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***Black Editions presents Mass Hysterism in Another Situation remastered and cut to double 45RPM 12" vinyl. Mass Hysterism in Another Situation captures Masayuki Takayanagi's New Direction Unit in its final incarnation, at an apex in its development; it also finds Takayanagi, one of Japan's great iconoclastic artists, at a moment of crucial artistic transformation. Recorded in August 1983 as part of his "Another Situation" concert series, the album features one of the last performances of Takayanagi's revolutionary and perhaps most famously violent piece, "Mass Projection." By this date, New Direction's line up had been distilled to a compact, searingly hot trio of Takayanagi joined on electric guitar by Akira Iijima and Hiroshi Yamazaki on drums/percussion. Over the course of 40 minutes, the group sustains an uninterrupted, highly charged attack propelled with unrelenting energy. The music is rife with noise and dissonance intruding from both sides; a vortex of sound and fury that begins to slip from even the expansive bounds of free jazz into something almost purely electronic. The trio would perform only four more times, completing the "Another Situation" series with its 24th edition in November 1984. Eleven months later Takayanagi would debut an entirely new modality, one he called "Action Direct." It completely transformed his approach to guitar and sound in general by embracing an entirely abstract, solo noise music projected through massive, complex sound systems of his own design. Mass Hysterism is perhaps the most powerful link in this part of Takayanagi's history—a perfect realization and farewell...

2XLP $40.45

10/20/2023 769791984714 

BE 020 LP 


***From the moment they emerged in the early days of the '80s Tokyo underground, High Rise set themselves apart as radical outliers, shattering the limits of rock and psychedelic music with a ferocity unmatched even in that heady era. The group's core duo of Asahito Nanjo on bass/vocals and Munehiro Narita on guitar had an explosive chemistry; they mutated, distorted, amplified the raw velocity, heaviness, and electricity of late '60s/early '70s rock into an entirely new, monstrous form. Running in similar circles, their approach paralleled that of Les Rallizes Dénudés , but with a more garage/proto-punk attack and the blistering intensity of a full-on amphetamine rush. While Mizutani's guitar is what took Rallizes's to another level, the same can be said for Narita's guitar work in High Rise- rightfully placing him in the pantheon of psychedelic guitarists and for some to call him "the undisputed king of the motorcycle fuzz guitar". The band inspired the launch of the legendary P.S.F. label, giving it its first two releases which along with its third release, the debut of Keiji Haino 's Fushitsusha, signaled a new era in the world of Japanese underground music. High Rise's second album, 1986's II, was a triumph and fully lived up to the group's original Psychedelic Speed Freaks moniker, instantly raising the stakes for any band to follow. It carved out a new stream of rock music, rooted in an encyclopedic knowledge of the music's history and an almost metaphysical understanding of its raw elements and spirit....

2XLP $42.25

08/18/2023 769791984493 

BE 016 LP 


Heavenly Persona by Shizuka

Shizuka

Heavenly Persona
Black Editions

***REISSUED!!! Originally released in 1994. Few artists have left behind a legacy as enigmatic and captivating as Shizuka Miura. Amidst the Tokyo underground, she was a spectral figure, creating ghostly, childlike dolls and writing haunting, other-worldly songs. She formed Shizuka in 1992 with Maki Miura, known for his staggering guitar work in legendary groups Fushitsusha and Les Rallizes Dénudés. Their music bloomed with a fragile, yet explosive mystical power; an atmospheric alchemy of psychedelic rock, folk and noise with Shizuka's ethereal vocals invoking loneliness, yearning and dark providence. Since her passing in 2010, the group has steadily gathered a cult following. Black Editions presents their sole studio album, 1994's Heavenly Persona, a monumental, transcendent work originally issued by P.S.F. Japan on CD in 1994; Now newly remastered and in its first ever vinyl edition on double-LP with a laser etched fourth side. Presented in a deluxe tip-on tri-fold jacket with ink pigment foil stamping, gloss film laminate finish and printed inner sleeves and mounted booklet. It includes her extensive, heart wrenching final interview, translated for the first time to English alongside high-resolution archival images.

