Psychedelia & Kraut / Japan

A dreamlike dispatch from mid-80's Japan, the first and only Hallelujahs album is an entrancing and gentle work of psychedelic pop brilliance. In a series of informal studio sessions between 1985 and 1986, Shinji Shibayama (Nagisa Ni Te) gathered a group of friends, emerging luminaries from the burgeoning Kansai underground rock scene including Naoki Zushi (Hijokaidan, Spiral Stairs / 螺旋階段), Ken Ichi "Idiot" Takayama (Idiot O'Clock) and Chie Mukai (Ché-SHIZU) to form what would become known as H…

* 180g Blue coloured vinyl * Legendary Japanese rock outfit Les Rallizes Dénudés were formed in 1967 and incredibly, for a group that had only one official release (Oz Days Live, a double vinyl compilation release in 1973), played their last gig almost 30 years later in October 1996. The band's name apparently means "fucked up and naked," which more than adequately describes their music. Formed by band leader Mizutani Takashi, the music remained remarkably familiar over the years, and is best de…

A picture disc reissue of the first album from the legendary Japanese rockers, Flower Travellin' Band, fronted by Yuya Uchida. Although an album consisting mainly of cover versions, Anywhere, originally released in 1970, still exhibited many of the musical traits that were to come to the fore on the band's next release in 1971, the classic Satori, an album of original material delivered with panache by the increasingly confident Uchida. An album made memorable by its risqué cover as well as its …

"A cult name in prog rock, jazz fusion and modern classical circles in the 1970s, Japanese percussionist and composer Stomu Yamashta is probably best known for featuring on the soundtrack to the Bowie-starring film The Man Who Fell To Earth, and on the non-rock front he has also collaborated with Peter Maxwell Davies, Robert Altman, the Royal Ballet and many more.  Spanning Yamashta’s fertile early years in Europe, this first ever box set of his work maps a kaleidoscopic musical cosmos, from Mil…

**180g audiophile black vinyls in heavy covers, housed in a beautiful box with magnetic lock, containing all inserts of the original LPs.** In early december 2019 Everland Music released a mindblowing boxset with Osamu Kitajima’s first 5 highly acclaimed and superrare albums. All 5 albums are taken from the original masters, provided by Mr. Kitajima himself. Osamu Kitajima was born in Chigasaki, Japan on February 3rd 1949 and studied classical guitar and piano already in his childhood days. Late…

Some albums are certainly a kind of holy grail for music lovers and collectors of a certain genre, style and era. Far Out with their eponymous debut and unfortunately also farewell album from 1973 have created such a sacred gem. Original copies in good condition change hands for up to 2000 USD and there are certainly a few not so official reprints on vinyl and CD out on the market which do not even come close to do justice to the greatness of the old original black gold. But here we go with the …

This is the third album by Osamu Kitajima, one of Japan’s most prolific artists from the ethno rock, world music and progressive department. You can certainly not divide all the mentioned stylistic aspects from each other for they were all incorporated in a homogenious sound and complex arrangements. It is the same with his other albums like "Benzaiten“ and or his fourth "Masterless Samurai“; traditional Japanese music meets Western jazzrock and progressive sounds to form a new style unheard by …

It’s impossible to define the genre behind Osamu Kitajima’s music. “Masterless Samurai” is another step in the ongoing career of Kitajima. It’s a very unique blend of Jazz Fusion with traditional Japanese music. There aren’t any other albums that would sound similar to this incredible effort by Kitajima. His knowledge in traditional Japanese music and his love for Progressive Rock and Jazz makes “Masterless Samurai” an incredible Fusion album and another highlight in his career. He left Space Ro…

World music and ethno sounds with an obvious Japanese origin meet progressive rock and psyche. The result is a captivating piece of melodic and deeply atmospheric music that paints pictures of life in ancient Japan into your mind when you lay back, close your eyes and listen closely with your thoughts turned off. If Pink Floyd were Japanese their music might have sounded like that. The frequency of the arrangements on "Benzaiten“ reminds of what our English heroes have created in the early to mi…

**Back in print !** A monster on its own ‘Ceremony-Buddha Meet Rock’ still is one of the most enigmatic record coming out of the early seventies Japanese underground.  Composers Yusuke Hoguchi and Naoki Tachikawa are the main conspirators here. The album is clearly informed by the flower power counterculture, is full-on mysticism – with Buddha chants all over the place – and trippy guitar playing make room for an otherwordly experience. The album opens with a rendition of 'Holy Thursday' lifted …

All in all the debut album by cultish japanese freak-rockers Flower Travellin’ Band, then called Yuya Uchida & The Flowers. Released in 1969 it features mainly cover songs of influential Western bands such as Cream, Big Brother and the Holding Company, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Jefferson Airplane. It was named number 34 on Bounce's 2009 list of 54 Standard Japanese Rock Albums.

