Tokyo based band and Afrobayashi pioneers Ajate are back with their third album: experience the explosive encounter of Afro groove and Japanese traditional Ohayashi music!

During a stay in West Africa in the late 2000's, Japanese musician Junichiro "John" Imaeda was taken aback by the similarities he felt between the Afrobeat that resonated in the streets of Accra, and the sounds of the "Ohayashi", the music played during ancestral Japanese festivals, in which John had participated since his childhood.

On his return to the archipelago in 2009, Imaeda created Ajate, a collective of ten passionate musicians. Together they started crafting music that moves from one world to another, with intertwined roots. The drums, flutes and bells are joined by curious instruments handmade by John himself with the essential material of the Japanese countryside: bamboo. The "Jaate", an amplified xylophone-balafon equipped with piezoelectric sensors on each of its keys, or the "Piechiku", a bamboo version of the Malian "Ngoni" or the Gnawa "Guembri", equipped with shamisen strings and connected to an arsenal of guitar pedals, give Ajate an absolutely unique sound. Powerful and catchy Japanese female and male vocals bring the final touch to an incredible groove where Afrobeat and Ohayashi music are woven together so seamlessly that Ajate has managed to capture a truly distinct fusion. The band sings about the power of human connections, the force of being and living all together, the joy of sharing, and the beauty of life. Ajate's music is a magnificent example of the way sounds are able to migrate in contemporary music.

The band's explosive live performances have taken Ajate to the most prestigious stages in Japan, such as the Sukiyaki Meets The World and Fuji & Sun festivals. The release on French label 180g of their "Abrada" and "Alo" albums, in 2017 and 2020 respectively, opened the doors to Europe, with memorable shows at the Transmusicales de Rennes festival - followed by a session on KEXP (Seattle, USA) - at Jazz a Vienne, and at WOMAD UK, among many others. With their brand new album "Dala Toni", Ajate prove once again that they are at the forefront of global music "made in Japan". More

In the mid-seventies, discotheques were booming in Tokyo and all over Japan. When the Fatback Band topped the 1975 US charts with their infectious "Do The Bus Stop" hit, Japanese label Victor put out the following year the first Japan made Disco tune with "Sexy Bus Stop", released under the mysterious name Dr. Dragon & Oriental Express, a pseudonym for successful Japanese pop composer Kyohei Tsutsumi. "Sexy Bus Stop" became an instant hit in the country and, taking this opportunity, various Japanese record companies started releasing Disco music. From 1976 until the early 1980s the music was often recorded by skilled studio musicians, rather than by computer input, providing a really solid sound to the dancefloor. Disco music was also spreading into TV series, commercials and anime. From Godiego's monster hit "The Birth Of The Odyssey - Monkey Magic" to Pink Parachute's obscure (and excellent!) "Disco Great Tokyo" tune, this selection explores some of the finest Disco and Boogie music released on the legendary Nippon Columbia label in the late seventies and early eighties. Are you ready? Put your dance shoes on, and enjoy! More

Universounds, HMV Record Shop and 180g team up for an exceptional release: from blazing hard bop to free jazz, to introspective saxophone solos and massive big band sounds, renowned Japanese jazz expert Yusuke Ogawa presents an essential 14 track collection of "WaJazz" music taken from the Nippon Columbia vaults. Featuring Jiro Inagaki, Minoru Muraoka, Hiroshi Suzuki, Hozan Yamamoto, Count Buffalo, Takeshi Inomata, and much more! More

THEODOR is a psychedelic sweet soul band formed by members with diverse musical backgrounds.
Whilst on a road trip to Italy Rob and Lui were listening to tapes of contemporary soul music. The idea
was born to record an album channeling a moody and relaxed soundscape. „Right after our trip we called
up our good friends Max and Greg, who were immediately on board. We wrote and recorded deep in
the pandemic. Those weekend sessions captured this peaceful solitude“ The outcome was their selftitled
debut album which will be released in February 2023 on the french label Broc Recordz. The rich
sonic texture and unconventional arrangements of their very first single SHEPARD’S LULLABY gives a
hint on what is to be expected on their forthcoming LP. THEODOR created a perfect soundtrack for a
hot and humid summer day having a magic dash in your twelve o’clock tea. Playful melodic bass lines
and the soulful acoustic drums build the playground for the warm and dreamy keys such as farfisa
organs, fender rhodes and 80's synths. The lush instrumentals are spiced by the very different yet
complementary voices of Max and Lui.

