Kikeiji - Early Days Rough & Tough




Well you've had your appetiser. These are a load of live recordings from 1983 ... aggro and muddy, just as it should be! You'll be familiar with the "highly unofficial" market that pushes this (largely) to the Occident with huge collector porn prices. Obviously, the bigger the box the more impressive it is and the more you definitely want it! Well people, I have been looking for the assurance that size doesn't matter for my entire life and finally here it is! One disc is 15 minutes long. The final two discs are one gig split across them when the would easily just fit on one. Irrespective ... I really like it (erm ... wouldn't be posting it otherwise).

A ten disc extravaganza released on (you guessed it) Youth Inc. in 2014. It's not MP3.

it looks big from the outside but on closer inspection it's just a root vegetable

Read more...

Kikeiji - Plastic Scandal




Are you in the mood for early '80s Japanese punk that you probably aren't familiar with? I appreciate that the answer maybe variations on the theme of "no but thank you for offering". I am however prepared to be magnanimous prior to judging you. Maybe you are having a bad day? Maybe life hasn't been what you were expecting? Maybe you think incorrectly? Well rest assured indifferent people because we are here to educate you on the errors of your ways. Or whatever.

A 7" released on ADK Records in 1983.

Plastic Scandal

Read more...

Mady Gula Blue Heaven - 0

 

Mady Gula Blue Heaven were a mid-90s band led by Tomoko Kajino, who would later become known as Cotton Casino when she was a member of psychedelic circus Acid Mother Temple. This CD was released by Gyuune Cassette in 1997. 


Mady Gula Blue Heaven - 0

Read more...

Gaji - 9pm At Gfm




"Live recording session without audience in a club "Grapefruit Moon" in Tokyo." That's pretty perverse. No audience? Presumably poignant given that this is the last recording. There are three earlier singles we have never heard and I was going to say that they disappeared after this. However, check the comment from Mason "the man who knows many things" Jones ... new knowledge right there ... and now I really need to chase that particular tail forthwith!

A CD released on the awe-inspiring Inoxia Records on 2002. Interest rates and massive shipping cost hikes mean that I can't buy from them anymore. That is fucking annoying but I suppose Greta would approve ...

9pm At Gfm

Read more...

Gaji - Focus/Fluid/Daub

 

Album from 1999, released by ZK Records in Japan. 

Gaji - Focus/Fluid/Daub

Read more...

va - Eternal Blue Extreme (An Asian Tribute to Derek Jarman)

 

1994 compilation CD of artists from Japan, China and Taiwan with tributes to filmmaker Derek Jarman. Includes tracks by Merzbow, PFN, CCCC, Aube, Otomo Yoshihide, Juno, Illuminated 666 and ZSLO. As far as I can tell, it was the only release on a Canadian label called Somnus. 

va - Eternal Blue Extreme

Read more...

Fushitsusha - Live at St John-at-Hackney Church, London, October 5th, 2012




Fushitsusha are obviously godhead. Relatively few people get to see them live so things like this are bordering on the sacred. Watching them in action makes all of the difference as far as I am concerned ... the ferocity followed by the studious attention to bring it back under control and then the trigger pulls to set it free again.

Revelations: Chapter all of them.

This is a dvd quality recording of the gig shot in black and white that I'm pretty sure has never been for sale. It was just recorded by fucking heroes and then went into the trader / sharity sub-basements.

the best use of a church ever

Read more...

Gaji - Blowpipe




I have no idea why Gaji didn't go on to rule the world ... but it would be a better place if they had. Think all of the best bits of Drive Like Jehu, Jesus Lizard, Live Skull and throw in a K. Records vibe. They are better than that. On this recording they are Yui Kimijima and Yuko Hasegawa on guitars and vocals with the pseudonymous Dama on bass and vocals and Noda on drums

CD released on ZK Records in 1995. It's not MP3.

Blowpipe

Read more...

T.Mikawa - 私はノイズ -I, Noise- 伊達と酔狂で三十余年 ~In Search Of Ostensible Noise~




One disc of Toshiji Mikawa's solos recorded between late 1970's and mid 1980's under the names of Contradictory Bridge (that I had no awareness of prior to this) and Incapacitants before he was joined by Fumio Kosakai, turning it into the duo we know of today, and one disc of his more recent solo activities. Legend.

Double CD released as part of the Alchemy Records Special Edition Series in 2014.

I'm Noise

Read more...

Knead - This Melting Happiness, I Want You To Realize That It Is Another Trap




... and in order to introduce additional jeopardy ... this time it's Keiji Haino with Ruins.

LP released on Fractal Records in 2003.

Another Trap

Read more...

Knead - Knead




It's Ruins with Keiji Haino. Nowt else needs saying really.

CD released on P.S.F. Records in 2002. It's not MP3.

Knead

Read more...

