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viewing 1 To 10 of 10 items
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LP
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MKY 034LP
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"High-octane tour-de-force by legendary post-punk group, INU. Widely considered in Japan to be one of the all-time greatest punk records, 1981's Don't Eat Food! remains shockingly unknown to the rest of the world. Led by literate but unhinged Machida Machizo, a magnetic stage presence who sang in a thick Osaka dialect that sounded like nothing else at the time, INU took Japan by storm in the late '70s with their powerful and often belligerent live show. Their membership changed frequently but INU's final lineup -- the group that recorded Don't Eat Food! -- was sharp as a knife, and the band's airtight debut still wows forty years later. This first-ever fully-licensed edition has been remastered from the original tapes and cut by Kevin Gray and includes an eight-page booklet with never before-seen photos, lyrics in English and Japanese, and liner notes by Syojiro Ishibashi in English and Japanese. Limited edition to 1000."
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LP
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MKY 033LP
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"Legendary debut album by Junko Tange, originally issued by Osaka's Vanity Records. Dadaesque recitations and sparse guitar, piano and electronic meanderings combine for a beguiling, hypnotic dreamworld. Officially licensed from the custodians of Yuzuru Agi's Vanity Records archives, this edition has been fully remastered from brand new transfers of the original analog tapes by Stephan Mathieu."
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CD
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MKY 229CD
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"Although The Rabbits briskly sold all 500 copies of the Winter Songs tape, live audiences at the time seemed dumbfounded by the group, and would stare at them in silence. After two years together, The Rabbits called it quits. Considered one of the great punk bands of the early '80s, their leader had no interest in the scene and always thought he was making 'normal' music. They rubbed shoulders with a slew of notable groups of the era, and their singer was best friends with arguably the most famous Japanese punk of all time, but Miyazawa shunned fraternization and purposefully distanced himself from his peers. Could this be why so few underground music fans are familiar with the group, even in Japan? Why they seem to have been written out of the official history of Japanese punk? One can never know for sure, but Mesh-Key hopes to remedy this travesty by offering this compilation to a new generation of punk and psychedelic music connoisseurs."
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2LP
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MKY 032LP
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"Junko Tange's second and final album is a minimalistic, phantasmagoric masterpiece of distant, dreamlike voices woven through pulsating, dubbed-out drum machines, synths and static, originally issued by Osaka's Vanity Records in 1981. Did this unassuming dental student (who vanished from the music world following this release) inadvertently invent dub techno? You be the judge. Label head Yuzuru Agi said this was his favorite Vanity release, and it's not hard to see why. Remastered by Stephan Mathieu from brand new transfers of the miraculously well preserved original analog tapes, this fully authorized 2LP (@45rpm) is the definitive edition of this landmark electronic work. Packaged in a deluxe, gatefold Stoughton tip-on jacket."
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CD
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MKY 026CD
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"50 years ago, Hokkaido-born singer-songwriter Morio Agata released his debut single, 'Sekishoku Ereji' (Red Elegy), an emotive, shuffling piano ballad that (shockingly) sold half a million copies in Japan. While he would never have another Top-40 hit, Agata would spend the next half century issuing a series of idiosyncratic, experimental pop albums. Today, he's a beloved cult figure, still actively touring and recording in his seventies. Arguably the biggest left-turn of Agata's early career, however, came in 1979, when legendary Vanity Records paired Agata with major players from his label's roster and the Osaka punk scene for an impromptu recording session. An impressive list of musicians took part (SAB, Yukio Fujimoto (Normal Brain), Masahiro Kitada (INU), Chie Mukai, and others) and even though they all came from different wings of the underground music scene, together they built an arresting, minimalistic bedrock of synthesized and acoustic sounds for Agata to work his magic over."