TRACKLIST:
A1 Glades and Avenues
A2 Shepards Lullaby
A3 Theodor
A4 Summer Wind
B1 Mirror
B2 Apogee of Hypnos
B3 Yellow Ships
B4 Fade Me Out More

Wewantsounds is delighted to announce the release of Ryuichi Sakamoto's classic LP "Coda”, issued in Japan in 1983 as a solo piano version of the "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" soundtrack. The album, which was never been released outside of Japan until now, sees Sakamoto on acoustic piano reinterpreting fascinating versions of his famous soundtrack including the classic theme and "Germination," which was later used in the "Call Me By Your Name" soundtrack. This reissue has been remastered by Seigen Ono's Saidera Mastering studio in Tokyo and boasts the original artwork plus a 4-page insert with new liner notes by Andy Beta.



When the film "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" hit the cinema in Summer 1983, it was a worldwide instant success, due in no small parts to its renowned director, Nagisa Oshima and to its superb cast including David Bowie, Takeshi Kitano and Ryuichi Sakamoto. The latter, fresh from his success with Yellow Magic Orchestra and a thriving nascent solo career, was also enrolled to compose the score of the film.

The soundtrack was released at the same time as the film in Summer 1983. It became equally successful and made the Japanese composer a global icon as the instrumental theme became an instant classic all around the world and also Sakamoto's signature track from then on.

That same year, his Japanese label decided to release an exclusive cassette book as the format was getting popular in Japan. The project, called “Avec Piano,” featured an audio cassette together with a beautiful 80 page book including illustrations and texts by various designers and writers. As for the music, Sakamoto re-recorded the Merry Christmas soundtrack on solo piano at the Onkyo Haus studio in Tokyo. This version of the theme which Sakamoto would re-record many times, is therefore the first ever recorded solo piano version of the composition. As Andy Beta notes in the liner notes, "Now we can hear Sakamoto –seated in front of Steinway full concert piano housed in the first studio at Onkyo House in Ginza– his lifelong debt to the music of Debussy (and “Claire de Lune” specifically) laid bare.

The cassette book's success led to an LP release a few months later under a new title, "Coda" and with a different artwork by Japanese designer Tsuguya Inoue. The original orchestrated theme "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (which had been included on the cassette as a bonus on top of the piano version) was dropped, replaced by two new tracks, "Japan" and "Coda," recorded a couple of years earlier in 1981 and featuring Ryuichi Sakamoto's blend of ethereal ambient soundscapes and modern electronics.

The album, which has never been available outside of Japan, has become cult over the years for the fascinating interpretation of the main theme, but also for "Germination," which was used by Luca Guadagnino in the soundtrack of his arthouse hit "Call Me By Your Name" in 2017. "Coda" is quintessential Ryuichi Sakamoto and an essential album in the Japanese composer’s discography, which Wewantsounds is delighted to bring to his many international fans for the first time.



Side 1

Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence 4:49
Batavia 0:50
Germination 2:09
A Hearty Breakfast 1:18
Before The War 1:44
The Seed And The Sower 3:55
A Brief Encounter 2:27


Side 2

Ride Ride Ride 1:02
The Fight 1:20
Dismissed! / Assembly 1:50
Beyond Reason 1:26
Sowing The Seed 1:31
Last Regrets 2:05
The Seed 1:06
Japan 2:58
Coda 5:32 More

In 1993, Wolfgang Voigt started his label Profan. From its very beginning, it provided a universal platform for Voigt’s unconventional musical hustle. Under several project names the resilience of the bass drum is fathomed again and again. Under the – even then – well introduced hooligan-techno alias MIKE INK, the 12 inch DADAJACK is released in 1994. Like the title indicates, Voigt construes the ubiquitous use of the TB 303 and the TR 909 machines very “artfully”: Reckless, elastic groove-drafts and abstract-dadaistic Acid textures create a funkiness far off Soul and Disko. Mike Ink goes Polier.

In addition to the encyclopedic digital release “EARQUAKE – Wolfgang Voigt 1991-1999”, several selected reissues and new releases are published exclusively via kompakt.fm on vinyl. MIKE INK – DADAJACK, out of print for 20 years, breaks the first ground.
More

Bassline veteran and all-round soundsystem sorcerer Marcel Deptford lands on Sneaker Social Club with two ruff-n'-tuff rave-n'-b re-flips that run as a prelude to big things to come.

