Russia's mellow music phenomenon Mikhail Khvasko aka A Vision Of Panorama teams up with lovely Japanese vocalist Eiko Hara for one of the smoothest yet danceable tunes of 2023.

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The smooth and funky sound of prime-time Japanese reggae pop in the 1970s and ‘80s fired up an obsession with Jamaican music that persists to the present day.

If there is a year zero for the introduction of reggae music to Japan, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was 1979 when Bob Marley and the Wailers toured the country, trailed by an entourage of journalists, photographers and fans ready to spread the message of the music into all corners of Japanese society.

But the story of Japanese reggae is not a linear one, and the music that is collected on Tokyo Riddim 1976-1985 captures the moment J-reggae entered the broader public consciousness, merging commercial city pop style with an infectious backbeat, that has drawn comparisons with the emergence of Lovers Rock in the UK.

Rather than look directly to Jamaica, many producers and artists in Japan were inspired instead by the more approachable sounds of The Police and UB40, their reggae fix arriving pre-filtered through the lens of new wave pop from the UK. Playful and groovy, these album deep cuts have been overlooked for too long.

Among them are Miki Hirayama, the idol singer who borrowed the bassline from Bob Marley’s Natural Mystic on ‘Denshi Lenzi’, Chu Kosaka, who headed to Hawaii to cut the Jimmy Cliff-inspired ‘Music’ and Marlene, the Philippine songstress whose cover of Roberta Flack’s ‘Hittin’ Me Wear It Hurts’ owed much to her producer’s obsession with Sly & Robbie’s Compass Point sound.

Then there was Izumi “Mimi” Kobayashi, who enlisted the Babylon Warriors to perform on a dubbed-out version of her own track ‘Lazy Love’, the city pop-meets-new wave reggae sound of Miharu Koshi’s ‘Coffee Break’, Junko Yagami’s anti-apartheid deep cut ‘Johannesburg’ and Lily, whose ‘Tenki Ni Naare’ was produced by Ryuichi Sakamoto and closes out the compilation with a flourish.

While these stories may not always conform to neat narratives, they do provide a more accurate reflection of the indirect ways in which styles infiltrate one another and, in their naivety, have the potential to create something beautifully strange and entirely new. Previously only available in Japan, the tracks on this compilation are a testament to that curious alchemy.

Tokyo Riddim 1976-1985 is released on vinyl and as a full album download (no streaming), featuring original artwork by Japanese Fukuoka-based artist Noncheleee, whose cover pays homage to the iconic dancehall album art of Wilfred Limonious.

Released on 1st September, Tokyo Riddim 1976-1985 is a part of Time Capsule's Nippon Series, a loose series of compilations exploring different musical scenes from Japan between the 1960s and 2010s.

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Caution alert! The brilliant Italian producer made in peruggia Simoncino is back on Skylax Records again with a remix featuring the great Larry Heard aka Mr Fingers. You already know his ability to create sounds that are
deeply imbued with the chicago sound, you sometimes might think you're hearing some lost gems from the great Armando. In short, no need to add more, this item is essential for any normally constituted dj. Pure gold.

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Wax’o Paradiso returns with their fourth release, a full-fidelity four track EP from Naarm/Melbourne producers Hybrid Man.

‘Dust & Liquid’ sees Hybrid Man lower BPMs into balearic territory, offering a shimmering, pulsing and textured contribution to the label’s efforts to canonise and catalogue the extraordinary psychedelia being produced in so-called Australia.

‘Eternal Nightglow’ sets the record’s tone beautifully with a soaring 90bpm-yet-high-energy pace that subtly evokes the idealism and innocence of early William Orbit, yet firmly roots itself in the contemporary. Organic bass tones juxtapose with but do not contradict swirling cosmic synth work, with a flip-to-dub breakdown that would make fans of Bill Laswell smile.

‘Sunwave’ ups the ante slightly and sets the tempo to chug! Beginning to introduce the neo-prog sound that Naarm has rightly earned a reputation for doing so well. Both a party starter and one for the after hours.

With ‘Bluegums’ the record leaves the downtempo for dust, edging the EP into gentle doof territory. As the name suggests it yearns to be heard loud and clear, amongst the trees in the expansiveness of the Australian countryside. Juxtaposing the natural and the machine, the dust and the liquid.

