STALKING DUPPI

Well...

2012-01-21T11:09:00.003-06:00

Not sure what is going to happen next here now that Megaupload is no more. I used Megaupload exclusively, so everything is gone. Of course, I still have all the original files, but I don't know if I want to reupload them elsewhere just yet.

Please stand by.
This blog is not dead.

Popsong's Factory - My Pops / D'Ameja 7" (Pillbox, 1981)

2012-01-16T18:56:00.001-06:00

Flawless minimal/electro-wave jam with brilliant vocoder usage. Absolutely one of the very best 7"s of the Japanese underground!

Download.

Chiko Hige x Kaoru Sato - Le Chant De La Honte! 12" (Telegraph, 1985)

2011-12-21T23:30:00.001-06:00

Chiko Hige of original no-wavers Friction meets Vanity Records alumnus and indies super-producer Kaoru Sato for a bout of sub-zero, fourth-world dub and more.

Download.

Real Fish - テナン LP (Invitation, 1985)

2011-12-15T23:19:00.002-06:00

First album by this instrumental technopop unit with connections to Shi-Shonen and others. The a-side of this disc is thoroughly technopop, while the b-side gets orchestral... and a bit schmaltzy. Real maniacs like me will perversely enjoy the b-side, but I think the a-side is pretty stellar, including one mega-jam in the form of By Me. One of the best technopop songs ever, if you ask me!

Download.

Taiji - Musique Concrete 8" flexi (胎内レーベル, 1983)

2011-12-15T21:39:00.002-06:00

I was recently informed that one of my favorite flexis has been posted over at the great blog, The Soundhead. Super bizarre and syrupy industrial darkwave, like a surrealist Dendö Marionette! Check it out by clicking the link.

Sympathy Nervous - Automaticism LP (Minimal Wave, 2011)

2011-11-12T14:55:00.001-06:00

Sympathy Nervous is the project of Japanese artist Yosihumi Niinuma. Influenced by both classical and Krautrock, he began recording in 1979, and released several records on the highly coveted Vanity label. He continued to record and self-release much of his work throughout the 80s and 90s. His sound is intelligent and probably the most unique minimal synth to come out of Japan. Exploring dystopian themes, his music is well balanced and beautifully recorded.

Automaticism features songs Yosihumi Niinuma recorded between 1979-1981. Most were originally slated for a cassette release but never saw the light of day until now. When the Tsunami washed away the coast of Japan last March 2011, Niinuma lost everything: an entire lifetime of recordings, instruments, hand built sequencers, and even his home. Fortunately, he had sent us his audio masters prior to the disaster. This release is fully dedicated to him, in memory of all his lost recordings. The record is pressed on 180 gram ultra clear vinyl and comes in a printed heavy clear sleeve, with Niinuma's account of what happened on that day of March 11, 2011 and the months that followed. This is a benefit album, all the proceeds go to the artist. Special thanks to Narumi Omori for translation assistance and Gustavo Eandi for cover art.

This release is absolutely crucial to readers of Stalking Duppi, and is available now from Minimal Wave.

Buy.

Zombie Project - Hispaniola 7" flexi (self-released, 1983)

2011-11-09T20:50:00.003-06:00

I was just about to rip this for you guys when I noticed it was up on the massive Voodoo Vault blog, so thank them for the actual rip. Super-baffling stuff here from this ultra-mysterious and for some reason Hispaniola-themed project. Haiti is an ultra-minimal piece -- sounds like an oscillator and an electric guitar played like a percussion instrument. The only thing I might be able to compare it to would be that ultra-primitive track by Tolcaderro on the Green Cassette I shared, or Tolerance's Today's Thrill. Dominica is markedly different. Fantastic lo-fi electro-wave with discordant pianos and synthesizer
wheeze... even a hint of acid-house squelch. This is one of my favorite flexis!

Download.

Thought Broadcast - Up-Maker 7"

2011-11-08T17:08:00.005-06:00

"Thought Broadcast
Up-Maker
ppr21 / 7"
Four song 7" by Thought Broadcast. A schizo blend of atonal post-punk primitivism and partially submerged rhythm-box dub. A perfect mainline through TB's singular vein of primitive calculation. This 7" being the first vinyl release in the already rarefied tb discography.

Letterpressed and die-cut sleeve with insert."

Highly recommended to readers of this blog. Murky mystery-electronics and muted shuffle that would've sounded right at home as a 7th cassette in Vanity Records' Working On a Plan box. The most astute of you will notice a few arcane references to cult Japanese groups...

Buy.

EGO 02 / Critical Species - Individual Music Ozaka 1985 cassette + zine

2011-11-02T22:06:00.002-05:00

EGO was a short-lived magazine edited by Rock Magazine editor and Vanity Records owner Yuzuri Agi. The publication of EGO seems to coincide with Rock Magazine's shift of focus towards more mainstream artists, so maybe EGO was Agi's way of never "selling out". He is to this day an uncompromising champion of cutting-edge underground music.
The 2nd issue of EGO is a magazine-sized box containing a tape and b/w zine. This is the only issue of EGO to include music. Lucky for us, the tape features over an hour(!) of top-notch weird-wave, all from Osaka. Stylistically, the material here is quite varied and the songs rather long. It's almost as if you took everything I've posted on this blog and condensed it down to one cassette...

Download.

Translation help needed.

2011-09-01T21:03:00.004-05:00

I have a number of posts lined up that I am not yet able to share because of language barrier issues. Whenever I make a post here, it's important to me that the mp3s are fully and correctly tagged. I prefer the band name and song titles to represent exactly what is on the sleeve/label of the record, even if that means posting them in Japanese. I cannot speak or read Japanese, so this has proven quite difficult in cases where there is no information about the record online. Katakana isn't so bad, but counting the strokes of kanji and squinting at an online chart is painstaking work.
Additionally, I have some really interesting items (interviews, reviews, etc) that I would love to post on the blog in English and Japanese.

So, I'm looking to you readers for help.

If you can write well in Japanese and English, please contact me: stalkingduppi@gmail.com

(Please know that I will pay for translation work)

Panasist - Hoshizora No Panasist / Dummy Robot 7" (Epic, 1980)

2011-08-18T12:48:00.003-05:00

Indefatigable electro-doink-pop with heavy Famicom vibes. Very high in my personal canon.