2XLP $45.50

04/07/2023 769791983496 

BE 015 LP 


Strange Bedfellow by White Heaven

White Heaven

Strange Bedfellow
Black Editions

***Reissue, originally released in 1993. White Heaven's second album, Strange Bedfellow, is one of the great unsung albums of the '90s Japanese underground. Released two years after their striking debut, Out, the album reveals the group shifting to a more dynamic and finely honed sound. You Ishihara's songwriting and arrangements take center stage, leading the group to transmute classic west coast psychedelia and garage into a thrillingly direct collection of songs that span from fuzz drenched, driving rockers to smoldering numbers that fade into the night... Only ever available in an edition of 700 LPs released in 1993 by PSF Japan, Black Editions present Strange Bedfellow, newly remastered in this deluxe edition. Heavy tip-on jacket with ink pigment foil stamping, metallic spot colors, contrasting gloss film laminate and matte satin finishes. Includes new full color folding insert. Pressed to high quality vinyl at RTI. Recorded at Inter Music Studio, Tokyo October 1992. Remastered at Peace Music Studio, 2020 by Soichiro Nakamura.

LP $28.25

01/20/2023  

BE 019 LP 


Eat Meat, Swear an Oath by Hallelujahs

Hallelujahs

Eat Meat, Swear an Oath
Black Editions

***A dreamlike dispatch from mid-80s Japan, the first and only Hallelujahs album is an entrancing and gentle work of psychedelic pop brilliance. In a series of informal studio sessions between 1985 and 1986, Shinji Shibayama (Nagisa Ni Te) gathered a group of friends, emerging luminaries from the burgeoning Kansai underground rock scene including Naoki Zushi (Hijokaidan, Spiral Stairs / 螺旋階段), Ken Ichi "Idiot" Takayama (Idiot O'Clock), and Chie Mukai (Ché-SHIZU ) to form what would become known as Hallelujahs. The result was a music of deep feeling and wonderment created through simple song craft and imbued with a sort of guileless magic. Their sole album presented a set of unvarnished songs, filled with vulnerable, intimate moments, caught on reel to reel, most often in single takes never to be repeated. The album was self-released in 1986 in a micro-edition of 300 copies. It was the first record by Shibayama's now revered ORG Records which would go on to introduce the world to the likes of Maher Shalal Hash Baz , Reiko Kudo as well as his own group, Nagisa Ni Te. With affinities to the sounds of the Rough Trade and Flying Nun labels, the Paisley Underground and Galaxie 500, the Hallelujahs' Eat Meat, Swear an Oath is an utterly unique masterpiece that remains a touchstone for generations of like spirited artists in Japan and around the world. Black Editions is proud to present this all-time classic in a deluxe vinyl edition, remastered from the original tapes and presented in...

LP $28.25

11/18/2022 769791982666 

BE 017 LP 


***Since their first album in 1995, Japan's Nagisa Ni Te has created an enchanting and deeply personal sound world woven from elements of folk, psychedelia, and rock along with wistful melodies and gentle arrangements. Centered on Shinji Shibayama (Hallelujahs) and Masako Takeda 's partnership, the group has created intimate, emotionally resonant music that floats and breathes with an ease that can only come from a sort of telepathic chemistry. Released in Japan on the group's 25th anniversary, New Ocean is a clear eyed, expansive collection of songs evoking love and loss, hazy sunshine and looming darkness, human yearning amidst nature's grandeur. Deluxe 45 RPM double-LP, gatefold edition featuring heavy tip-on jackets with embossing, gloss UV and strike through matte coating. Pressed to high quality vinyl at RTI.

2XLP $37.50

11/18/2022 769791982352 

BE 018 LP 


The intellect given birth to here (eternity) is too young by Brotzmann, Peter / Keiji Haino Duo

Brotzmann, Peter / Keiji Haino Duo

The intellect given birth to here (eternity) is too young
Black Editions

***Two complete performances recorded in Los Angeles and San Francisco in the summer of 2018. The intellect given birth to here (existence) is too young presents the artists traversing a sprawling range of sound and modalities to achieve a stunning alchemy that can't be replicated. Both PETER BRÖTZMANN and KEIJI HAINO have spent their lives creating music that defies easy categorizations—phrases such as "free jazz/improvisation," "rock," or "avant garde" seem to only scratch at the surface. What can be said is their works have a nearly unmatched intensity and restless spirit—always uncompromising and only fully understood in their own unique terms. When performing together, the two push each other to entirely new and beautifully alien territories. Keiji Haino's Purple Trap imprint and Black Editions are proud to present the defining work of their decades-long collaboration. Presented in a deluxe four-LP boxed set edition of 800 including full-size, full-color art prints by both artists.