An aptly well-rounded conclusion to the ‘Dust & Liquid’ Journey, ‘Swept by the Undertow’ bookends the record by returning to slower, moodier space, with a stepping descent into, as the name suggests, murkier aquatic zones.

Written and Produced by Julien Huynh & Will Holden
Mastered by Joseph Buchan
Artwork by Sprinkles
All tracks were recorded in the summer of 2021/22 at Romantica Studios, Brunswick East, Wurundjeri Country

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Repress!

Self-titled debut album of Habitat Ensemble, a new musical collective headed up by musician Marius Houschayer.

The collective originates deep in the south of the Czech Republic, on the border with Austria, amongst the idyllic hills and fields of a village called Maríž, where a summer school of outsiders and creatives have been gathering since the 1990s. Enriching each other through intercultural exchange, summer school participants have created a unique gathering of artistic expression and interdisciplinary research.

Originally grown out of the idea of translating the unique energy of the community and its environment into a musical journey where each member makes their own individual contribution, during the summer of August 2022, The Habitat Ensemble became an exciting vehicle for connection and co-creation.

Whether it be musical experimentation, composition, poetry, song or dance, Habitat Ensemble, having started as a series of multidisciplinary workshops, slowly developed into a unique musical recording. The album serves to conjure the unique nature, community, experimentation surrounding the school and the collective’s search for harmony across all of these, both musical and spiritual.

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Tokyo DJ’s sonic memoir spanning two decades of life and music in Japan - Japan Vibrations Vol. 1 will transport listeners in time to energetic nights at Japan’s legendary club venues and delight with a spirited journey of musical discovery and reflection.

Dive into the exhilarating era of Japan’s electronic dance music scene from the mid ’80s to the mid ’90s with Japan Vibrations Vol. 1. The hand-picked collection by DJ and musical storyteller Alex from Tokyo pays homage to the trailblazers and innovators who shaped the landscape.

Set for release this autumn, the compilation serves as a time capsule recording a vibrant point in Japan’s modern music history. Likewise, a love letter from someone who lived it.

11 newly remastered tracks spanning ambient, downtempo, dub, world beats, deep house, new jazz, and techno. Together they showcase the creative ingenuity and energy of a paradisiac era marked by a symbiotic fusion of international sounds with distinctively Japanese influences. Experience the vibrations of pioneers Haruomi Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Yasuaki Shimizu. Culture-shaping forces Hiroshi Fujiwara, Kan Takagi, Susumu Yokota, Silent Poets, Mondo Grosso and Kyoto Jazz Massive. And new- generation artists Jun CMJK Kitagawa (C.T. Scan), Mind Design, Okihide, and Hiroshi Watanabe. The evolution of a scene, a moment, presented with the progression of a DJ set.

Hi-fidelity remastering by sound engineer Isao Kumano (PHONON). License coordination by Ken Hidaka, album artwork by Takehiko Kitahara.
Photography by Meisa Fujishiro and Beezer, and from Alex and friends’ personal collections.
Pressed by Mother Tongue Records. Distribution by Rush Hour.



Track info:

1. Haruomi Hosono — Ambient Meditation #3

The compilation opens with an invitation to tea in the dream layer. The tranquil track, dedicated to new age legend Laraaji and ambient great Brian Eno, features Hosono on the Prophet 5 synthesizer and the American multi-instrumentalist Laraaji plucking a glittering zither. Hosono released it in 1993 as the closing track of his Medicine Compilation From The Quiet Lodge. True to its title, the album charts the early ‘90s contemplative turn of one of Japan’s most influential musical artists. Recorded in the tea-room modelled RACOON studio in Yutenji, Tokyo, the album weaves together house, techno, and ambient elements with Hosono’s signature eclectic-exotica touch. The result is a divine elixir, and this track is especially captivating.

2. Silent Poets — Meaning In The Tone (’95 Space & Oriental)

The bubbling dub is impossibly vibey on this remix of “Meaning In The Tone” by Japanese electronic duo (turned solo) project Silent Poets. The original track by Michiharu Shimoda and Takehiro Haruno appeared on their 1993 sophomore album, Potential Meeting. This ethereal, downtempo reworking came out in 1995 for the compilation album New Chapter for DJ/artist Nobukazu Takemura’s newly launched label idyllic records. Silent Poets went on to garner international acclaim for its catching sound palette—spanning dub, trip hop, acid jazz, and downtempo like this track—and holistic approach to art fusing music, design, and culture. Shimoda’s original music and brand Poet Meets Dubwise continues to capture the meaning in the tones.

