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LP
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UMA 164LP
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Reissue, originally released in 1982. Zouroku No Kibyo is the first album by Hijokaidan, released in April 1982. It is a compilation of live recordings from 1981, when the extreme performances of Hijokaidan first attracted attention, and is a record of the chaotic inner energy of young people in their early 20s, influenced by rock, jazz, contemporary music, and avant-garde art, erupting outside. It was first released on the independent Osaka label Unbalance Records and came to be regarded as a historical masterpiece of independent recordings in Japan. It was later released on CD several times by Alchemy Records, and was also released by the major Japanese label Teichiku Entertainment. An analog reissue of the album was released in 2006 by the German label Vinyl On Demand in the form of a double LP set. This will be the first time that the album will be reissued in its original form as a single analog disc, this time on Urashima in 2022. Hijokaidan is a Japanese noise band with a turning lineup that has ranged from two members to as many as fourteen in its early days. The group is the project of guitarist Yoshiyuki "JOJO" Hiroshige, its one constant member, who is owner of the legendary Osaka-based Alchemy Records. The ensemble began at the very end of the '70s as a performance art-based unit whose anarchic shows would often involve destruction of venues and audio equipment, food and garbage being thrown around, and on-stage urination. As the group's lineup changed over time, their focus became less performance-based and more musically based, fine-tuning their sound into a dense wall of white noise created by each member both for live performances and for studio recordings. Zouroku no Kibyo resting at a fascinating juncture between space-harsh progressive, improv and noise, it was years ahead of its time when it first appeared becoming one of the great holy grails of Japan noise. Creatively thrilling -- filled with emotive highs and lows -- it's a crucial piece in the puzzle of Japan's wild and wonderful history of noise music. The album pushes noise practice and the very notions of language into uncharted realms, improvising with a ferocity different from that of hard rock or punk, and a chaos unlike that of free jazz. Released with original cover art with draw by Hideshi Hino, plus all the inserts that were on the original 1982 LP: live photo book (two A3 double face foldable), one Japanese sheet, and a lucky triangle card with, exclusively for this edition, extensive liner notes by JOJO in Japanese and English. Edition of 299.
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2LP
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UMA 155LP
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Urashima present the first ever vinyl reissue of Kansai based noise band Hijokaidan's Modern, originally released in 1989 on CD. Resting at a fascinating juncture between space-harsh progressive, impro and noise, it was years ahead of its time when it first appeared becoming one of the great holy grails of Japan noise. Creatively thrilling -- filled with emotive highs and lows -- it's a crucial piece in the puzzle of Japan's wild and wonderful history of noise music. The core of the band revolves around the trio Jojo Hiroshighe, Junko, and Toshiji Mikawa with sporadically the participation of various artists both for live performances and for studio recordings. On this vinyl shows up in the classic three-person line-up leading the way to one of the best reissues among offerings of their incredible discography. Modern double-vinyl LP, carving out uncharted territory between Faust and mid-70s Soft Machine, pushed improvisation into a near undefinable realm. The sound of Hijokaidan subverts and deconstructs; hits you, not like an avalanche, but like a prolonged electrical discharge on neuromuscular receptors: the most visceral and buried side of the noise is hidden in Jojo's pick-ups, in Junko's voice and in the extraordinary as well as exceptional object of Toshiji called "the Mikawa". Across the four sides of vinyl, comprising a sole one works, Hijokaidan stretches out, laying down cycling fuzz rhythms and guitar feedback lines that channel the modalism of John Coltrane and hypnotic psychedelia, before embarking upon scream excursions into the outer realms. Incorporating a playful, pop sensibility, without sacrificing its temperaments of violence and extremism, takes on a terrific vision of organized sound; a notion of the avant-garde which falls far closer to its inception as a structured music, than were it has often historically strayed. Fully remastered for vinyl by Nobuki Nishiyama. Gatefold sleeve with photos formerly featured on the CD, with the iconic group photo reprinted inside the gatefold; edition of 299.
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PIC. DISC + CD
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CSR 208LP
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Legendary Japanese noise band Hijokaidan presents its 2015 studio album Emergency Stairway to Heaven. The album arrives as a luxurious picture disc containing four cuts of unique sounds that only Hijokaidan can deliver, created by the full line-up of Jojo Hiroshige, T. Mikawa, Junko, and Futoshi Okano. The album also includes a bonus CD containing two live recordings from 2014; the first features Hiroshige (synthesizer), Mikawa (electronics), and Junko (screaming), and the second features Hiroshige (electric guitar), Mikawa (electronics), Junko (screaming), and Okano (drums). Includes download code for album Emergency Stairway to Heaven. Edition of 750.
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