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LP
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MKY 030LP
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LP version. "50 years ago, Hokkaido-born singer-songwriter Morio Agata released his debut single, 'Sekishoku Ereji' (Red Elegy), an emotive, shuffling piano ballad that (shockingly) sold half a million copies in Japan. While he would never have another Top-40 hit, Agata would spend the next half century issuing a series of idiosyncratic, experimental pop albums. Today, he's a beloved cult figure, still actively touring and recording in his seventies. Arguably the biggest left-turn of Agata's early career, however, came in 1979, when legendary Vanity Records paired Agata with major players from his label's roster and the Osaka punk scene for an impromptu recording session. An impressive list of musicians took part (SAB, Yukio Fujimoto (Normal Brain), Masahiro Kitada (INU), Chie Mukai, and others) and even though they all came from different wings of the underground music scene, together they built an arresting, minimalistic bedrock of synthesized and acoustic sounds for Agata to work his magic over."
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CD
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MKY 024CD
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"A true desert island disc, criminally out of print for nearly 40 years. This seminal, eponymous post-punk album by Japanese group Aunt Sally, fronted by experimental singer Phew (Mute Records), was first released by the iconic Vanity Records label in 1979. Over the past forty-plus years, Phew has forged a singular path through a wide range of styles -- from free improvisation to pop -- and has collaborated with the likes of Ryuichi Sakamoto, members of Can, DAF, Einstürzende Neubauten, The Raincoats, and more. But Aunt Sally is where she got her start and, despite the members' young ages (still in college at the time), Phew and the band delivered a mature, timeless take on minimalistic punk. Remastered from the original analog tapes."
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LP
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MKY 024LP
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2023 restock; LP version. Stoughton tip on jacket. "A true desert island disc, criminally out of print for nearly 40 years. This seminal, eponymous post-punk album by Japanese group Aunt Sally, fronted by experimental singer Phew (Mute Records), was first released by the iconic Vanity Records label in 1979. Over the past forty-plus years, Phew has forged a singular path through a wide range of styles -- from free improvisation to pop -- and has collaborated with the likes of Ryuichi Sakamoto, members of Can, DAF, Einstürzende Neubauten, The Raincoats, and more. But Aunt Sally is where she got her start and, despite the members' young ages (still in college at the time), Phew and the band delivered a mature, timeless take on minimalistic punk. Remastered from the original analog tapes."
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LP
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MKY 027LP
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"Arriving on the Japanese music scene during the Beatles-inspired cover band boom of the late '60s, Jacks instantly distinguished themselves from their fluff-peddling, copycat peers with stripped-down, original compositions, nihilistic lyrics and raw performances. Their tenure was short -- '67 to '69 -- but Jacks managed to cut a handful of singles and two albums in that time, the first of which, Vacant World, is now widely considered in Japan to be one of the greatest rock albums the country has ever produced. The combination of Yoshio Hayakawa's arresting baritone and austere guitar work, drummer Takasuke Kida and upright bassist Hitoshi Tanino's jazzy, loose interplay, and lead guitarist Haruo Mizuhashi's searing fuzz leads was alchemical, and Vacant World captured the band at the peak of their powers. Some have described Jacks as the Velvet Underground of Japan -- a singular, revolutionary group that had little commercial success in their day but whose influence and legend grows exponentially with each passing year. The comparison is apt. Unlike VU, however, Jacks remain largely unknown outside Japan, and Mesh-Key hopes this first-ever officially licensed international release does something to fix this injustice. Available in the US for the first time. Vinyl only release, with film-laminated tip-on jackets, and 6-page, full-color booklet."
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LP
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MKY 023LP
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"Living legend Phew follows up her brilliant Light Sleep album with another masterwork -- Voice Hardcore -- comprised entirely of her iconic, instantly recognizable voice, twisted, folded and layered over six mesmerizing tracks. Recorded at home in summer 2017, this release finds Phew exploring an idea she first hatched while recording her debut single 'Finale' in 1980 -- to, in her words, ' make new reverberations that I have never heard before, using only my body.' 37 years later, Phew proves herself again to be the exception to the rule -- a veteran artist with an estimable catalog spanning decades who, rather than repeating herself or playing it safe, charges headfirst into uncharted territory. Phew's self -- released tour CD of Voice Hardcore was voted # 23 Best Album of 2017 by The Wire Magazine. This Mesh-Key vinyl edition features a silver foil stamped cover and a double-sided, full color insert, and comes with an mp3 download card."
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