3. Mind Design — Sun

Soft and resonant with a cinematic build up, “Sun” by techno unit Mind Design (Tomonori Sawada and Koji Sakurai) feels like daybreak at Mount Fuji. Sawada and Sakurai made the track (and all their music at the time) using a sequencer to run synths and rhythm machines, and a DAT recorder to capture everything in a single shot. In 1993, Mind Design signed to Transonic (predecessor of Trigger Label), Kazunao Nagata’s underground electronic music label, after the muiltitalented DJ, musician, mastering engineer, and producer saw the duo perform live at a Tokyo techno party. Mind Design’s first and only album View From The Edge followed in 1994, paralleling Sakurai and Sawada’s rising careers as sound composers and designers in the video game industry, where they remain active today.

4. Quadra — Phantom

A rare downtempo gem by Hiroshi Watanabe under his Quadra alias featured on his debut album Sketch From A Moment. With its gently swaying synths and confident percussive stride, “Phantom” is a total vibe. Watanabe, a prolific and versatile artist, is a man of many aliases (Quadra, Kaito, Hiroshi W, Tread [with Takehiko Kitahara], 32 project), label homes (Nite grooves, Kompakt, Third Ear Recordings, Ibadan, Transmat Records), and sound profiles (deep slow house, uptempo, melodic techno, to name a few). The mid ‘90s found Watanabe hard at it, studying composition at Berklee College of Music in Boston, spreading from New York the deep house gospel with EPs released on Japanese label Frogman, spinning hard house and techno at NYC clubs like the legendary “Save The Robots,” and more. “Phantom” captures the spaces between—a mid-album track with a subtle, unrushed flow. Nothing dramatic, everything chill and beautiful.

5. Yasuaki Shimizu — Tamare-Tamare

Few artists create a vibe as timeless, innovative, and totally fun as Yasuaki Shimizu. Singing and sax-ing (he does both on this track), connecting dots across the world, tinkering with scales and studio techniques—Yasuaki’s organic and highly experimental flickering about is an artform itself. Enter “Tamare Tamare,” an electro, world-fusion dance-floor killer featuring renowned Senegalese singer and musician Wasis Diop. Recorded in Paris’ ADS-Colour studio with Martin Meissonier, worldbeat and ethnic music producer extraordinaire (think Fela Kuti, King Sunny Ade, Salif Keita, and Manu Dibango) and released on Shimizu’s 1987 Subliminal, the track shines like the sun. “Tamare Tamare,” as the maestro himself says, is a potent spell in sound form.

6. Ryuichi Sakamoto — Tibetan Dance (Version)

A groovy collage of deep slaps, snappy beats, feathery strums, ethereal windings, rolling keys, and plenty of experimental tweaks, the track feels like a joyful gathering of friends. And it should—Sakamoto invited his YMO colleagues and collaborators Haruomi Hosono (bass), Yukihiro Takahashi (drums), Kenji Omura (electric guitar) and string instrument master Ayuo Takahashi on the Japanese zither instrument the koto into the studio to make “Tibetan Dance”. The revolutionary Fairlight CMI synthesizer joined the party, too, providing the perfect foil for an epically funky, buoyant tune. This slightly stripped down, club-oriented version first saw the light of day in 2015 with the Japan-only re-issue of Sakamoto’s 1984 Ongaku Zukan, remastered in high-resolution format (DSD) by Seigen Ono. Our “professor" Ryuichi Sakamoto, prodigious (and pioneering) musician and beautiful human, passed away in March 2023. His astonishing body of work - some 25 solo albums, 41 albums with YMO, 14 live albums, 19 collaboration albums, and 40 EPs and singles - will enliven and inspire for generations to come!

