Les De Merle
Spectrum

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!

from the artist's bandcamp: ...This is The Last Poets' 50th anniversary year, and they've celebrated it with an album that matters - not just musically, but as a record of the times we're living in. The Last Poets are weathervanes, warning of the future and past sins in poems that are indivisible from the rhythms they're voiced on. Think warriors reporting from the battlefield; but their work is also a test of our own courage, because are you ready to receive what they're saying? And is your heart clean and strong enough to withstand the truth?

Sky Diver Records: ...This compilation is a showcase of this period and the various forms of modern jazz indicative of the scene, from modal and deep spiritual jazz through to avant-jazz film soundtracks and the unique sub-genre ‘Eco Jazz’ (a distinctive style which drew vivid inspiration from Australia’s natural environment).