4XLP $119.85

09/30/2022  

BE 1005 LP 


Station '70: Call In Question / Live Independence by Takayanagi, Masayuki / New Direction

Takayanagi, Masayuki / New Direction

Station '70: Call In Question / Live Independence
Black Editions

***In August 1969, Masayuki Takayanagi formed his first New Direction group and embarked on an unparalleled musical journey that over the final 22 years of his life would define him as an uncompromising artist who would forge a visionary new musical language. Comprised of himself on acoustic and electric guitar and joined by Motoharu Yoshizawa on bass and Yoshisaburo "Sabu" Toyozumi on drums, Takayanagi's group created a new unconstrained form of music; It expanded on the most radical, fiery elements of American and European free jazz, while refracting them through an avant-garde prism. Harmonic and melodic development were rejected in favor of feedback and complete spontaneity. With New Direction, Takayanagi had achieved a "decisive break" from the past and created his own revolutionary musical language—a ferocious, often violent sound that paradoxically took both musical movement and stillness to their extremes. Takayanagi's New Direction soon recorded one of the landmark albums of free jazz and the avant-garde, Independence: Tread on Sure Ground (1970). It was Takayanagi's first album as a group leader and nothing short of groundbreaking. As profound as its release was, it was not until 25 years later that a wider audience would finally able to hear Takayanagi's vision with the group in its most explosive and unmitigated realization; Japan's P.S.F. records released two CDs, Call in Question (1994) and Live Independence (1995) which featured unearthed, previously unheard 1970 recordings made by the group at the legendary Shibuya Tokyo venue, Station '70. The recordings were revelatory; They presented nascent,...

3XLP $66.66

05/13/2022 769791980938 

BE 013-057 LP 


***Masayuki Takayanagi was one of the truly iconoclastic musicians to emerge from Japan, or anywhere else, in the 20th Century. Though he won acclaim in the 1950s and '60s as a master of the electric guitar and jazz improvisation, Takayanagi was a restless spirit, deeply engaged with the era's new movements in contemporary art, music, literature, and philosophy. His work, beginning in the late 1960s placed him on the leading edge of these developments; he began expanding on the most radical elements of American and European free jazz, infusing them with the raw feedback and dissonance of electronic and avant-garde music. With his various New Direction groups, Takayanagi broke free of traditional structures and developed a new theory of music that embraced an aggressive and unrelenting style of playing that has remained almost completely unparalleled in its ferocity. Of all the albums to be released during Takayanagi's lifetime, 1975's Eclipse was perhaps the most enigmatic and sought after. Released in an edition of only 100, it almost immediately disappeared and became a holy grail for Japanese connoisseurs of adventurous music, and rightly so. It's first side contained a two-part realization of Takayanagi's "Gradually Projection" modality -- a searching interplay between instruments -- slowly emerging from a sparse open field and building with the tension of a looming thunder storm. The second side contains an epic performance of a "Mass Projection", a high energy, densely layered barrage of sound that in its 25 minutes, never once slackens its intensity. It would...

LP $29.25

05/13/2022 769791980945 

BE 014 LP 


***Black Editions present a reissue of Toho Sara 's self-titled album, originally released in 1995. A mystifying work of Japanese avant-garde shamanism, Toho Sara's 1995 debut introduced a radical new sound from Asahito Nanjo (High Rise), Makoto Kawabata (Acid Mothers Temple), and Hisashi Yasuda—playing an array of ancient instruments including tabla, piri, harmonium, biwa, shakujo, and hansho the group evokes an otherworldly ritual music, meditative and haunting. Originally released on CD by P.S.F. Japan, newly expanded, remastered and available for the first time ever on vinyl. Pressed to high quality vinyl at RTI. Gatefold, tip-on jacket; Includes insert and download.