7. T.P.O. — Hiroshi’s Dub (Tokyo Club Mix)

Thunderclaps and a driving downpour of beats—we’re deep in the club now, Japan vibrations at max amplitude. This atmospheric club classic tells a story of scenes and genres—whole worlds—merging at the close of the ‘80s in Japan. An early release by the powerhouse hip-hop label and posse Major Force, the track is a remix twice over. It started with the uptempo “Punk Inc.” by Tiny Panx Organization” (T.P.O.), brainchild of Hiroshi Fujiwara, Kan Takagi, and K.U.D.O. Next came the dub take by Hiroshi, supreme music and culture tastemaker. And here we have the Paradise Garage-inspired deep-house reworking by Sapporo-hailing DJ Heyta. Got that? Now imagine taking it in at the tiny basement club Aoyama MIX during one of DJ Heyta’s wildly popular Wednesday nights back in the day. Lights out!

8. Okihide — Biskatta

Cycling through sugar cane fields in Okinawa, intense sun overhead and a glistening ocean stretching out into infinity. That’s a sweet memory Okihide Sawaki was recalling when he made this track in his Kyoto “Sleepy Room” home studio. Okihide, a sound otaku since childhood (proud owner of a Korg Mono/Poly at age 12!), caught the attention of Fukuoka’s top DJ and producer Ken Inaoka in 1994 when he was playing live under the moniker Tanzmuzik at Shibuya On Air in Tokyo. Inaoka signed the young artist, now going just by Okihide, to his just-launched techno label “Syzygy Records,” and in 1996 A boy in picca season came out. This smooth, uplifting, Detroit-inspired jam from his eclectic, “intelligent” debut album is full of feeling.

9. Mondo Grosso — Vibe PM (Jazzy Mixed Roots) (Remixed by Yoshihiro Okino)

Peppy, elegant, and massively jazzy bops from 1994 that feel so familiar and fresh. The Kyoto-based acid-jazz collective Mondo Grosso roared to life in the early 90s, led by the multitalented Shinichi Osawa. “Vibe.P.M” (Jazzy Mixed Roots) appeared on the compilation Kyoto Jazz Massive (For Life Records), the brainchild and handiwork of Shuya Okino who, along with his brother Yoshihiro, formed the eponymous musical project (Shuya had been managing Mondo Grosso while working at the Kyoto club “Container”). Yoshihiro’s remix presented here is a slice of Japanese crossover jazz that “makes me feel so alive,” just like American vocalist Brenda Kay Pierce beautifully sings on the track. Thirty years on, Kyoto Jazz Massive and Mondo Grosso, together and as individual artists, continue to evangelize good vibes and heady crossover dance music.

10. Prism — Velvet Nymph

A masterful straight-up deep-house track by one of the masters of Japanese electronic music, the late Susumu Yokota. Working under the pseudonym Prism, and fittingly so, Susumu refracted and refined the Detroit techno sounds he loved into Metronome Melody, released in 1995 on the newly formed Japanese label Sublime Records ran by Yamazaki Manabu. The track and album came on the heels of several pioneering moments for Yokota and, by extension, the Japanese electronic music scene. First, he created a storm in December 1993 performing live at club Yellow as the opening act for Underground Resistance (their first appearance in Japan!). Then, in June 1994, Yokota rocked his unique acid-techno sound at Berlin’s Love Parade to huge fanfare (the first Japanese performer at the legendary technoparade!). The dearly missed Susumu Yokota left us with an amazing, eclectic body of work—some 70 albums and singles over 2 decades.

11. C.T. Scan — Cold Sleep (The Door Into Summer)

The compilation closes with an epic techno gem that spins the story of an era: Frogman Record’s 15-year history as a key incubator of Japanese techno music. Among those discovering techno music in the early ‘90s in Japan was a crew of club-going music writers and industry workers that included Kengo Watanabe, Tsutomu Noda, Dai Sato, and Masakazu Hiroishi who would all in different ways influence and innovate the whole scene. Watanabe and Noda launched the groundbreaking electronic music magazine ele-king. Moved by the Berlin techno scene and spurred on by German-Japanese techno ambassador DJ Toby Izui (aka Tobynation), Watanabe and Dai created the techno label Frogman. They tapped C.T. Scan (better known as synthpop artist and producer CMJK of J-pop fame) for the label’s first and final releases. This version of “Cold Sleep (The Door Into Summer)” appeared on Frogman’s 2008 entering-into-hibernation compilation, Fine – The Best of Frogman. Inspired by Robert A. Heinlein’s sci-fi tale about traveling back in time to find oneself, the track is reflective, floating, and gently futuristic. Looking back to create the future, the highest Japan Vibration.

