Wewantsounds Vinyl & CDs

Review: The recent Tokyo Dreaming compilation on Wewantsounds was a huge success so the label does the right thing and follows it up with another collection of sounds from the Far East. This one again looks into the fascinatingly niche city pop sound with expert digger DJ Notoya at the wheels. He delves into the Nippon Columbia catalogue and turns out all manner of breezy and laidback gems from Hiroshi Sato, Hitomi "Penny" Tohyama, Midori Hara and more. In many cases, these tunes are making it tot vinyl for the first time. What's more, the audio has been newly remastered in Tokyo for this reissue making sure it sounds as good as possible.

Review: Ammar El Sherei's intoxicating instrumental album Oriental Music was written in 1976 and has remained a cult classic for all the deep diggers, world music lovers and curio obsessives. For this record, the iconic Egyptian artist, composer and producer actually served up his own take on six classic compositions by another Egyptian legend, Mohamed Abdel Wahab. The results are utterly hypnotic and majestic melodic affairs with organic drums and percussion and North African melodies that worm their way deep into your brain and transport you to the hustle and bustle of a dusty open air market or street side coffee spot.

Review: Available here for the first time on vinyl, Lebanese singer Fairuz's 1991 album - previously only sold on CD and tape - has lost none of its romance or immersive qualities since the last time you heard it. Meanwhile, if this is your first outing with the eastern Mediterranean siren, prepare to dive into a mesmerising experience in which Arabic tones meets jazz-funk on an impressive scale, with unarguably rich depth.

A career spanning six decades, Fairuz is nothing short of a legend in her home region, with many citing her among the most famous vocalists from the Arab world. The Soul of Lebanon, no less, her voice is incredible but the work she aligned with, and pushed into the mainstream, is perhaps what's most impressive. Straddling genres and cultures with aplomb, the tragedy of the western music industry's homogenous attitude means many are still unaware. Thankfully, here's chance to rectify that.

Review: Farid El Atrache's Nagham Fi Hayati is one of those cult records that diggers pride themselves just for knowing about, let alone owning. It now gets a first ever reissue since its initial release in 1974 by the Voice of Lebanon label thanks to Wewantsounds. It is a soundtrack to the eponymous movie and has been sampled by the likes of The Beatles. El Atrache's unique vocal style and rare versatility is showcased across the tracks as as some brilliantly funky world rhythms on monster grooves like 'Hebina Hebina' which is said to be a favourite of Brian Eno, no less.

Review: If you've got even the slightest interest in the cutting edge, synthesizer-heavy Tokyo scene of the 1980s, this killer compilation from Japanese music crate-digger Nick Luscombe and Wewantsounds is simply essential. It features tracks plucked from the vaults of cult labels Nippon Columbia and Better Days, with Luscombe offering up inspired selections that variously touch on deep synth-pop, electro, post-punk experimentation, jazz-funk, ambient and what would now be classic as Balearica. It's such a good collection that we're finding picking highlights difficult, though our current faves include the disco-tinged punk-funk of Juicy Fruits' 'Jenie Gets Angry', the slow-motion jazz-funk of Yumi Murata, Chiko Asamoto's smooth and sensual synth-pop, and the synth-reggae eccentricity of Akira Sakata.

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.

Review: It would be fair to say that Machine's sole, self-titled album has long been one of the most sought-after funk albums of all time - largely because so few original copies exist. The band was a trio of studio musicians working for Sylvia Robinson's All Platinum imprint, and they recorded the album in 1972 with a little help from the Whatnuts and a string of label-mates. The set sadly sunk without trace at the time, though it really should have been a hit - the set's mix of gritty, pitched-down funk, conscious soul, Rotary Connection style soul-jazz and sweat-soaked up-tempo workouts is enjoyable and impressive in equal measure. Now remastered and featuring an insert full of revealing liner notes, the essential obscurity has never sounded so good.

