Time Capsule Vinyl & CDs

Review: Choice Cuts 1978-1983 gathers eight tracks from four of Mimi's early albums-Sea Flight (1978), Coconuts High (1981), Nuts Nuts Nuts (1982), and Tropicana (1983). Opening with a funky, syncopated take on Sergio Mendes' 'Mas Que Nada' and the crisp techno-pop of 'Coffee Rumba,' all of which mean the compilation showcases Mimi's eclectic style. It also features the synth jam 'Quiet Explosion' and the piano samba 'Espresso.' Two standout tracks from Coconuts High-the sultry 'Crazy Love' and the lively 'Palm Sr'-highlight her playful Latin-tinged jazz fusion. Released on Takanaka's Kitty Records, this collection reveals Mimi's vibrant and innovative artistry.

Review: A rare new V/A record from the diggers deific over at Time Capsule - Kay Suzuki and company - whose focus on reissues has thus far formed a dense but not unbraveable thicket of drummy disco, city pop, reggae and international rerubs. Formed out of the East London party scene centring on Brilliant Corners and Beauty & The Beat, this four-track haul of Choice Remixes is a surely credible little curation. Suzuki lends four flips to the record - first of Gaoule Mizik's 'A Ka Titine' from 2022, which reappears with expository force, providing a banging re-bake of the Guadeloupean gwoka original. The theme continues on a version of Broki's 'Es Que Lo Es', which veers Latin minimalia, before slowing to a chuggy pace on 'Sortez Les Filles', before a final, synthy piano duet leaves the proceedings on a piquant hurrah, 'Oyelo'.

Review: Spanning eight tracks of electronic and acoustic ingenuity, this compilation captures a transformative era in Japanese composition, where anime soundtracks became a playground for sonic exploration. This vinyl-only collection, curated by Time Capsule, bridges new age aesthetics with percussive traditions, blending synthesisers, gamelan influences and orchestral grandeur. At the heart of the compilation is Akira's electrifying 'Kaneda' by Geinoh Yamashirogumi, where the group's signature blend of Balinese gamelan and electronic textures defines the dystopian atmosphere. 'Yas-Kaz's Hei '(Theme of Shikioni), from Peacock King - Spirit Warrior, and Norihiro Tsuru's 'Farsighted Person', composed for The Heroic Legend of Arslan, transport listeners to distant landscapes, reflecting anime's thematic reach beyond Japan. Yoichiro Yoshikawa's Tassili N'Ajjer and Fiesta Del Fuego, composed for NHK's 'The Miracle Planet', embody an ethereal grandeur, merging environmental themes with lush, ambient layers. Meanwhile, Chumei Watanabe's 'Fushigi Song', performed by Korogi '72, delivers a hypnotic groove reminiscent of Don Cherry's 'Brown Rice'. Columbia Orchestra's 'Hearts Beats - Theme for Andrew Glasgow' shows Tokyo's jazz-funk session musicians at their peak, and Kan Ogasawara's Gishin Anki provides a dramatic, cinematic finale. More than a nostalgia trip, this compilation celebrates anime's role in shaping Japan's new age soundia period where innovation thrived, unbound by genre constraints.

Review: Time Capsule exposes a few of the myriad pathways in Japan's 70s psychedelic soul wormhole, when a bountiful crop of music emerged from musicians inspired by homespun hero Haruomi Hosono's Happy End project, as well as the meandering ballads emerging from the dissolution of the 1960s protest movements. From the charming, Hosono-esque Francophile lounge funk of Hiroshi Kamayatsu's 'Have You Smoked Gauloise?' to the Tadashi Goino Group's strikingly sparse drum machine n' synth incantation 'Jikan Wo Koero Go Beyond Time', almost sounding like Goino is flanked by Vega and Rev at times, to the theatrical, almost duul-esque closing ballad 'Heya No Naka In The Room', the heads at Time Capsule assemble a compelling and kaleidoscopic anthology of forgotten Japanese gems.