EM Records HHV Records 27 Items

2024 repress of "nora Guthrie - Emily’s Illness / Home Before Dark" (7") has been announced, and this time in Clear Blue Vinyl!! The new edition features a new binding design, a new label, a new jacket format, and a completely new edition that includes valuable photos and lyrics that could not be included in the previous edition! The long-awaited reissue that will bring tears to the eyes of psychedelic and soft rock fans alike! This is a must buy! Repressed for the first time in over 14 years. The new edition features a new binding design, a new label, a new jacket format, and a completely new edition that includes valuable photos and lyrics that could not be included in the 2009 edition! The daughter of American folk musician Woody Guthrie, sister of singer-songwriter Arlo Guthrie, and granddaughter of noted Yiddish poet Aliza Greenblatt, Nora Guthrie released her only and treasured single in 1967, at age 17.

Printed on special paper embossed with matte silver aluminum foil. Please consider the jacket illustration as an image as the texture of the original cannot be reproduced graphically. The disc is a translucent colored disc with the image of the Okinawa sun.

A charming set of double transformations on this 7 inch. “Kajyadhi Fu Bushi” is a traditional Ryukyu minyo (Okinawa folk song), a joyous celebratory classic which is usually sung at weddings, with lyrics describing how “beautiful buds unfold”, using the distinctive Ryukyu/Okinanwa pentatonic scale. Typically performed by a small ensemble of a singer accompanied by sanshin, the Okinawan precursor to the shamisen, the A-side is has been transformed by jazz musician and conductor Jun Arasaki and his group Nine Sheep, with five sanshin, four winds, piano, guitar, bass, percussion and drums. Played only once, unrehearsed but perfect in execution, for a 1976 TV broadcast, this release has been taken from the only recording in existence. The B-side is yet another transformation, a remix by the Portland “fourth world” duo Visible Cloaks. Digital version is also available.

The hidden history of Japanese electronic music, where contemporary music and cyber-occultism converge, makes a reappearance on a special edition LP! Reproduction of the print pattern of the flyer for the "Ikebukuro Cyber Cafe" event held in 1991 on the cover, a center hole on the back side, a reproduction of the original cassette index of "Computer Cafe Music" and an IC board for electronic devices (the real one) are pasted on the front cover. The disc was mastered by D&M and cut at 45 rpm. An insert is included. Standard black vinyl pressing.

This 2LP set and CD from EM Records chronicles the legacy of underground Japanese techno legends Cycheouts - pronounced ‘psyche outs’ in English. Originally formed in 1994, the group quickly became a centerpiece of Osaka's underground electronic scene. Led by main producer Akira Ohashi, Cycheouts melded influences from jungle, drum'n'bass, digital hardcore, and experimental noise music, all of which are explored in this compilation of tracks painstakingly selected by two true Cycheouts experts. Cycheouts' music and live performances went on to inspire a number of successful Japanese dance music acts, and can be seen as an origin point for the "nerdcore techno" movement of the early 2000s. This archive of the early work of Cycheouts provides an essential look at the birth and development of hardcore jungle in Japan, including multiple tracks featuring the full Cycheouts lineup with original vocals and multiple MCs. Most of these tracks are available on LP for the first time, and have been newly remastered for the format; the set also includes extensive liner notes in both English and Japanese.

This anthology is the second compilation from EM Records of the works of the late Henry Kawahara, a media artist and electronic music producer who was particularly active in the Japanese cyber-occult underground of the 1990s, a scene linked with technologies such as 3D (binaural) recordings, brain machines, sound chairs, computer graphics and compact discs. These tracks, produced 1990-95, include a series of recordings described as “Parallel Data Sounds” and “Sound Lsd”, a “new language system that speaks directly to the cerebrum” using “frequency components that are not perceived by the conscious mind”, reflecting Kawahara’s interest in concepts such as astrology, love mantras, and astral projection. Also here are two pieces featuring dolphin sounds and human brainwave feedback, as well as pieces from a recording unit called H Music De-perception (hmd) and a group called Xiaoyun. The majority of tracks here were not originally released under Kawahara’s name, but this compilation is an essential key to decoding the Henry Kawahara saga, and also an unveiling of the secret we planted in the previous release, "Cybernetic Defiance and Orgasm: Essential Henry Kawahara," which Kawahara himself was involved in selecting before his death.

