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Ninety-nine tracks in thirty minutes - the physical limit of what a compact disc can hold. Alternate Flash Heads, the second solo album by the saxophonist Ryoko Ono, issued in 2015 by Alchemy Records and produced by Jojo Hiroshige himself, is one of the great conceptual gambits of recent Japanese music: a single composition shattered into 99 palindrome-titled fragments, designed to be shuffled - so that no listener ever hears the same album twice.
Ono, born in Sapporo in 1975 and long based in N…
Twenty-five artists, eight hours, one room. In May 2016, the Giga Noise mini festival brought together an entire cross-section of Japan's noise underground at Tokyo's Akihabara Goodman - a marathon showcase of mostly lesser-known and emerging acts from across the country, an event with few precedents even within a scene famous for its density. Giga Noise (Future of Noise), a sprawling double CD issued by Alchemy Records, is its official document - twenty-five live performances, and a snapshot of…
A road that waited fifty-two years to be walked. Recorded in Trieste in 1973 and never released, Dove Va La Tua Strada? is the lone document of Exit - a band that vanished without leaving an official trace, now resurfacing through Black Widow Records in a highly limited edition of 400 copies. This is Italian prog archaeology of the purest kind: not a reissue, but a first appearance, half a century late.
The story of its recovery has something novelistic about it. In the summer of 2021, at the Tr…
Even with just basic knowledge of the conditions of the totalitarian regime in the former Czechoslovak Socialist Republic (ČSSR), it is not difficult to understand why the project Maťkovia was never allowed to release anything officially during its existence from 1982 to 1987. The ironic, nihilistic lyrics full of dark humor, describing the despair and greyness of the normalization era in Bratislava in the 1980s simply had no chance of passing through the censorship at the time. The work of the …
The 40th anniversary edition of Andrew Poppy’s The Beating of Wings, originally released on ZTT Records. Hailed as “a major landmark in pop-classical genre-blending and post-minimalism” (Robert Davidson, Topology) and “… ahead of his time … he’d fit right in with the Max Richters and Nils Frahms of today” (Steven Wilson; Porcupine Tree, The Album Years podcast). Composed and produced by Andrew Poppy and performed by his bespoke ensembles, The Beating of Wings contains four mesmeric tracks that m…
"Japanese pianist Yumiko Morioka initially released Resonance, her first and only solo recording, on Akira Ito's Green & Water imprint in 1987. Whilst by no means a commercial failure, the album was mostly found in the background of Japanese TV documentaries, maternity clinics and healing shops before drifting into relative obscurity. By 1994, Morioka had relocated to America and her solo music career had given way to the joys of starting a family and her new life in California. It was, and stil…
First vinyl reissue since 1978 of Masabumi Kikuchi's percussion-laden New York session for Flying Disk. Gary Peacock, Al Foster, Badal Roy, and Brazilian and North African percussion surround the pianist's spare modal phrasing. Limited edition with obi and insert
Limited vinyl reissue of the 1978 direct-to-disc classic. Isao Suzuki on piccolo bass with Ron Carter, Hank Jones, Roy Haynes, and strings arranged by Masahiko Satoh. A summit of Japanese and American jazz from Tokyo's golden age of audiophile recording, with obi and liner notes.
On My Spare Time, Isao Suzuki steps out front on piccolo bass in a luminous set of standards and ballads, wrapping bossa, Ellington and songbook classics in a warm, conversational post‑bop glow with some of Japan’s finest players.
Recorded in the same year that saw the release of the Triple Echo trilogy, Triple Echo Live is the document that completes the picture - the drone project of Jojo Hiroshige brought to the stage, unfolding in real time before an audience. Issued by Alchemy Records on CD in an edition of only 100 copies, it has remained one of the most elusive entries in the noise legend's vast catalog.
Hiroshige needs little introduction. Born in Kyoto in 1959, he founded Hijokaidan in 1979 - the band that, more …
Studio album from Bamako-based Tuareg band Amanar de Kidal. "Kel Tamasheq” is years in the making, a self produced DIY album, recorded in the small studios of the Malian capital over the past few years.
