japan

Hiroki Miyano (宮野弘紀): D / I/ V /E /R /G /E (分岐点) (1988)

2019/09/20

And now some jazz… *Quietly watches all my readers’ eyes glaze over*. For those who can appreciate the bigger “jazz” picture, here’s Hiroki Miyano’s D / I/ V /E /R /G /E. Showcasing Hiroki Miyano’s wonderfully elegant guitar playing, D / I/ V /E /R /G /E takes great pains not to rock the boat…
Satoshi Sumitani (住谷智): 思議の森～Forest Marvelously～ (1986)

2019/08/30

We’re back in the thick of it. Divining that perfect balance of nature and melody, Satoshi Sumitani now joins us in this long journey through Japanese environmental music. Part of CBS/Sony’s quite forward-thinking environmental music imprint, Sound Forest, 不思議の森～Forest Marvelously～ (or Fushigi no mori, Mysterious Forest) took ideas that were taking root in Japan’s New…
Various Artists: しおのみち (Shio-No-Michi) (1991)

2019/08/16

Forgive my roundabout way to get back to the healing music of Japan’s Awa record label. I feel like we should go back to Okinawa and discover where it all began. It is on しおのみち (Shio-No-Michi) that Hideaki Masago rounded up like minded Japanese musicians to fashion a label that could tap into ethnic music…
Asiabeat: Spirit Of The People (1991)

2019/08/09

Although the mind behind rotating Southeast Asian supergroup Asiabeat has always been gifted Malaysian percussionist (and Fulbright Scholar) Lewis Pragasam, on Spirit Of The People, the heart of Japan moved him towards a sound that’s quite indefinable. Decamping in Singapore, in 1991, Lewis was joined by Makoto Matsushita, Chito Kawachi, and friends Mohd Nor, Nantha…
Hiroya Minakuchi + Missing Link (水口博也): Dolphin (1993)

2019/08/02

There’s a moment in Hiroya Minakuchi + Missing Link’s Dolphin that never ceases to take my breath away: a minute into “The Cradle Of The Ocean”, the sound of actual dolphin speech mingles with a plaintive piano melody to deliver a sublime aquatic ballad that exudes what I think is perfect example of “womb music”.…
Jun Kawabata (川端潤): Mind Migration (Voyage To The Whale) (1992)

2019/08/01

Disclaimer: you’re not going to hear any music on Jun Kawabata’s Mind Migration (Voyage To The Whale). What you’re hearing on this release is the kind of healing music little known on this side of the world. In the early ’90s CBS Sony created a record sublabel dubbed “Aqua Planet” combining three things: aquatic themed…
Inoue · Akira / Acoustic Meeting (井上鑑): Dolphin (1991)

2019/07/31

This is not entirely the way I wanted to introduce everyone to Akira Inoue but I can’t help myself and share Dolphin. It was September 1990, on one fateful night at the some cafe dubbed Heinecken Village in Harajuku, Tokyo that keyboardist extraordinaire Akira Inoue was joined by ex-members of Aragon, Parachute, and Kazumi Band…
Hajime Mizoguchi (溝口肇): A Pretty Dance (1987)

2019/07/26

As long as there is summer and people still want to hear/read about another Hajime Mizoguchi album, I’ll be more than happy to ride on that feeling. Continuing on a very long retrospective on Hajime’s work, see prior posts for his prior work, today we land on another of his wonderfully summer-esque albums — A…
Henry Kawahara (ヘンリー川原): Bamboo Garden (バンブーガーデン) (1992)

2019/07/19

Can I say something? I’m beginning to empathize more with the creative mindset of one Henry Kawahara than with one of Hiroshi Yoshimura. I say this not to inflame any passions but because I’m appreciating how he comes to terms with creating his kind of music. Far from the studied, mannered, ambient, Japanese kankyo ongaku,…
Mix: 28. Back In The Pool

2019/07/12

Sometimes the best ideas come to you on-the-fly. Truth be told, I completely forgot about this month’s mix for LYL Radio. For the first time in a good long while, I had been strapped for time, making space to plan for a long vacation. So, if I had to carve out time for it, it…