apnea Records. Pure bliss for lovers of forward-thinking electronic music!

For its landmark 20th anniversary, Apnea Records proudly presents XX, a double 12" compilation that chronicles the label's journey from its inception to its current cutting-edge form. Featuring both original innovators and fresh talents from its recent relaunch, this release is a sonic time capsule and a forward-looking statement. Spanning from deep techno to Detroit-infused house, Jamal Moss's abstract house, electro, and E.R.P.'s signature machine funk, XX dives into the label's broad sonic spectrum. With contributions from Alex Under, Damian Schwartz, Jamal Moss, E.R.P., Dopplereffekt, Thomas Brinkmann, and Kyle Hall & Kero, this collection serves as both a reflection of Apnea's past and a bold vision for the future.

Limited edition repress without the insert!

After 2 quiet years, Mélodies Souterraines strikes hard! A very soft opus under the sign of Europa and its Japanese reflections. Influencing the direction of "k/l" - Miyako Koda's 'Sleep In Peace' (prod. Haruomi Hosono) defined the color of the following 40min. new wave comp. Incl. music by Electrodelia, Andy Rantzen, Jan Schulte, Zmatsutsi, Tolouse Low Trax or rare-as-teeth hit 'Analyze' by Tase... Probably the most sophisticated record of the series: In-motion, elegant, nocturnal.

The 90’s San Francisco underground electronic scene always commanded a great deal of love and respect here at OCD. It played an important role not only in the development of the global electronic music scene, but also in our personal, never-ending journey of discovery. Back in 1996, between the early releases of one of the SF’s scene most important and pioneering record labels, Sunburn Records, an EP titled “Plum Pudding EP” by an artist called “Trailmix” appeared. It featured 4 tracks spanning between early hours progressive-house and more gentle, mellow breaks with a hint of electronica. For many years it has been one of our most favourite record from that scene and era. 27 years later, we’re beyond stoked to have being able to successfully track down that gentleman by the name of Alan Aronoff (Trailmix) who, with no hesitation, allowed us to reissue that special EP on The Secret Sun.

‘And Salford Falls Apart’ is the searing 2nd EP of cinematic drill noise by North West polymath, Blackhaine; five tracks staging a brutalist, exhaustive expression of disaffection with life in a post Brexit England of the early 2020s, and paying witness to a genuinely prodigious talent coming into its own. It’s no doubt a massive recommendation to anyone who can join the dots between North West England’s resoundingly rich history of punk/post-punk, electro, rap, and rave electronics into the hard present. Between the stomach-knotted dread of its opener ‘Saddleworth’, the caustic fulmination of its Rainy Miller-produced title track, and the magisterial poise of parting shot ‘Let Me Know’; the EP sees Blackhaine develop a more personalised, storytelling articulation of life in the precariat; drawing on the experience of unsatisfying jobs and a love of social-realist film (the eponymous La Haine), surrealist literature (Samuel Beckett), and road level, punk-spirited music - from John Lydon’s formative post-punks PiL, to the bruxist, staccato delivery of donk MCs - to wrest a vital, remediating energy from the void. Now pronounced with a broader range of poetic and textural tekkerz, Blackhaine’s sound is deeply gratifying and absorbing in its psychic purging and knife-edge urgency. Its incursions on the no-person’s-land between detuned drill, noise, and industrial ambient paradigms are as vital as they come at the start of a new, foreboding decade - baldly resetting boundaries and rekindling a fire in the gut-level consciousness of rap and punk musicks that echoes the North West’s indefatigable spirit, and likewise spearheads a crucial new movement beside the likes of Space Afrika, Rainy Miller, and Croww. When factored by his uncanny gift for physicality, as inspired by traditional Japanese butoh dance and petrified city centre spice heads, Blackhaine’s art patently refuses, as much as acknowledges, the pressures of the times. A vital new working class voice demands your attention right here.

We’re thrilled to have another legend of the underground on O.C.D. : Alex Martin. A very well respected mainstay in the Spanish Techno scene, Alex’s career spans 3 decades under different production aliases and releases on seminal labels like F-Com, Klang Elektronik, Pias, Cosmos Records, Minifunk, Boozoo, Pagoda Recordings, many of which are now sought-after collectors material. Alex is a very good friend of the label since long and a while ago he shared with us his DAT archives filled with unreleased material from the early years of his career. It took us a while, but we are now ready to give him the rightly deserved space on our Secret Sun series. This is the first volume of a collection of never heard before music from Alex Martin under some of his several aliases, retrieved from the vaults to be finally made available to the world.

“Heroes Of The East“, a story about love, pride and rivalry is re-written by Belgian producer Placid One who’s style perfectly fits to the Shaw Cuts trademark sound. The story begins with an arranged marriage between Chinese Kung Fu student Ho Tao and Japanese Yumiko Koda who is highly-trained in Karate. They live together happily until one day, they decide to practice together. „Morse“, its blazing pads, energetic percussion and powerful rhythm weaves and chimes in sync with their intense and raw training duel. Relentless arguing about which martial style and philosophy is better leads Koda to become offended, so she returns to Japan. “Foothills“ is a bright, sonic forcefield and its pulsating drums set the tone for a voyage of mixed emotions and self-doubt. Marital and cultural misunderstandings lead Koda’s former school in Japan to send seven of their strongest students to fight Ho Tao and prove which country has superior fighting styles. Spurred on by radiant pads, chasing percussions and the heavy kickdrum of „Melopée“, Ho Tao wins all battles, two by trickery. He even begins to admire and learn about Japanese culture and martial prowess. But there is one more duel. Takeno, Koda’s master, challenges Ho Tao to a clash of styles. Darts, needles and shurikens catapult through the air, swords and spears collide, and crab style takes on fujian white crane. Armed with sharp chords, colossal drum jabs and menacing soundscapes, Lazarus supports the titan duel with his remix version of „Foothills“. No victor, no bloodshed, just respect and peace among all.

Mule Musiq's sub label studio mule has formed a group of shifting members and are now releasing a debut album with 8 tracks of reworked obscure japanese gems. The album contains the three singles the group released so far, featuring miyako koda of the ex-perimental pop band dip in the pool, whose "on retinae" was reissued by music from memory to great acclaim, on vocals and mule musiq staple kuniyuki on production with direction by label head Toshiya Kawasaki.

Presenting “Fire Zone”. Album written, produced & mixed by Zane Reynolds and pressed on 180g vinyl, by Ekster. Coming out May 2019, including poster 57x57cm artwork by the artist. Mastered & cut by Helmut Erler at Dubplates & Mastering.
The music of Zane Reynolds AKA SFV Acid celebrates lysergic life in small town America. His are urban hallucinations. Conceived in “business parks, strip malls”, in “blue collar luxury”. On a diet of “diner burgers”. From the self-released, hand-painted cassettes of his high school years, he has moved to work commissioned by locals 100% Silk, Japan`s Big Love, and Dutch imprint, BAKK. His latest long-player, Fire Zone, will be issued by Belgian label, Ekster.
The album continues to reference Zane’s Los Angeles home, and in this case the devastation that rages there every Summer. The concept however, reaching away from the horror and flames, to offer an escape.
There are moments, interludes, that hint at, and hide, something darker. Where drone twists from tape hiss. Bends. Out of shape. Where chords distort. Their degraded edges disintegrating. Charred perhaps? But Ai welcomes you to “San Fernando Valley”, and a low-riding 808 booms. Less L.A. More Overtown, or Liberty City. Its racing booty bass calmed by wind chimes. The rapid Electro-Funk clip countered by modal synths. Its sunny disposition reflecting the SFV climate.
Playful rhymes, fragmented dialogue, and answer phone messages, rub up against Rave sirens. Roland`s silver box squeezes out a Sci-Fi Jazz. Through ping-ponging percussion. Through a drum and bass battery. Punched by keys that wanna be horns. Rewinds that create a bin-blowing vacuum. Shore-line samples washing the more head-nodding tempos. Euphoria rising while a perfect beat pops and locks.