Carrying on in the tradition of assouf, the Northern Malian style of Tuareg guitar popularized by artists like Tinariwen, Amanar pushes the sound forward into tight upbeat groove and kinetic rhythms, reflecting the rich diversity of Mali and the energy of the capital. The band takes its name from…
Endless Happiness reissues the 1968 British jazz classic Phase III by The Don Rendell/Ian Carr Quintet, showcasing their creative peak and innovative spirit.
*2026 repress* John Surman's Jazz in Britain '68-'69 is an overview disc of his '60s band and one of the more enjoyable vintage British jazz records. These tunes come from several different sessions recorded in the late sixties, as evidenced by the alternate drummers - Alan Jackson and Tony Oxley - and the use of different instrumentation, like the three-horn modal piece "Bouquet Garni," from 1968 that places Surman in the company of only two other horn players - Alan Skidmore and Mike Osborne -…
Originally released in November 2024 as a physical only, limited edition physical boxset, Swans’ Live Rope is now being made on CD at retail. A document of the band’s US/EU 2023-24 live tours, this material laid the blueprint for the band’s most recent studio album, Birthing, released May 2025. Spanning almost 3 hours of trance-inducing melodies that morph into dense walls of sound, the album is anchored by Gira’s unmistakable vocals and crafted with longtime collaborators on lap steel, bass, Me…
Elis & Tom is a bossa nova album, released in 1974, recorded by Brazilian singer Elis Regina and singer-songwriter Antônio Carlos Jobim. Recorded over a 16-day period at MGM Studios in Los Angeles, California, the album was an old wish of Regina, who always wanted to record a full album of Jobim's songs with him. This finally came true in 1974, when Elis was celebrating her 10th anniversary as an artist of Philips Records. The label approved the project as a gift for her.
Powerful trio music by pianist Takehiro Honda, known for his strong touch and bluesy feeling, together with an American rhythm section. The album features a line up of compelling originals, including the overwhelmingly powerful "Minors Only" and the title track "Salaam Salaam," whose title means “peace” in Swahili.
East Wind was a ground-breaking jazz label established in 1974 through the full cooperation of Ai Music, as it was then known, and Nippon Phonogram, as it was then known. Over a per…
The first leader album by Ryo Kawasaki, a jazz and fusion guitarist whose talent was recognized by Gil Evans and who went on to work internationally. The album presents a cool cosmic sound, including "Agana," where Kawasaki delivers breath-taking guitar playing over high-speed percussion, and the dazzling jazz-funk number "Phil."
East Wind was a ground-breaking jazz label established in 1974 through the full cooperation of Ai Music, as it was then known, and Nippon Phonogram, as it was then know…
A representative work by popular pianist Tsuyoshi Yamamoto, known for his swinging and bluesy feeling. Backed by Tsutomu Okada and Hiroshi Murakami, Yamamoto gives elegant performances of famous standards such as "Stella by Starlight" and "Alone Together" in a relaxed atmosphere.
East Wind was a groundbreaking jazz label established in 1974 through the full cooperation of Ai Music, as it was then known, and Nippon Phonogram, as it was then known. Over a period of about five years, the label prod…
Freddie Hubbard’s Goin’ Up brings listeners into motion from the very first notes—an electrifying statement of swing, power, and musical imagination. Brimming with bold improvisations and masterful ensemble interplay, the album captures the spirit of jazz at full throttle, showcasing Hubbard’s unmistakable brilliance and the kind of creative urgency that turns every track into a journey. From its confident opening to its most uplifting moments, Goin’ Up is a celebration of sound and swing: preci…
Celebrated as a standout in the jazz canon, Lee Morgan’s “Lee-Way” returns with fresh momentum, reaffirming its power to thrill with its melodic immediacy, rhythmic drive, and unmistakable personality. The album showcases Morgan at the peak of his craft: a trumpet voice that cuts through with clarity, confidence, and emotion, guiding every performance with purpose.
On “Lee-Way,” the ensemble moves with precision and swing, balancing tight musical interplay with a sense of spontaneity that keep…