Feedback drenched noise for the classic 'France' demos from japanese psych noise legend Les Rallizes Denudes "This just might be the single greatest side of OTT psych/noise guitar oblivion ever put to disc from the most legendary Japanese underground group of all time, Les Rallizes Denudes: the mysteriously-named France Demo Tapes have previously only circulated on wildly dubious CD-R burns, often with contradictory and conflicting track listings/material but the session (whether it was actually…

Two names to conjure with collided live in Tokyo on 14th March 2019, with sprawling psychedelic masters Acid Mothers Temple coming together once more, a full decade after the release of the live album Underdogg Express in 2009, with the founder of the legendary Krautrock band Guru Guru. ‘A fiery psychedelic collaboration recorded in the spirit of early Guru Guru’ ensued. Edited neatly into four tracks – two per side of vinyl – it’s being released on limited edition vinyl for the French ‘Disquair…

** Limited edition of 500 copies pressed on sun yellow vinyl. Housed in full colour gatefold sleeve with hype sticker ** Continuing the 'first time on vinyl' purge of the Acid Mothers Temple archives. Here's the band's classic 2006 album finally available on double vinyl for the first time. Housed in full colour gatefold sleeve. 'Myth of the Love Electrique' is another scorcher from these ridiculously prolific psych masters. This album is notable for being the debut of their newest band member: …

Vacant World is the first studio album by Jacks. It was released on September 10, 1968. In 2007, Rolling Stone Japan placed it at number 13 on its list of the "100 Greatest Japanese Rock Albums of All Time". Rumored to be a big influence on High Rise, one of their tracks ("Marianne") was covered by Fushitsusha on Tokyo Flashback II. "Here's what is considered one of the best psychedelic records in the world and certainly one of the must-have Japanese rock albums. The Jacks managed to record a ve…

Released to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the group. Comes in a thick plastic case with obi and booklet. Booklet includes liner notes by Hiroyuki Takahashi, Gaku Torii, a dialogue between Takahashi and Haino (moderated by Tsuyoshi Gōda), and chronology of the group's performances. The band was formed by Keiji Haino, and included Hiroyuki Takahashi on drums and percussions, Saitoh on bòàèass, Shigeru Suda & Akira Asami on piano and keyboards.  Keiji Haino (born 1952 in Japan) …

Temporal Drift presents the first-ever officially sanctioned reissue of celebrated Japanese cult band Les Rallizes Dénudés’ three albums, originally compiled and released in limited quantities on CD in 1991. Led by the enigmatic Takashi Mizutani, Les Rallizes Dénudés has gained an almost mythical status the world over with their delicate balancing act between transcendent psychedelia and pure sonic assault, maintaining its status as an underground phenomenon throughout their three decade existen…

* Edition of 70 copies.* Formed in Ikebukuro (Tokyo) in 2012 Joseph of Kirezi has been roaming the outermost corners of the black clad psychedelic underground ever since. Amorphous visions of insanely loud guitars smeared all over a distorted obsidian night sky.

The japanese keyboard player, vocalist, songwriter and arranger joined forces with members of the Flower Travelling Band on this amazing 1970 release. Published for the sole Japanese market on major company London Records, the album is still considered one of the top release in its own right, publicly praised by Julian Cope as a cornerstone of the (heavy) psych counterculture. Sharing some efforts with british contemporaries, the album is a brilliant example of how a – basically – hard rock comb…

*In process of stocking* Absinthe Records present a reissue of Flower Travellin' Band's Made in Japan - originally released in 1972. Following critical acclaim but meager record sales in their native Japan after their superb debut album, Satori (ASH 3002CD/LP), Yuya Uchida and his Flower Travellin' Band decamped to Canada following an invitation to open for local jazz-rock outfit Lighthouse. While there, Lighthouse leader and keyboard player Paul Hoffert offered to produce the band's next studio…

Welcomed re-issue of this sough after Japanese masterpiece, just released during the 1968 turmoil. The Mops are one of Japan's best known "group sounds" bands, particularly noted for their psychedelic period. The group was founded in 1966 by high school friends Mikiharu Suzuki (drums), Taro Miyuki (guitar), Masaru Hoshi (lead guitar) and Kaoru Murakami (bass), playing mostly instrumental rock. Their debut album is still considered a cornerstone of the so-called proto-garage revolution. Their flo…

Osamu Kitajima continuously experimented with various music genres that include Japanese traditional music, Ethno Jazz and Progressive Rock elements. “Dragon King” is a very well recorded album that contains Funky tunes and mellow Soul songs, as well as Jazzy elements. It’s his last album that would end a certain chapter in Mr. Kitajima’s career. After “Dragon King” he stopped working in Progressive / Funk / Soul / Jazz / Fusion and started his second career with Electronic / Ethno / New Age mus…