2022 repress. Reissue of the legendary 5-track first LP from horn wizard & original underground FM radio DJ Young, featuring soprano sax, clarinet, and electronically-processed bass clarinet. An enjoyable outing from a neglected musician. Cosmic afro mimimal electronic winds recorded in late 1970s San Francisco.

Thankfully, Isophonic Boogie Woogie is as weird and as wacked as all the above business would lead you to believe. Originally released in 1980, Isophonic Boogie Woogie was the first realization of Young's unique version of free jazz music, which he referred to as "Afro spiritual minimal electronic space music" which on closer listening is WAY more spot on... Some of the coolest, weird-est, most far out free jazz we've heard for sure (Aquarius Records)

EM Records celebrates Roland P. Young’s 80th adventurous year on the planet with “Spontaneous Bounce”, the sixth RPY solo release on the label. After a musical youth in Kansas City followed by audio activities in San Francisco and New York and elsewhere, he began releasing self-produced solo music in 1980 with “Isophonic Boogie Woogie”, the title of which hints at the forward-thinking yet earthy nature of his sound, a soulful and spiritual multi-world avant-music, drawing on elements of ambient, jazz, soul, new age and electronic music. His ‘Isophonic Music’ concept crystallizes these elements through a comprovisational use of soprano sax, keyboards, drum machines and the possibilities of the recording studio. This release features 13 new pieces, a diverse array of appealing and joyful celebrations of music and life. Come and join the celebration!

EM Records celebrates Roland P. Young’s 80th adventurous year on the planet with “Spontaneous Bounce”, the sixth RPY solo release on the label. After a musical youth in Kansas City followed by audio activities in San Francisco and New York and elsewhere, he began releasing self-produced solo music in 1980 with “Isophonic Boogie Woogie”, the title of which hints at the forward-thinking yet earthy nature of his sound, a soulful and spiritual multi-world avant-music, drawing on elements of ambient, jazz, soul, new age and electronic music. His ‘Isophonic Music’ concept crystallizes these elements through a comprovisational use of soprano sax, keyboards, drum machines and the possibilities of the recording studio. This release features 13 new pieces, a diverse array of appealing and joyful celebrations of music and life. Come and join the celebration!

Special! Limited** One-sided 7-inch. Cover art is printed on specialty paper with aluminum vapor deposition.

"Minami-kaze α Wave (Southerly wind alpha wave)“ is a very rare ‘vocal piece’ that Henry Kawahara has produced, and released under the name HMD (H Music Deperception) in 1993. The song is a vocal version of the cyber-occult exotic instrumental piece "Nanpu“ included in the compilation “Cybernetic Defiance and Orgasm: The Essential Henry Kawahara” [em1197tcd/dlp]. This track is a rare example that proves he had also a genius for producing ‘pops’ in the general sense of the word, and which seems to have challenged head-on the pop songs produced by Haruomi Hosono or Tetsuya Komuro in the 80s-90s.

The Henry Kawahara project on EM Records was developed only with the enthusiasm of proving Kawahara's existence if he is to be erased as nothing in the current art context, and we have confirmed that there are a lot of supporters all over the world for our opinion when we released "Cybernetic Defiance and Orgasm" (several articles and interviews have been given). This single is a 'prescription' for the sequel, tentatively titled "Cybernetic Defiance and Orgasm 2: Other Sides of Henry Kawahara," which is currently in the process of being prepared.

