P-Vine Folk 16 Items

"Ethio Jazz" is an album released by the Ethiopian master musician Mulatu Astatke in 1974 on his homeland Ethiopia's Amha Records. It stands as a milestone not only in his career but also in the history of contemporary Ethiopian music, continuing to shine brightly. With melancholic melodies played by wind instruments, a polyrhythmic rhythm section creating robust waves, sultry vibes from the vibraphone, and smoky organ tones, the album is enveloped in the sounds of jazz inherited from the States. This work, where various musical elements are miraculously fused in perfect balance, undoubtedly reigns at the pinnacle of Ethio Jazz, showcasing Mulatu's ambitious creativity in seeking out new sounds.

Dōji Morita, who debuted in 1975 with the single "Sayonara Boku no Tomodachi / Mabushii Natsu," was a unique and enigmatic presence in Japanese folk scene with her characteristic sunglasses and curly hair. Starting with "good Bye" in the same year, she went on to release a series of masterpiece albums, including "Mother Sky: Can You Fly Alone in the Sad Blue Sky?" (1976) and "a Boy" (1977).

This album is a live recording from the spring of 1978, during the peak of Mori's career, when she appeared on the popular FM Tokyo radio program "Pioneer Sound Approach." With a selection of her best songs, delicate singing and playing, and valuable on-stage banter, this is a must-have live album not only for fans but for anyone. Despite its brevity, this album captures the richness of her career.

The only officially released live recordings of Doji Morita have been "Tokyo Cathedral Saint Mary Live" and "FM Tokyo Pioneer Sound Approach Live Recording", both recorded in 1978. This album contains live recordings in 1980, and this is the first time ever that recordings from this period have been released.

The second installment in Japanese singer-songwriter Saho Terao’s reimagining of Japanese folk songs! In Terao’s hands, the traditional music of Japan takes on completely new forms, transforming from lullabies to pop songs; from children’s play songs to somber piano ballads; from work songs to folk arias.

Across 16 tracks, Terao serves as both performer and archivist, chronicling music that’s being threatened by an aging population and youth gathering in urban centers. She preserves the melodies and lyrics perfectly, but modernizes many of these songs, occasionally giving them lush band arrangements that only a musician of her caliber could pull off.

“Tori ni Naritaiya” (lit. I want to be a bird), a song from Shiga prefecture with lyrics that are almost incomprehensible to a modern Japanese speaker, is given a west coast jazz spin, with a hard bop bass line that Mingus himself would have been proud of. “Nakunaiyo” (lit. Don’t Cry) a lullaby from the Amami Islands, sees Terao’s modern sensibilities meld perfectly with more traditional arrangements. The intro, in which Terao sings a capella over hand claps in a call and response between herself and a male choir. You can’t help but imagine that this is how this song has been performed for centuries, and when the rhythm section comes crashing in, the marriage of traditional melody and modern arrangements is complete.

The study of folk music often paints it as music of the past - stuck in the form that it was practiced in at its conception. But folk music, more so than any other genre, should evolve with the people and their music. Terao brings the traditional music of Japan to the 21st century, using her voice and arrangements to breathe life into music that faces the threat of extinction. Released on vinyl for the first time ever, Saho Terao’s My Favorite Children’s Songs 2 is an album you absolutely must not miss.

Perhaps more than any other musician of her generation, Japanese singer-songwriter Saho Terao has pursued the perfect “song”. In the 16 years since her debut album, Terao has made songs ranging from Joni-mitchell inspired folk ballads to pop renditions of traditional Japanese lullabies. Saho Terao’s ninth original studio album, Kita e Mukau (Going North) is a celebration of her history, but sounds fresh from beginning to end.

The diverse cast of supporting musicians should be familiar to fans of Terao, with musicians such as Reizaburo Adachi (ds, sax.), Wataru Iga (b.) (who form the three piece band Fuyu ni Wakarete along with Terao), Shuta Hasunuma (arr.), U-zhaan (Tabla), Mahito The People (gt.), Wakana Ikeda (fl.), and more appearing on the record. Although Terao’s soothing voice and piano playing form the basis of each of the songs, the arrangements are at times times fun and upbeat, at times bordering on avant-garde, and at times so beautiful that you’ll find yourself teary-eyed.