Download.

Sodom - Material Flower 12" (Trans, 1986)

2011-08-17T23:37:00.004-05:00

By request, here is Sodom's Material Flower single.
I can't say I'm a particularly big fan of this group after TV Murder, but Art of Lab (Night Version) has some really great vocals.

Download.

Quasimode - 真昼 [Jeux De Vertige] LP (Di-Stance, 1986)

2011-08-09T11:49:00.004-05:00

Brilliant avant-chamber stumble and stomp from this mysterious group. A fascinating album that seems to combine the cosmic whisper of Takami's Tenshi-Kou and the decadent europhilia of Kumiko Suyama and Sonoko, resulting in a creepy and markedly Duppi-like brew. Fitting, considering that the two were compilation-mates on Yuzuri Agi's notoriously unobtainable Ego 02 / Critical Species - Individual Music Osaka 1985 cassette. Does anyone have this tape?? Please share!

Download.

He Was - s/t 7" flexi (Kageroh, 1983)

2011-08-07T10:25:00.004-05:00

By request, here's the sole release from this mysterious tribal drone outfit. Released on Kageroh records (Viola Renea, Portray Heads, etc).

Download

Dendö Marionette - s/t 7" flexi (QP., 1981)

2011-07-01T14:10:00.006-05:00

Legendary (and legendarily expensive) only release from über-cult group Dendö Marionette. I gotta say... this deserves the hype. Frozen・Edge reminds me of Red Exposure-era Chrome + Cabaret Voltaire at their fiercest - a cyber-punk anthem replete with electroid guitar solos and blurred vocals. Conciousness is comparable the sub-zero crawl of house favorite Motionless by Libido, and the incredibly woozy Walts (For Lautréament) starts off like a collaboration between The Gurdjieff and Taiji before settling down in ultra-dark industrial synth-pop territory. Amazing!

This rip was contributed (but not made) by bX-59cppw, who just recently upped the C.Memi + Neo Matisse 7" on his blog, which needs to be heard by everyone who follows Stalking Duppi!

Download.

sh - 深き森から 7" (Zero, 1983)

2011-06-29T20:24:00.005-05:00

Very strange and haunting 7" from the quite reliable Zero label. This may be the first appearance of Kumiko Suyama, whose songs on international compilations such as SNX and Assemblée Générale 5 have piqued the interests of a few blog-dwellers. Save for the piano on side b, this 7" is somewhat far removed from her other work, which, while not 'upbeat' per se, is typically more folksy and pastoral. The dark, icy atmosphere and Phew-like incantations may be explained by liner notes: "Inspired by John Duncan".

Download.

Geil - I'm 7" (Taiyo, 1986)

2011-06-27T23:25:00.003-05:00

Strangely (for me at least) quite enjoyable goth-rock with androgynous vocals (courtesy of "Alice") that remind me of a drunk woman named Stephanie that used to come in my shop and tell me about all her Sex Pistols posters. This, coupled with the fact that Stay sounds like what I've always thought pretend-English would sound like, makes for a fun listen. Oh, and what kind of title is I'm??

Download.

Libido - 低く飛んでゆく 7" (LLE, 1986)

2011-06-27T22:52:00.003-05:00

I can really only assume that this is the same group that recorded the fantastic song Motionless, as this 7", recorded some 6 years later, bears extremely little resemblance to the frostbitten darkwave present on their split with Pneuma. This sounds more like... ? My overwhelming ignorance of late 80's rock music leaves me without a comparison, positive or negative. Readers?

Download.

+Alpha - s/t 7" (self-released, 198?)

2011-06-27T22:04:00.004-05:00

Plunky, bass-heavy post-punky stuff from this rather mysterious group. It's becoming interesting to me just how "default" this sorta sound seems to have been in Japan in the early 80s. Did Japan have the highest concentration of bands with groovy basslines and constantly discordant guitar in the world? The almost punkish and sing-songy vocals set this one apart from the pack, and track 2 features the return of crazy vocal modulation!

Download.

Chance Operation - Demo. Seat 7" flexi (self-released, 1980)

2011-06-13T22:27:00.004-05:00

Side A
カスパ-.ハウザ-.ナウ

Side B
Receivin'

Remember when I said that I'd be posting more frequently during the summer season? Sorry that hasn't been working out...

Anyways, here's the very first Chance Operation record! Very simplistic and repetitive, even more stripped down than their later 12"s. Would possibly pair nicely with the P.T.A's New Songs 7".

Download.

C. Memi - Heavenly Peace (Fairy Records, 1982)

2011-05-29T07:48:00.005-05:00

"Heavenly Peace" is the whimsical sophomore release of C. Memi. Following her shared debut with Neo Matisse (described as "that famous 'No Chocolate'-single" in "The Hijokaidan story"), we are presented with five pretty darn disparate tracks held together by some kind of magical antimatter.

Opening track "Ishin-Denshin" is perhaps the weirdest of the bunch. The ticking of a drum machine coupled with somewhat ham-fisted post-punk/DIY style drumming forms the foundation of the song; sounding at least slightly reminiscent of a cat coughing up a hairball. Add a reverb-soaked flute playing a hazy melody through a fairytale forsest and astonishingly dry and unemotional vocals and this stew of singular confusion is complete.

Two transitional tracks follow - "C'est un Chanson" is a chanson-ey (who whould've guessed?) and unfortunately pretty snooze-worthy affair. The cute piano and music box bagatelle "For Monster of Dr. Frankenstein" fares better, though perhaps mainly because of its brevity.

The weirdness resumes with the jingle-like "Hitokichi". Sounding like a commercial for an extraterrestial soda or something, "Hitokichi" is a strange melange of ultra-processed vocals, droning basswork and white noise drum snares.

Memi leaves us with the magnificent title track and it's soothening swathes of synth pads punctuated by sparkles of cosmic sound-shrapnel. A perfectly serene way to close off the EP, with just a slight sentimental touch. Real nice.

Download.