The style and sound of DJ Overdose is so distinctive, you can spot it from miles away. The first track has a groovy title, with a car symbol and silly characters. Great music for driving your white convertible in the Detroit sunset, it's dark, repetitive, the usual genius with impressive drums. The title of Funky Mess is no lie, it's a funky song with a Japanese telecom sampler resembling the Detroit underground scene. The last track RZ-1-DMX is classic electro with some nice slow melodies, that you can nod to. Sematic4 is operating with more classic electro elements on Dream Creator with some spacey tunes, while North Star '78 is a rather hard-hitting club music with a nice groove, interesting drums and some super melodies. One Nite In Heaven recalls the atmosphere and soundscape of the golden days of the Hague electro scene - a way of showing respect to the era.

WRWTFWW Records is immensely happy to announce the reissue of impossible-to-find cult album Lady Maid by Japanese outfit Normal Brain.

Beautiful 1 LP Edition Clasic with 350g cardboard sleeve, Sticker - The holy grail album Mkwaju by acclaimed Japanese percussionist Midori Takada’s Mkwaju ensemble WRWTFWW Records is proud to announce the highly anticipated official reissue of holy grail album Mkwaju by acclaimed Japanese percussionist Midori Takada’s Mkwaju ensemble, sourced from the original masters and available in two versions: a vinyl LP cut at Emil Berliner Studios (formerly the in-house recording department of Deutsche Grammophon) and a digipack CD.

Bosconi Records Takes You Back to the Berlin 2000s with a Vinyl Gem.

Bosconi Records is thrilled to announce a distinctive vinyl release that harks back to berlin 2000’s good old days The featured track of this release unveils Console’s , known and active as Acid Pauli, reinterpretation of a track that gained fabio’s attention during his stay in Berlin in 2000. Fabio Della Torre, the owner and A&R of Bosconi Records, stumbled upon this hidden gem during his year in Berlin as many djs in the city were spinning it. Finally his quest to uncover the origins of this track led him to a CD release on the label of Angelika Köhlermann. The track in question is Console’s reimagining of “Let’s Rock Baby” a composition by the independent musician and video artist Anne Laplantine, who adopted the Japanese-sounding alias Michiko Kusaki. This version was originally released alongside a series of remixes by artists such as Dmx krew, Felix Kubin, and Adult, all featured on Angelika Köhlermann’s label.

Today, Bosconi Records is thrilled to bring this iconic track to light again on vinyl, accompanied by fresh interpretations. It’s important to note that these reinterpretations breathe life into Console’s work, not Laplantine’s original track, making Console’s version the centerpiece of this release. We have a banger version from German electro luminary The Exaltics which his typilcal electro techno trademark sound. The Exaltics had just released his new album on Clone and has been featured by Helena hauff in her Fabric Mix compilation. Italian producers Voodoos & Taboos, known for their homonymous label and with an recent “banger” on Bordello a Parigi with an electro playful version. The vibrant Queen of Coins have breathed new life into Console’s track, delivering a fresh new-beat acid ebm burner, giving the track a new and personal perspective.

This project mirrors Bosconi Records’ commitment to exploring diverse dimensions of electronic music and featuring compelling compositions. The release looks to resonate with DJs and electronic music enthusiasts, offering a contemporary perspective on a timeless track.

Degrees of Freedom is a Canadian musical group founded in 1984 in Montreal by Janet Cadman (vocals and percussion), Martin Chartrand (bass, guitar, rhythm programming and vocals) and David Curtis (keyboards, vocals, and percussion). Established as a 5-piece New Wave cover band, Degrees of Freedom evolved into its classic quartet configuration following the departure of the original guitarist and drummer, and the subsequent enlistment of Santino Mastrocola on drums. With this lineup change came a new musical mission: the writing, recording and live presentation of original material only. Since Santino's withdrawal from the band in 1988, Degrees of Freedom has carried on as a trio in the studio while augmenting concert performances with additional musicians.

In February 1985, Degrees of Freedom performed at the newly formed S.O.S. (Save Our Songwriters) Club in Montreal. Like other participants in the S.O.S. project, Degrees of Freedom was rewarded with studio time to record some of its own songs. One of these, "August is an Angel" was selected to close out the locally produced 1985 band anthology album "Listen - A Faze Compilation of Montreal Music." The next year, a new track "In This Room," was included in the follow-up release "Listen 2." Both songs, with four newly recorded works, were issued in 1988 as Degrees of Freedom's eponymous sole vinyl release, informally known as the “China” album.

In 2015, the music of Degrees of Freedom experienced a renaissance thanks to a new generation of club DJs, traditional and internet-based radio hosts, vinyl disc collectors, and other aficionados of synth-based music. Local and international recognition has come in the form of record sales to fans in Canada as well as in the USA, Germany, Scotland, England, Ireland, Belgium, The Netherlands, France, Spain, Lithuania, Sweden, Bulgaria, Australia, Vietnam, and Japan. Responding to the resurgence of interest, Degrees of Freedom has twice re-issued the disc (2017 and 2019). Today, with eyes on the future and the past, Janet, Martin and David continue to collaborate on new material including the songs, "Metal Flesh" and "Be This Way" both accessible on the band's YouTube channel.

Fully licensed, ltd to 500 copies. What if Japanese city pop met no wave? Neither in your wildest dream such occurrence could be real, but let’s make things clear. Frank Chickens could have been possibly forerunners for several famous alternative band, Cibo Matto on top of all, but sure had a development on their own. Our history began in London, early eighties, art duo Frank Chickens is the original creation of Japanese performers Kazuko Hohki and Kazumi Taguchi. All of a sudden the band debuts with a pair of singles and a full length on Kaz Records, it’s 1984, but could have been easily 1994, or even 2004. Backed by the likes of Steve Beresford (Alterations, The Slits, General Strike, London Improvisers Orchestra), Annie Whitehead (Penguin Cafe Orchestra, Robert Wyatt), Lol Coxhill, Tony Coe and Clive Bell (the top of the cream of the English avantgarde) the band soon became a case in history. Now we have the pleasure – 37 years after its original release – to reissue their second album: Get Chickenized! The record came out in 1987 on the british label Flying Lecords and showed a different side of the project, with a major focus on the so-called synth wave counterculture, still maintaining a certain avant feel. With original conspirator Steve Beresford still on board, the band was propelled in the studio by another key figure of the London underground: journalist, composer and producer David Toop. Being John Peel’s favorite for a while, the band built a cult following retaining some absurd live performances, well known for their idiosyncratic choreography. Later revamped in the year 2000 - thanks to cult label Ninja Tune – the band enjoyed a second wave of success, with a remix album featuring the likes of Pizzicato 5, Fink and Neotropic. With a cover embellished by the labor of Pere Ubu David Thomas, this second influential album is finally available for your listening pleasure. Here’s your chance to dive deep into this exotic pop extravaganza.

Orthogonal Eigenstates is the title of the new full-length album by Quantum Collapse aka Eduardo de La Calle where the author definitively moves away from dance music and starts a new period of exploration strongly influenced by the English Glicht IDM trends from early 90's and styles that goes from Soundtrack to Experimental Jazz ,Cinematic Electronica or Abstract Hiphop

Expanded vinyl edition of previously tape-only lost techno-pop classic from Tokyo/1984 - coming with an additional fifty minutes plus of unreleased archival music from the original recording sessions.

Artwork by the acclaimed book designer Luke Bird and liner notes by the artist. 300 copies (180g).

A Japanese synth curio? A lost techno-pop classic? So might run the standard view of the electronic album Boku・Neko・Platanus, recorded in 1984 by Shinichi Omata. The facts point that way. The futuristic Platonische Liebe and Omata’s technodelic take on the traditional Greek folk track Egyptische Knabe are timeless electro tracks with a radically simple pop concept and robotic flavour that closely echo Japan’s most recognisable exports from the era.

But, focusing only on such fragments misses the greater charms of the album – an argument made more convincing by the inclusion in this expanded edition of an archive of unreleased material from the original recording period. The music spans an unusually broad and contrasting range of influences, exploring the possibilities of mood music, imaginary soundtracks and pop dissonance. How Omata transformed this vast range of influences into synth pop is the real magic here.

In Japan, Omata is largely known only to electronic music enthusiasts and connoisseurs as a member of the cult synth-pop outfit DEA, whose Metaphysical Popwas released in 1985 on LLE, a sub-label of Marquee Moon Records, itself an offshoot of the notable experimental music magazine of the same name. Yet he is the mastermind behind a daring techno-pop sound that has remained almost entirely hidden for nearly 40 years.

