ララージ等の演奏で知られる弦楽器ツィターや、ギターなどのリラックスした心地よい音で始まります。Sun Arcsの音楽は、終始その優しい心地よさがありますがそれだけではなく、次第に背後にフィードバックやドローンが挿入され覚醒へと向かうような作用があり、サイケデリック、桃源郷のような世界、音の強度、自然と同期するような美しさを感じます。傑作の予感。 (サイトウ)

Tonal Union is the label run by graphic designer Adam Heron, who creates wonderful sounds that span genres such as acoustic, electronic, jazz, modern classical, and new age. Alongside our bestsellers *Blue Lake* and the collaboration between Inoyama Land and the Paspartu Duo, Ezra Feinberg’s album *Soft Power*—which was also a bestseller—has been reissued on black bio-plastic vinyl. (Original Japanese text by Saito)

Blue LakeことJason Dunganはツィター、ポンプオルガン、ドラムマシン、メロディカをはじめ様々な楽器を操りながら、コントラバス、チェロ、クラリネット、ヴィオラ、ドラムといった編成を取り入れ、同年の素晴らしいミニアルバム『Weft』の延長線上にあるグループでのアプローチを進化。人間もまた動物で自然界の一要素であるというテーマが探求され、声も楽器の一部として導入されています。アメリカーナ的なオルタナ・カントリーと、北欧に根ざしたスピリチュアル・ジャズの絶妙な同期。生命を祝福するような、ダイレクトに響くインスト・アルバム。 (足立)

The other day, on my way to Compuma’s 7-hour set event held at the former Guggenheim Residence in Shioya, Kobe, I was so moved that I listened to this album the whole time. Listening to it while gazing out the car window at the sparkling Suma Beach under clear blue skies was an extraordinary experience. Give it a listen and experience the breath an ...Read mored warmth unique to live recordings, along with the handpan’s tones as they swirl, roll, and leap—it’ll make you feel as if you’ve become a fish gliding effortlessly through the water. Highly Recommended
(AYAM)

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Sawako Kano is a drummer and handpan player based primarily in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. She began playing drums in a school marching band as a child and later performed as a drummer in numerous bands. She began playing the handpan in 2020 and has since joined the “Tokimeki Trio” and “Sawachiko” as a handpan player. She has released the album “Kibako Tetsu,” recorded using the handpan and tang drum. She continues to perform as a drummer with “Kobune” and “kobukan” (Kobune + Kanji Nakao).

This album, “Spinning,” is a recording of a live performance held at cafe tohka on April 20, 2025.
It captures the open acoustics and peaceful atmosphere of the cafe, located in a quiet residential neighborhood. The sound, which he himself describes as having a “human-powered techno flavor,” is acoustic yet occasionally reveals moments reminiscent of natural sounds, much like those produced by analog synthesizers.
Although the handpan has a limited range, the noise components in the attack, the rich overtones, and the rhythmic sensibility unique to an exceptional drummer combine to construct a complex sonic world. Combined with the acoustics of the minimalist café space, the sound is reminiscent of a suikinkutsu.

Mastering was handled by Yousei Suzuki, and
the cover art was designed by ann ihsa.

MEMOTONE, a musician who has been active since 2011 and has released his own electro-acoustic works on cutting-edge electronic music labels such as SÄHKÖ and SODA GONG, has already released a new album, and the evolution continues! This is his comeback album for ACCIDENTAL MEETINGS, the next generation of Bristol's new music community. The post-roc ...Read more (Original Japanese text by Akie)k approach of "Round The Bend" (sample 1), which was previously released with Bristol's JABU as a guest, demonstrates the high level of his songwriting ability. The ambiguous guitar strokes and picking noises on the instrumental folk "On Living" give it a realistic feeling of sentimentality. While experimenting with sound palettes and textures, he also retains a rich expressiveness that can stand up to daily listening. It has the quality of a future classic that you'll want to have on your record shelf for a lifetime. Recommendation! (Original Japanese text by Akie)

In addition to the two 7-inch singles released by 〈555〉 around the year 2000, this album includes several tracks originally featured on compilations, as well as two previously unreleased songs from that era. The definitive LP offering a comprehensive overview of the solo work of Chris Coyle, who was also a member of Empress. Centered on beautiful, ...Read more (Original Japanese text by Adachi)melancholic acoustic melodies while also venturing into abstract electronic soundscapes, these 21 short tracks possess a glass-like fragility that touches the heart. A hidden gem of indie music that moves you right from the opening track. A limited edition of 300 copies, featuring a cover design using photographs taken by the artist himself. (Original Japanese text by Adachi)

