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Two tracks taken from his first and third album released early/mid 90's - both previously never released on vinyl. Space was newly mixed by Ryoji Ikeda for this EP.
Ryoji Ikeda was born in 1966 in Gifu, Japan. He lives and works in Paris, France and Kyoto, Japan. He's one of the most influential minimal electronic musicians and sound artists of our time and also works as a cutting edge visual artist
Hiroshima-based artist Meitei announces the reissue of Kwaidan on the 5th anniversary of his groundbreaking debut album. A collaboration between 2 labels – KITCHEN. LABEL (Kofū I & II) and Evening Chants (Kwaidan), the reissue sees the highly anticipated special 5th Anniversary Edition of Kwaidan with two previously unreleased bonus tracks. This will be released on long-out-of-print vinyl format in a new color variant, with an 8-panel insert and the first-ever CD version.
In 2018, Meitei shook the ambient world with the release of his debut album Kwaidan, a transposition of Japanese folklore into intricate compositions, capturing what he would coin as the “lost Japanese mood”. The album almost instantly received critical acclaim from the likes of Pitchfork, where it was included in their Best Experimental Albums of 2018, Bandcamp, calling it “different from some of the ambient music that has been coming from Japan in recent years”, The Wire and more.
Kwaidan (怪談) is a style of Japanese ghost stories. Meitei took it as a challenge of his skill as a musician to transpose the folklore into intricate compositions, capturing this lost “Japanese mood”. “The shocking elements in the horror have become a staple. It functions as entertainment. But I felt the mood and ambiance from Kwaidan is starting to wither – while the darkness is scary, the beauty is in the curious spirit,” explains Meitei.
Koizumi Yakumo is an important figure in the Japanese literary world, known for his legends and ghost stories. He left the world, leaving a masterpiece called Kwaidan, heavily inspiring Meitei’s album direction. Sazanami, Curio, Shoji and Mushiro are seen as a nod and tribute to his work. Other influences include manga author Mizuki Shigeru, who drove the sound for Touba and Jizo, intended to be a homage soundtrack for his manga Gegege no Kitarō. As an old-fashioned man, Meitei also draws from the legendary Hayao Miyazaki of Studio Ghibli. With this very eclectic mix of influences, the album Kwaidan possesses a prominent horror element, comedy, sentimentality and sorrow. He compares the ambiance as one would visually with wet moss, shrouded in mist.
“Music is an important human communication tool. Expressing a mood that is almost impossible to translate into language perfectly is interesting.” While most of the above might stem from influential Japanese art, Meitei was also attracted to the new wave of lo-fi hip hop, which he tried to weave into his music subtly. Something as easy as the wrong placement of a kick and snare on a track can divert the track away from the Kwaidan mood. Yet, Meitei found a delicate balance, resulting in a gorgeously crafted album.
Meitei releases Kwaidan 5th Anniversary Edition on 21 July 2023 via KITCHEN. LABEL and Evening Chants. Available on 180g smoke haze variant LP, CD and digital formats (LP arriving in Q3, 2023), This record is mastered by Taylor Deupree at 12k Mastering in New York.
Japanese ambient woven with organic minimal sounds and field recordings.
This marks the fourth vinyl release from Japanese ambient artist Tomotsugu Nakamura. His previous vinyl releases with prominent French ambient label LAAPS and other international labels have consistently sold out. This bold project delves into the fusion of sound and music, employing acoustic elements and analog synthesis within a spatial framework.
The sleeve, inspired by ink painting, is the second work from the up-and-coming art label "teinei," dedicated to producing records that double as art pieces for display. (It will be released simultaneously with Haruhisa Tanaka's Nayuta, the inaugural release from the same label.)
In the spring of 1983, when Japan's indie scene had yet to form a template, D-DAY's "KI・RA・I" was suddenly released. Despite being a completely unknown band, the songs were highly acclaimed and recommended at each record store, and the number of production sold out in an instant, becoming a kind of legend. After that, the cute characters gained popularity at the center of the indie scene, and they became a very popular band. This legendary “KI・RA・I” will be reprinted for a limited time over 40 years.
The cassette tape of this work released in 2022 from the label landscape plan sponsored by Taika, a two-person rock band that continues to release works with a Fourth World sensibility, sold out in a blink of an eye, and since then, ele-king vol. 30 Selected as one of the 50 must-listen albums of electronic music in the 2020s.