2XLP $35.50

10/02/2020 881626602560 

BE 012 LP 


***WHITE HEAVEN's debut album Out is one of the greatest psychedelic rock albums ever recorded. First released in 1991 by Tokyo's P.S.F. Records and pressed in an edition of 500 copies the original LP has become a holy grail in underground circles, with only a scant few copies ever making it outside of Japan. Built on the chemistry between YOU ISHIHARA's lysergic lyricism and the blistering leads of one of Japan's undisputed guitar gods MICHIO KURIHARA, Out is an absolute classic. It is one of the few albums to successfully join a deep love of classic rock n' roll with the rapturous energy of punk and openness of the avant-garde. Each song creates its own world, raising dynamic structures that defy categorization. Meticulously re-mastered by the artists this new edition is the album in its clearest, most powerful form. Cut at the legendary Bernie Grundman studios and pressed at RTI it is now available on vinyl for the first time in almost 30 years. Housed in heavy tip-on jackets with tri-panel inserts printed on black paper with metallic gold ink.

LP $25.95

02/28/2020 881626588864 

BE 005 LP 


Corridor Of Daylights by Go Hirano

Go Hirano

Corridor Of Daylights
Black Editions

***Black Editions present the first ever vinyl edition of GO HIRANO's third album, Corridor of Daylights, originally released in 2004. Corridor of Daylights is a quiet work of dreamlike brilliance. A home field recording where fragile piano melodies float alongside wind-chimes and wistful melodicas—insects hum in the distance and a breeze gently rustles as summer day eases toward evening. Originally released in Japan by P.S.F. Records in 2004, Corridor of Daylights is a beautiful, soulful dispatch from early aughts Tokyo. Black Editions present Corridor of Daylights, newly mastered for its first ever vinyl edition. Includes a bonus track. Comes in a deluxe edition featuring pearlescent paper, metallic inks, and foil stamped letters as well as two inserts including a newly translated illustrated story booklet; Includes download.

LP $25.95

02/28/2020 881626558461 

BE 008 LP 


Tokyo Flashback Psychedelic Speed Freaks by V/a

V/a

Tokyo Flashback Psychedelic Speed Freaks
Black Editions

***BACK IN STOCK!!!  Black Editions present a monumental collection of 22 exclusive tracks by 22 of the most important artists to emerge from the Japanese underground over the last 40 years. Directed by Ghost's Masaki Batoh and produced in tribute to the late Hideo Ikeezumi, founder of P.S.F. Records, the Modern Music record store and G-Modern Magazine. Few label founders loom as large in the history of underground music as P.S.F Record's Hideo Ikeezumi. Over three decades and more than 200 titles, Ikeezumi's intensely critical ear guided and assembled a body of music that transcended genre; he exclusively championed artists that were uncompromising in their visions, unconcerned with trends or commercial success. This four-LP compilation, selected by Ghost's Masaki Batoh, is a primer of Ikeezumi's curation: a kaleidoscopic collection of previously unreleased gems from the Japanese underground. Running the full stylistic gamut from the hushed tones of Kim Doo Soo and Go Hirano to the psychedelic rock splendor ofOverhang Party and High Rise this set connects the dots between generations and movements, all linked by the common thread of Ikeezumi's panoramic musical vision. The most original voices in the avant garde, psychedelia, folk, free jazz, and rock all found a home with P.S.F. Records. Directed by Masaki Batoh. Edited by Yoshiaki Kondo (GOK Sound). Mastered by Kazuo Ogino; Vinyl Mastering by John Golden. Designed byTakuya Kitamura. Also features Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O., Kazuo Imai, Maher Shalal Hash Baz, .es, Keiji Haino, á qui...