"Fading" is a five-track cassette album recorded, mixed, and mastered entirely by the artist alone using a 12-string acoustic guitar and a Weissenborn guitar. A beautiful crystallization of fingerpicking that invites you to savor the resonance of the strings, the wavering caused by the slide, and countless overtones. A tapestry of sound where faint ...Read more (Original Japanese text by Adachi) phantoms emerge and the contours of reality gradually fade. With its fresh recording that captures even the most delicate nuances of the strings, this gem of an album is sure to awaken your senses. (Original Japanese text by Adachi)

This work was born from a one-night live performance at Pritomi, a coffee shop and record store in Nara, featuring three Japanese primitive guitarists: Yosei Suzuki and Yuji Oba. The laid-back melodies of fingerpicking uniquely evoke the primordial landscape of American primitive music, spanning folk, country, and blues. This documentary is also br ...Read more (Original Japanese text by Adachi)imming with the charm of serendipity, as ambient sounds—such as background noises—blend seamlessly into the music like musique concrète. (Original Japanese text by Adachi)

Musician SEAMUS CATER, known for his work on the experimental Lebanese labels ANNIHAYA RECORDS and ANOTHER TIMBRE. And a unique collaboration with FREDRIK RASTEN, a Norwegian guitarist and improviser whose work with OREN AMBARCHI was also outstanding! A completely acoustic performance that captures the relationship between consonance and dissonance ...Read more (Original Japanese text by Akie) in a beautiful yet ephemeral way; tuned to just intonation to create warm harmonies. (Even sounds that seem metallic or electronic are entirely acoustic.) The music and vocals are meticulously crafted to resonate with one another. He infuses the pinnacle of 14th-century English folklore—including Seamus Heaney’s translation of Beowulf and the story of Pythagoras’ chance encounter with a blacksmith—with a poignantly beautiful tone. (Original Japanese text by Akie)

Five years’ worth of acoustic guitar improvisations—recorded during gatherings at home on days off. Folk and blues with a touch of distortion, the sound of strings going slack, experimental loops, and wild effects. Above all, it’s just really good. Since it’s instrumental, it works well both as background music and as a soothing listen. I want to listen to it straight through at least three times. (Original Japanese text by AYAM)

From the flow of “The Hurt Is Still There” to “I’m Missing You” on Side A—where you can lose yourself in beautiful chords and arpeggios—to the final track, “Jackson Browne,” with its striking percussive guitar, this album is filled with warm, mirage-like American music ranging from folk and country to yacht rock—a warm, mirage-like tapestry of Amer ...Read more (Original Japanese text by AYAM)ican music. Highly recommended for fans of cosmic Americana and acid folk. (Original Japanese text by AYAM)

"Carpet Of Fallen Leaves" is a history-spanning compilation of Edei Marcon, a carefully chosen selection of delicately and richly melodic songs that sits alongside Morr Music's other Japanese artists — yumbo, Andersens, and the VA compilation "Minna Miteru." Formed in 2001 by two musicians who had played in the hardcore band coa and the psychedelic ...Read more (Original Japanese text by Adachi) rock band LSD March, the group centers on Edei Kouma (vocals, guitar, keyboards) and Yawara Marcon (bass), joined by Yojiro Tategawa (drums), Tomoko Kageyama (vibraphone), Yasuhisa Mizutani (sax, flute), Madoka Asakura (backing vocals), Tsutomu Motoyama (pedal steel guitar), and, now and then, their beloved cats. A singular point in Japanese song, where a fresh psychedelic sensibility drifts through and everyday life and fairy-tale worlds hold each other up. From "Tora Toraion," one of their signature pieces born out of improvisation, to "Strobe / Koshin" with Ikuro Takahashi (drummer for Maher Shalal Hash Baz, Nagisa Ni Te, and more), to "Shojo," dedicated to their late cat Poko-chan, and on to the 2022 single "Itsunomanika Watashitachi" — there are more great songs here than we can list. Precious inner landscapes you'll never want to forget stretch out before you. Alongside reissued album tracks and songs previously released on 7-inch, it's a delight that pieces like "Closet," "Paisley," and "Mayonaka no Ongaku" appear on vinyl for the very first time. Highly recommended to longtime listeners and newcomers alike. Cover artwork by Ippei Matsui, liner notes by Fumito Taguchi. Stephen McRobbie of The Pastels also contributes a recommendation. Limited edition of 700, gatefold sleeve, 28-page booklet, download included. (Original Japanese text by Adachi)

