Music from Japan

Second Rallizes bootleg on this label, the most "overground" of all Rallizes' affiliated labels. "Legit" or "authorized" material from this mythical group is seen about as frequently as Loch Ness himself. There are only 2 words printed anywhere on this CD (besides the group's name): "live" and "1972". Say no more. "Live material from 1972. This band was a major inspiration to groups like High Rise, Kousokuya, Acid Mothers Temple and Keiji Haino. The absolute peak of Japanese psychedelia." Offici…

Introducing Masami Akita's homage to free-jazz. Door Open at 8am is one of the most adventurous outings made by Merzbow. Recorded during the same era as Aqua Necromancer, this new recording also incorporates the use of sampled sounds. However, this time Akita is paying homage to his love of free jazz, free-jazz drummers to be precise. It includes tracks such as Tony Williams 'Deathspace', 'Lyons Wake', 'Metro and Bus' and an unbelievable cover of John Coltrane's 'The Africa Brass Session, Vol 2'…

AKA Flightless Bird Needs Water Wings. The young person's guide to Les Rallizes Denudes! Now available everywhere in the free world!" Seemingly endless sonic flame-throwers of phased white noise streak across your inner landscape, as stupidly loud and overly-backlit lead guitar emissions perpetrated by a perpetually be-shaded longhair pummel the similarly be-shaded but barely adequate musical backing that sags and creaks under the wattage. Occasionally, lead vocals of a singular variety are prov…

CD1 : 'Batztoutai with material gadgets'. Re-create version of 'Batztoutai with memorial gadgets' Previously released on RRR-04. CD2 : 'Loop panic limited'.

Les Rallizes Dénudés, Haddaka No Rallizes in Japanese, and probably 'Les Valises Dénudés' in French, are the most obscure group from Japan. Their guitar-based music began at Kyoto University in late 1967 with their first official gig in 1968. While their self-released recordings from this time are structured in a loose Group Sound ('GS')/Folk Boom-type style, their live shows featured deafening volume, strobe lights and mirrors for maximum disorientation. This, of course, invites comparison with…

Don’t be fooled by the casual title of this release; you will hear a veritable Ghost in the Machine cloaked in pure electronic sounds. Japanese composer Toshimaru Nakamura goes beyond the furthest reaches of sound in his mission to cross the border to the other side. This time it falls to dancing poltergeists and hellish, rattling machines to scourge Nakamura’s soundscapes. Toshimaru Nakamura is known worldwide as the master of the no-input mixing board. From out of nowhere he manages to conjure…

The CD consists of two complete sets; one Incapacitants as a duo and on the second joined by finnish noise-connoisseur Tommi Kernen (Testicle Hazard) as a trio under the name of Fumio Tommiakawa (a take on Gomikawa Fumio; the trio of Pain Jerk and Incapacitants). The sound of Incapacitants is described in the liner notes of Burning Orange by Tommi Kernen as an inspiring, pure, all-encompassing, ecstatic storm of sound that has a power of near-religious proportions Ð and that alone, without any u…

Sound Artist Akio Suzuki carried out an exhibition around Wakayama city (south of Osaka) in 2005. This catalog contains some photographs of installation, interview, drawing and text. Attended CD includes field recording on his action "Oto-date walk" (hearing the environmental sounds at points of walking area) and performance. Recording and mix by Hans Peter Kuhn. 86pp, text in Japanese, English and French.

2026 Repress. Recorded over three December days in 1979 at Epicurus Studio in Tokyo and issued the following year, Cool Jojo documents a side of Masayuki "Jojo" Takayanagi that sits at considerable remove from the noise-as-method work he was simultaneously pursuing with the New Direction Unit. The guitarist's Second Concept was his vehicle for an explicit return to the Tristano school — the lineage he had absorbed as a young player in postwar Tokyo and never fully set aside — and the programme m…

Japanese vocalist and instrumentalist Sachiko (Overhang Party, Vava Kitora, Kosokuya) looses a second, white-hot solo release. Her brilliant debut You Never Atone For on There/Musik Atlack rode gilded wings straight to the heart of the psych sun. The journey continues with Kunado. A tincture of Taj Mahal Travellers, wispy oscillations and lysergic vocals bathes the recording in delicate atmosphere as Sachiko's sonic attack leaves vicious and harrowing results. A listen not soon forgotten.The Ute…

This CD is consisting of 9 tracks mainly his self-made sound object 'Analapos' and 'De Koolmees', and 2 tracks of them are recorded for announce sound of opening and closing of Yokosuka Museum of Art. They are so clear and spacy. Booklet is written by himself, David Toop and others. Text in Japanese and English.ALM Records is well known label that has released many avant-garde LP titles in 70-80's. Especially about Akio Suzuki, two LPs has been released - obscure solo LP (limited 100 copies) and…

A groundbreaking release from two youngish Japanese improvisers. Sachiko M plays sample-less sampler, and Nakamura uses the no-input mixing board--both instruments which conceptually produce no sound, yet these two conjure it out, somehow."Do" was recorded live in Europe and Tokyo last summer, and features three improvisations varying in length from just over two minutes to slightly under 40. While the shorter tracks are worthwhile and hold moments of greatness, it is the first, very long track …

Toshimaru Nakamura's main instrument of late has been what he calls the 'no-input mixing board.' Rather than input external sound sources into the mixer, he treats it as a self-contained instrument by controlling its internal feedback -- the result being a truly original performance style. Over the past four years, Nakamura has released the solo NIMB CDs No-Input Mixing Board (on the Zero Gravity label), No-Input Mixing Board 2 (a bruit secret), Vehicle (cubic music), and No-Input Mixing Board […

Recorded by Laurent Perrier Sonorisation at the former state prison of Sion, May 4, 2003.

Well, 'Holy Good Night!' seems an appropriate reaction when faced with a substantial double-disc offering from the 'holy triumvirate' of Japanese reduced improvisation and minimal electronics, ie Otomo Yoshihide, Sachiko Matsubara and Toshimaru Nakamura. In August 2003, they quietly entered a studio in Tokyo and laid down the basis for this music in only two days. The following month saw a final mixdown issue from their hands. Amazingly, the roof did not fall in on the musical world as a result.…

Over 60 minutes of total analog destruction by noise king Merzbow and Brooklyn noise boss Carlos Giffoni, this live collaboration was recorded during Giffoni's Synth Destruction Japan tour in September of 2006. This is Sound Totalism and is as heavy as it comes: totally brutal, totally ugly, totally beautiful, totally intense, totally classic, totally analog, total synth and total destruction. Intense artwork by Jenny Akita. Author, activist, painter and sound artist Masami Akita had been at the…

Live collaboration between Japanoise legend Merzbow and german artist Achim Wollscheid. Recorded at Spiral Hall, Tokyo.

As can be gleaned from the title, this is a recording of Merzbow live in Switzerland. Abrasive noise, big rhythms and (to be expected) and onslaught of noise.  Recorded at Cave 12 on 10th March 2005, there is apparently no editing involved on this release.

Author, activist, painter, and sound artist Masami Akita has been at the foreground of experimental music for over twenty-five years. Inspired by psychedelic rock, free jazz, and early electronic composition as well the physical arts (especially Kurt Schwitters's Merzbau), Masami Akita has created a musical language all his own. Merzbear, the sixth Merzbow release in his utterly essential Merz series for Important Records, pulses and pounds with distorted droning guitar feedback, pulsing noise b…