This 7” is a limited one-off release, not included in the full compilation released in 2021

M Records again shines the spotlight on legendary Thai producer Surin Phaksiri in this second edition of his classic productions from the 1960s-80s. The first edition, released in 2019, focused on his innovative productions in the luk thung* style. This 2022 release features his stellar, glowing molam** gems from the 60s-80s, drawn mainly from his golden era in the late 70s and early 80s. Surin Phaksiri is a highly esteemed figure in Thai music, rooted deeply in his native region of Isan in northeast Thailand, a producer with a deep respect for the traditional artistry of his culture, yet always moving forward, looking outward, listening ahead. The molam style of Thai music showcases the voice; indeed, the genre’s name means “expert singer”, and Thailand is blessed with an abundance of experts, singers with amazing control, grace, vitality and finesse. This collection of 22 songs features 17 singers, ranging from venerated legends to unjustly unheralded masters of the art. These songs were recorded and released after the era of the 7" single; with the advent of the cassette boom in Thai music, most producers adopted a quantity-over-quality conveyer belt production style, churning out soundalike material to fill the expanded length of cassette tape. Phaksiri resisted these tides and continued to work with a single-song mindset, tailoring each production’s instrumentation and arrangement to precisely fit each singer and song. This care and integrity can be clearly heard in this sweetly groovy collection. These gems, originally released on 7", are all first-time official reissues, a project years in the making. Compiled by Soi48, who also provide liner notes.

A single cut from the debut album "Orca" by NTsKi, a Kyoto-based electronic music producer/performer. It is a 7" single that couples "Takao Remix", which was previously available only on the Japanese CD version of the same album, and the instrumental version by Takao. Packaged in a semi-transparent paper inner sleeve which slides into the center of a semi-transparent triple-fold paper outer sleeve. Silver vinyl. Mastered and lacquer cut by D&M Berlin.

"Yūtai-ridatsu ±", an album from Osaka-based electronic music producer Futoshi Moriyama. Initially released in 2015 as a cassette on the Birdfriend label run by Koshiro Hino (aka Ypy), augmented by four unreleased/new tracks which replace other tracks. Beautifully weird home-recorded orchestral music!

Here is a portal to a vast and relatively unknown world, the Japanese cyber-occult underground media scene of the early 1990s; our guide is the late Henry Kawahara, a media artist and electronic music producer whose expansive and visionary conception of digital technology merged with a desire to break free of the constraints of mere rationality.

This collection, the first-ever archival release of his work, is drawn from recordings released during the period 1991-1996, an exceptionally fertile time for Kawahara. Originally released on CD by a few Japanese independent labels including Hachiman Publishing, a cyber-occult / new-age / old shinto book specialist, the releases were available mainly in book stores, so this sumptuous and prescient music has remained relatively unknown. The original titles and tag lines of the CDs give clues about Kawahara’s interests and the music itself: Digital Mushroom, Subtropical Illusion, Never-ending Asia, and so on. This 15-track gateway compilation is available on double 12” vinyl and CD; the CD version has two extra discs featuring sound from two art installations entitled Dysteleology - α and Dysteleolog - β from the 1990s. All formats feature extensive English liner notes. Cover art by 2yang, with liner notes by Keisuke Oki and Koki Emura, with an interview of Sūgen Takeda (Hachiman Publishings)

"Henry Kawahara has been called “the Jon Hassell of Japan”, but upon closer inspection one finds that his work operates on very different terms. Like Hosono's forays into computerized Ryukyu folk “sightseeing music” or Tsutomu Ōhashi's Ecophony trilogy, Kawahara's world projected ancient musical traditions and notions of cultural identity onto the modern digital plane through a fusion of cybernetic thinking and pan-asian cultural introspection that makes Western attempts to do the same seem quaint in comparison. Kawahara's omnidirectional sound “illusions” were constructed not as albums but psychological experiences, billowing with a then-nascent notion of early 90s cybernetic spirituality that was proliferating on both sides of the Pacific as the hyperlinked state of global connectivity we know today was just beginning to crystalize. Through digital representations of folk instruments, shifting Midi sequencing and custom binaural recording technology he aimed for psychoacoustic effect as much as artistic, all via a countercultural form of distribution untethered from the commercial expectations of post-bubble modes of artistic production. This EM collection draws out the best of his fruitful early-mid 90s period into a revelatory sequence, generously opening Kawahara's world to all." — Spencer Doran (Visible Cloaks)

This collaboration by Tokyo producers/musicians Shintaro Sakamoto (Yura Yura Teikoku, Mesh Key) and Videotapemusic, was the first of two EM Records 12"-only "tribute releases", in support of the film "Bangkok Nites", produced by Kuzoku. Based on samples from Dao Bandon [em1131cd/lp], Hongthong Dao-udon [em1142cd/lp] and Phairin Phonphibun [em1147cd/lp], Thailand and Tokyo dreamworlds meet in these songs.