The silence between notes, the sound of the slide, and even the rustling of fabric are all warm and beautiful. This collection of acoustic guitar improvisations is a pleasure to listen to intently or to let blend into your daily life.
(AYAM)

-info-
Takashi Masubuchi is a guitarist and improvisational musician based in Tokyo.
Sinc ...Read moree 2017, he has dedicated himself to performing on the acoustic guitar.
This release compiles improvisations recorded at various times starting in 2015.
It is a work where, if you listen closely, you can perceive subtle, unintended shifts in pitch and textures that emerge spontaneously.
In the pieces on Side A, he plays with extreme down-tuning and detuned tunings, which serve as the driving force behind the creation of a unique texture.

Masubuchi’s approach to performance is directed toward “disappearance beyond close observation.”
This is the opposite of a blind approach; he aims for a more primal state of music.

The cover art features a work by Ryoji Hirose, who is based in Tokyo.

FELICITY J LORDやPERLAHなど数々のプロジェクトに携わってきたGUSTAV KEMPSが待望のソロデビュー！ゆったりとしたギター主導のサウンドに緻密な屈折を加えた実験フォークアルバム。ピッキングノイズとフィメールボーカルハミングが甘美に擽る「Fog (ft. Lily Beltane) 」(sample1)、教会の鐘が響く空間でゆったりとストロークする「There, Something of Your Own is Trying to Become Word and Melody」(sample3)など。抑制された楽器編成と拾い集めたサンプル。謎めいたエモーショナルが宿ってます。 (Akie)

From LAWRENCE ENGLISH's cutting-edge electronic music label "ROOM40". He explores the possibilities of electronics and acoustics in a style that combines samplers and live performance. DAVID SHEA, a leading figure in the field of electronic music, who has worked with such prestigious artists as SUB ROSA and TZADIK, has stocked a new CD album rooted ...Read more (Original Japanese text by Akie) in the Buddhism and meditation that he has been in contact with in "The Thousand Buddha Caves" and "Rituals," which are among his best-known works! Reflecting not only the meditation experience itself, but also its practice in daily life. Uses fragments and collages of the Heart Sutra interpreted and translated by different sects and cultures. Meditative ambient works combined with acoustic performances, sound manipulation and sample work to calm and soothe the mind. (Original Japanese text by Akie)

1970年にマンチェスターの職業安定所で出会ったというKevin McCormickとDavid Horridgeのデュオによる1982年の唯一のアルバム。John Martyn、David Crosby、Erik Satie、Terry Riley、Eberhard Weber、Alice Coltrane、Ralph Townerといったアーティストを参照し、マンチェスターの地元シーンとは共通点がなく独自の道を模索したふたりによる、詩情と余韻が広がるアンビエント〜ジャズ〜サイケデリック・フォークの瞑想的なアプローチ。ギターを中心に、ベース、エフェクターなど古いアナログ機材を用いカセットデッキでホームレコーディングされたDIYの魅力。数曲で無名のアーティストRo ...Read more (足立)b BaxterがMoogシンセで参加。オリジナルのPR文には"put the album on, lie back and enter the land of no floors”と書いてあります。オリジナルにもあったPAY NO MORE THAN £3.99の心意気のステッカーも再現。 (足立)

This may well be his most luminous work yet. The fourth full-length album from Felbm, the solo project of Dutch multi-instrumentalist Eelco Topper, and his Japanese debut. Presenting a timeless suite built around the themes of winter, spring, summer and fall, the record grows naturally out of his two most recent solo works, Elements of Nature ...Read more and cycli infini, touching on nature and cyclical patterns while expanding those themes through the lens of Japan's twenty-four solar terms.

Felbm first encountered the twenty-four solar terms—a calendar used in ancient China and Japan—while reading a book about the Japanese tea ceremony. Rather than dividing time into four seasons, the system uses twenty-four markers, each further split into six periods, recording exactly what is happening in the natural world at any precise moment, and Felbm was captivated by the poetry of these turning points. Beginning in November 2022, he resolved to follow the twenty-four solar terms for a full year. From cloud formations to weather patterns, from animal behavior to budding plants, he observed nature and kept a diary, while gathering musical ideas inspired by the changes and reflections he experienced in each period. These musings slowly took shape over the course of the year and grew into winterspring/summerfall.