Commune - Will/I Can't Believe 7" (Autonomy, 1979)

2011-05-11T20:33:00.000-05:00

Side A
Will

Side B
I Can't Believe

Skritch-scratchy post-punk trio from Osaka, 2 members of which would later form Aunt Sally with vocalist Phew. Pretty fun single with punk-funk rhythms and constipated vocals (thanks to nattliga_toner for that apt description).

Download.

Room - Promotion Disk 7" flexi (Room, 1984)

2011-05-11T20:21:00.000-05:00

Side A
[untitled]

Wonderfully odd and extremely obscure lil' 1-sided flexi gem. Sorta dark new-wave with female vocals, rhythm box and a very weird chorus that reminds me of Lizzi Bougatsos from Gang Gang Dance. Check it out and tell me if I'm crazy or not.
I'd love more information about this group. Did they release anything else?

Download.

Metro Farce - Barizanveaux LP (Kitchen, 1983)

2011-05-07T23:25:00.004-05:00

Side A

密室で眠れ
mon dieu Mongolian
漂白都市
Wizard In My Pocket
梟たちの夜

Side B
なしくずしオペラ
Pendulum
Hospital
蒼い残り火

Here's an album that has drawn some online curiosity, if only for the fact that it was released on the same label as Variété and MLD. Kitchen also released the previously posted Voice 10", which this is far closer to in sound. Fun and often silly new-wave in the same territory as Hikashu, P-Model and Uchouten, probably most recommendable to fans of Nagomu Records material.

Download.

extremely goofy bonus video!

Mariah - うたかたの日々 2x12" (Better Days, 1983)

2011-05-07T21:48:00.003-05:00

Side A

そこから...
視線

Side B
花が咲いたら

Side C
不自由な鼠
空に舞うまぼろし

Side D
心臓の扉
少年

Hey everyone. School's out for me, which means I'll hopefully be able to post on here more frequently. Exciting, isn't it?

This is a perfect record for the start of summer. Mariah was the brainchild of Yasuaki Shimizu, whose confounding IQ-179 LP I posted earlier. While that album was very much in the schizophrenic vein of Wha-Ha-Ha, the Mariah stuff is more pop-progish and palatable. I've actually seen them compared to Toto... which, to my chagrin, I can actually kinda understand. Rich, warm, percussive... kinda pseudo-African at some times, in a kinda Byrne & Eno sense. Lyrics sung in Japanese and Armenian (!), which makes for a pretty cool lyric book. An absolutely wonderful record from beginning to end... highly recommended!!

Download.

Various Artists - "Green Tape" cassette (Caligari, 198?)

2011-04-10T23:25:00.009-05:00

Side A
Shimizu Akemi - Kakera
Takahiro Yamazaki - (untitled)
Isan Sozokunin - Seiji-e
Tolcaderro - (untitled)

Side B
Kumio Kurachi - 5ji No Siren
Yoshiyuki Sugawa - Sugar Wire Flesh
UMO - Rocking Horse
40318 - Lapse

Fantastically odd little tape here on the ultra-obscure Caligari cassette label.
Kakera, by Shimizu Akemi, would fit right in on the Vanity Music box set... sounds a bit like Tolerance. Takahiro Yamazaki's track sounds like casio drums being played with a TV in the background. Isan Sozokunin (who are also on the Paris Tokyo cassette) play a little stumbling punk song. Tolcaderro (who are on Red Tape, a Swiss cassette released in conjunction with Caligari) play a harmonica and broken machine duet. Kumio Kurachi's track is a real stand out, sounding also very Vanity-esque. This might be the same Kumio Kurachi that appears on the Lost Vow CD compilation. Sugar Wire Flesh... where to begin? This is probably the most brain-damaged track I have on any album. Without beans?? UMO follows up with a pleasant piano number before the tape is ended with a nice industrial noise track from international tape scene contributor 40318.
Quite possibly the most baffling and obscure item in my collection. Enjoy!!

Download.

Taiji - Endress World. Coincidence. Evanesce. 7" flexi (胎内レーベル, 1985)

2011-04-03T23:11:00.006-05:00

Side A
Endress World
Coincidence
Evanesce

Killer one-sided flexi with three brief industrial-noise pieces. Released on the same label as Himegozen, and somewhat similar to some Sympathy Nervous stuff or the Gurdjieff 7" I posted a while back. Really nice... I hope to get some of their cassettes eventually.

Download.

Pale Cocoon - 繭 cassette + Toy Box flexi (Pafe, 1984)

2011-03-24T23:04:00.010-05:00

Side A

Sora
Shunmin
Musoukyoku
Mizutamari
Onshitsu
Kumoatsume

Side B
Toy Box
Laboratory Under the Blue Sky
Room=Manhole
Automatic Doll
Microscorp
FLALORM

I'm extremely pleased to share with you the one and only full length by ultra-cult Stalking Duppi maximum seal of approval group PALE COCOON! This tape follows the Secret Sounds 10" pretty closely in sound, in fact a few of these songs are alternate versions of those tunes. Dark dream-pop oscillating between eerie and elated... and constantly defying comparison.

Download.

Also available for download now is the flyer/flexi that accompanied the 黄金時代 picture 7" that I poster earlier. The song is an alternate version (my favorite version!) of Toy Box, different from that which appears on the 繭 tape.

Download.

bonus video time!

Both of today's downloads were contributed by loyal readers. You know who you are... thanks a bunch!

P.T.A's - Young Vernacular 10" (Cragale, 1984)

2011-03-23T22:06:00.004-05:00

Side A

Takin' My Vice

Side B
To and Fro
Obsession

Here's P.T.A's 3rd release on Cragale. Far more similar to the mid-80's new-wave rock sound on Tiger / Fukumen Toshi than the brittle krautpunk of their first 7", but still pretty fun.
I promised I'd post this for a reader... ages ago! Hope it's everything you dreamed.

Download.

Noise - 天皇 LP (ALM, 1980)

2011-03-16T22:32:00.001-05:00

Side A

死 (Der Tod)
水 (Wasser)

Side B
地球は青い (Die Erde Ist Blau)
天皇 (Tenno)
羊 (Schaf)

Legandary first recording of Tori and Reiko Kudo of Maher Shalal Hash Baz fame. The off-kilter methodology and stumbling attitude is still present, but here it's drenched in an abrasive and tape-hissy miasma. Somewhere between Suicide and Nico?

