Somewhere Between: Mutant Pop, Electronic Minimalism & Shadow Sounds Of Japan 1980-1988

Description

Somewhere Between: Mutant Pop, Electronic Minimalism & Shadow Sounds of Japan 1980-1988 oscillates between two distinct poles within Light In The Attic's celebrated Japan Archival series: Kankyo Ongaku: Japanese Ambient, Environmental & New Age Music 1980-1990 and Pacific Breeze: Japanese City Pop, AOR & Boogie 1976-1986.These three albums feature recordings produced during Japan's period of strong economic growth in the 1980s, an era when aesthetic visions and consumerism converged. The music echoed the nation's prosperity, and with financial abundance came the luxury of dreaming. From the avant-minimalism of Mkwaju Ensemble and Yoshio Ojima to the techno-pop of Mishio Ogawa and Noriko Miyamoto (with members of Yellow Magic Orchestra), and including highlights from Osaka's underground label Vanity Records, these are blurry constellations that defy collective categorization (ambient pop, underground electronica, minimalism...).These tracks also exist in a transitional space when the major labels' grip on the Japanese recording market began to give way to the rise of independents. Thanks to the idyllic economic climate and local technological innovations, creators on the margins were able to focus on fulfilling their artistic visions in the open space of home studios. While labels like Warner Music and Nippon Columbia explored new sounds through traditional channels, it was possible for Vanity, Balcony, and other independent labels—not to mention self-released artists like Ojima and Naoki Asai—to publish their works on affordable media such as cassettes, 7-inch vinyl, and flexi-discs.Masterfully curated by Yosuke Kitazawa and Mark "Frosty" McNeill (dublab), Somewhere Between is a collection of music, much of which is released outside Japan for the first time, that is more connected by energetic vibrations than by a shared history, genre, or scene. These are the sounds of transition and searching, a celebration of the freedom found in drifting.