Boku・Neko・Platanus was originally issued on cassette in extremely limited numbers (25 only – released by the Tokyo-based Indian grocery store, Ganso Nakaya Mugendo, located in the Koenji district of the city) so much so, that it’s incredible it ever came to light at all. What we can hear across the expanded edition is not only a highly skilful instrumentalist at the peak of his powers, but also a daring experimentalist, who employed emerging computer and synth technology in innovative ways, and revitalised old school music by adapting it into contemporary settings.

“This was the kind of music I had always wanted to try”, he recalls in our sleevenote interview. Omata’s angle was that he was writing modern music, informed by contemporary developments elsewhere but without the stiffness of the formal academic scene. It’s all pop as far as he’s concerned.

In the gutter lie sun dried leaves, scraps of paper, burnt matches and cigarette butts. It is early morning; the sun rises with warm grace. you've come to the right party... you see, the body of a young man sitting by a pool, nobody important, really. Just a movie writer with a couple of "b" pictures to his credit. He always wanted a pool. Well, in the end he got himself a pool, but let's go back some time and find the day when it all started in “Hollywood,” the place where they pay a thousand dollars for a kiss and fifty cents for your soul.

Three years after he celebrated “Sketch of Japan” EP, Superpitcher returns to Mule Musiq, bringing an epic super-pitched 40 minutes trip named “Hollywood”, that perfectly works as the score for the above remixed opening scene of a famous movie on the trances of Hollywood, the cage, that catch our dreams. It’s a slow grower, incorporating some of core elements of the city of celluloid dreams: action, drama, romance - all epic noir and yet so flooded by light. As ever the producer and DJ from Paris garnished his long building up and going down voyage with se-ducing melodies, glamorous pop, and psychic rhythms, creating the hippy dance ambiences he is famed for. Even though the twelve inch comes in accustomed a/b chapters, “Hollywood” should be perceived in one go to feel the depth of Superpitcher’s tropical leaning story arc, that stretches the idea of a track into a dream of satin teardrops on flickering velvet lights. It paints sonic celluloid pictures of ghostly creatures, while a female/male voice is the music’s constant melodic companion, injection Janus-faced longing dream pop spheres on the overall tripping house melancholy. A heroic electronic drama, elegant as Tamara de Lempicka painting. It asks for endless rides on the Hollywood freeways. in the back the sun – a big orange ball – sinking slowly below the horizon.

You've come to the right party... you see, the body of a young man sitting by a pool, in the back a long, graceful bar, bathed in soft light, filled with elegant customers. There's nothing else, just us and the music and those wonderful people out there in the dark, ready for a divine dance in closeup.

Hoshina Anniversary offers a new LP of fluid, alchemical dance music in the shape of Hisyochi, on Impatience. Moving well beyond the initial influence of jazz fusion, electronica and his Japanese heritage, Hoshina Anniversary continues to carve deeper into his own cosm, and Hisyochi arguably represents this prolific producer at his most singular, refined and potent yet.

With nowhere to go and little to do, Hoshina was making music at a seemingly unstoppable torrent throughout the pandemic, sometimes sketching close to 100 tracks in any given month. Opening up a session from a previous track, he would erase all but one element, using it as a starting point for a completely new experiment, lending the body of work a subtle yet tangible coherence. Hisyochi was pieced together from a swathe of productions that came out of a particularly fertile period in the first half of 2021, which also birthed his recent release on Patience, Hyakunin Isshu.

Roughly translating to “somewhere cool to relax during a hot summer” according to Hoshina, Hisyochi transcends seasons but undoubtedly runs hot. Drum patterns are crisp, varied and invariably body-moving, basslines ascend at vertigo-inducing velocity, and dimly-lit jazz-bar piano is often the only element anchoring the sound to terra firma.

Following the plaintive, palette cleansing introduction of Rakka, Irahu plots the course with a light arpeggiator over a chugging rhythm before a warbly piano line to creeps in the back door. Misebayana is a jolt of gyrating mutant dance, part video game suspense and part footwork for drums and koto, while Kokoro no Heisei (Peace Of Mind) sees Hoshina deliver a salvo to stillness over a meandering, dubby spacewalk. Roman is an invigorating cut of warped dancehall tango, while the closing title track perfectly encapsulates the essence of the record and Hoshina Anniversary in 2022 in one elegant, acidic rinse.

Hoshina Anniversary is Yoshinobu Hoshina, from Hachioji, outside of Tokyo. He’s released records as Hoshina Anniversary on ESP Institute, Alien Jams and Youth, under his Suemori moniker for Osare! Editions and as Shifting Gears for Toucan Sounds, amongst others.

Hisyochi was written, produced and mixed by Hoshina Anniversary. It was mastered by Josh Bonati in NYC, and artwork is by Luca Schenardi.

The perfect chill out record from a once off collaboration between Drum Club’s Charlie Hall and Subsurfing’s Obi. It threads a fine line between balearic and drum n’ bass creating something remarkably unique. Originally released as an extremely limited run on Japanese label Paratone.

Modern Obscure Music turns to Japan for inspiration. Suemori debuts on the Barcelona based imprint with an album of striking textures and sounds. From the first track, you can feel the influence of the Far East in both the melodies and rhythms created by Suemori. The music is complemented by Mayte Nicole Estebanfs impressive artwork. Suemorifs real name is Yoshinobu Hoshina. He previously recorded as Hoshina Anniversary. Under this alias, Hoshina released music on labels such as Boysnoize Records and ESP Institute. As Suemori he released the Maebashi album earlier in 2021 on Elena Colombifs Osare! Editions imprint. Tawamure is an album of richly textured compositions. Pianos and electronics are equally important. Some tracks are beatless and others have an unorthodox approach to percussion.

For more than a decade now, Fleck E.S.C. has marked himself out as one of the most playful and prolific producers in the electro game. Across dozens of releases for labels including Bass Agenda and Science Cult, the France-born, Japan-based artist has made his name through a production style which balances limber beats with exploratory textural work.
Fleck E.S.C. debuted on Central Processing Unit in 2018 with the Discrete Opinion EP. Now, after stopping by the Sheffield label last year on a Silicon Scally remix job, Fleck E.S.C. delivers his second EP for CPU in the form of Rough Silk. The record's intriguing title proves an apt introduction to this four-track affair. These cuts are at once sleek and abrasive, anchored by robotechnic machine-funk grooves yet also full of strange, shifting shapes.
The opening title-track expertly sets out Rough Silk's stall. Heralded by gurgling synths and all manner of whirring percussive tones, 'Rough Silk' blossoms around the minute mark with the introduction of a wickedly buoyant lead synth. This is music at once visceral and full of mystery, the sound of wending through the back alleys, and the feeling carries through to the following cut 'Hat in the Cat' - as the synth pads spool out overhead, the machine-funk snap of the beat has an almost aquatic quality that links it back to Drexciya.
Much like 'Rough Silk', the record's first B-side 'Faking Sweet' also shifts gears. The opening strains of the track seem to be preparing for another insistent, expansive broken-beat pulse, but it stiffens its neck around ninety seconds in. Programmed drums whirr around a jittery machine-gun bass while discordant synths pull at the edges of the track, all of which brings a strong dystopian energy that increases further as the percussion sounds become increasingly bug-eyed.
After so much excitement, 'Digger Play' closes out the EP with a softer touch. There's still plenty of low-slung bounce to the beat, but the track runs a little slower, and there's a warm wistfulness in the synths which gives 'Digger Play' a painterly, almost poetic feel. However, while it may take its foot off the gas, the production here is as deft as it is everywhere else on Rough Silk.
With new EP Rough Silk, electro whizz Fleck E.S.C. brings the sort of casual mastery to proceedings that has characterised his career to date.
Riyl: Silicon Scally, Jensen Interceptor, Annie Hall

Prolific and singular Japanese producer Hoshina Anniversary presents Hyakunin Isshu, a two tracker of extended jaunts deeper into the mystery than he’s yet dared to venture. With a growing reputation for sizzling productions combining propulsive house rhythms with gyrating arpeggios and textured sound design punctured by jazz-inflected keys, Hyakunin Isshu further expands the limits.