At first listen, the relaxed atmosphere and laid back beat of title track “Kita e Mukau” (“Going North”), devoted to Terao’s late father, makes it feel like a song perfect for a cloudy day. But repeated listens reveal the kind of stirring allegories that other words can’t do justice. The emotional power imbued in the song is concealed at first glance by a modern arrangement, but careful listeners will be rewarded with an emotional gut punch of a song. “Asadoya Yunta” is a folk song from the islands of Okinawa that’s been covered extensively, including versions by Ryuichi Sakamoto, Yuta Orisaka, and Haruomi Hosono. But where the YMO members turn the tune into tropical electronica, and Orisaka turns it on its head with his psych folk interpretation, Terao keeps it simple. Perhaps it’s her extensive experience covering traditional folk songs in her Favorite Children’s Songs series, but Terao’s sparse piano accompaniment highlights the beautiful melody and her own voice. Despite the plethora of covers by some of Japan’s best musicians, Terao succeeds in making the song her own, while somehow keeping to its folkloric roots.

But perhaps the best example of Terao’s musicianship is in the album closer, “Yumagure (electric guitar version)”. The song was originally included on Ai no Himitsu (2009), and it’s a shining example of contemporary folk. Played over a simple piano arrangement, the song received high praise for its use of everyday imagery (“At twilight, I’ll gaze at the blurry moon”). But over a decade after its initial recording, Terao revisited the song, enlisting the help of Gezan’s Mahito the People on guitar. Mahito’s playing is delicate, coiling and intermingling with the melody and piano, and making expert use of reverb to create an atmosphere altogether different from the original.

What Kita e Mukau accomplishes may not be the perfect “song”, but it unifies the often disparate parts of Terao’s discography into one cohesive project. Pressed on black wax, this record from one of Japan’s foremost singer-songwriters is sure to be one of the essential releases of 2023.

Known as one of the greatest fingerstyle guitarists of his generation, the late Isato Nakagawa’s “Solar Wind” is getting a long awaited analog reissue!

With incredible technical talent and an ear for beautiful melodies, Nakagawa was a pioneer of Japan’s fingerstyle guitar scene, mentoring world-renown guitarists such as Kotaro Oshio and Masaaki Kishibe. Originally released over two decades ago, ‘Solar Wind’ saw Nakagawa at the height of his powers, a guitarist confident in both his compositional skills and unrivaled technical ability. Of course, this talent is disguised, with melodies often so simple they could be from lullabies. Yet at times, his talent is on full display, with moving harmonies so complex it seems impossible that he’s playing with only two hands. Whether you want to sit down and study the music of a master, or simply sit back and listen to beautiful guitar melodies, this album is perfect. Reissued on vinyl for the first time ever with an obi strip, this album has never looked or sounded this good! Don’t miss Isato Nakagawa’s Solar Wind, only from P-vine Records.

Formed in 1984 by bassist Takuya Nishimura and erhu player and singer Chie Mukai is Che-SHIZU. Their debut on the indie record label Zero records (also known for producing acts such as Shonen Knife, and Luna Park Ensemble) “Yakusoku wa Dekinai” (I Can’t Promise) drew attention for its uncompromising approach to simply making ‘songs’. With Tori Kudo (who’s recent analog release, Tangerine with Reiko Kudo, is making waves across the world) on guitar, ‘Yakusoku wa Dekinai’ is filled with songs that are simultaneously experimental and catchy. P-vine is proud to be reissuing this historic album for the first time ever on vinyl.

“Madam the Whisper” is the lead single lifted from Ide Kensuke’s second album Contact From Exne Kedy And The Poltergeists. It is paired with “Landline Boogie” on this new limited edition 7” inch release on P-vine records.

Fans of the melody-driven snarl of Shintaro Sakamoto records and the Japanese folk-rock traditions of Happy End will surely find much to like in the crunching leads of “Madam the Whisper”. Always shape-shifting to avoid being boxed into a sound, the opposing tension in the guitars of “Landline Boogie” finds Ide’s reaching for the falsetto, and his catchy multi-layered vocals draw pleasing comparisons to of Montreal and Ezra Furman.