Download.

P.S. - The disastrous situation in Japan is ongoing, and people still need your help. Please consider contributing to a relief fund. You can find more information in my post here.

Help Japan

2011-03-13T14:18:00.003-05:00

If you are a reader of this blog, I implore you to donate some money to help Japan after the massive earthquake and tsunami they recently suffered. Remember, even a very small amount is better than nothing.

AMERICAN RED CROSS: Emergency Operation Centers are opened in the affected areas and staffed by the chapters. This disaster is on a scale larger than the Japanese Red Cross can typically manage. Donations to the American Red Cross can be allocated for the International Disaster Relief Fund, which then deploys to the region to help. Donate here.

GLOBALGIVING: Established a fund to disburse donations to organizations providing relief and emergency services to victims of the earthquake and tsunami. Donate here.

SAVE THE CHILDREN: Mobilizing to provide immediate humanitarian relief in the shape of emergency health care and provision of non-food items and shelter. Donate here.

SALVATION ARMY: The Salvation Army has been in Japan since 1895 and is currently providing emergency assistance to those in need. Donate here.

AMERICARES: Emergency team is on full alert, mobilizing resources and dispatching an emergency response manager to the region. Donate here.

CONVOY OF HOPE: Disaster Response team established connection with in-country partners who have been impacted by the damage and are identifying the needs and areas where Convoy of Hope may be of the greatest assistance. Donate here.

INTERNATIONAL MEDICAL CORPS: Putting together relief teams, as well as supplies, and are in contact with partners in Japan and other affected countries to assess needs and coordinate our activities. Donate here.

SHELTER BOX: The first team is mobilizing to head to Japan and begin the response effort. Donate here.

Takami - ー天使行ーY. De Noir Ⅱ LP (LLE, 1983)

2011-03-10T00:02:00.006-06:00

Side A

最后の夢
イノセント
雨あがりの街（わたしは手に鈴をもって）

Side B
現身のエーリス
あなただけの・・・・そして,わたしだけの
天使行　Ⅱ
夕暮れ

Super zonked out and mind-warping expedition from the duo of cosmic chanteuse Takami and post-kosmische explorer Pneuma. Pretty wild stuff, with some of the longer tracks consisting solely of Takami's baleful moans. Other bits sound sort of Nico-ish and medieval.

Download.

Reiko Kudo - Rice Field Silently Riping in the Night CD (Periodic Document, 2000)

2011-03-02T20:16:00.006-06:00

Tracklisting

Kaihatu-San
My Brother
Mihoko
Liliy
Emi & Mrs Evans
Mrs Wheeler
Son of Mna
As You Wake Up in the Morning
Together
Consolation
Rose

Ok, so this isn't from the 80s, but that's not going to stop me from sharing this work of genius with you. Reiko and Tori Kudo are the wife/husband duo behind the legendary group Maher Shalal Hash Baz. Now MSHB gets a lot of attention, but Reiko's solo albums are just as staggering. This one in particular is probably my favorite...

Download.

NON baNd - s/t 10" (Telegraph, 1982)

2011-02-06T20:09:00.004-06:00

Side A

Duncan Dancin'
Ghetto
Wild Child (Can't Stand It)

Side B
Solar
Dance Song
あわのうた~Bap Pang

Fun and funky new-wave/no-wave duo. They're still around if I'm not mistaken!

Download.

Klara Circus - Angel Orphan / Boku No Katamuki 7" flexi (Nagomu, 1987)

2011-01-30T20:46:00.004-06:00

Side A

Angel Orphan

Side B
Boku no Katamuki

As promised, here's some more from the Nagomu label. This is is more along the off-kilter twee folk naïvete axis of Nagomu groups.

Download.

Mamoru Fujieda - Radiated Falling 7" flexi (Marquee Moon, 1982)

2011-01-10T22:37:00.003-06:00

Fujieda is a post-minimalist composer who studied under Morton Feldman. Radiated Falling, perhaps his most well-known piece, is an electronically manipulated recording of one of Fujieda's piano-based works. Interestingly enough, the original Alm/Kojima Records flexi of Radiated Falling is available from Mimaroglu Music Sales.

This concludes the Marquee Moon flexi series. Hope you enjoyed them! I'll be back after a short breather with some of that Nagomu stuff that you all seem to enjoy.

Download.

Aquapolis - Eldorado 7" flexi (Marquee Moon, 1982)

2011-01-10T22:22:00.005-06:00

Instrumental prog jams. I don't even know if this band is Japanese. Completely obscure.

Download.

Heiner Goebbels & Alfred Harth - I Don't Bend, I Never Turn Round 7" flexi (Marquee Moon, 1982)

2011-01-10T21:50:00.002-06:00

Really fantastic track here from forward-thinking improv duo Goebbels & Harth that I don't think appeared on any of their albums (feel free to correct me). Wonderfully wobbly and off balance from the start, just gets better as it goes along.

Download.

Sema - S. Minor Ghosts 7" flexi (Marquee Moon, 1982)

2011-01-05T22:37:00.004-06:00

Dark experimental composition from Robert Haigh in his Sema days. I believe this track comes from his Theme From Hunger LP, and the actual title is S.S. Minor Ghosts. Though not Japanese music, this seems to be the most collectible of the Marquee Moon flexis.

Download.

Magical Power Mako / Time Unit - Music From Heaven / The Clap & Ko-ten 7" flexi (Marquee Moon, 1981)

2011-01-05T21:03:00.000-06:00

Choice grooves from Japan's long-running psych-maverick (essentially a preview for his album of the same name, released by Marquee Moon a year later), backed with similarly anachronistic prog jams from the obscure group Time Unit.

Download.

Lost / Kaleidoscope - お前は呪文を唱へる / Darkness 7" flexi (Marquee Moon, 1981)

2011-01-05T20:37:00.002-06:00

More goth and prog (but not quite goth-prog this time) on the Marquee Moon flexi-disc label.
Do any of you readers know more about Lost? Their track here is super creepy and excellent, really hits my buttons in the 'random effects' department, too. Jazz-prog band Kaleidoscope is equally obscure, so any info on these groups would be much appreciated!

