Company
Epiphany

We Jazz Records: ...Helsinki duo Timo Lassy & Teppo Mäkynen present strong body of work on their new LP which updates the sound of an acoustic sax+drums combo in a highly inspiring way. Lassy plays sax, Mäkynen plays drums and handles production duties. Consisting of 13 focused tracks each clocking in at around three minutes, the album's sound ranges from spiritual-tinged free playing all the way to delicious 4/4 groove hard-hitters, showcasing producer "Teddy Rok" Mäkynen's love for electronic music. That being said, the sound here is that of an acoustic jazz band, placed left of the timeline and thinking ahead of what this instrumentation could achieve. The overall sound is warm and inviting, with the various delicious details inspiring repeated listening.

boomkat: ...Japan's EM Records illuminate the liberated early works of Yokohama's no wave improv unit Inryo-Fuen circa 1980-82. First issued on flexi-disc and vinyl, these four tracks have now been remastered, re-edited and remixed from original tapes to provide a record of a fertile, pre-digital era when experimental music was performed on the very fringes of society to a tightly knit audience who really had to work to seek out anything beyond the pale - perhaps unlike today's instant access all areas culture. It opens with the historically poignant 'Dakyo Sezu (Uncompromising)' from their debut 7"; a stomping drums and bass dedication to Tony Conrad and The Dream Syndicate which provides an impromptu platform for local student agitators who burst onto the mic half way thru, only for the engineer to whip up the effects to chaotic effect. There follows some jagged skronk in 'Hammer Clock' which sounds uncannily like Mars meets Konono No.1, and then the thundering motorik turmoil of 'Sora Yori Orite Kisi Mono (That Which Falls From The Sky)' strangely alleviated by a lone, wistful organ figure that rises and swoops over all over the thing with celestial grace. But, for the full frontal, primal no wave dose, look no further than the 24 minute B-side of 'Ground Rock', summed up by the group's Jun Harada thusly; "This thrilling mode of performance had a mysterious power and sense of potential. By departing from pre-established harmony and pushing ourelves to our limits, we were able to discover a power that surpassed our own abilities. This act was like deciphering our own history from the deepest part of our being - the musical score of life that is DNA." Recommended!