In an active internet age that has collectively dug up a wealth of lost and hidden classics in recent times, it's easy to become cynical about the possibility of valuable discoveries still to be made. Illusions Of The Maintenance Man by Virgin Insanity, however, is a stunning record of 70s acid folk and assures us that there will always be a wealth of lost great records as long as there artists who veer off the beaten path. Bob Long formed the band in the 70s in the backdrop of Texas, and there is an eerie, timeless quality to the acoustics of these tracks that spread out and breath life as much today as they did when this album was originally released in 1972. On an earlier version of the album, the late great writer of psychedelic culture Patrick Lundborg wrote glowing liner notes for the album which were sadly never used, but exist in various forms online for those wishing to read more about the album's background. This is the first release for the band since P-vine released a CD containing Long's previously unreleased 2nd and 3rd album in 2006. Modern-day fans of Mount Eerie and Cat Power will surely find something to love in the dream-like rooms and space of Virgin Insanity's world. All tracks are remastered by frontman Bob Long himself and the jacket will be reproduced from specifications of the original version which is now trading at more than $1,800!

Tokyo based multi-instrumentalist / singer "Kantaro Ihara'', his music are mainly based on 70's ~ 80's Soul/pops/aor and there are some reputation that he could be new generations of Tatsuro Yamashita, P-vine is confident it is NOT hype. This 7 inch is cutted from his 1st full length "C" which has been released as a digital track so this is the first physical release from him. For fans of Japanese Pops, city pops, AOR etc...

Arisa Nakano is a talented young Japanese actress who recently appeared in Wim Wenders' latest film Perfect Days, which was nominated for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards. She sings Sachiko Kanenobu's song 'Blue Fish' which is also played in the film, and P-vine have the honour of releasing the cover as a 7" single. Produced by Seiichi Yamamoto, also known as a former member of the Boredoms, her dignified singing voice combined with Yamamoto's sound arrangement creates a musical chemical reaction.

This is a 7-inch single featuring Japanese cover of "Travessia," a representative song from the early career of Brazilian singer Milton Nascimento, taken from the 2003 album "Houraigyou" by the master of Yaeyama folk songs, Tetsuhiro Daiku. On the B-side, it includes a cover of the famous Hawaiian song "Japanese Rumba," known for being covered by Haruomi Hosono in his album called 'Paraiso.' Both tracks feature backing by The Pascals, led by Rocket Matsushita, creating a cross-cultural folkloric fusion by blending various elements of Okinawan folk songs. It's a record where you can fully savor Daiku's profound singing voice and the groove of Yaeyama folk songs.

After 2 years of hiatus from releasing "Yoshiko Sai Complete Works", P-vine delighted to announce the release of another special LP box (Cardboard box + OBI-strip) that can hold her live albums of Yoshiko Sai! The item includes a double-sided B3 poster and a limited LP featuring her live performances on FM Tokyo in 1979, and previously unreleased demo takes recorded at her home! This item will be out with completely limited pressing, don't miss out on this opportunity!

Yoshiko Sai also commented on the release of this analog box!

This is a live recording from 1976 of Japan's legendary female singer, Yoshiko Sai. Sai made her debut with the album "Mangekyo" in 1975. In July 1976, she released her second album "Mikko," which is still highly regarded as a classic worldwide. This recording captures a long live performance just before the album's release. In 2008, a live recording collection titled "live 1976/79" which was released on CD from P-vine, featuring seven tracks from this day's recording. However, this release features the complete performance of all 17 songs for the first time, including all the songs from the album "Mikkou," as well as unreleased tracks and cover songs!

After taking a hiatus from her music career in 1979, Yoshiko Sai made a comeback to the music scene with her album "Taklamakan" in 2008. However, she did not resume her live performances until the following year. Later she performed live in Tokyo in 2014 and 2015 but each time only once. This live album features a recording of her performance at a "Midnight Heavy Rock Party vol.2" held at Shibuya Mount Rainier Hall in 2014. Jojo Hiroshige and Futoshi Okano from Hijokaidan and other representative alternative musicians from Japan played as her backing band, making it a legendary performance where Yoshiko Sai miraculously made her comeback. This live recording has never been publicly released before, and P-vine is honored to be able to share this wonderful recording with her fans around the world.

After taking a hiatus from her music career in 1979, Yoshiko Sai did not perform on stage until 2014, but in 2015 she held her first solo live performance ever. This album is the first record to include recordings of her entire solo live performance. The show consisted of two parts and was a culmination of her career, featuring a selection of the best songs from her five albums, from her debut album to her latest release, as well as a newly released song. The backing band included active alternative musicians such as Jojo Hiroshige and Futoshi Okano from Hijokaidan, Hajimetal and Ryoko Ono helped create an exciting and energetic atmosphere. It's very rare for her on-stage banter are also recorded.