Download.

Libido / Pneuma - Motionless / 滅びの塔 7" flexi (Marquee Moon, 1981)

2011-01-04T14:18:00.000-06:00

The third Marquee Moon flexi just might be my favorite. Libido's Motionless is simply one of the most deliciously sub-zero minimal-synth tracks ever. Pair that with Pneuma's cosmic cyber-noir vibes and you've got a real winner.

Download.

Gilles de Rais / Phaidia - Sanatorium / 楽園 7" flexi (Marquee Moon, 1981)

2011-01-04T13:50:00.000-06:00

Double dose of gothy weirdness here, featuring Gilles de Rais, an earlier incarnation of Stalking Duppi favorites Pale Cocoon, and Phaidia, a group notable for featuring the octopoidal drumming talents of Yoshida Tatsuya.
Gilles de Rais really take the proverbial cake here with a stunning gothic synth track. The stuttering, glorpy breakdown really solidifies this for me as a masterpiece. Now to find their single on Aspirin Records...
Phaidia... wow, goth-prog! Just the sort of spaghetti-sandwich combo I thought not plausible turns out to be pretty cool!

Download.

Katra Turana - Mortera in the Moonlight 7" flexi (Marquee Moon, 1981)

2011-01-04T13:09:00.001-06:00

I don't know much about the Marquee Moon magazine itself (if there is any info online, it is most certainly buried beneath a world's weight in references to Television's classic LP), but, like Yuzuri Agi's Rock Magazine, some of their early issues included some pretty killer flexi-discs (nine total, if I'm not mistaken) documenting Japan's growing underground scene. I'll be sharing these in (hopefully) rapid-fire succession over the next few days.

First up is Katra Turana's Mortera in the Moonlight. The debut missive from this band of pirouetting mischief makers finds them fully formed at birth, able to conjure up their wonderfully wobbly carousel atmosphere with ease. Head spinning!

Download.

Pablo Picasso - Soft Type LP (Telegraph Records, 1983)

2010-12-28T21:41:00.000-06:00

Side A

Yah!

MANY MANY

内側の歌 Part 1

Side B

内側の歌 Part 2

Sign

Not Movin'

Following the 7" I posted earlier, here's the brilliant and only LP from this cacophonous Tokyo no-wave trio. Super dubbed out and effects-laden scrawl somewhere between The Pop Group's Y and PiL's Metal Box. The production on this one is so 'out there' at times, it had me checking the insert to see if it was produced by Kaoru Sato (it wasn't). Amazing stuff!

Download.

Urban Dance - s/t LP (Non-Standard, 1985)

2010-12-20T22:28:00.001-06:00

Tracklisting

Side A

Why

Hitokoma No Ame

Ceramic Love

Subete Wa Himitsu No Yoru

We All Go Down

Side B

Hammer

Dr. Diet

Dreamer

Remaking of Non-Standard Music

Debut record by this stylish techno-pop group lead by Shinobu Narita, fresh from disbanding his previous group, 4-D (one of their members left to join P-Model). The production, by Yukihiro Takahashi and Haruomi Hosono of YMO, is head-spinning, featuring the kind of sharp-focus wackiness you have already have a taste for if you enjoyed the Momoyo and Yoran singles over at Habit of Sex. Listen close for some pretty silly lyrics too: I desire your VCR, I'd like to watch you in slow-motion (Ceramic Love), and So don't put your hands on those Rice Krispies (Dr. Diet) are personal favorites.

Download.

bonus video time!

Minca Panopica - Heckell Jackell 12" (Nagomu, 1989)

2010-12-20T01:28:00.000-06:00

Tracklisting

Side In

Heckell Jackell

Trouble Western

Chikyu Wa Mawaru

Oh! Maria

Side Out

Chu-Chu

Go Go! Oscar

Bali-Hi

More doinko pop naiveté from the Nagomu crew. Just when you thought it couldn't get stupider, here comes electropop hoe-downs, children's choirs, rubberized guitar solos and other such nonsense. Sorta like a mass-market Picky Picnic, I suppose. Great!

Download.

bonus video time!

Pablo Picasso - s/t 7" (Telegraph Records, 1981)

2010-12-20T00:33:00.000-06:00

Tracklisting

Side A

紫外線

Side B

Not Movin'

Tangled no-wave groove from the rather reliable Telegraph label. If you like the skritch-skratch guitar of DNA, Mars, et al, this one's for you!

Download.

Yasuaki Shimizu - IQ 179 LP (Columbia Japan, 1981)

2010-12-14T22:09:00.000-06:00

Tracklisting

Side A

Crow

Lizard Hako

Doll Play I

Puzzle 34

Cloud 9

Side B

△E=△mc 2

=Amnesia

IQ 179

Little "L"

Doll Play II

Shashin

Lost Horizon

Confounding electro-jazz-fusion moves from this ex-Mariah saxophonist. Just when you think you've got this record figured out, it turns on a dime. Seriously, the range of quality here is astounding, whizzing from Wha-Ha-Ha-esque levels of synth blippiness to white wine soaked Mom-Jazz, Grover Washington Jr style. I sure hope that comparison didn't just turn you all off from downloading this, as there are some pretty brilliant moments to be heard!

Download.

Synchronize - 訪問者, 幼年期... 7" (Plaza, 198?)

2010-11-29T21:20:00.000-06:00

Tracklisting

Side A

訪問者

Side B

幼年期

Depressive darkwave with piano and some interesting guitar mix. Rather spartan... and is it just me, or does side A's intro sound like it's hinting at a Blue Öyster Cult song?

Download.

ミン&クリナメン - 世界によろしく 7" EP (Nagomu, 1987)

2010-11-29T20:52:00.000-06:00

Tracklisting

Side A

[Japanese Title]

Side B

[Japanese Title] I

[Japanese Title] II

More wackiness from the Nagomu label, this time from female-fronted group Min & Kurinamen. A-side is a high-energy speed-punk track tailor-made for bouncing off the walls, replete with background vocals, an over-the-top guitar solo, and more generally ridiculous elements. Side B... surprise free-jazz! Which leads into a rollicking jazz-punk tune. Fun stuff. Enjoy!

Download.