On Hyakunin Isshu, Hoshina Anniversary paces it out over the course of two complimentary side-long runs. The A side Karakurenaini rides on a steady 4/4 as cycling percussion loops, squelchy acid basslines and angular piano chords float in and out of the mix. Deployed and rinsed to peak effect, it's relentless repetition evolves just enough to get completely lost in.

On side B Kirigirisu slows the pace down to a crawl, a lurching rhythm and haunting riff ascending almost to the point of vertigo toppling and giving way to a sci-fi drum break, a stirring prolonged break and triumphant culmination, it’s slow-mo future strut equally indebted to melodies of the past.

Hyakunin Isshu is named for Ogura Hyakunin Isshu, an anthology of delicate, reflective Japanese poetry comprised of works from the 12th and 13th centuries. Both tracks share their titles with different entries in the series.

Hoshina Anniversary is the alias of Yoshinobu Hoshina, a reverent reinterpreter of jazz, dance music and traditional Japanese instrumentation. The last couple of years have seen the producer from the Tokyo suburbs release a torrent of inimitable missives on esteemed maisons disques like ESP Institute, Osare Editions, Alien Jams and Youth. Also forthcoming in the summer of 2022 is an LP on Impatience.

Favorite Recordings presents Dark Is The Color, the first LP by Alan Shearer reissued on vinyl for the first time. Despite being initially composed and produced for the French library label PSI, this rare and obscure in-demand gem from 1985 sounds retrospectively like a proper album with great coherence and sophistication all along. Indeed, these 11 tracks will delight synthesizers addicts. Expect deeply emotive instrumental compositions, with ingenious analogue sequencing on stimulating chord progressions. The result is a highly retrofuturistic album, sometimes almost anticipating 90's videogames scores. Just imagine Wally Badarou in a bunker with Talking Heads watching New York 1997 from John Carpenter. Composed mostly step by step on a Sequential Pro-One synthesizer, Dark Is The Color is the product of the exciting state of mind from the 80's era with new sounds, new tools and new trends on the music spectrum. Influenced by bands like Talking Head or Japan, the sirens of the new wave scene strongly resonate here with Alan Shearer's familiarity and craftmanship with synthesizers. Back in the days, Alan Shearer aka Frédéric Viger was working for his father’s music label, “Musique Pour L'image”, and their sublabel “psi”. He started with Marathon Life under his real name before taking the Alan Shearer monitor. These records were produced for radio, TV and cinema industries but as well for companies’ internal communication. They represented a real investment from the label and these catalogues are usually full of amazing music from great artists such as Martial Solal, Vladimir Cosma, Joël Fajerman, Harlem Pop Trotters and even Manu Dibango. About his musical illustration process, Alan Shearer tells: "Soundtracks are indeed my biggest influences and I'm a real fan of American composers as Jerry Goldsmith or Elmer Bernstein. I've always considered soundtracks as the new classical music or classical music of our century. There is a real state of mind producing music for illustration: you have to stick to the video. You should not tell what the image is saying but accompany what it is saying. You have to find a unique link, people always told me music should not be noticed for itself in a movie, that's what makes it good.”

Delft-based label Omen Wapta's second release is An, an EP by Japanese producer Yuki Matsumura. Born and raised in Kochi, Yuki has previously released two albums of avant-glitch techno through Moph Records and Artificial Domain. On his new EP, the artist continues to pursue a sparse and introspective sound, defined by his heavy processing and editing techniques, labyrinthine sound design, and distinctive rhythmic patterns.

A variety of ambient and experimental cuts to be found here. A re-release of sorts, all original tracks were done by Enitokwa (Takashi Hasegawa) as rehearsal for a live performance at Tokyo - Batofar Festival in Paris in 2001 and were released on a limited CDR "promo." in 2002. All 8 tracks were recorded and mixed live in one sitting, and have been remastered, given names and pressed on heavy vinyl with a beautiful cover design by Berlin artist Nik Patrick.

The sample sources were largely inspired by records that Takashi listened to in High School - and feature two hugely well known British hands (one of whom have just reformed and have a new album out…), some old Jazz, Bossa Nova and Hawaiian records, as well as samples from ambient legends Deep Forest and Brian Eno. The result is an earthly nostalgic feel with deep moods to match the times we are living in.

The first track ‘Pop’ bursts into life with an etherial presence. ‘Ssab’ and ‘Chinese Girl Goes to Hawaiii’ have a rather filmic quality to them, whilst ‘Resonating’ seems to float over the wreckage of human activity, a post apocalyptic vision of Planet Earth. ‘Liquid Sky’ is a minimal groove which could be a sonic report from an eerie space station, which is itself a remix of Dub Sonic aka Takehito Nakazeto’s ‘Donigma Dub’.

‘Hope on Hop’ will appeal to today’s generation with its Techno and D’n’B influences, and features voices taken from Wim Wender’s ‘Paris Texas’. Track 7, ‘Mingos’ turns Gal Costa’s voice into a soaring atmospheric haze of digital memory, and the track ‘Holy Spiral’ is a combination of this one and ‘Resonating’, an ascendent 12 minute march to the release’s final close.

Takashi Hasegawa is a respected DJ, producer and live performer who plays live electronic and DJ sets regularly today in venues and festivals across Japan. He has been producing house, techno, experimental and ambient music since the 90’s - spending some of that time in the United States, including working in the music scene in the New York, before returning to Japan working as a sound engineer, A&R and producer for the famous Tokyo-based record label Club Yellow. Now based in Osaka-Fukuoka, Takashi’s music is still resonating with fellow music lovers around the world.

Now, 20 years on from its creation, this music is rediscovered and given a wider audience. The sound on ’Re-Promo’ interestingly gives an insight into the music Enitokwa is currently working on - reflecting the cyclical nature of creative output - and represents a slight departure from the swirling delicate ambient textures that you can hear in o.n.s.a and on the intricate and more musical 2069, released in 2017 and 2016 respectively.

Each track has a video accompaniment to be released in various media outlets, the label head Tom Ransom having partnered with diverse artists in Colombia, Denmark, Japan, Poland, France, Britain and China to create a wide range of visual outputs.

The release also sees two digital only remixes, one coming from London and Wigan’s enigmatic Isherwood (Edward Regan), and the other from Mat Fink - a unique DJ and up and coming producer raised in Pittsburgh and Berlin. Watch out for these

A three track EP by Ground, a DJ and producer based in Osaka, Japan. He has released his debut album on ESP institute and other works on Jin, Multi Culti, SVS, Bokeh Version and his own label Chillmountain Rec. Ozunu is a three-track single cut, including the title track, from an album released digitally on Chillmountain Rec last year in 2021. Inspired by the old tales of South Osaka, the EP is full of twisty, acidic house, rickety percussion, psychedelic overdubs, and ridiculously fat bass. Chugging synthesizers and squidgy bass notes form a bright, meandering groove.