Like Eric Satie, who suffers from insomnia, was haunted by a care-taker-like nightmare and twisted it. contains
The binding, designed by Mr. Y Inoue, the central figure of the rock band kumagusu, which is active mainly in Tokyo, gives the work a texture like the white outer skin of a pill, and makes you want to take it out every night and take it. It will induce an addiction to such "Zolpidem".
On February 26, 2020, 10 years after the death of musician Nujabes, a video commemorating him was projected on all the screens at the Shibuya scramble crossing. A video commemorating Nujabes was projected on all the screens at the Shibuya scramble crossing, and his music, including "Reflection Eternal," rang out. The video was the music video for "Lamp," which he co-wrote with haruka nakamura.
The year is 2021. Even though a long time has passed, the number of listeners from all over the world who seek the music of Nujabes continues to increase. In the midst of this turbulent time, Nujabes' label, Hydeout Productions, asked haruka nakamura to create a tribute album to mark the 10th anniversary of his death, saying, "I want you to carry forward the 10 years that time has stood still. The music video for "Reflection Eternal" and a 7-inch record were released in the summer and received a great response.
The culmination of this project is the release of the album "Nujabes PRAY Reflections".
The beautiful melodies spun by Nujabes are interpreted in a new way by haruka nakamura on piano and guitar. The album features a variety of new music from Nujabes, including Final View, Horizon, flowers, and Another Reflection, as well as a waltz version of Reflection Eternal and a piano solo based on the motif of "let go". The album also features a waltz version of Reflection Eternal, a piano solo based on the motif of "let go," and other songs that listeners can only hear on this album and that will be a moving experience for them. Guest musicians include Gen Tanabe (orbe), who plays the flute and electric guitar left behind by Nujabes, and maika (baobab), who deepens the album's worldview by providing a folkloric sound with his fiddle and singing.
The cover for the new album was commissioned from Cheryl D. McClure, the artist responsible for Hydeout Productions' "2nd collection," and it features a striking binding that resembles the coastline of Kamakura, Nujabes' favorite city. Also included is a rare case liner notes booklet with production notes by Nakamura himself, explaining all the songs. Photographs are by TKC, the photographer who also shot the music video, and the design is by Suzuki Takahisa, an up-and-coming designer. The book is a careful homage to the style of Nujabes' past works, and the binding has been completed.
The music travels through time, the beautiful melodies spun by Nujabes.
Following the melody, haruka nakamura's piano, which resembles a prayer, plays a continuation of the story.
This is not a so-called "cover album," but rather new music by haruka nakamura inspired by Nujabes' melodies.
Reflecting on the mental landscape. There flows a prayer that transcends the present time.
We can confirm his presence in the beautiful things that will always be there.
You are the flower, you are the river, you are the rainbow.
I hope that everyone who listens to this album will be able to feel a little happiness.
The above sentence was written by Nujabes himself as an introduction to the album "modal soul" on tribe at the time of its release. He did not dare to mention the contents of the songs on the album, but rather expressed his own wishes in his comments on the album, hoping that people would actually listen to the album and empathize with the songs.
Nujabes has been expressing various thoughts and feelings through the world of sound, and their second album is finally released on 2LP.
Recorded in sessions spanning eighteen months, Magnificent Little Dudes Vol.1 is full of obscure beats and samples, ethereal droning synth lines, and drumming that lifts and drive the record into new territory. The duo are also joined by Japanese guest vocal performer Hatis Noit (Erased Tapes) in the penultimate track “M4”, which his released today as the first single.
“M4” perfectly exemplifies the album’s atmospheric and subtly intricate makeup, combining
mellifluous guitar lines with memory-evoking, slaloming electronics, while Ishiwaka’s drums ruminate in the background of the track and Noit’s otherworldly vocals add an element of wistful drama.
Speaking on the recording process, Hatakeyama says “No overdubbing was done. I like the 70's style of recording and wanted to give it an old-time jazz feel.” Speaking about his influences when writing the album, he goes on to say “It may not sound like much, but it's free jazz, spiritual jazz. I love Alice Coltrane and Sun Ra. Conceptually, we didn’t prepare anything in advance, but chose to take inspiration from the place, the studio, the venue, the weather, the temperature of the day, and so on – the album is full of short improvisations. I love Les Rallizes Dénudés, Keiji Haino, and My Bloody Valentine as well, so that's where a lot the guitar-based influence comes from”
The top ambient captivating listeners in Japan! Prepare for a euphoric ambient masterpiece, cocooned in the comforting embrace of nostalgic guitar layers.