Para-Phrase - SU-DE-NI!? 7" flexi (Beat Generation, 1981)

2010-11-29T19:59:00.000-06:00

Tracklisting

Side A

SU-DE-NI!?

Great little single-sided flexi from this obscure Sapporo group. Very 'Tokyo Rockers' inspired (Friction, Lizard, etc). Nice!
If you like this, be sure to grab this live recording posted at the great Music Is A Better Noise blog.

Download.

パイナップル4.9 - s/t 10" (Gym, 1983)

2010-11-28T01:12:00.001-06:00

Tracklisting

Side A

でんでででん

Na-

夜に

コロコロ

Side B

ふるえる○×△

あの石

わらりぼ

空・旗

I hadn't ever heard of this band when I bought the 10", but I figured that a band with the name Pineapple4.9 and an album cover like that wouldn't disappoint. I'd say I was right, though I have a hard time pinning down exactly what is so appealing about it. They're almost like a no-wave band with all the nervous tension drained, leaving them diffused and skeletal. Pretty mellow, but just enough subtle strangeness to keep me interested.

Download.

Sakata Orchestra - 4 O'Clock LP (Better Days, 1981)

2010-11-26T09:56:00.000-06:00

Tracklisting

Side A

What Time is It?

4 O'Clock

Side B

E? E!! E?

Trapper

Fantastic LP from this Wha-Ha-Ha member and mainstay of the Japanese avant-jazz scene. Features a little bit of the goofy computer electronics and crazed vocals of Wha-Ha-Ha, but mostly this is all about the free-wheelin' jazz!
I believe someone had requested this LP in the comments... sorry for the wait.

Download.

The Goónzees - s/t 7" flexi (Kuru Kuru, 1983)

2010-11-23T15:37:00.001-06:00

Tracklisting

Side A

ぬるぬる (This is a Love Song)

Side B

うぞうむぞう

Here's one of the most obscure pieces in my collection. Mentions of this band on the web are scant, and this flexi was completely 'ungoogleable' when I bought it. Turned out to be a pretty good purchase though!
Very, very PIL-influenced cavernous post-punk racket with a fierce guitar sound referencing Neu!'s "Negativland" and dubby effects all over the place. Really great stuff. If anyone has more info on this band, I'd love to hear it.

Download.

Sadato Group - s/t 7" flexi (Kang-Gung, 1984)

2010-11-13T16:06:00.003-06:00

Tracklisting

Side A

Kafesho

Side B

Gohon Gahon

Rather odd cosmic free-rock nuttiness from this mostly-Japanese group led by Swiss-born-Iranian-living-then-in-Tokyo-but-now-in-New-York multi-instrumentalist Sohrab Saadat Ladjevardi (Sadato seems to have been his Japanese name). Zappa and free-jazz seem to be the major touchstones here. Wild stuff!

Download.

Ikari - s/t 7" flexi (R.B.F., 1984)

2010-11-12T23:03:00.001-06:00

Tracklisting

Side A

Lucky Time

No Perspective

Cool flexi from this P-Model side-project featuring two quick punk songs with some interesting elements and a unique sound. Definitely worth checking out despite the brevity of my write-up here.

Download.

Bachikaburi - Ichi-ryu 7" EP (Nagomu, 1985)

2010-11-12T09:40:00.003-06:00

Tracklisting

Side A

Only You

彼岸 Higan (Nirvana)

Side B

稲荷 Inari (Inari)

苦行 Kugyo (Penance)
返答（貧困）Hentou(Hinkon) Answer(Poverty)

While this is technically the second record I've posted from Nagomu Records (the other was Picky Picnic's Lovely Water Peaceful), I'd say this is the first to really demonstrate the Nagomu aesthetic. If you don't know, Nagomu was founded by Kera, the singer of the subsequently successful group Uchouten. The label quickly established a distinct sound and became somewhat of a phenomenon, even spawning it's own fashion movement in the form of the Nagomu-gal look, a colorful, bohemian style. Though trendy, the label cultivated a fairly bizarre trademark. Bachikaburi here illustrate perfectly the manic punk-rock idiocy prevalent in much of Nagomu's early catalog.

Download.

姫御前 - s/t 7" flexi (胎内レーベル, 1985)

2010-11-08T01:13:00.001-06:00

Tracklisting

Side A

Doll

電機人形

Here's a fun little single-sided flexi that I noticed was selling somewhat high on eBay. Weird and wobbly technopop with female vocals. Sorta like if Lewisite got a concussion or drank too much cough syrup. Pretty great! I sure wish this band released more...

Download.

Picky Picnic - Lovely Water Peaceful 7" flexi (Nagomu, 1986)

2010-11-01T01:06:00.001-05:00

Tracklisting

Side A

Lovely Water Peaceful

Side B

Blue Mountain 500 Miles Goes By

More insanity from Picky Picnic, one of the best bands ever.
Like Cynical Hysteria World, this release features the artistic and musical talents of famed animator Kiriko Kubo - a perfect match for Picky Picnic. Her influence seems to temper the group slightly, but they're still unquestionably idiotic here, as evidenced by the completely a cappella Martin Denny parody Blue Mountain 500 Miles Goes By.

Download.

Tomo Akikawabaya - 1985 7" (Castle, 1985)

