$39.00
Ajate is a Japanese band who plays a unique blend of afro-groove dance music mixed with Japanese traditional festival music called "Ohayashi". Formed in 2011 by the band-leader John Imaeda, Ajate consists of 10 Japanese musicians.
Another unique feature of the band is the use of hand-made bamboo instruments as well as traditional Japanese percussion. The "Jahte" is a bamboo-made xylophone or balafon with a piezo pick-up mic attached to each key, connected to a pre-amplifier to obtain a loud sound and to add some touch of dirty distortion to its warm and natural acoustic sonority. The "Piechiku" is also a bamboo-made string instrument inspired by the west-African "Ngoni" or Moroccan "Guembri" instruments. The Piechiku uses strings of the Japanese traditional "Shamisen". This instrument is also played through a pre-amplifier and John sometimes adds some wah-wah effect to it. All these bamboo instruments are designed, made and named by John Imaeda himself.
On Alo you will also be amazed by the exceptional sound of the Japanese Shinofue flute, which was not on the previous Abrada LP.
Now, add to this unique sound some well-crafted Japanese female and male singing and you get a killer mix of Afro-Funk flavored grooves with traditional Japanese music! – Bandcamp
Label: 180g – 180GLP04 |
Format: Vinyl, LP |
Country: France |
Released: 27 Feb 2020 |
Genre: Funk / Soul, Folk, World, & Country |
Style: Afrobeat, African |
$45.00
"Many miss the mark with this kind of thing, but Naoito succeeds by running afro beat, spiritual jazz, and soul-funk through the lens of modern beat production - all executed with the lightest of touches. So sick!" - Light In The Attic
Former member of the Kingdom Afrocks band and one of the most talented artists of today’s Japanese music scene, drummer and multi-instrumentalist Naoito creates with “dotA” an explosive and unique mix of spiritual jazz and afro flavors. Sung in Japanese and English and bringing the very best musicians of Tokyo’s underground scene, “dotA” is released in Japan on the legendary Jazzy Sport imprint. 180g is proud to bring to the international audience this essential album of contemporary grooves straight from the far-east!
Manufactured and distributed by 180g under exclusive license from Jazzy Sport, Tokyo, Japan. – Bandcamp
Label: 180g – 180GLP03
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Format: Vinyl, LP, Album
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Country: UK
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Released: 15 Nov 2019
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Genre: Jazz, Funk / Soul, Folk, World, & Country
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Style: Afrobeat
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Sold out
Active as a professional DJ in Japan since the late eighties, DJ Yoshizawa Dynamite is also a renowned remixer, compiler and producer. An avid record collector and an expert of the Wamono style, Yoshizawa published the Wamono A to Z records guide book in 2015 which instantly sold-out. The book unveiled a myriad of beautiful and rare records from a highly prolific, but still then unknown, Japanese groove scene.
After many years working as a record buyer for several stores, DJ Chintam opened his own Blow Up shop in 2018 in Tokyo’s Shibuya district. A member of the Dayjam Crew and a specialist of soul, funk, rare groove and disco music, Chintam is also an expert of the home-brewed Wamono grooves. He supervised and wrote the Wamono A to Z records guide book together with Yoshizawa.
With this first volume of the Wamono series, our two DJs here guide you through some of the best and rarest jazz funk and rare groove tunes produced in Japan between 1968 and 1980. Put the needle on the record, turn up the volume and dig right now into the Wamono sound - the cream of the Japanese funk, soul, rare groove and disco music developed throughout the years since the end of the sixties in Japan! - Bandcamp
Label: 180g – 180GWALP01 |
Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation, 180g |
Country: France |
Released: 11 Sep 2020 |
Genre: Jazz, Funk / Soul |
Style: Jazz-Funk, Soul-Jazz |
Sold out
180g are delighted to release “Souvenir”, an album by one of the most promising and talented music makers from today’s Japanese underground scene: VIDEOTAPEMUSIC.
Videotapemusic is a young music and video producer from Tokyo who uses old Japanese and Asian VHS tapes collected in dusty recycle shops and closed rental video stores as raw material for his sampling work and video production, creating a singular and highly unique musical world that has created waves on the Japanese scene since 2009. Starting out strong with three self-released albums, followed by two albums on Japanese label Kakubarhythm and a collaboration 12” on EM Records, “Souvenir” is now the first Videotapemusic album released outside of Japan, available as a limited 180g heavyweight vinyl LP edition, and in digital format. The LP comes with a download card.
The eight tracks in “Souvenir” also feature the cream of the crop from the current Japanese scene: Beipana on steel guitar, MC.sirafu on steel pan, saxophonists Satomi Endo, Satoru Takeshima and Kaoru Masuda, trumpetists Taichiro Kawasaki and Makoto Takahashi, DJ Eskimo, guitarist Yuichi Ushioda, percussionist and hand sonic player Hajime Matsushita, keyboardist Yu Arauchi, Videotapemusic on pianica and vocalists Sansuke Yamada, Toshihiko Ikeda and Ryu Tsuruoka. Dive into a world of musical delight and discover today’s best music from Japan! - 180g
Label: 180g – 180GLP02 |
Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation |
Country: France |
Released: 21 May 2018 |
Genre: Electronic |
Style: Sound Collage, Dub, Ambient, Downtempo |