Depicting the seamless passage of the seasons, the sounds we hear here shift subtly along with them. Winter's long tones summon a sense of vastness, time stretching out in endless slumber. Weighty low end casts shadows, while limpid percussion and birds wheeling across a robin's-egg sky give rise to moments of pure clarity.

Winter sheds its layers amid flickering light, and the arrival of spring spreads across the whole landscape. The flutter of life returns, instruments trace weightless melodies, awakening the senses and stirring with fresh vitality. These expressions deepen further with summer's arrival. A crisp, buoyant warmth captures the season's lush plant growth, and refreshing earthen textures and undulating timbres shimmer within the mirage of the sun's heat. The transition into fall evokes quiet communion, the feeling of being held in the deep, rich earthiness and organic wellspring of sound the season has rooted. Summer's smooth tones grow grainier as fall sets in, and passing showers usher in the cold season to come.

What we hear and feel across these twenty-four seasonal markers is nothing less than awe at the grandeur of the earth. Felbm is not only an observer of nature but is attuned to the miraculous essence of every element—birdsong, a blade of grass, a drop of dew, a leaden cloud—and the role each plays in the ceaseless change we experience in daily life. winterspring/summerfall is a gift to be cherished, and as a guide, steward and co-conspirator in the world around us, Felbm leaves one final wish for listeners: "Finally, keep in mind Henriëtte Roland Holst's words, 'the stillness of nature knows many sounds,' and listen to the silence of nature."

正統信仰とキリスト教以前の古代的習俗が混ざり合った独自の精神風土を持つオランダ南部・北ブラバント州には、約400もの道端に点在する礼拝堂があると言います。Six Organs of AdmittanceことBen Chasnyはティルブルフ市のショーケース・フェスティバルに招かれて、聖母マリアのために建てられたこれらの礼拝堂を巡るアーティスト・イン・レジデンスに参加。礼拝堂との出会いの記憶をもとに、フランスの哲学者ガストン・バシュラールの『夢想の詩学』から着想を得た手法を用いて、約半年かけて楽曲を制作。その後ティルブルフに戻り、フェスティバルでこの音楽を初演した。その夜のパウルス教会でのライブ演奏を録音したものと、帰国後に録音されたスタジオ音源を収録。アメリカン・プリミティブな響きを持ちつつ ...Read more (足立)、この地の独特な庶民文化や信仰を音楽に昇華。教会空間の残響が舞う中での、スピリチュアルに寄りすぎない素朴な感覚のギター・ソロの素晴らしさ。そしてスタジオで追加録音された、かすかに声も重なるギター・ドローンがまた夢心地の絶品となっています(sample1)(sample3)。演奏というより応答と呼べるような作品。 (足立)

ファビアーノを含むメンバー、観客には一切知らされずに録音されており、録音当時はリリースの予定もしていなかったという、夏至の空気、バンドの完璧なシンクロナイズ、観客の熱狂のムードが収められた奇跡のような音源。基本自身のオリジナルをプレイしたセットリストには、ファビアーノが敬愛するエルメート・パスコアールの「Ilza na Feijoada」と、「Alexandre, Marcelo e Pablo」(Nenê Baterista作曲)のメイン・メロディーを引用した「Nene's song」も組み込まれています。ブラジル音楽、ニューエイジ/アンビエント、LAサイケデリック、ジャズ の境界線を美しく滲ませているのは、同じくジャズ界とは馴染まない第四世界系サックス奏者 Sam Gendel をサック ...Read more (AYAM)スに迎えた部分が大きく感じられます。パット・メセニーにも通づる幻想的なアルペジオ「Train to Imagination」(sample1)、水の効果音、琴のように鳴らすギターが日本の温かな春を連想させる「Haru」(sample3)など、試聴に選ぶのが悩むほどどれも素晴らしい演奏です。エルメート・パスコアールが提唱するmúsica universalという哲学をファビアーノなりに体現している素晴らしいひとときの記録。トラックリストからもご試聴ください。 (AYAM)

A new release from FUTURA RESISTENZA, the sacred ground of DIY leftfield sound! Created as theater music grounded in the movement theories of Rudolf von Laban, the founder of expressionist dance. Originally intended to be built from sequences of electronic sound, the work shifted toward exploring the possibilities of livelier textures and polyphony ...Read more (Original Japanese text by Akie) through a formation of percussion, minimal electronics and wind instruments—as heard on "Dämonen der Zerstreuung" (sample1), where brass is layered over marimba-led rhythms to form patterns at once abstract and mechanical. Mastered by RASHAD BECKER. (Original Japanese text by Akie)