The World Heritage - Invitation To The World Heritage




Superficially, this doesn't look promising. However, on guitar we have Natsuki Kido and Seiichi Yamamoto, on bass is Mitsuru Nasuno, on violin is Yuji Katsui and behind the kit is Tatsuya Yoshida. That in itself is a list that would slacken the tightest jaw. The CD is a set of improvisations recorded seperately. The DVD is them live at High, Koenji, Tokyo on December the 10th, 2008. I had heard some of their work prior to watching the live gig ... watching them in action made all of the difference to me and revealed it as the hardcore psychedelic spaceprogrock that it is. Probably doesn't make that sound more inviting but hey ho.

DVD and CD set released on Magaibutsu in 2009.

Invitation Accepted

Read more...

YBO² - Exterminal




This was recorded live at Ink Stick Shibaura on the 27th of March, 1988. It is a wonderfully warped edition to the YBO² canon so hold on to your witch hats! This release seems to be a cleaned up version of the gig. Cleaner is not always better. The original recording clearly exists out there somewhere and if anyone has that I would love to compare the recordings ... so please feel free!

CD released on Transrecords and Fool's Mate in 2018. It's not MP3.

Exterminal

Read more...

YBO² - Box



Some previously released material with interesting additional live sounds and images.

A thoroughly unofficial nine CD and one DVD collection from Youth Inc. in 2016. It's not MP3.

Ibo

Ibo

Box

Read more...

Various - Real Japanese Underground 2005




As far as I know, there were only the five in the series. There is too much to say about the individual releases. You will have already made your mind up whether you are in or out. Personally, the series is so mentally entertaining that it probably shouldn't be allowed. Luckily ... it's allowed (I checked). This is a Crucial Blast review of this one and apart from the names, the themes stand for the entire series. Happy Saturday people!

"This double CD-R compilation is one of the craziest mixtapes of extreme noise/core we've ever heard, two discs completely loaded with over 2 hours of fucked up, utterly bizarre psychedelic Japanese noisecore, avant grind, psych drones, harsh noise, gabba pop, and other 100% mutant, 100% Japanese confections. Unfortunately, the label that put this out stuck the discs in what pretty much amounts to the most unimaginative packaging possible, a simple xeroxed sleeve with absolutely zero artwork, appearing more like a cheap label sampler than anything. That sucks, because the sounds collected here are from another fucking planet. But then again, you can't really go wrong with 2 hours of music for $6. The first disc has improv noisegrind from Sete Star Sept and Napalm Death is Dead, AWESOME speedmetal/techno from Bakans, retardedly brutal goregrind chugalug from Pultrefaction Apartment and Fuck Me Please, Aostrapos' epic blast psychedelia, freaking killer deathcore weirdness from Deathlate, amazing brutal noise/pop/gabba/hypergrind from Grind D.C.P.S., two MINDBLOWING solo-guitar post-rock/psych/hard rockin' shred instrumentals from Mindweaver (honestly, we recommend picking this sampler up for the Mindweaver tracks alone! Total lo-fi stoner guitar bliss!), plus a handful of other bands whose names we can't read because we can't read Kanji, but we can say that they deal in a variety of bizarre avant-garde J-pop noise, immolating digital noise improv. Then there is the very last track, again by someone whose name is written in Kanji, entitled "Unholy Satanic Improvisation". It's six minutes of a man alone in a room, muttering all sorts of insane nonsensical shit, sometimes letting loose with death metal grunts while he severely abuses his guitar through a tinny practice amp. Essential. The second disc has more brutal electronic noisecore chaos from Feedback Nine VOlt, spastic digital cut-up destruction from Bloody Letter, PLANET CRUSHING powerdrone rumble from Aiz, crunchy harsh noise from 666, ultraviolent feedback improv from Destructionisties and Vent, evil dronenoise from Wyrs, Wolf Eyes-esque devilgnarl from Beautiful Demise, and an awesome set of massive Sunn O)))-meets-Astromero drone metal and ambient annhiliation from Te:ch/a/os:mosis. We're talking GOBS of variety here, folks. A detailed exploration into the utterly mutant underbelley of the Japanese extreme underground."

Double CDr from Lost Rivers Product in 2006.

Real Japanese Underground 2005

Read more...

Various - Real Japanese Underground 2006




Triple CD released on Lost Rivers Product in 2006.

Real Japanese Underground 2006

Read more...

Various - Real Japanese Underground 2007




Triple CD from Lost Rivers Product in 2007. This one is not MP3.

Real Japanese Underground 2007

Read more...

Various - Real Japanese Underground 2008




Triple CD on Lost Rivers Product in 2008.

Real Japanese Underground 2008

Read more...

Various - Real Japanese Underground 2009




A double CD set released on Lost Rivers Product in 2009.

Real Japanese Underground 2009

Read more...

Hijokaidan x You'll Melt More! - Watashi o Noise ni Tsuretette




From one end of the Hijo collaboration spectrum to the other ...

CD released as part of the (always revelatory) Alchemy Records Special Edition Series in 2015.

私をノイズに連れてって

Read more...

Genbakustakaidan - Live At Shinjuku Loft 2009.10.10




The Genbaku Onanies and Hijokaidan. Live. Unless you were a member of the audience with an alergy to squid, this is a shitload of fun!

