Mesh-Key US Vinyl & CDs

Review: Living legend Phew follows up her brilliant Light Sleep album with another masterwork entitled Voice Hardcore, for New York City based Mesh Key. Phew's career began in the 70s when she fronted Osaka punk group Aunt Sally - who released one album on Vanity Records in 1979. Ryuichi Sakamoto produced Phew's first solo release in 1980, and in 1981 Pass Records issued her debut LP: a classic featuring Holger Czukay and Jaki Liebezeit of Can, with Conny Plank. She's since collaborated with members of DAF, Einsturzende Neubauten, Boredoms and more. Comprised entirely of her iconic, instantly recognizable voice, it is twisted, folded and layered over six mesmerizing tracks.

Review: R.N.A. Organism's 1980 release, R.N.A.O Meets P.O.P.O, reissued and remastered by Stephan Mathieu, is a captivating delve into Kansai's experimental scene. Comprised of enigmatic figures 0123, Zero, and Chance (aka Tatsuo Kohki), the album presents a sonic collage blending metallic beatbox loops, robotic vocals, and glockenspiel motifs. Producer Kaoru Sato (of EP-4 fame) helped sculpt their dub-infused, distorted rhythms and bizarre effects. While initially deemed too avant-garde, the album offers a more direct insight into their visionary sound. The opener, 'Weimar 22,' sets the tone with blown-out drum machines and ethereal vocals, hinting at influences ranging from electro-pop to spannered dub and tape manipulations. Tracks like 'After' and 'Nativity' showcase their experimental abilities, layering environmental sounds and off-kilter melodies over chuggy beats. R.N.A.O Meets P.O.P.O is a fusion of low-budget experimentation and tempered instrumentalism, offering a glimpse into the enigmatic world of Kansai's late 70s scene. Its timeless appeal resonates with listeners, echoing throughout the decades with its prophetic Japanese twist.

Review: Shintaro Sakamoto's third solo album is a bonafide masterpiece of warped steel guitar, ambient disco and Adult Oriented Rock soul. An exclusive Mesh-Key release with completely different art from the Japanese release. The beloved cult singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist led Tokyo's psych rock gods Yura Yura Teikoku for 21 years, until they disbanded in 2010. Post-YYT, Sakamoto has released several brilliant solo albums and an array of singles and collaborations. And as if that weren't enough, he is also a renowned and sought after visual artist and designer. Comes with full-colour inserts with translations of all the lyrics.

Review: One of two Tolerance albums to be reissued by Mesh-Key, Divin came as the second LP by the famous alias of Japanese singer and musician Junko Tange - a key fixture of the Osaka industrial scene in the late 1970s. Contrasting to their first album Anonym, Divin gets dubbier with it, abandoning many of the former album's creepy tones for subterranean, soily undulations. That being said, its weird blend of reversy 'pulse static', hues of tape noise, and found sound samples (vocals barely pop out from the buzz on occasion, making them sound like ghost EVPs picked up on ghostbusting equipment) make for a haunting listen as ever. To top it all off, this is an audiophile-primed pressing at 45 RPM, after having been remastered by one legacy stalwart, Stephan Mathieu.

Review: Anonym is a reissue of the debut album by Tolerance, an alias of Junko Tange, a Japanese singer and musician who was part of the experimental and industrial scene in the late 1970s. Vanity Records, meanwhile, were the legendary label that pillared the avant-garde music of Osaka. Across 'Anonym', its Dadaesque recitations, sparse guitar, piano, and electronic meanderings make for a beguiling, hypnotic, noise-laden and nigh creepy listen. Over just nine originals, various moods are laid down: 'I Wanna Be A Homicide' instantly oscillates between emo and creep, while dissonant numbers like 'Tecno-Room' invoke the chaos and paranoia of modern interior city apartments. Stephan Mathieu makes for a convincing remasterer; for those who like it weird, this should be in your basket.