After the worldwide success of their first album Puzzle (1999), which sold over 200,000 copies and went gold in Japan, Xavier Boyer (vocals, guitars), Pedro Resende (bass), Médéric Gontier (guitars) & Sylvain Marchand (drums) reunited with producer Andy Chase to record the follow-up, Wallpaper for the Soul, in New York City. Starting in November 2001 at Stratosphere Sound, the prolific sessions gave birth to twenty tracks, twelve of which appeared on the original tracklist. The eight outtakes were compiled on the mini albums A Piece of Sunshine (2003) & Extra Pieces of Sunshine (2004). This new vinyl edition will be the first time all these songs appear together. Almost 20 years on, Wfts is a tour de force of contemporary songwriting with obvious nods to the past somehow revisited in a timeless fashion. Tahiti 80’s second effort can also be seen as an alternative and more sophisticated snapshot of an era often associated with the rebirth of rock (The White Stripes, The Strokes…). This set of songs also established them as stalwarts of the Post French Touch cannon, showcasing both their ability to write catchy songs and their knack for mélanges & experimentation. 1,000 Times or The Train are unique examples of blue-eyed soul augmented with French flair (« Prefab Sprout as produced by Thomas Bangalter » suggested Uncut which listed Wfts in their Top Ten’s albums of 2003). Listen to Don’t Look Below today, and ask yourself who was mixing Destiny’s Child with My Bloody Valentine in 2001? Delicate numbers like Open Book or live favorite Better Days Will Come both demonstrate T80’s songwriting skills and their innate sense of melancholia. Listening back to Wfts today, one cannot help but think of it as an album recorded in a state-of-the-art fashion. All four members would typically perform together in the same room. Basic takes were printed on a 24-track analog tape machine and then bounced onto a computer for editing. A fine example of this method is the title track itself. Originally written on acoustic guitar, Wallpaper … is the result of three eight minutes synthesizer jams pieced together. The Frenchmen were keen to try out multitude of ideas and had developed a taste for experimentation. The sessions also coincide with a rich outburst of creativity from a band on top of their game after several months of touring around the world. Another typical Wfts characteristic is Richard Hewson’s orchestration. Veteran string arranger, famous for arranging The Beatles’ The Long And Winding Road or writing RAH Band’s ‘80s classic Clouds Across The Moon Hewson gave the songs a sweeping orchestral touch. Strings, Horns & woodwinds were all performed at the now defunct Olympic Studios in London. Urban Soul Orchestra, a 24-piece ensemble who played on Oasis’ or Spice Girls’ hits can be heard on five songs: the opening trilogy Wallpaper…, 1,000 Times and The Other Side, then on the Northern Soul revival Soul Deep and lastly on the album’s closer Memories Of The Past. Rouen’s most famous four-piece, now relocated in a house on France’s North West Coast, in the quiet seaside town of Étretat, added more bells & whistles and resumed production on the songs. With one last transatlantic leap during the summer of 2002, the boys flew to Portland, Oregon to attend the mixing sessions held by sound wizard Tony Lash (Elliott Smith, The Dandy Warhols…). Suggested by Sub Pop’s craftsman Eric Matthews, also a guest on trumpet and keyboards, Lash would later become a major collaborator on Tahiti 80’s subsequent albums. In the meantime, Laurent Fétis, the designer behind Puzzle’s iconic artwork, had started working with artist Elisabeth Arkhipoff on a set of nostalgic photographs transfigured with a soft air-bush technique. Those visuals, like their predecessors, have since become an inseparable companion to Tahiti 80’s music. Many musical fashions and flavors of the month have come and gone, but twenty years after its release, Wfts still sounds fresh and relevant. And always forward-looking, Tahiti 80 is currently wrapping up the recording of their eighth album, to be released in early 2022.

Yappin are back with Y-009, a collaborative project by Neewt and long time label affiliate Babydawg. Sonically this one might yet be the most contemporary take on breakbeat music to be released on the label. "Skyline Tears" EP is a smooth blend of old school and new school breaks and the psychedelic synth melancholia we've been associating Neewt with, ever since his first 12" release on Yappin back in 2017.

This is the first release of the brand new vinyl label Terra Magica Rec. which was founded by Munich based music producers and DJs Mirko Hecktor and Tom Sprenger in mid-pandemic times of 2021. The first release hosts two tracks of the label bosses themselves under their moniker Hektisch Sprengen DJs. In German language the term Hektisch Sprengen basically means blowing up things in a very hectic manner. Instead prepare for quite the contrary sound vise. Their tracks Social Rub and Dancing Dust are electronic, analog Slow-Disco-Cosmic-Trance-Tunes containing some Sh101 and Korg synth lines with Tr-808 beats and some Japanese, African 2 South-American hints. While one track is tracing an ultra rare psychedelic voice sample from Nigeria’s 70’s Highlife scene the other one uses a little boinx gag. To round things up no other than Dirk Leyers from Africaine 808 did the final mixdown on those tunes. On top DJ Normal 4 straight outta ‚Pott’ hits full on groove with an uncanny Funk Breaks anthem recalling early 90s Warp and the best of UK-Big-Beat-Acid and conga easiness. Last but not least Down Under`s DJ Chrysalis jumps into the genre madness on Terra M`s first release delivering a raw UK-Garage-IDM influenced dreamy synth shiver down your spines transcending those fellow e-dancers straight into the golden years of club culture.

“When I started working on the piece in March of 2020, I had only decided to record it in the way I wanted to. The coronavirus was spreading globally, and the situation was gradually changing into something very serious. With no gigs scheduled and hardly seeing anyone, I felt as if my spirit was in a slightly deeper place than usual during the production. I sat down in front of my equipment as if I were dropping a fishing line into a quiet lake. I kept feeling that something new was lurking beneath the water surface. I was trying to catch that something that seemed to be just out of reach, that floated in and out of sight like a speck of smoke. “ ＿Referenced from: Afterword of 7FO「Ran - Bouten」 2021 brings a new album by Osaka electronic musician / producer 7FO. This work is a departure from the recent global ambient / new age approach, and the unique sound aesthetic created using only hardware equipment is a new frontier of 7FO or a return to his origin. "Ran - Bouten" is a new electronic music album with a poetic sensibility using machines.Discovered by overseas labels such as Rvng intl., Bokeh Versions, and Metron-and with the release that followed EM Records in his hometown Osaka, it's like his personal folk craft that was once quietly played at his own pace. Music has reached listeners around the world. In recent years, he has been touring from a famous performance with Tapes at the Belgian "Meakusma Festival 2019" to a Japan-Korea tour. "Ran - Bouten" was born as a result of facing the sound alone without being asked by anyone to cool down the heat when the steaming and intense experience had settled down. Inside the cool electronic sound like a water bath, you can feel the maker's heart sending hot blood.Peep into the condensed universe of a home-recorded miniature world that looks like an independent production of unknown age. He was alone in a dark room, making full use of KAWAI's 1990 digital and FM synthesizers , tracing the shape of nature and resonating the micro and macro sound worlds. The Rhythm and melody that continues to the Paradise Pure Land, which floats in a dreamy atmosphere, is the true value of 7FO even without his guitar play.Mastering by Makoto Oshiro, which supports everything from home listening to club sound systems. Hiroaki Hidaka designed the jacket to make the image of the sound appear cool and friendly everywhere.

A record made when Yapoos supposedly weren't making music, this latter career EP first materialised on their Tokyo and Osaka 1999 tour, and is a must have for any Yapoos enthusiast. Fresh from the aftertaste of drum&bass records reaching Japanese shores in the late 90s, this collection of tracks veers even further in the direction of electronic than those that came before it doing away with guitars and acoustic drums altogether. The unmistakable vocal arrangements of Jun Togawa however assure the listener that these were never core elements, and as the case with all Yapoos records the beating heart follows on the heels of Togawa and the rallying cries from the underlying industrial production.

This EP would also see Togawa's developing interest in spoken word with the floating poetry of second track "Hamushi" and the final track "(something else)" - a tribute to Togawa's love of radio drama series and in particular the one-person-three-roles performances that grant its narrator the chance to roam free from the constraints of a single body.

Summer has arrived and with it our first club release in ages, a high energy burner by Kσito from Tokyo, Japan. We are more than excited to welcome this talented MPC finger drummer Keito Suzuki to fiery post-lockdown dance floors. He draws inspiration from the South African Gqom and percussive music, and in his own stately way he merges big room intensity with an experimental explosion of weirdness. Expect bare bones techno, full of earworm hooks. Tolouse Low Trax and Kӣr complement this record with a bunch of psychedelic remixes, creating a great balanced journey.

Artwork by Marta Marinotti.