DVD released on Alchemy Records and Uplink Records in 2010.

原爆スター階段

Read more...

Various - Improvised Music From Japan




I posted this in 2014 but things have improved in the past seven years so this time it is non-MP3. It is still ten discs containing pretty much all of the Japanese improvising savants that you could wish for! Just for good measure, you also get a 20 minute live performance by Incapacitants.

The Improvised Music from Japan label was created by Yoshiyuki Suzuki to document the Onkyō music scene that began to emerge in Tokyo during the late 1990s. Onkyō translates as "sound, noise, echo" and represents a form of free improvisation which is more interested in texture than structure. It was also a sub-label of the utterly magnificent Ftarri. The Tokyo venue Off Site was the centre from which the "movement" emerged and the Off Site label also released music from this headspace.

First Half

Second Half

Read more...

Altered (States) Images




This is suitably niche, but here are all twelve of the Monthly Altered States: Live Video Selection VHS tapes released on Zenbei between March 1995 and February 1996. The images are all great but let's say that some of the camera angles don't work so well ... you'll see what I mean.

Vol. 1 - Live at Manda-la 2. ZEN-V001

Vol. 2 - Live at Silver Elephant. ZEN-V002

Vol. 3 - Live at Dampfzentrale. ZEN-V003

Vol. 4 - Live at Knitting Factory. ZEN-V004

Vol. 5 - Live at Lounge AX. ZEN-V005

Vol. 6 - Live at Manda-la. ZEN-V006

Vol. 7 - Live at Cegep de Victoriaville. ZEN-V007

Vol. 8 - Live at Big Apple. ZEN-V008

Vol. 9 - Live at Crocodile. ZEN-V009

Vol. 10 - Live at Buddy. ZEN-V010

Vol. 11 - Live at Shinjuku Pit Inn. ZEN-V011

Vol. 12 - Live at Hosei University Student Hall. ZEN-V012

Read more...

Fushitsusha - Secret Black Box




I posted this in 2012 and resurrected it in 2016 but this really deserves to be kept alive forever. All seven hours of a Fushitsusha performance at Hosei University in Tokyo on December the 13th, 2003 spread across six CDrs in an edition of 20 that were given to Keiji Haino himself or to friends of the label owner.

If you don't have it already, take it and give it to ten other people ...

Secret Black Box

Read more...

va - Great Blue Thing

 

Compilation of mostly Japanese noise, grindcore, rock whatever with tracks by Merzbow, Discordance Axis, Yeah, The Love Apaches, Tatsuya Yoshida, Multiplex, more.

va - Great Blue Thing

Read more...

Various - Festival Beyond Innocence: A Brief History In 67 Chapters




I posted this in 2012. In 2014, somebody asked for it to be re-upped, commenting that "I know you are peculiar about these things". You know what, with chat up lines like that you are guarenteed success. So I didn't. Since then, I have honed my skills in being poised like a coiled spring ready to react to the whims of random people that I wouldn't care about if I had slept with them. Seven years ago, I said I'd get around to it eventually and I am a Badger of my words. As then ... there are so many things going on here, it's a swingers party for ridiculously talented improvisors.

A four CD set on FBI Discs in 2002.

car keys in the fish bowl

Read more...

Altered States - Live In Tokyo




There is a post of twelve VHS tapes of live Altered States coming soon. I thought that if you weren't familar with the work of this avant-prog free-jazz rock juggernaut then this would be a very good introduction.

On bass: Mitsuru Nasuno (Fushitsusha, Ground Zero, Korekyojinn, Sanhedrin, The World Heritage and so much more). On drums: Yasuhiro Yoshigaki (Ground Zero, Date Course Pentagon Royal Garden, any number of Otomo Yoshihide's projects and so much more). On guitar: the main man - Uchihashi Kazuhisa.

Double CD released on Innocent Records in 2011. It's not MP3.

Live In Tokyo

Read more...

Les Rallizes Dénudés - Hanging Dance Party




I think it's me and kingpossum (might be wrong) that can't wait for the 20 disc release of those rare recordings of LRD having breakfast and taking a dump. Lord knows, everything else they have ever done seems to have been released. Mind you, they recorded very little in the studio so a lot of it is fan archived material ... but let's just say that there was a time a lot of it appeared to be endlessy recycled in the "grey area" vortex. Needless to say, for a hefty price.

There were two people in the audience recording this gig so the two discs are the same thing but from different perspectives. It's actually more rewarding than that sounds given that there isn't a lot of "video" footage of them.

Recorded on July 10th, 1994 at Seibu-Kodo (Western Auditorium), Kyoto University (京都・京都大西部講堂).

A double DVD set released on the very unofficial Ignuitas in 2006.

Soon, it will make another appearance wearing different skin. Until that happens, is there any appetite out there for rips of all 12 Monthly Altered States VHS tapes? They have never been referred to on Discogs and I've never seen them for sale ... but they are these.

To pre-empt sentient butt-plugs everywhere, it's not MP3 and the file is quite large.

首吊りの舞踏会

Read more...