4XLP $64.95

05/17/2019 881626541760 

BE 1001 LP 


***CHECK STOCK!!!  Received an 8.4 Best New Reissue rating from Pitchfork.  Black Editions present a reissue of HIG RISE's II, originally released in 1986. High Rise exploded onto Tokyo's underground music scene with the roar and reckless abandon of a motorcycle accelerating headlong into a dead man's curve. Born from the explosive chemistry of bassist/vocalist ASAHITO NANJO and frenetic guitarist MUNEHIRO NARITA, the band blazed a wild new stream of psychedelic guitar music. Their second album is a defining document of the band and unquestionably one of the greatest albums to emerge from 20th century underground Japan and beyond. With Nanjo's distorted thunder bass and Narita's wildly narrative lead guitar playing, II is a non-stop tour de force of improvised rock music. Combining elements of garage rock, punk, and no wave, the band pushed all levels fully in-the-red and transcended the limits of rock and psychedelia to create a raw, unique expansion of the music. Black Editions present High Rise's II, newly mixed and mastered by Asahito Nanjo in what the band states is the definitive version of their most quintessential recording. This new edition restores the original vinyl version's textured black and silver artwork. Housed in heavy Stoughton tip-on jacket.

LP $25.50

02/02/2018 769791968462 

BE 002 LP 


Tokyo Flashback by V/a

V/a

Tokyo Flashback
Black Editions

***BACK IN STOCK!!!  Received an 8.3 Best New Reissue rating from Pitchfork.  Black Editions present the first ever vinyl edition of Tokyo Flashback, the legendary 1991 compilation that defined the Tokyo psychedelic movement and first brought it to the outside world. Tokyo Flashback is one of the most iconic compilations in the history of underground music. Originally released by Japan's P.S.F. Records, Tokyo Flashback defined the breathtakingly unique and previously obscured musical movement that had been developing in Japan since the late 1970s. The compilation features some of the earliest released recordings by KEIJI HAINO, HIGH RISE, MASAKI BATOH's GHOST, WHITE HEAVEN, FUSHITSUSHA , KOUSOKUYA, and MARBLE SHEEP. It captures the excitement and energy of a Tokyo awash in Technicolor and deep blacks; the music echoing krautrock, psychedelic freak-outs, garage, and no wave. At the same time it reveals astonishing, totally idiosyncratic expansions of rock music. In time, Tokyo Flashback expanded to a synonymous nine volume series that, over the following two decades, unveiled Japan's ever evolving soundscapes to the rest of the world. Tokyo Flashback is a defining statement of late 20th century Japanese psychedelic music and an essential primer to the world of P.S.F. All tracks are exclusive, this edition features the first time translation of the original liner notes. Black Editions' deluxe edition is entirely re-mastered and marks the first release of Tokyo Flashback outside of Japan and it's first ever vinyl issue. Also features VERZERK. Newly created artwork and design expanding on...

2XLP $39.95

11/03/2017 769791967380 

BE 001 LP 


***BACK IN STOCK!!!  Black Editions present the first vinyl reissue of KEIJI HAINO's stunning debut album Watashi Dake?, originally released in 1981. This first ever edition released outside of Japan features the artist's originally intended metallic gold and silver jacket artwork. Over the last fifty years few musicians or performers have created as monumental and uncompromising a body of work as that of Keiji Haino. Through a vast number of recordings and performances, Haino has staked out a ground all his own, creating a language of unparalleled intensity that defies any simple classification. For all this, his 1981 debut album Watashi Dake? has remained enigmatic. Originally released in a small edition by the legendary Pinakotheca label, the album was heard by only a select few in Japan and far fewer overseas. Original vinyl copies became impossibly rare and highly sought after the world over. Watashi Dake? presents a haunting vision—stark vocals, whispered and screamed, punctuate dark silences. Intricate and sharp guitar figures interweave, repeat, and stretch, trance-like, emerging from dark recesses. Written and composed on the spot—Haino's vision is one of deep spiritual depths that distantly evokes 1920s blues and medieval music—yet is unlike anything ever committed to record before or since. Produced in close cooperation with Keiji Haino and legendary photographer GIN SATOH. Coupled with starkly minimal packaging, featuring the now iconic cover photographs by Gin Satoh, the album is a startling and fully realized artistic statement. Housed in custom printed deluxe Stoughton tip-on jackets, including...

LP $31.85

07/14/2017 826853973182 

BE 000 LP