2010-10-28T19:08:00.001-05:00

Tracklisting

Side A

Diamond

Side B

A Dream of No Pillow

Some of you might have already heard the A-side to this fantastic single over at the Habit of Sex tumblr (which I hope all of you are following), but I thought I'd post it here at SD because #1 - it would be a little bit redundant to post it on HOS, and #2 - you wanna hear the B-side, right?
I had completely blown off (i.e. didn't add to my eBay watch-list) the works of Tomo Akikawabaya for a while, mostly due to the kinda cheesy covers (all featuring the same 80s-lady), but the huge prices they were fetching weren't helping to catch my interest either. Being not entirely proficient in determining the gender of some Japanese names, I had assumed it was some synthy dance-pop with female vocals, so you can imagine my surprise when I finally heard the song Mars on YouTube. I thought it must have been either a mistake, a guest vocalist, or a woman with a hell of a deep voice. When I eventually obtained 1985, I played it first at 45 and it confirmed my suspicions. But wait! The label says 33!
Now confident that what I was hearing was a crooning dude, I began to really enjoy this Akikawabaya stuff. The corny New-Romantic conviction in Tomo's voice as he delivers the fantasy-themed lyrics of Diamond strangely affected me, drawing me in to his no-doubt mirrored and fog-machined world. Becoming hooked on the song, I eventually moved past that sort of tongue-in-cheek nostalgia-loving and developed a full-on love of Akikawabaya's records. This stuff is moody, languid, brilliant minimal synth/New-Romantic music - possibly the pinnacle of it's certain sector in the genre.
A certain mystery develops when one really enjoys these records too. Who is this girl that appears on all the cover art? Her name shows up on the back cover as Rena Anju, credited as model. In fact, Anju is the title of another Tomo 12" from 1985, so did these two share a close relationship? It's possible, but for some reason I can't imagine this attractive woman going for the kind of guy who self-produces his own synthesizer records to complete obscurity. It's possible that she acted as sort of muse. Another curious tidbit is that the 12" immediately following Anju is the only cover that doesn't feature the titular model, but instead a woodcut. This 12" is titled Kojiki to Onna, translating to "Beggar and Woman," which one can certainly read into...
If you enjoy this one, keep an eye on Habit of Sex in the next few days, as I'll be posting Tomo's masterpiece: The Castle!

Download.

P-Model - One Pattern LP (Alfa, 1986)

2010-10-28T01:05:00.002-05:00

Tracklisting

Side A

Oh Mama!

Licorice Leaf

Astro Notes

Möbius Band

Drums

Side B

Zebra

Oyasumi Dog

Another Day

Harmonium

Sunpaleets

Here's P-Model's nearly-as-good follow-up to Karkador and their final album before going on a 6-year hiatus. Some really wonderful, spastic technopop production going on here, especially on tracks like Licorice Leaf and Oyasumi Dog. Those of you who are anime fans might recognize some of the melodies from Zebra, which is practically a blueprint for singer Hirasawa's later work for Satoshi Kon's Paranoia Agent series.

Download.

P-Model - Karkador LP (Alfa, 1985)

2010-10-25T01:27:00.001-05:00

Tracklisting

Side A

Karkador

On the Organ-Yama

Dance Subomp

Cyborg

1778-1985

Side B

Leak

Oar

Hourglass

Piper

Karcador

7th album from this long-running and much revered new-wave group. This one really grew on me after first being disappointed with how normal it seemed next to the zolo oddity of Perspective or the Devo-ish doink of their first two outings. Smart, sophisticated songwriting prevailed, and now I consider this to be one of the high-points in the P-Model discography. Cyborg and Piper are gems among gems...

Download.

Pale Cocoon - 黄金時代 7" picture disc (Pafe, 1984)

2010-10-21T11:00:00.003-05:00

Tracklisting

Side A

黄金時代

Side B

街燈

More gauzy, blurry melancholy from the great Pale Cocoon, this time on a pretty cool looking picture disc (sorry hi-fi fans). I think it's just as brilliant as the Secret Sounds 10" I posted earlier. 黄金時代 is a glittering, cosmic shoegazer with a weird sort of constant tinnitus effect to it as the song warps and swells. Side B's 街燈 ramps up the morose factor with a similarly warbling piano and synth piece. Definitely check this out of you enjoyed Secret Sounds or the Funeral Party 7" over at Habit of Sex.

Note: This 7" came packaged with a playable flexi-disc show flyer, but my auto-return turntable doesn't like playing things that small. The song on it is extremely good, so I promise to find a way to upload it. I'll include it with a later post of Pale Cocoon odds and ends.

Download.

Rorie With ATH - Door Dream 7" EP (Altamira, 1982)

2010-10-15T00:54:00.001-05:00

Tracklisting

Door Side

花子の爪

赤・夜を染める

Dream Side

Momently 1

Just 2 Minute

クモの居ないクモの巣

Brain-damaged free-rock clamor from this group with connections to Luna Park Ensemble, A-Musik, and Daisuck & Prostitute. Definitely recommended if you enjoyed the Phew and Amaryllis posts, or any of the aforementioned groups.

Download.

The Return of Video Game Music LP (Alfa, 1985)

2010-10-12T00:51:00.001-05:00

Tracklisting

Side A

Fanfare From Pole Position II

Grobda

Dig Dug II

Dragon Buster

Metro Cross (Part I)

Gaplus

The Tower of Druaga

Side B

Mood Organ #27

Meta Magic Game

Merry Goes Around (Dedicated to Mariko Kunimoto)

Standard Theme

Mechanism of Vision

Metro Cross (Part II)

This LP is the sequel to the "Video Game Music" album arranged by Haruomi Hosono of YMO. This time around, arrangement duties fall in the hands of Koji Ueno of Guernica fame, who does a pretty alright job. It can't be a simple, really, as most of these early arcade compositions were meant to be looped indefinitely until the player succeeds or loses, cueing another soundbite. Ueno (and Hosono before him) don't ignore that fact, and admirably present the music in all its incessant glory, with in-game sound effects, chance deaths, and subsequent victories disrupting any sort of logical song-structure. This sort of video game music is actually pretty bizarre taken out of context...
Side B get's a bit bogged down with some original (non-video game) compositions, but the wacky "Meta Magic Game" is a highlight.

Download.

月光慰問客 - 月がでたので 7" EP (Pafe, 1986)

2010-10-10T20:12:00.001-05:00

Tracklisting

Side A

月がでたので

砂丘にて

Side B

迷子

青空

Charming europhilia from Gekko Imonkyaku, another Pafe Records group. Comparable to Kumiko Suyama and possibly Bernthøler, Antena, etc., as it has a bit of that Crepuscule vibe to it. I imagine the heavy dose of accordion here will cause opinions to vary, but I hope we can all agree that the closing track (青空, produced by labelmates Funeral Party) is pretty cool.

Download.

