Wewantsounds Vinyl & CDs

Review: Wewantsounds have got a first-ever reissue of Meiko Kaji's Hajiki Uta album with original artwork and new liner notes by Hashim Kotaro Bharoocha who actually spoke to the artist for the occasion. Film fans will recognise 'Urami Bushi' which was the theme song for the Female Prisoner Scorpion series which was used in Kill Bill Vol 2, while 'Onna No Jumon' was also the theme song for Female Prisoner Scorpion - Jailhouse 41 film. The rest of the record features atmospheric moments and sombre singing over slow-burning grooves, some funkier sounds like 'Hitori Kaze' and plenty of innovative sounds in between.

Review: Following the success of their previous Tokyo Glow compilation, Wewantsounds once again team up with Japanese Tokyo-based DJ Notoya to dig up the rich Electric Bird catalogue, and come with a subsequent, versatile selection of sunny jazz-funk gems recorded between 1978 and 1987 for the label. A tasty selection featuring Yasuaki Shimizu, Toshiyuki Honda and Mikio Masuda, together with a few American musicians such as Ronnie Foster and Bobby Lyle, most tracks here are making their debut outside of Japan, the album comes with a full annotation by Notoya and is a multifarious meander through every angle of the polygonal gamut of J-jazz, disco, city pop, and funk. Highlights include Masuda's 'Let's Get Together' and Foster's prototypical wonky funk number, 'Night Life'.

Review: Brion Gysin was a true original who left his mark on modern culture when he introduced William Burroughs to the cut-up technique, but he also recorded a swathe of experimental, funk-fuelled releases including the 1983 single 'Kick/Junk'. That single has been expanded into this album for Wewantsounds, which features Don Cherry's trumpet work on 'Kick' amongst many other talented players. It's a freewheeling listen which takes its inspiration from many places, finding space for tender folk experimentation with an African twist on 'All Those Years' and embraces jazz as a vessel for sonic and rhythmic exploration when the moment calls for it.

Review: Meiko Kaji is renowned for her influential contributions to Japanese cinema and music and none are as standout as Gincho Wataridori which stands alone as a masterful musical odyssey that was first released in 1973. The record is a sonic tapestry that weaves traditional Japanese folk elements with contemporary arrangements all the while showcasing Kaji's evocative vocals and poetic lyricism. The title track, 'Gincho Wataridori,' encapsulates the album's ethereal beauty and finds Kaji's emotive delivery accompanied by lush instrumentation to create a haunting atmosphere that resonates with listeners. A cinematic journey throughout, Gincho Wataridori stands as a testament to Meiko Kaji's ability to transcend genres and craft timeless musical soundscapes.

Review: Ryuichi Sakamoto's 1984 classic, Ongaku Zuka, finally gets a long overdue re-release. Heralded at the time as yet another example of Japan's sorely-missed musical genius in full flow, the tracks feature contributions from Yellow Magic Orchestra's Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, alongside Yasuaki Shimizu, Tatsuro Yamashita and Toshinori Kondo. Originally released in two versions, one with a bonus 7" two-track EP and another with a limited edition 12" three-tracker, both are now being reissued for the modern age. Part of an ongoing celebration of Sakamoto's life following his death in March 2023, when Ongaku Zukan (Musical Encyclopedia) hit it marked the celebrated musician and composer's first top five hit in his homeland, building on the success of both his soundtrack to Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence and the Yellow Magic Orchestra, on which time had only recently been called. Syth pop perfection, with unique, mesmerising instrumental compositions, it's an essential for any fan.

Review: Wewantsounds press ahead with their hotly-awaited reissue of Japanese piano jazz master Fumio Itabashi's acclaimed album from 1981, Watarase. A seminal document of the history of jazz recorded at the rough moment that the pianist reached his career apogee - the eighties saw him perform several international tours - Watarase is exemplary of Itabashi's unorthodox piano playing for the time. Virtuosic, yet not indulgent of sustained notes or boilerplate consonance, Watarase is keen to wring out the purity of each composition, seeming less interested in style or ornamentation over pure composition. The result is an album which we're not surprised was raised to the heights of jazz standard exalt, with the title track being of most note in this regard; although the less obvious cuts here are also particularly enchanting, such as the rollicking two-chord improvs of 'Miss Cann'.

Review: Japanese harpist Ayako Shinozaki's 1974 release 'Music Now For Harp' is a rarity, a sprawling journey through strings, percussion and electrochord that culminates in a 25-minute ambient piece 'Heterodyne (Or Surfing)'. It's magical and gripping, and is finally being released outside of Japan for the first time - a remastering and reissue in collaboration between Nippon Columbia and French label Wewantsounds. The sounds are otherworldly and entrancing, 'Stanza II' is evocative of a horror-themed Kabuki display, the strings deftly floating around a poignant aura of droning tension. Featuring the original artwork from Kohei Sugiura, this new package comes adorned with an obi belt and a booklet with liner notes from Alan Cummings.

Review: Jazz doesn't come much more wildy expressive, idiosyncratic, off the cuff, challenging and dense that this album from 1977. The Human Arts Ensemble came together in 1970 in St. Louis adn was a loose collective that associated themselves with the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM) and the Black Artists' Group (BAG) collective. They had no rues and no restrictions on who could play and it shows as different instrments shoulder their way to the front and vie for attention, from the drums to the keys, the sax to the double bass. This reissue features the original artwork as well as all new remastered audio and fresh liner notes by Howard Mandel that provide great context.