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UK Lovers Rock holy grail 12” from Sonia Whittingham, produced by Glen Sloley and originally released in 1988. ‘When I look into your eyes I feel a sweet sensation. I know our love is true ‘cos you make me happy'

A 140gram pressing in full colour sleeve designed by Bradley Pinkerton.

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Thomass Jackson presents UFO HOUSE.

A fixture in Mexico's thriving electronic scene, the Argentinian import has made a name for himself alongside cohort Iñigo Vontier with a style that seamlessly blends haunted desert disco with gritty acid house and techno.

This EP might be his most cogent formulation yet, a mightily playable set of peak-time DJ-friendly tracks that bring enough mystery and wonkiness to a perfectly club-ready backbone. It's a conspiracy of sound, a cosmic abduction with pulsating rhythms and hypnotic bleeps sure to melt minds on the dance-floor.


DJ Feedback:

Tiefschwarz - "soooo gooood!!"

Roe Deers - "dope EP"

Matt FX - "an absolute tour de force EP. hard to pick a favorite, maybe guadalajara"

Justin Strauss - "great ep"

Kiki - "Cool trax!"

Mawimbi - "really like the acid touch in back in guadalajara"

Jerry Bouthier - "well put together madness yay!"

Phil smart - "Solid bunch of tracks, all great! Can't wait to test out on a dancefloor:)"

Vidis - "Cool stuff as per usual from señor Thomass. Young Woman in Kashmir and Back in Guadalajara are the faves."

Phred Noir - "Alll the tracks are so good, super happy to see Thomass back with sooo good tracks !"

Genish - "Back in Guadalajara for me ! fire"

Ayala (It) - "I'm a Thomas fan from years and years"

Kato - "mad fun”

Fabio Me Llaman Soltero - "Sublime work, always favorito Thomaaaaaazzzz"

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Tracklisting:
A1 Roy Of The Ravers - 303 AM
A2 Roy Of The Ravers - Dream Of Laithka
A3 Roy Of The Ravers / Jerry LaFlim - Bonus
B1 Jerry LaFlim - Whistle Man
B2 Jerry LaFlim - Where Are You Now

Sales Note
That 27th split of the series is dedicated to the homeland of acid music - the United Kingdom. On my right, cult acid producer Roy of the Ravers, with some melancholic braindance and raw techno coming from his tormented acid jams. On my left, 707-addict Jerry LaFlim, with two disturbed tunes mixing funky electronica, dark breakbeat and groovy electro. From Melchester to Brighton, four heavy tracks for the 303 trainspotters !

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Paris via Lyon based Planet Trip family GFH drop their first EP and the freaky 13th disc on the labels forever expanding catalogue. 5 diverse cuts dialling into deep downtempo chuggers and breezy tropical triiips, plus a peak time heater on the flip given the magic touch remix treatment by everyone's favourite Lipelis. Another heavy disc with moods and grooves for all hours of the dance.

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The long awaited official reissue of ‘She Wants’, one of the first UK Street Soul singles originally released in 1985 by The NM Band.

The NM Band was an alias for UK Lovers Rock band Natural Mystic, responsible for a number of hits in the late 70’s and early 80’s most notably ‘Runaway Love’ and ‘Groove Rocking’. They released a string of acclaimed reggae LPs and toured extensively throughout the UK, but by 1985 wanted to try something away from their trademark roots reggae sound. Influenced by the availability of affordable hardware the band set about fusing Reggae and Soul using an Akai Drum machine, Yamaha DX7 and Roland sound module. ‘She Wants’ is one of the forebearers of UK Street Soul, raw machine drums paired with an incredibly soulful vocal from Ashley Sommers. The band created their own imprint ‘Mixdown’ to release the single, but it slipped under the radar, despite strong radio play from Choice FM and the then pirate station Kiss. The 12” is backed with Dub Version ‘She Wants’ (More).

A 140gram pressing in 3mm spine black disco sleeve with metallic sticker designed by Bradley Pinkerton.

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