"Transcendent Hawaiian vibes, in a mind meld suffused with Thai stick" - Japan Blues

2021 repress. New mastering/cutting at D&M, Berlin.

Clan Caimán returns to EM Records for their second album, continuing the instinctive evolution of their music: a wordless, timeless, gently pulsing and sweetly melodic soundworld, based on composer Emilio Haro’s vision of a band playing the music of an imaginary undiscovered ethnic group. Woven together by Haro’s self-made kalimbafón, a tuned percussion instrument, these five Argentinian musicians also use threads of lap steel, guitars, bass and percussion to knit their beyond-genre textures, seemingly ageless despite being recorded in December 2019. Available on CD, digital download and 12’’ LP, the latter cut at Berlin’s famed Dubplates and Mastering. “Asoma” is perfect music for imaginary voyages during travel-restricted times.

Rising out of the bong haze, Thai master Juu4e is back with his second solo album for EM Records. Fusing hip hop and trap with a pan-Asian blend of influences and samples from the traditional and pop musics of his native country, as well as the musics of Japan, Malaysia, Taiwan and other regions across the continent, “Crazy World (Baka Sekai in Japanese)” is an ambitious and sonically adventurous album alive with unexpected juxtapositions, deft production, irresistible grooves and a joyous heart. A true solo album, all the tracks here are performed/arranged/produced by Juu4e, with the final mix provided by Young-G of stillichimiya/OMK. With a versatile and playful vocal style, Juu4e delivers thoughtful, positive lyrics and intriguing imagery, dealing with issues both local and global, old and new, with themes of celebration as well as social criticism. Featuring a cover of a Taiwan pop classic by Teresa Teng, “Crazy World” is available on Cd/lp, and comes with informative liner notes and English translations of the lyrics. Cover art: Shinsuke Takagi (Soi48/OMK).

Liner notes by Takehiko Sato (Riyo Mountains) + English text & lyrics

Forty years ago this summer, Joy Division released what became their only chart hit, Love Will Tear Us Apart.

December 1982, Tokyo. Kiyoaki Iwamoto has a guitar, a simple rhythm box, a friend with a bass guitar, and some stripped-down songs, brazen in their post-punk simplicity, irritation and controlled aggression, yet full of sadness and resignation. Five songs, including a rearranged version of “Love Will Tear Us Apart” are recorded and released on a now extremely rare 7” record. This release, available on 10” vinyl or CD, features those five songs, along with a previously unreleased 1980 live performance by his duo Birei, as well as a 2020 reworking of “Love ...” , by the Japanese duo Chisato and Junta. Iwamoto was an enigma, active in the post-punk scene in Japan in the late 70s and early 80s, a member of Birei and founding member of Guys & Dolls with Tori Kudo (Maher Shalal Hash Baz); in the mid-80s he cut contact with his friends, disavowing his name and later performing under a different moniker. Liner notes written by Koki Emura, with English text & lyrics.

The KlapYaHandz label, a long-running labour of love helmed by Sok Visal, has been at the forefront of a revitalization of contemporary Cambodian culture since the beginning of the 21st century; it was the very first independent hip hop label in Cambodia, nurturing an ecosystem of rappers, producers and engineers, male and female, fusing hard-hitting Khmer-language hip hop rhymes with samples of Khmer traditional music and Golden Age hits, propelled by relentless grooves.

