masahiko satoh / soundbreakers “amalgamation” long playing record

• amalgamation i (15:44)
  
  
• amalgamation ii (21:17)

phoenix press release...

ash 3040lp masahiko satoh & soundbreakers amalgamation phoenix records (uk) lp reissue of this legendary album from 1970 featuring hiro yanagida, kimio mizutani, mototeru takagi. number seven on the japrocksampler top 50. divine excessive jazz-rock stylings by this batch of period-visionaries presumably recorded sometime in 1970 by rudy van gelder and creed taylor at the toshiba records 1st studio. all of that "real" psychedelic goo gets smeared about quite a bit; acoustic string flap and electric gonzo-muff battle overdriven organ lines played by said masahiko and his band of western pickups (louis haynes on drums, jochen staudt on bass). furious jamming is meshed with some fine sub-george russell 3rd-stream string / brass writhing and found-sound tape-spatter (machine guns, war-speak). housed in a gatefold sleeve; on 180 gram vinyl.

toshi ichiyanagi / michael ranta / takehisa kosugi “improvisation sep. 1975” long playing record

• improvisation sep. 1975 • part. 1 (21:34)
  
  
• improvisation sep. 1975 • part. 2 (23:19)

phoenix press release...

ash 3032lp toshi ichiyanagi / michael ranta / takehisa kosugi improvisation sep. 1975 phoenix records (uk)lp lp version. originally released on the iskra label in 1975, improvisation sep. 1975 is a mind-bending slice of drone improv from two of japan's post-war heavyweights; former john cage student, juilliard graduate, and yoko ono's former husband, toshi ichiyanagi, takehisa kosugi, considered by many to be the father of what some called "japanese krautrock," and stockhausen percussionist, michael ranta. heavy layers of reverbed ring modulators, threaded vocals, melodicas, pianos, violins, gongs and japanese biwas and shamisens combine to elevate the improvisations into the region of krautrock and in particular, courtesy of ranta, into post-stockhausen-inspired rock à la amon düül. an extremely rare and highly important album which bridges the gap between the likes of taj mahal travellers and industrial giants nurse with wound. on 180 gram vinyl. includes a japanese lyric sheet insert.

karuna khyal “alomoni 1985” long playing record

• alomoni 1985 (1) (24:48)
  
  
• alomoni 1985 (2) (23:16)

phoenix press release...

ash 3024lp karuna khyal alomoni 1985 phoenix records (uk) 180 gram lp version. karuna khyal's album alomoni 1985, originally released on voice records around 1976, is widely acknowledged as years ahead of its time, preceding other japanese underground experimental outfits such as fushitsusha and white heaven by almost 20 years. the band's musical influences are, if anything, more germanic than japanese, with long, hypnotic free-form rock passages, a heavy use of tape loops, electronics, environmental sounds, distortion and backwards tapes underpinning some manic harmonica-playing on some gut-wrenching blues dirges. can, faust and guru guru clearly had an influence on the band, as did captain beefheart and pere ubu. not much is known about the band's line-up, although it is widely thought there was some crossover in personnel with brast burn, another significant outfit of the same era which exerted such influence over newer participants in the japanese psych scene as well as nurse with wound. at no.19 in julian cope's japrocksampler publication, this is a true hidden treasure buried deep in time -- unearthed and digitally-remastered by phoenix records.

brast burn “debon” long playing record

• debon (1) (23:28)
  
  
• debon (2) (22:28)

silver apples “silver apples” long playing record

• oscillations (2:42)
  
• seagreen serenades (2:48)
  
• lovefingers (3:56)
  
• program (3:59)
  
• velvet cave (3:23)
  
  
• whirlybird (2:33)
  
• dust (3:27)
  
• dancing gods (5:50)
  
• misty mountain (2:36)

phoenix press release...

this is a reissue of the self-titled first album by '60s electronic legends silver apples, originally released by kapp records in 1968. fresh off their stint as the overland stage electric band, simeon and dan taylor formed their own extravagant, two-man electronic space-odyssey, silver apples, to pretty remarkable critical acclaim. their debut enjoyed a 10-week stay in billboard's top 100 list, and the album's first track, "oscillations," made the top 10 list in numerous cities around the u.s. the music critics loved them. "what's so amazing is that they make absolutely mind-shattering music with all this junky equipment" commented one reviewer, quite possibly astounded over the then-mindbending concept of build-it-yourself electronics combined with rock drums. the debut album features lyrics by poet stanley warren who met the duo at the third annual avant garde arts festival in 1968, organized by topless cellist charlotte moorman. an absolutely essential piece of musical history from electronic/psychedelic/rock music's ground-breaking legends.

silver apples “silver apples” compact disc

• oscillations (2:42)
  
• seagreen serenades (2:48)
  
• lovefingers (3:56)
  
• program (3:59)
  
• velvet cave (3:23)
  
• whirlybird (2:33)
  
• dust (3:27)
  
• dancing gods (5:50)
  
• misty mountain (2:36)
  
• untitled (3:33)

silver apples “contact” compact disc

• you and i (3:25)
  
• water (4:18)
  
• ruby (2:32)
  
• gypsy love (5:36)
  
• you're not foolin' me (6:27)
  
• i have known love (3:53)
  
• a pox on you (5:11)
  
• confusion (3:35)
  
• fantasies (5:58)