The first vinyl release by Japanese ambient musician Haruhisa Tanaka, who holds the record for the highest number of monthly listeners in the ambient genre on Spotify in Japan and was selected as one of the Best of Ambient X 2023. This euphoric ambient piece features a warm, nostalgic sound created with guitar melodies, environmental sounds, analog tape loops, and old technology.
This ambitious project was crafted entirely in Japan, from dub cutting to pressing. The sleeve, inspired by ink painting, marks the debut release from the up-and-coming art label "teinei," dedicated to producing records that double as art pieces for display.
Hailing from Hiroshima, Meitei, unveils the final chapter of his transformative Kofū trilogy. “Kofū III” marks the apex of a musical journey that began in 2020, unraveling an introspective exploration of the artist's psyche while delving deep into the essence of Japanese culture. This latest release invites listeners into the innermost sanctums of Meitei's existence — a passage filled with serenity, self-discovery, and the triumphant conquest of personal demons.
Meitei's journey has been deeply intertwined with his surroundings. His move from bustling Kyoto to the tranquil rural town of Onomichi in Hiroshima wasn't just a change of location but a profound shift in his life. Navigating through the ebbs and flows of mental well-being, Meitei found solace in the quiet, low-key energy of Onomichi, where he began creating his distinctive brand of "ambient" music dedicated to resurrecting ‘lost Japanese moods’.
"Kofū III" is not just a collection of songs; it's a window into Meitei's mind, where he reflects on ‘the Japanese mental landscape,’ as experienced during the period of his return to his hometown. This album stands as a testament to Meitei's evolution, from his tentative inner quest to a state of deep healing.
"Kofū” and its precursor, "Kwaidan,” germinated in the solitude of Onomichi, embodying the mysterious, vanishing essence of Japan that Meitei unearthed in the shadows of his hometown. With "Kofū III," this exploration reaches its zenith, weaving musical landscapes that transcend temporal bounds. Each track vividly paints bygone eras and vignettes, all while drawing on the rich tapestry of Japanese literature and mindscapes.
Meitei introduces listeners to the tranquil Hiroshima countryside in 'Reimei,' while 'Hiroshima' reflects upon the city's transformation. It explores Meitei's intricate relationship with the city and contemplates the ever-changing visage of contemporary Japanese progress.
Within the sonic fabric of "Kofū III," "Shisei" brings listeners to Japan's past, when tattoos bore the name "Shisei." Fueled by Junichiro Tanizaki's "Shisei" narratives, the song paints a sensual tale of a tattooed man adorning a woman with a spider tattoo.
Meitei's authenticity shines through in "Kofū III," where complex emotions metamorphose into a kaleidoscopic fusion of lo-fi bliss. In "Yume-jūya," Meitei recounts a peculiar dream and the lingering anxiety it left behind. Also, inspired by the famous Japanese writer Soseki Natsume's "Yume-jūya," Meitei's interpretation offers his own perspective on this comical and bizarre tale.
"Edogawa Ranpo" stands as a mind-bending loop track that pays homage to the genius of the lesser-known Japanese author Edogawa Ranpo, a pioneer of the mysterious and bizarre. This experimental piece melds folklore, electronic rapture, and distortion, echoing Meitei's fascination with Ranpo's work since his elementary school days.
At the core of "Kofū III" lies "Heiwa," originally titled "1945," encapsulating Meitei's profound reflection on peace education in his hometown and the weighty significance of acknowledging historical tragedies. Its renaming as "Peace" symbolizes his personal odyssey towards understanding and reconciliation.
As Meitei concludes his Kofū trilogy, global listeners are invited to embark on this voyage to unearth the hidden treasures of Japanese culture and the depths of the human soul. "Kofū III" is a meditation on the intangible threads that bind us to our past - a portal to Japan's veiled history, capturing the essence of Japan's elusive spirit through the enigmatic landscapes of Meitei's inner terrains.
"Kofū III" is slated for release on December 1, 2023, in 180g LP, CD, and digital formats via KITCHEN. LABEL. Both LP and CD format are presented in a debossed sleeve with obi strip and include an accompanying 32-page booklet. This album is mastered by Chihei Hatakeyama in Tokyo, Japan.