After the worldwide success of their first album Puzzle (1999), which sold over 200,000 copies and went gold in Japan, Xavier Boyer (vocals, guitars), Pedro Resende (bass), Médéric Gontier (guitars) & Sylvain Marchand (drums) reunited with producer Andy Chase to record the follow-up, Wallpaper for the Soul, in New York City. Starting in November 2001 at Stratosphere Sound, the prolific sessions gave birth to twenty tracks, twelve of which appeared on the original tracklist. The eight outtakes were compiled on the mini albums A Piece of Sunshine (2003) & Extra Pieces of Sunshine (2004). This new vinyl edition will be the first time all these songs appear together. Almost 20 years on, Wfts is a tour de force of contemporary songwriting with obvious nods to the past somehow revisited in a timeless fashion. Tahiti 80’s second effort can also be seen as an alternative and more sophisticated snapshot of an era often associated with the rebirth of rock (The White Stripes, The Strokes…). This set of songs also established them as stalwarts of the Post French Touch cannon, showcasing both their ability to write catchy songs and their knack for mélanges & experimentation. 1,000 Times or The Train are unique examples of blue-eyed soul augmented with French flair (« Prefab Sprout as produced by Thomas Bangalter » suggested Uncut which listed Wfts in their Top Ten’s albums of 2003). Listen to Don’t Look Below today, and ask yourself who was mixing Destiny’s Child with My Bloody Valentine in 2001? Delicate numbers like Open Book or live favorite Better Days Will Come both demonstrate T80’s songwriting skills and their innate sense of melancholia. Listening back to Wfts today, one cannot help but think of it as an album recorded in a state-of-the-art fashion. All four members would typically perform together in the same room. Basic takes were printed on a 24-track analog tape machine and then bounced onto a computer for editing. A fine example of this method is the title track itself. Originally written on acoustic guitar, Wallpaper … is the result of three eight minutes synthesizer jams pieced together. The Frenchmen were keen to try out multitude of ideas and had developed a taste for experimentation. The sessions also coincide with a rich outburst of creativity from a band on top of their game after several months of touring around the world. Another typical Wfts characteristic is Richard Hewson’s orchestration. Veteran string arranger, famous for arranging The Beatles’ The Long And Winding Road or writing RAH Band’s ‘80s classic Clouds Across The Moon Hewson gave the songs a sweeping orchestral touch. Strings, Horns & woodwinds were all performed at the now defunct Olympic Studios in London. Urban Soul Orchestra, a 24-piece ensemble who played on Oasis’ or Spice Girls’ hits can be heard on five songs: the opening trilogy Wallpaper…, 1,000 Times and The Other Side, then on the Northern Soul revival Soul Deep and lastly on the album’s closer Memories Of The Past. Rouen’s most famous four-piece, now relocated in a house on France’s North West Coast, in the quiet seaside town of Étretat, added more bells & whistles and resumed production on the songs. With one last transatlantic leap during the summer of 2002, the boys flew to Portland, Oregon to attend the mixing sessions held by sound wizard Tony Lash (Elliott Smith, The Dandy Warhols…). Suggested by Sub Pop’s craftsman Eric Matthews, also a guest on trumpet and keyboards, Lash would later become a major collaborator on Tahiti 80’s subsequent albums. In the meantime, Laurent Fétis, the designer behind Puzzle’s iconic artwork, had started working with artist Elisabeth Arkhipoff on a set of nostalgic photographs transfigured with a soft air-bush technique. Those visuals, like their predecessors, have since become an inseparable companion to Tahiti 80’s music. Many musical fashions and flavors of the month have come and gone, but twenty years after its release, Wfts still sounds fresh and relevant. And always forward-looking, Tahiti 80 is currently wrapping up the recording of their eighth album, to be released in early 2022.

The CD version of Yapoos’ third album released in 1991 continues to be a best seller at P-Vine records, but this release marks the first time the record has been released in analogue vinyl format. As a solo-artist, frontwoman Jun Togawa already has an extensive catalogue of art pop/new wave releases under her own name, but along with her band-members in Yapoos, they have been a household name at the forefront of the Japanese post-punk movement. Their legacy is unquestioned within japan, and with the help of internet forums and youtube sharing, audiences across the world are slowly coming round to the unique world of Yapoos.

Junki Inoue presents the second release on his recently founded label Saisei from prolific Japanese producer Takuya Sugimoto under his COLOGNe alias. Deep Talk EP features 6 tracks originally released on Japanese CD only label Viola in 1999 and is a snapshot of the elevated warped-techno meets IDM productions Sugimoto is so respected for. Famous for releasing under many synonyms including COLOGNe, Web and Sammansa it was his EVA EP - the first release on FatCat Records in 1996 that stands out in his recording history. The tracks were in fact licenced from Syzygy Records in Japan, which was one of the main Japanese labels including Viola that homed his work during the 90s era he was most productive in. More recently German label Acido released The Sound There, a mini album of previously unreleased Web material recorded between 1994 and 1995 which was released last year in 2020. Deep Talk EP presents 6 tracks of intelligent and elevated techno, which show the balanced and intricate approach Sugimoto applies to his output. It has all the warmth and positive essence of the 90s era of electronic music - combining deep and beautiful sounds with headsy and intricate constructions. This is the first time this music has been made available on the vinyl format. Saisei is a Japanese word which translates to ‘reproduction’ and ‘to play’ (as in playing records). Japanese culture is widely known for its traditional nature just as much as it is for being forward into the future and this label’s concept does justice to exactly that. Having started digging for records as early as 16 years old, Inoue delved into productions from 1990s Japan to uncover these native gems. Saisei’s core concept is to recapture and reintroduce unique pieces of Japanese electronic music onto vinyl, to an audience it never reached before as most of this music was only released in Japan.

Third release for the young label Slow Bistro records, created by Slow-L in 2019. This is a brand new 2021 never released before 12” after two sold-out releases in 2019, we sold lots of these at french shop Dizonord and are happy to share the tip now. Italo disco & new wave inspired tracks rather than pure house, these are still fitted for the clubs.Great pictures from the French Japanese artist Maï Saikuza on rear and front sleeve.

While the German producer Martin Matiske averages a new release under his given name every few years, there was a long stretch of time in which sightings of his Blackploid alias were much more rare. After dropping an EP for Frustrated Funk in 2006, fans found further material hard to come by over the next decade or so. However, Matiske has reinvigorated Blackploid in recent times, with the project making a few compilation appearances and dropping a couple of EPs across 2020.
That run now culminates inCosmic Traveler, a four-track affair which marks Matiske's debut appearance on Sheffield's Central Processing Unit. Given the long wait, it's great just to see Blackploid back among the fray once again. But for the project's CPU curtain-raiser to be an EP of such high-quality techno jams? Now that really is spoiling us.
Cosmic Traveler's title nods towards the sort of stargazing aesthetics one finds in classic Detroit techno. However, while there are undoubtedly ties to the Motor City in this music, the record ultimately steers less towards spacious atmospherics and more towards the taut, lean machine-funk of seminal practitioners like Dopplereffekt.
Matiske sets his stall out from the off. Opener 'Electric Engine' begins with a run of stiff-necked 808 kicks before hissing hi-hats, a grizzly bassline and all manner of futuristic sounds enter to warp the tune into hyperspace. Following cut 'Night Drive' repeats the trick of 'Electric Engine' but adds a pleasingly dinky synth lead in order to nudge itself slightly towards bleep-techno territory.
The two cuts on Cosmic Traveler's B-side are pure late-night goodness, a pair of mid-set heaters primed for dark basements. 'Pleasure Activism' delivers on the promise of its title and then some, pushing the Kraftwerk template to extremes by bringing a load of gnarly synth lines into play over a wobbling acidic chug. Finally, EP closer 'The Race' is reminiscent of both the twisted machine-funk of Gerald Donald's Japanese Telecom project and the playful modern evolutions of artists like fellow CPU high-flyer Jensen Interceptor.
The resurgence of Martin Matiske's Blackploid project continues withCosmic Traveller, an EP of timeless electro-funk and techno.
FFO: Dopplereffekt, Japanese Telecom, Jensen Interceptor, Cardopusher

Japanese pressing without OBI!

Hanagasumi - hazy curtain of flowers, cherry blossoms appearing from afar like a white mist - this phenomenon can be seen during the sakura blossom in Japan. Introducing the second Hanagasumi release from Shine Grooves. This time the release has a slightly different sound character. The first side is minimalist and abstract rhythms filled with twisty synth sequences, seasoned with house sauce and stringy keyboards.

12inch release of highly sought after Colored Music edits by Tokyo's, Chee Chimizu (Organic Music). The two cuts originally featured on the the bands seminal self titled album (from 1981) that remained a cult DJ secret weapon, for many years, all over the world. This heavy EP includes an alternative version of 'Heartbeat' that featured on the Japan only "Individual Beauty" LP of 2018 (also compiled by Chimizu)

Barking's productions are expressive live sets stem from his background in live instrumentation and improvisation. The Berlin-based Australian artist delivers on Openthenext label a forward thinking EP that is equally suited for advanced dance floors and home listening sessions. The music is slow, enveloping, immersive and will surely delight the acid lines and slow techno beats lovers out there. Moirai EP. can trigger a bunch of different emotions: between the magnetic intensity of ‘Scylla’, the melancholic and hypnotic vision of ‘Khasma“, the haunting voice of “Dionysia” will take you to another uplifting & rhythmic path. This #neodancefloor EP, as the Spanish label defines it, also includes a tripping remix of ‘Scylla’ s from Heap, the man behind Neubau & Discus Throwers. A must for the finest jewelry seekers.