Between August 1980 and March 1981, Les Rallizes Dénudés (or The Naked Larryz, as the long-lost acetate they are rumored to have recorded for Virgin Records in the mid-'70s dubbed them) played seven concerts in and around Tokyo. Never officially released, illicit ninth generation cassette copies circulated in Japanese fan circles for many years, attaining a whispered, Holy Grail status amongst initiates to the Rallizes cult. High quality soundboard versions were finally released by the secretive…

** 2021 Stock ** Stone Garden started in a basement studio in Prague with a nearly continuous session over several days and nights. The original concept was influenced by the raw and seemingly endless jams of psychedelic pioneers. The freeform songs that emerged from these sessions were refined over several months at the band's home in Tokyo where each song was sculpted into an uncommon form. Compared to the relatively song-based House In The Tall Grass (2016), Stone Garden is a window into Kika…

** Limited 250 only transparent yellow vinyl LP housed in a colour gloss finished outer sleeve with black polylined inner ** Bootleg style LP from future Japanese psych legends Hibushibire! The band have gone through some line up changes since their 2019 second album 'Turn On, Tune In, Freak Out!, so while we eagerly await a new album here's a bonus. Recorded live at J.T. Soar in Nottingham (UK) on May 17th 2019.

A duo by Osamu Kitajima and Fumio Miyashita, formed at the end of 1971 when Osamu Kitajima returned from his trip to United Kingdom where he got influenced by exploding psychedelic rock scene that was happening at the time. After recording his debut under moniker of “Justin Heathcliff”, he got together with Fumio Miyashita of Far East Family Band and Far Out. Together they worked on an amazing psychedelic / progressive rock album, with a foly, yet pastoral, mellow approach.

To be released in July 2021. The world awaited "Buddha..." by Uchu Now Available on LP! The leaders of "Acid Mothers Temple", Makoto Kawabata and the Spacey Synthesizer Maestro Hiroshi Higashi created another dimension as a unit "Uchu" (Space), without any use of synthesizer, sampler or programming but only the Guitars. Guitar, Voice – Hiroshi Higashi, Makoto Kawabata Voice – Ayano. Buddha​.​.​. 佛陀​.​.​. is the second album of Uchū. The track 4 "Shamusun" is dedicated to Shamusun (acted by Fubuk…

**In process of stocking** The Japanese female singer Cotton Casino used to be the singer of Acid Mothers Temple, the ultimate Japanese psychedelic band, several members of which provide backing on this album. Cotton's voice is fragile and emotional. The overall mood tends towards sadness and melancholy while the music hovers between acid folk and post rock. Most of the songs are sensuous and ethereal, like soundtracks to imaginary movies. Other songs may come as a surprise...

Ltd pressing of only 300 copies, long gone and sold out. This is the reissue of this legendary LP – with Taj Mahal Travelers, Minami Masato, Acid Seven and Hadaka no Rallizes aka Les Rallizes Denudes. Without a single doubt, this bloodsucker of a disc is one of THE holy grails of the Japanese early seventies lysergic psych scene, together with Speed Glue & Shinki, Sato Masahiko & Soundbreakers and People/Ceremony. Privately released in a tiny edition on the OZ Days label way back in 1973, the re…

Shingetsu's later studio record: songs the Japanese symphonic rock band wrote before splitting in 1981, recorded long after the fact and released by Belle Antique in 2016, with the 1979 demo of a key piece.

A Bi Kyo Ran concert recorded at the Bourbon House in Osaka on 22 March 1983 by the trio of Kunio Suma, Masahide Shiratori and Masaaki Nagasawa: four long pieces including the suite Ran and the sixteen-minute Double.

Somewhere between 1967 and 1968, at the very nerve of the psychedelic era, Japanese singer and composer Harumi recorded in New York an album that today sounds like a lost manifesto of cosmopolitan psychedelic pop. Harumi is a rare example of delicate, almost fragile psychedelia - where Eastern melodic sensibility meets soft American folk-rock and the studio imagination of the late 1960s. Recorded with New York musicians, the album moves between dream-pop long before the term existed, baroque pop…

Long out of print. Buried deep in time, this obscure artifact is something of a revelation. No group information was ever given, and no production date or location is indicated, however, it would seem that this record and the "Brast Burn" LP (also reissued by Paradigm) are both by the same group of Japanese nutters and that they were both recorded in the mid seventies in Japan. But all you really need to know is that it is stone cold fantastic, a wild and manic trip full to the brim with hypnoti…