Review: Wewantsounds' 2019 Record Store Day release takes us back to 1978 and a hard-to-find 12" single from Lebanese composer, pianist, playwright and political commentator Ziad Rahbani. "Abu Ali" is perhaps not Rahbani's best known work - in the Arab world his various albums are far more celebrated - but it is one that has chimed with Western audiences thanks to its assimilation of elements of American disco, soul and funk. The title track is something of a beast: a 10-minute epic that wraps Arabic orchestration, mazy horn refrains and prominent piano motifs around an atmospheric disco groove and intergalactic synthesizer lines. It's bonkers but brilliant, making this reissue more than welcome. On the flipside there's a chance to enjoy "Prelude (Theme from Mais El Rim)", an epic example of Rahbani's 1970s soundtrack work.

Review: Lebanese cultural icon Ziad Rahbani's cult album Bennesbeh Labokra was long ago awarded its classic status. This reissue will likely introduce it to a whole new audience as well as please those who covet its sought after charms. It is a seamless fusion of Arab music and bossa rhythms, with serene jazzy vibes, dainty piano and cinematic orchestrations. Some of the tracks have lots of room to breathe and let in light and air, others are more complex such as 'Variation 5' which helps make this such a rewarding listen. It's hard to think of albums from the Middle East that have proven as important as this one over the years.

Review: Houdou Nisbi is a top draw, cult classic record from Ziad Rahbani that now gets a deserving reissue on Wewantsounds. It was recorded in around 1984-85 and originally came out on the sought-after Lebanese label Relax-in in 1991, and only on CD and tape. Now it lands on vinyl for the first time and still sounds as good in the way it fuses Arabic sounds with jazz, boogie, funk and even hints of Brazil. Original groove fans heralded this as one of the best of its kind and this newly remastered version, which has been curated by Lebanese DJ, radio host and compiler Ernesto Chahoud, certainly backs that up.

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: Although widely celebrated as a pioneering and influential work, the original Japanese version of Ryuichi Sakamoto's third solo album, Hidari Ude No Yume, has long been hard-to-find. Helpfully We Want Sounds has secured the rights to reissue it in Europe, pairing the Yellow Magic Orchestra man's original set - complete with sung and spoken Japanese vocals - with a partner disc of entirely instrumental versions. Musically, it remains as vibrant and otherworldly as it did at the turn-of-the-80s, with the great Sakamoto combining elements of jazz, traditional Japanese music, new age, ambient and new-wave with rubbery synth-pop and proto-electro sounds. The fact that it still sounds like nothing else is not only proof of Sakamoto's genius, but also why you genuinely need it in your life.

Review: Wewantsounds continues to respond to that request with another benchmark reissue following Egyptian musician and composer Ammar El Sherei's Oriental Music. This time taking one of the definitive releases in Ryuichi Sakamoto's extensive oeuvre and making it shiny and new. Or at least giving it a dusting down, not that the contents were ever going to sound anything other than fresh.

Hidari... was such a groundbreaking album at the time because of the pop sensibilities Sakamoto actively looked to root the album in by way of enlisting British producer Robin Scott and American guitarist Adrian Belew in addition to members of his Yellow Magic Orchestra. The result sounds like intoxicating downtempo electronica, jerky elec-house, 1980s fantasy movie soundtracks and Far Eastern percussive exoticism. So apparently a marriage of styles and places that we consider striking today does sound even better 39 years later.

Review: Although widely celebrated as a pioneering and influential work, the original Japanese version of Ryuichi Sakamoto's third solo album, Hidari Ude No Yume, has long been hard-to-find. Helpfully We Want Sounds has secured the rights to reissue it in Europe, pairing the Yellow Magic Orchestra man's original set - complete with sung and spoken Japanese vocals - with a partner disc of entirely instrumental versions. Musically, it remains as vibrant and otherworldly as it did at the turn-of-the-80s, with the great Sakamoto combining elements of jazz, traditional Japanese music, new age, ambient and new-wave with rubbery synth-pop and proto-electro sounds. The fact that it still sounds like nothing else is not only proof of Sakamoto's genius, but also why you genuinely need it in your life.

