Francisco Aguabella
Hitting Hard

Sky Diver Records: ...The long awaited reissue of one of the most rare Japanese jazz-funk albums of the Seventies. Originally released on Nippon Columbia in 1975 this is trombonist Hiroshi Suzuki absolute masterpiece.

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!