Improvised Music from Japan

(Improvised Music from Japan, IMJ-302/3)
Purchase price in Japan: 2,000 yen (tax not included)
(Outside Japan, prices vary.)

• Bilingual English-Japanese
• 128 pages; 21cm (H) x 15cm (W)
• 2 CDs included

This is a special issue supplementing the well-received IMPROVISED MUSIC FROM JAPAN 2002-2003 (IMJ-301), the launch issue of an annual magazine (published in December 2002). While the annual magazine provides an overview of the year's trends, each EXTRA will include an expansive special feature on a particular theme. The special feature of IMJ EXTRA 2003 is "Improv's New Waves," a close look at Japan's young improvisers (with an emphasis on electronics musicians). It contains a comprehensive essay by music critic Yoshio Otani, and interviews of artists like Taku Unami, com-yas and Tetsuro Yasunaga, BusRatch, Takefumi Naoshima, Kazumi Namba, asuna, and nentegaine, as well as articles on labels associated with these artists--Hibari Music, commune-disc, cubic music, and Flyrec. In addition to the special feature, EXTRA includes interviews of Ami Yoshida, Shoji Hano, and Katsura Yamauchi; a conversation between Tetuzi Akiyama and Toshimaru Nakamura; and a wealth of CD reviews. The two accompanying CDs contain 17 tracks by musicians presented in the special feature (asuna, Masafumi Ezaki, Takefumi Naoshima, Kazuhiro Kinoshita, Ju Muraoka, Masahide Tokunaga, DJ Peaky, DILL, Taku Unami, Taku Hannoda, nentegaine, aen, Yoichiro Shin, Kazumi Namba, Takumi Toki, Teruyuki Ohshima, and BusRatch), plus two bonus tracks--a sax solo by Katsura Yamauchi, and a duo by Shoji Hano and Masaharu Shoji (19 tracks in all).

• Improv's New Waves
  • Improv's New Waves (Yoshio Otani) E-6
  • Taku Unami Interview (Yoshio Otani) E-12
  • Hibari Music (Yoshihiko Nonomura) E-14
  • nentegaine (Yoshio Otani) E-17
  • com-yas & Tetsuro Yasunaga Interview (Yoshio Otani) E-18
  • commune-disc (Masamitsu Kawai) E-22
  • cubic music (Masamitsu Kawai) E-26
  • Takefumi Naoshima Interview (Yoshio Otani) E-28
  • asuna Interview (Yoshio Otani) E-30
  • BusRatch Interview (Yoshio Otani) E-32
  • Flyrec (Yoshio Otani) E-35
  • Kazumi Namba Interview (Yoshio Otani) E-36
  
  
  
• Ami Yoshida Interview (Minoru Hatanaka) E-38
• Ami Yoshida's Tiger Thrush (Toshimaru Nakamura) E-41
• Tiger Thrush (Part Two) (Ami Yoshida) E-42
• Tetuzi Akiyama & Toshimaru Nakamura Talk about the CD Meeting at Off Site Vol. 2 E-44
• Katsura Yamauchi Interview (Yoshiyuki Suzuki) E-48
• Shoji Hano Interview (Kazue Yokoi) E-50
  
  
• CD Reviews E-54-77
• Japanese pages: J-4 through J-51

Improv's New Waves, CD 1

1. asuna - Vibration of Reeds Lid_05 (from 12 to 2 reeds) (7:16)
   asuna (Yamaha L-2D organ case)
   Recorded in 2003
   
   
2. Masafumi Ezaki (5:34)
   Masafumi Ezaki (trumpet)
   Recorded at Kobe University in spring 2003
   
   
3. Takefumi Naoshima - In a Car (5:36)
   Takefumi Naoshima (electronics)
   Recorded directly onto PC by Takefumi Naoshima in April 2003
   
   
4. Kazushige Kinoshita - Rudiment (9:37)
   Kazushige Kinoshita (violin)
   Recorded in Osaka on April 13, 2003
   
   
5. Ju Muraoka - Seppi (1:58)
   Ju Muraoka (guitar)
   Recorded by Ju Muraoka at studio-Today, Okayama, May 2003
   
   
6. Masahide Tokunaga - Alto Saxophone Solo (6:18)
   Masahide Tokunaga (alto sax)
   Recorded live at Elcorazon, Hofu, on February 21, 2003
   
   
7. DJ Peaky - Three Elements Solo (3:37)
   DJ Peaky (turntables, beat box, effects), Jiro Imai (vacuum cleaner, turntable), Ran Himeda (recording equipment)
   Recorded at Setagaya Public Theatre, Tokyo, March 1999
   
   
8. DILL - 9 Breads (OMB-DILL Remix) (3:59)
   
   
9. Taku Unami - Pleasant Valley (7:15)
   Taku Unami (banjo)
   
   
10. Taku Hannoda - Solo Guitar (7:37)
    Taku Hannoda (guitar, microphone, tape recorder)
    Recorded at Bridge, Osaka, on March 26, 2003

Improv's New Waves, CD 2

1. nentegaine - Seven (4:47)
   nentegaine (Pioneer CDJ, Technics SH-DJ1200)
   Recorded at Pon Studio in June 2003
   
   
2. aen - Processed (3:11)
   aen (Windows, WaveLab, etc.)
   Recorded at Commune Studio in February 2003
   
   
3. Yoichiro Shin - Mekanik Destruktiw Batterie (7:07)
   Yoichiro Shin (drums, laptop)
   
   
4. Kazumi Namba (6:30)
   Kazumi Namba (keyboard, sampler, MD, computer)
   Recorded in April 2002
   
   
5. Takumi Toki - ch.or.tr on Sat (5:17)
   Takumi Toki (2 four-track MTRs, magnet, metal brush)
   Recorded at Takumi Toki's house in June 2003
   
   
6. Teruyuki Ohshima - C (4:57)
   Teruyuki Ohshima (guitar)
   Recorded at Studio 112 on January 15, 2002
   From Teruyuki Ohshima's CD-R GUITAR SOLO VOL. 2
   
   
7. BusRatch - Sound Combing (5:05)
   Katsura Mouri (turntables), Takahiro Yamamoto (turntables)
   Recorded at Parallax Records in October 2001
   From BusRatch's CD MEMORIUM (PARAdisc, PACD010)

Bonus Tracks

8. Katsura Yamauchi - Salmo (5:25)
   Katsura Yamauchi (soprano sax)
   Recorded live at Gallery Hanazono, Oita, on May 25, 2003
   
   
9. Shoji Hano and Masaharu Shoji (10:30)
   Shoji Hano (drums), Masaharu Shoji (alto sax)
   Recorded live at Blue City, Osaka, on December 28, 2002

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