Review: It's probably quite important to watch the 1973 movie Serpico in order to fully understand the moods Greek composer Mikis Theodorakis was thinking of when he wrote this accompanying score. The story of a hard but fair cop, the eponymous hero who takes on the New York Police Department's legions of corrupt officers in order to clean things up, that ruthless backdrop isn't exactly the image conjured by arrangements like 'Shoe Shop', which sounds like you're strolling through Central Park falling in love with a jazz trumpet.

Simply put, this is the perfect example of how circumstance and context define our emotional response to music. Sure, quintessentially 1970s funk-disco pieces like 'On The Streets' were made to be a pimp's walk-in theme, and the slick strings and groove of 'Meeting In The Park' is ideal for covert cop sequences, but the standout moments here are where classical meets Hellenic, and they really do shine.

Review: Way back in 1979, Japanese composer, bandleader and percussionist Masahiko Togahashi headed to Paris for a set of recording sessions with bassist Charlie Haden and trumpeter Don Cherry. Under the watchful eye of Martin Meissonnier - then Don Cherry's right-hand man - the trio recorded 'Son of Soil', a magical and spiritually enriching set that mixed elements of free-jazz improvisation with Japanese musical motifs, Togahashi's sublime percussion work, Haden's fast-fingered bass-played, and Cherry's mastery of various brass and woodwind instrumentation. The set was initially only released in Japan, so this worldwide reissue - accompanied by a booklet featuring extensive liner notes, previously unpublished photos and new interviews - is very welcome.

Review: Special edition of the legendary 1979 Masahiko Togashi album 'Song of Soil,' recorded in Paris with Don Cherry and Charlie Haden and released on Japanese label Paddle Wheel. Togashi is a strong figure in the world of ambient jazz, bridging the gap between the spiritual improv of jazz and the wider, impossibly deep world of the genre coined by Eno. The album is reissued here with its original artwork and remastered by King Records in Japan, with exclusive liner notes and fascinating interviews.

Review: Some compilations are clearly a labour of love. That's certainly the case with Sharayet El Disco, a superb collection curated by Amsterdam-based Egyptian DJ Disco Arabesquo (real name Moataz Rageb). It dips into his ever-expanding collection of hard-to-find Egyptian disco and boogie cassettes released between 1982 and '92, offering up a selection of colourful dance tracks that frequently add Arabic vocals and instrumentation to authentic, American style disco and boogie grooves. Highlights are plentiful, from the stomping disco surge of Afaf Rady's 'Tany Tany' and the glossy, fretless bass-sporting synth-pop of 'Merci' by Simone, to the low-slung Arabic synth-funk of Frikit El Azdeqaa's 'Eqleb El Sheret', and the dreamy boogie brilliance of Americana Show's 'Yom Wi Lilah'.

Review: An overlooked spiritual classic in two parts, Yamash'ta & The Horizon were a one-off project consisting of a hat-trick of musicians seeking to perfect their craft. In 1971, Hideakira Sakurai, Masahiko Satoh, Stomu Yamash'ta and Takehisa Kosugi gathered in Japan to perform an invite-only concert to a handful of friends. Deep and distinctive electric shamishen becomes a sonic centrepiece over the course; handled by Sakurai, the sound is haunting, like a lone voice amidst a sea of percussive nymphs. Sloshing koto, percussion and eruptions of awe from the crowd all dominate the moments of downtime; a timeless snapshot of Fluxus Japan.

Review: Wewantsounds continues its Akiko Yano reissue series with a celebrated gem: 1980's "Gohan Ga Dekitayo", a set whose title apparently translates as "Ready For Dinner". The double album is significant in part because the music underpinning her distinctive J-Pop vocals was provided by Yellow Magic Orchestra, with band member Ryuichi Sakamoto acting as co-producer. As a result, the set offers a distinctive blend of far-sighted synthesizer sounds, power-pop and American style AOR rock, with Yano's famed vocals and piano playing featuring prominently throughout. There are nods to multiple styles - early electrofunk, reggae and so on - and some genuinely surprising highlights, including a killer cover of YMO's "Tong Poo". Bonkers but brilliant!