Modern Obscure Music has been making links with the Far East since label boss Pedro Vian visited Japan and this is their first 12” release from a Japanese artist. Albino Sound is Hirotaka Umetani from Osaka and here he presents Black Lagoon. This is an exciting EP of experimental soundcapes and left of centre dancefloor escapades with an extra special remix from German producer DJ Normal 4. Black Lagoon opens the EP with live percussion and mysterious sounds and is followed by the mesmerising tones of Plum Valley. Transparent Colony is an open-armed ambient cut and the EP finishes with two versions on Dried Seeds. The original is an energetic mover and DJ Normal 4’s Vibe Strike Remix is an eastern synth inspired mission.

DJ Die Soon is a local legend and ongoing inspiration in the Berlin underground electronic music scene. Remaining largely unknown outside the city, with only a handful of releases and appearances to date, the man behind the mask delivers truly freakish beats built from chaos driven crushed drums and eerie horror style basslines.
KAPPA SLAP wrenches the Morphine catalog by the neck, takes it off it’s feet and slams it back unsteadily in front of the fans who loved the Container, Metasplice and Hieroglyphic Being output of the label. DJ Die Soon delivers extreme work here. The album is a mixture of instrumental pieces and vocal tracks featuring the talents of five contrasting MC's. Three Ugandan lyricists feature: there’s MC Yallah, with whom he worked during a residency for the Nyege Nyege Festival , Lord Spikeheart from the Duma hardcore pressure band, and the mighty ECKO BAZZ. Long time friend and collaborator Infinite Livez (Ninja Tunes) appears on the cosmic & eccentric Ranthworth, and finally there’s Japan’s MA, who recently dropped the incredible AMA album on the label. Incidentally, the pair (both Japanese) decided to collaborate after acclaimed performance at the Morphine Showcase Berlin’s Berghain in 2019.
KAPPA SLAP contains a lot of our favorite sounds all in one album. Stunningly, DJ Die Soon manages to paint the Morphine picture in one hard stroke.
Artwork courtesy of Lorenzo Mason Studio

DEAIK is SJ Tequlla's third record on his own imprint Shot Of T. A solo affair, where the Berlin based Japanese artist keeps on exploring a variation of different sounds on his new 12''. Thumping Acid, moody ambient, Acid house for a club night, and some more familiar mellow drum machine and melodic pieces. SJ Tequilla's most varied record to date. Also with an interesting approach to tempo, where each side shifts between 33-45 by preference of the listener. Essential Shot Of T!

Japanese living legend electronic producer Takayuki Shiraishi; this is a collection of his unreleased materials in late 80’s. He has started the career as his unit “BGM” on most reevaluated japanese experimental label “Vanity Records”. one&only the album “Back Ground Music” have been one of the most demanded japanese new wave record. the album is unique mixture of dark new wave, post punk,kraut rock and experimental electronic music. the first reissue of “BGM/Back Ground Music” is coming this autumn.

Open Space is an exciting new label run by DJ Ray & Goiz. It’s inaugural release sees Goiz taking steps in a fresh direction with a 4 track EP made up mostly of slower tempos, intricate percussive patterns, and an underwater acid feel that’s reminiscent of Plastikman and early Move D.
The A1 cut, ‘That’s Green’ starts with a hot marimba line that is sure to grip your attention from the jump. The track bounces along at 109 bpm and opens up with warm ambience, trippy electric guitar samples, and a chunky electro-acid bassline that is guaranteed to make clubs bump and heads nod.
On the A2 is ‘Mid Pack’ a 100 bpm tribal aquatic trip for the dedicated downtempo deejay. This triplet-heavy rhythm track comes at you with a flurry of percussion, perfectly timed bleep melodies, and a squelchy acid bassline with an early Move D B-Side vibe.
Heading over to the flipside, the B1 track, ‘Zero Cap’ is likely to be a dancefloor favorite. This elastic-sticky-slapper almost demands a physical response with it’s sharp snare hits, driving bassline, and chopped quasi-vocal snips; all leading to a satisfying pay-off in the form of warm pads and floating marimba notes.
Finally, on the B2 we see the closing and fastest track, ‘Woods’ — An optimistic digi dream house bumper inspired by the sounds of CiM and Susumu Yokota. The track starts with a wide, hopeful ambient pad and microscopic drum sounds, quickly swelling into a racy but soothing 8 minute brain massage.

Snuffo, founder of the famous Acid House project Snuff Crew and man behind successful labels: Snuff Trax and In The Dark Again, is known to light up the clubs as a solo producer and live act. This masked man is influenced by a wide range of Electronic Music, art and cultures. As a fan of the imprint Florklang Records and long time friend of label master Kentaro Marume, he is very happy to contribute to this roster. Coming off releases on Clasicos del Ruido, Diffuse Reality, Raw Union and his own In The Dark Again, Snuffo is sure to thrill with his latest: ?Ode To My Family E.P“. This album features two of his own tracks and remixes by Cool and Frank and Jin Cromanyon. We kick off with ?Dreams Fading Away“, a hypnotic yet melodic Techno affair with deep pads, anthemic synths, harsh baseline and pumping beats. In Snuffo’s live sets, this track always gets
the crowd going. The Cool and Frank remix then turns ?Dreams Fading Away“ into a very playful IDM tune with excellent twists. It’s musical brainfood in the best sense. The B-side flips things around, leading off with Japanese artist Jin Cromanyon's take on the title track of the E.P. His ?Electro Neon Mix“ of ?Ode To My Family“ brings a burst of joy and happiness to the dance floors - it's truly irresistible. Snuffo's original work closes the release in which he combines his love for his family with his love for Italo Disco. With ?Ode To My Family“ he delivers a catchy and groovy reminiscence of the sweet sound of the 80s.

Irish mastermind David Kitt aka New Jackson returns to Permanent Vacation with his forth record for the label. This time out he takes his beloved MPC and XOX machines back to Japan, their birthplace, for five imagined train journeys. The results are some of the most stunning and multilayered music he has produced to date with that constant locomotion pushing us on down the tracks and providing the perfect soundtrack to the sights and romance of the land of the rising sun.

Like the original records, ‘Bloodline Remixed’ takes us to unexpected paths to recreate a timeless electronic journey; it evolves in multiple traits and shape oscillating between electro, bass, breaks, techno and cosmic beats to deliver some well-crafted tracks for advanced dance floor.

Sleepline (released as New Dreams Ltd.), plays in the liminal space between states of consciousness, inducing a hazy, deteriorating quality that stands in contrast to Shader Complete's mostly hi-definition aesthetics. It was written in winter 2013-2014, but it didn't see an official release until 2016. Originally conceived as a Sacred Tapestry sequel called Transcontinent, the album saw Xavier returning to her plunderphonic tactics, looping and down-pitching what sounds like decades-old Japanese commercials. This time, Xavier sought out source material that would more readily fall under fair use, attempting to bridge the aesthetic gap between her works by foregrounding her editing techniques as much as transforming the source material.

It’s the 2nd release of Studio Mule’s new project with Miyako Koda aka Dip In The Pool. Following the cover version of Ohnuki Taeko’s carnaval, we made the new version of japanese new wave classic “Shinzo No Tibia by Mariah” with a new lyrics in japanese(original is in armenian)which is written by Miyako Koda. Yasuaki Shimizu kindly gave us the permission to do this. Extended version on a side is full of the respect for the original version and dub version on b side is dark new wave dub version. Kuniyuki said the idea of this version came from Adrian Sherwood’s remix for Depeche Mode.

The CD comes in a digipak with a 4 page booklet. Poignant, aggressive, but yet serene sound track created by Jeff Mills for "And Then There Was Light" - a Japanese film directed by Tatsushi Omori based on the novel "Hikari" by Shion Miura.