Returning to his Cambodian homeland after a youth spent absorbing hip hop in France and the U.S., Visal’s energy and focus inspired a new musical generation; his love of Cambodian music as well as hip hop melded with his ear for jazz, funk and soul, and led to the creation of some very cool music from the artists he brought to his label. The 12 tracks on this CD are the very finest from the first decade of the KlapYaHandz galaxy. Hip hop, yes, but very definitely Cambodian hip hop, with traditional and Golden Age musical elements very prominent. Very cool, very Cambodian, very cosmopolitan, and very contemporary, but the past is always present, a love of musical history lighting the way forward.

Housed in wide jewel case (12mm spine) with 36-page booklet including English liner notes (by Sok Visal and Sorany Var) and lyrics.

Compiled by Sok “Cream” Visal
Mastered by Young-G (stillichimiya / OMK) Cover art by Shinsuke Takagi (Soi48 / OMK).

Expo 70, held in Osaka, was a pivotal event for the Japanese people and their relationship with the rest of the world, demonstrating both the nation’s ongoing economic recovery from World War Two and the creative spirit of Japanese society and its artists. A series of performances, billed as “Night Events” were held at the Expo; the most radical of these was "Beam Penetration and Mad Computer, plus the Minimal Sound of Motorcycles”, but its anti-establishment feel and general madness took the Expo organizers by surprise and it was cancelled after only one night, despite being scheduled for a longer run. An air of myth developed around the event, but a recording of the event has been discovered and this release is the result. This release comprises a CD, a 10-inch record with fold-out sleeve and large obi, plus fascinating notes in Japanese and English by Kenichi Yasuda, an expert on Japanese rock music, and Koji Kawasaki, a renowned researcher of Japanese electronic music, as well as rare photos.

Expo 70, held in Osaka, was a pivotal event for the Japanese people and their relationship with the rest of the world, demonstrating both the nation’s ongoing economic recovery from World War Two and the creative spirit of Japanese society and its artists. A series of performances, billed as “Night Events” were held at the Expo; the most radical of these was "Beam Penetration and Mad Computer, plus the Minimal Sound of Motorcycles”, but its anti-establishment feel and general madness took the Expo organizers by surprise and it was cancelled after only one night, despite being scheduled for a longer run. An air of myth developed around the event, but a recording of the event has been discovered and this release is the result. This release comprises a CD, a 10-inch record with fold-out sleeve and large obi, plus fascinating notes in Japanese and English by Kenichi Yasuda, an expert on Japanese rock music, and Koji Kawasaki, a renowned researcher of Japanese electronic music, as well as rare photos. *Special Edition includes a Cd-r of a interview program with the producers of "Beam Penetration" in 1970. At the end of the program, the Flower Travellin' Band appeared with motorcycles and performed in the studio. Also includes insert with English translation of the interview.

The poetry of the human voice encounters the magic of contemporary electronic musical technology. Heart, mind and spirit, conveyed by the word, are augmented and altered, enhanced and embraced, by electronic sound.

Air from Air is a collaboration between Japanese vocalist/producer Dove and American electronic duo Georgia. This singular partnership is a collection of audio poems in which words breathed by Dove are modified and expanded, cradled and celebrated, syllable by syllable and phrase by phrase. Georgia thoughtfully highlight Dove’s voice, transforming breath and air through the ether of circuitry, dismantling meaning, yet paradoxically revealing new meaning, both verbal and musical.

Part of the magic here is that Japanese-speaking listeners will find clouds and constellations of meaning in these atmospheres, while those who do not understand Dove’s native language will nevertheless find pure pleasure in these same atmospheres. While some listeners may perceive it as a brand new extension of the attempts of contemporary music pioneers to explore the possibilities of human voice sound in sound art and electronic music, Air from Air will be rather a foray into the unexplored territory of new music, yet difficult to be named, extended into modern bass music and other fields. Disc is made of environmentally friendly new material BioVinyl. Cover art by Sakura Kondo.