This is the first time you will have heard a record under the name Marcel Deptford, but he's got serious skin in the game with an imposing history in the legendary bassline scene from the late-00s. His records as DS1 are the stuff of legend for anyone keyed into the Niche-centric sound, but more recently he's put out some serious heat as Haider running his own Breaker Breaker label and popping up on Aus and the like.

If you're a fan of millennial RnB there's every chance you'll recognise the vocals that breathe life into Deptford's two tracks for this Sneaker release. Moving beyond simple edit territory, the voices are bedded deep down into gritty rave productions that boast the kind of dirt bag sonics that call straight back to the OG days of breakbeat hardcore. 'Rock The Boat' has bloated bass pushing into the red, clattering breaks chopped up with a rugged swagger and a dreamy, haunted dose of dub poured all over the vocals.

'Make It Hot' has a lighter, swung feel which nods to garage, but there's still plenty of weight on the low end. Once the lead vocal sample steps back to open up the space, Deptford's knack for strong melodic hooks comes through in a blown out arp line which the bassline dutifully follows.

Hitting every sweet spot from the low-down dirty rave receptors via moody head-nodding restraint on to iconic vocals, Marcel Deptford shows exactly what he's capable on this release ahead of a more extensive dive into his legacy, due further down the line. More

REPRESS!

This is the first 12“ of the new Move D - “Recurrent Recollections“ series. “Something ’Bout The D“ is featuring three previously released tracks, that only ever appeared on Various Artists compilations on different record labels - from Fred P’s Earth Tones Vol. 1, via Russ Gabriel’s Ferox label to Lowtec’s Out to Lunch imprint. Now for the first time on Source Records, this 12“ kicks off with Aspiration 2010, a subtle and slow building Deep Acid House track evolving across the entire side A. On the B-side the title track “Something ’Bout The D“ takes the vibe back to 90s oldschool Detroit inspired house music - spiced with some 909 euphoria, some uplifting chords and a technoid, abstract but soothing melody. Closing out the 12“ on B2 is the much beloved and hard to find Move D contribution to Out To Lunch’s “Airbag Craftworks Vol. 2“ compilation “Marshmellow Boots“. A hypnotic and bouncing hookline is transformed over surrounding synth stabs and dubs. A subdued fluffy little groover in a typical Move D trademark fashion. More

It's a pleasure, a labour of love and a yearly highlight to present a new volume of the Mr Bongo Record Club series. In this collection, we have curated new finds alongside old, treasured tracks that hold a special place in our hearts, selecting music inspiring us from the Brazilian, Latin, soul, disco, gospel, cosmic, dancehall and downtempo genres. We have chosen a diverse array of artists, including Os Panteras from Brazil, stomping underground disco by Claude Jay, the Danish soul sounds of Gitte & Inger and the gospel excellence of Truth & Devotion, to name a few.

Most of the selections in this volume are older vintage productions, however, there is one very special contemporary production, recorded exclusively for Mr Bongo Record Club 7. For ‘Spring Has Sprung’, we linked three of our cherished musical family together; the legendary cult artist Asha Puthli, the wonderous band SOYUZ (???3) and Swedish maestro Sven Wunder. The result, as you’d expect, is completely breathtaking.

Reflecting on Volume 7, it now feels like a record comprised of two themes. Firstly, we have gone quite heavy on the Brazilian selections. This saw us searching further afield and digging into other areas of the endlessly rich Brazilian musical tapestry. The reflection of a more folk / Afro-Brazilian sound than presented in previous volumes in the series, can be heard in the songs of As Sublimes, Romeu Fernandes and Conjunto de Percussão Dora Pinto. The second theme is a representation of the tracks that we have been playing in our club DJ sets and are aimed more at the dancefloor. Disco tracks such as 'Come Inside' by The Shades of Love and The Duncans' 'Too Damn Hot' have been firmly tested favourites in recent years.

We hope these songs, by the sensational artists on display, inspire you as much as they do us. Music is the gift that keeps giving and there is so much more to learn, find, and share. More

Universounds, HMV Record Shop and 180g team up for an exceptional release: from blazing hard bop to free jazz, to introspective saxophone solos and massive big band sounds, renowned Japanese jazz expert Yusuke Ogawa presents an essential 14 track collection of "WaJazz" music taken from the Nippon Columbia vaults. Featuring Jiro Inagaki, Minoru Muraoka, Hiroshi Suzuki, Hozan Yamamoto, Count Buffalo, Takeshi Inomata, and much more! More