With the Asexual EP by YobKiss, Electronic Emergencies is back with a true electronic delight. YobKiss consists of Dutch instrumentalist and producer Paul Borchers, currently based in San Fransisco, and Tokyo resident Yuko Araki on vocals. Their music balances on the edge of avant-garde electronics and flirts with acid pop in dreamy soundscapes, with an analogue synth sound and beautiful vocals in Japanese and English. Or, in their own words, a pitch-dark, filth-ridden tour de force into the worlds of acid house and electro.

Beau Wanzer and Dan Jugel with the roughneck machine work. Small run, extra heavy pressing (70g). TIP!

Nick Höppner returns to Ostgut Ton after last year’s Folk album and a split release with Fort Romeau (Cin Cin, 2015). The Fantastic Planet EP sees him collaborating with Japanese DJ and producer Gonno on three bouncy, club-enabled tracks, steeped in early 90s House and UK Electronica vibes.

Somewhere between Solid State Survivor, Force Majeure and Danzindan-Pojidon you’ll find Shinichi Omata’s Boku ・ Neko ・ Platanus. Or rather you won’t – throughout his captivating debut from 1984, reissued by chOOn!! in 2022, you’ll hear connections to other music but its unique unbridled will keeps pushing those references out of mind.

Shinichi Omata is a fascinating figure – an unsung hero of early Japanese electronic music who between 1981–84 recorded three albums of incredible DIY techno-pop while studying as a student in Tokyo. At University, Omata worked and collaborated as a sitar player and keyboardist with artists such as Hiroko Yoshihara, Takami, DEA and various members of the LLE music circle, where he developed an expressive fusion of minimal synth and psychedelia.

This selection, lovingly extracted from Omata’s unreleased early recorded output, dating from 1981’s Neo Modernism through to 1983's With My Dog Ricky, demonstrates just how closely he clung to the original abstract ideal of moulding 8-bit bleeps and ungainly drum patterns into lo-fi triumphalism. On paper you wouldn’t give this aesthetic clash a pass were it not for the aural evidence of a unique sensibility, precociously openminded and visionary, charmingly transparent in respect of its influences yet possessed of a need for individuality.

Throughout this kaleidoscopic collection, all the ghost plastic in Omata’s head, Kosmische synthesis, synth-funk squiggles, arcade games and early Ambient is thrown together, reimagined and regarded affectionately – through a glass lightly, so to speak. Beneath the pulsing arpeggiated bleeps, Omata’s compositions show a remarkable economy and poise hinting at European classical influences - like a reimagining of Erik Satie’s piano miniatures that swaps 19th century Parisian boulevards for Tokyo’s 1980s technopolis. The music is sheer skin- puckering delight throughout, a delirious, mesmeric collage of dark disco bubblegum and eccentrically enchanting atmospheres that you cannot quite believe you’ve never heard before.

Available for the first time on vinyl, With My Dog Ricky: The Early Works of Shinichi Omata 1981-1983 is a vivid selection of synth miniatures lovingly extracted from Omata’s unreleased early recorded output.

Produced in cooperation with the artist for chOOn!!.

Mastered for vinyl/digital by Josh Bonati. Artwork by the acclaimed book designer Luke Bird

Japanese pressing. With OBI. tiny wear and few paper scuffs.

The perfect chill out record from a once off collaboration between Drum Club’s Charlie Hall and Subsurfing’s Obi. It threads a fine line between balearic and drum n’ bass creating something remarkably unique. Originally released as an extremely limited run on Japanese label Paratone.

Beau Wanzer and Dan Jugel with the roughneck machine work. Small run, extra heavy pressing (70g). TIP!

We’re at our fifth episode on The Secret Sun series and we’re thrilled to have another legendary producer taking care of it. Miki “The Dolphin” is somebody who needs no introduction as he is, together with Francesco Farfa and Roby J, one of the pioneers of the Italian progressive scene that formed in the early 90’s in Tuscany and spread across Italy and beyond. Recognized worldwide for his productions on Interactive Test and his own Major Hypnotic Key Institute, Miki forged a solid vinyl discography that is still today very much in-demand in the second hand market, with collectors paying high prices to get their hands on the few copies around. His intense dj set activity over the past 30 years has brought the attention of many also towards his experimental analogical works: initially realized in Florence with the connection with Franco Falsini and his Interactive Test, and later, up until the first half of the 2000’s, in Ferrara, in the recording rooms of the Adrogimus Recordings Mulino where the concepts of the Major Hypnotic Key Institute were further developed thanks to long studio sessions, both alone and with renowed trained musicians. As it is now our modus operandi here at the Ocd/ss HQ, we gained access to Miki’s personal DAT archives to scour for the goods; we are now bringing under the light of our sun two previously unreleased gem “Anse Takamaka”, created together with the late jazz bass player Bruno Corticelli, and “Shamballa”. To close the EP, we’re reissuing “Art Of Libido” a highly sought after track previously released on Interactive Test.

Chiptune dance electro pop from Japanese project Sexy-Synthesizer. Their sound is characterized by 1980's arcade sound effects and familiar electronic sounds, with vocoder vocals singing over all that.

After spending over two decades in the studio, this album emerges as an introspective odyssey deeply marinated in solitude. Drawing inspiration from pioneering artists such as Rob Brown & Sean Booth, Mike Paradinas, and Jochem George Paap, the album crafts a meticulous exploration of soundscapes. Diving deep into a deconstructive process, it reveals sonic terrains where sounds and textures take center stage. Throughout this journey, rhythms often recede into the shadows or vanish entirely, mirroring the fluidity of a beachcomber's dreamlike finds. While pinpointing the individual influences may be elusive, it is an enthralling endeavor. Regarding the cover, it pays homage to Julian Schnabel's vision, with T?fol Cruz bringing the artwork to life. The result is a gripping sonic adventure that beckons listeners into its intricate depths

Japanese pressing with OBI and insert. Cover close to NM

Japanese pressing with OBI and insert. Copy close to VG+

Japanese pressing with OBI and insert

Live & Direct from Miami Beach, FL… EZ Dee weaves together a fine-tuned contemporary fusion of classic dance music influences ranging from bassline-driven proto-house, deep slick electro, downtempo club music & plenty of acid… You may recognise his signature touch from our Club Tools Vol.2 12” where he was featured as Bong Soup… an alter-ego lurking deep within the depths of Villa D’Otto Keep your eyes and ears peeled for more from this cat… he’s only just getting started..

Angel Attack delivers his debut album Divine Practicalities on his label, House of Reptile. The Boston and London-based artist blends several sound palettes, sharing his most poignant body of work to date. The album includes two remixes by Univac and Blind Delon, respectively. The title track acts as a prelude to the album. A broken-beat, experimental number, it dips into cinematic soundscapes and warbling percussion, which Angel Attack describes as an “introduction to summarise the emotions we are about to experience on the album.” Tightening Tension follows suit. It’s a mutation of broken techno with electro flavours over a malicious Moog bassline, featuring the vocals of French producer IV Horsemen, whose lyrics conjure a smokey, bone-chilling atmosphere between skittery drums. Angel Attack dives into a metal-edged mood on Ankles, stitching distorted riffs between broken beats. The energy is visceral. Come To Me is straight-up Japanese Horror-inspired electro, combining eerie textures with thudding kickdrums and a gnarly scream — a freaky trip at just over five minutes. Franco-Spanish author, singer, DJ and musician Pedro Peñas Robles, aka Hiv+, features on Oblivion War. A sludgy, slow-burning soundscape ensues with a deluge of downtempo, hip-hop and EBM textures, complemented by Hiv+’s gravelly voice. Whipping up the pace, Wrists blurs the lines between sci-fi, electro and goth. A stinging melody snakes between staccato claps and ghostly pads — lethal energy of the highest order. Forgotten is the postlude-type track of the album, and this is where Angel Attack’s interdisciplinary approach comes to life. It’s the most piercing tune of the release, complete with a guitar melody, stripped-back drums and pagan throat chants provided by Angel Attack. An introspective offering, staying with the listener long after the record stops spinning. Angel Attack invites two of his favourite artists to remix Tightening Tension. Catalan producer Univac twists up the stems, serving a searing electro interpretation with a winding synthline and reverb-drenched vocals. On Blind Delon’s remix, the French synthwave and post-punk band seal the album with a dark and sultry 7-minute ride through noise. Potent synth notes and hair-raising vocals punctuate the soundscape, echoing the concept of the release: music as a mirror into the soul.