This is a brilliant compilation of archived works by Hyu, a creator from Osaka who has left his works to the legendary Childisc label, which was presided over by the genius Nobukazu Takemura. 16 songs in total, including a cover of Happy End's "Kaze Wo Atsumete" (vinyl Only Bonus)!! This is an important archival release alongside Henry Kawahara, Surin Phaksiri, and Cycheouts, a compilation that deciphers the labyrinth of shocking works by Hyu, a creator from Osaka who released works on Nobukazu Takemura's Childisc and other labels from the mid-90s through the 2000s. The compositions are diverse and dazzlingly unique, including microtonal drum techno, robotic pop with human voice synthesis technology, shredding and splitting funk, a collection of swinging samples of sensory overload, a drone quartet of voices and generators, a sine wave as a monad, a quest for outlandish harmonics, atonal piano pieces inspired by literature, J-pop born at the extreme of self-referentiality, and a dazzling array of other works.

NTsKi. Nom de musique of Japan-based vocalist/songwriter/producer; pronounced n-t-s-k-i. "Calla" is her 2nd album, a unified statement of her musical vision at this point in her development, with all-new songs melding her breathy and intimate voice, singing in Japanese and English, with organic acoustic sounds and distinctive electronic colors. NTsKi possesses a charming melodic gift as well as a distinctive production style, giving "Calla" a cohesion and subtle momentum, with relaxed tempos, interesting arrangements and intriguing melodies fusing into a focused musical statement that is refreshing, charming and forward-looking, underpinned by a sense of wistfulness, nostalgia and melancholy. As with her 2021 "Orca" release, co-released on EM Records and Orange Milk, NTsKi is joined by engineer Illicit Tsuboi and British musician/producer Dan Shutt. The songs here are lovely, concise gems, warmly glowing, gently sparkling, evocative and moving. Comes with a Japanese and English lyric sheet. Cover art drawing: Ellen Thomas. *Disc is made of environmentally friendly new material "BioVinyl".

A buoyant masterpiece from the early 90s, "The Water Garden" was created by Okinawa-born Kojun Kokuba under the inspiring image of a "happy Asia" thriving in the sea-based trading networks of the medieval to pre-modern era, with the concept that various types of music, as well as physical goods, were distributed and dispersed across the seas connecting various parts of east and southeast Asia. Fittingly, the music here has definite and distinctive Ryukyu island roots, but is informed by a number of other Asian musical traditions, layering phrases derived from numerous Asian scales, often altered by Kojun, eschewing typical Western chordal harmonic movement. Kojun uses the synths and multitrack recorders of the early 90s to, in his words, "pile up lines" in sweet and not at all overbearing melodic accumulations, with a desire to distribute and disperse a new energy from Okinawa to the rest of Asia and the world. Despite a pleasing and compelling rhythmic lilt and the use of synths and drum machines, this music was not created as a product for the dance floor; Kojun envisioned a type of electronic salon music, a "light music" made with contemporary technology. This is the first LP edition of the self-produced original 1993 CD release and includes bonus tracks and liner notes in English and Japanese.

Sairi Ojima is a vocalist / keyboardist / songwriter who has played in indie bands such as Casio Turkey Onsen, Neconemuru, Emerald Four, etc. She began her solo career in 2013 and made her cassette debut with 《Hoge Tapes》 in 2017. This "Kumachan Seal" is her first Cd/lp album, all songs written and produced by Ojima, with support from Le Makeup and Takao, a group of songs that have taken a great development and leap forward. With Ojima's distinctive DIY sound at its core, Le Makeup's vivid and colorful guitar and sound-making, and Takao's ambient pop synths and keyboards are embroidered to create a dynamic overlap of lo-fi and exquisite high fidelity, creating a sound layer that is a delight.

Long-awaited repress of the masterpiece, available on LP and CD!! 7FO is characterized by its natural ethnic treatment of ambient/new age synth electronics with a dub/reggae feel. This sense of style is the reason why 7FO's music has crossed the boundaries of new age electronic music, new roots revival, bass music, La Monte Young, and Equiknoxx fans. "Subtle, playful. Softly spoken yet speaks volumes. This is powerful stuff! The absence of music like this is what made me start producing…" - Jackson Bailey (Tapes/Rezette)