Pale Cocoon - 青空の実験室 / Secret Sounds 10" EP (Pafe, 1982)

2010-10-10T19:26:00.004-05:00

Tracklisting

Side A

青空の実験室

自動人形

Side B

少女の歌

水たまり (Brain To Vain)

I first heard about this band from a collector who named them as one of his top 3 favorite bands from Japan - the other two were Wha-Ha-Ha and Picky Picnic. Well, if Wha-Ha-Ha is a bunch of highly-trained adult lunatics, and Picky Picnic is a daycare gone wrong, then Pale Cocoon is the brooding middle sibling locked up in his room reading Edgar Allen Poe. All sorts of weird stuff going on here: warbly synths, rickety, metronomic percussion, field recordings, alternating between pastoral and cloistered without ever losing the consistency of a very private sonic universe. One of the great unknown bands of the 80's, if I do say so myself.

Download.

Lewisite - タイムトラベラー 7" (Cragale, 1985)

2010-09-22T20:57:00.001-05:00

Tracklisting

Side A

タイムトラベラー (Time Traveller)

Side B

Japanese Title

(unfortunately, these two song titles were printed very small, so I was not able to transcribe the kanji)

Delightful, delicate synth-pop from Lewisite, who only 2 years prior to this gem released the really abrasive "Siteseeing" EP, also on Cragale. I love both Jekyll and Hyde in this case, but I'm far more apt to whistle "Time Traveller", a flawless pop song that I can even imagine being an anime theme circa '85. Side B's no slacker either, delivering two more charmers in less than 4 minutes. Don't be surprised if these get stuck your head...

Download.

3F=C - と・ま・ど・い 7" flexi (R.B.F., 1984)

2010-09-17T13:50:00.005-05:00

Tracklisting

Side A

りんご (Ringo, trans. "Apple")

ばなな (Banana)

へび (Hebi, trans. "Snake")

とろっこ (Torokko, trans. "Wagon")

ときめき (Tokimeki, trans. "Crush")

Here's the sole 7" from 3F=C, a girl-girl duo consisting of Noriko on bass and Sumiko (possibly also in the band Kyah) on guitar. The two craft a breed of bare-bones pop songs that reminds me of the "UK DIY" scene and its offspring, namely Young Marble Giants, etc. Each song is great, but "Tokimeki" really tops it, sounding to me like what might play in '50s-style diners on the sunken isle of Atlantis. This was actually one of the first "indies" items I obtained, and it's still one of my all-time favorites!

I should also mention that the title is pronounced "To・Ma・Do・I", which I think is a play-on-words (tomadoi meaning "confusion" and to ma do i meaning "and the two will not"), but I could be wrong, so please correct me if you can.

Enjoy!

Download.

Agencement - untitled LP (Pico, 1986)

2010-09-13T23:07:00.001-05:00

Tracklisting

Side A

Untitled

Side B

Untitled

Here's something a bit more challenging after a streak of comparatively more palatable postings. Agencement is the solo project of Hideaki Shimada, a violinist who became interested in European improv music in the late 70's before releasing his recordings at the suggestion of noise artist Masami Akita (Merzbow). The music falls squarely between those two camps, and is both "free" and utterly purgatorial.
This particular LP (released in an edition of 300) contains two side-long recordings of scrawling violin, sputtering away without variation or direction. Side A is acoustic solo violin, while side B features Shimada layering and electronically manipulating multiple recordings, resulting in a cacophonous din of squeaking, scattering noise.
Completely bleak and austere, so if you find it impenetrable, save it for one of those days where you feel like staring into the abyss.
Shimada's artwork deserves special note. The back cover of the LP showcases some seriously impressive work, complementing the music perfectly in a way similar to the alien hieroglyphs adorning Mick Barr's Orthrelm albums. Upon very close inspection, one can faintly make out contorted faces, bizarre appendages and arcane symmetrical edifices, conjoined in massive clouds that I imagine stretch beyond the edges in an infinite, hellish universe.

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PTA's - Tiger / Fukumen Toshi 7" (Cragale, 1986)

2010-09-07T17:30:00.009-05:00

Tracklisting

Side A

Tiger

Side B

Fukumen Toshi

Released on Cragale in 1986, this is (as far as I know) the last PTA's release. Some of the same rollicking post-punk present on "New Songs" is here, though very much "reigned in" after having 5 years to become instrumentally proficient. Not such a good thing though, as I found their meandering, one-note strategies to be the totality of their charm, but the good isn't completely gone. The call and response elements of "Tiger" are fun, and the admittedly Edge-like guitarisms of "Fukumen Toshi" paired up with some archetypal Japanese melodies works for me in doses. Worth checking out, though possibly past it's prime.

Download.

P.T.A's - New Songs 7" flexi (Cragale, 1981)

2010-09-05T10:19:00.005-05:00

Tracklisting

Side A
Ishizue
Nagai Owakare

Side B
3 - K

Here's the first release from this gender-balanced group on the excellent and diverse Cragale imprint. Skeletal and motorik post-punk grooves with eerie, wispy melodies above and woozy abstract rustlings threatening to blow the supports. Sinister, edge-of-your-seat stuff -- and their best recording, I say!

Download.

Habit of Sex

2010-08-24T23:43:00.002-05:00

Here's a fantastic blog that I think any reader of Stalking Duppi will appreciate: HABIT OF SEX, run by nattliga_toner (who modestly did not advertise in his post of Yoran's "Montparnasse"). H.O.S. specializes in the darker, gothier sectors of Japanese underground music, featuring releases on cult labels like Wechselbalg, and even some early visual-kei. Especially check out his post of Funeral Party's "Embryo" 7" -- mind-melting stuff!

Also, nattliga_toner and I will periodically be doing guest posts on each others sites. We've already exchanged 2 Yoran singles, and there are many good things to follow.

Yoran - Montparnasse 7" EP (Unbalance, 1981)

2010-08-12T07:33:00.016-05:00

Tracklisting

Side A
Concert Maillol
Je Derve Avec Láir

Side B
Montparnasse
La Bou.....

First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for being given the privilege to post on this very fine blog. I'll try to make my posts here as worthwhile as my record collection and writing abilities allow!

- - -

This is the first solo output by Yoran, released shortly after his stint as a bassist with punk rockers Laughin' Nose. Released on Naoto Hayashis legendary Unbalance label (famous for putting out Hijokaidans first album, among other things, during its brief existence) in 1981, this very singular EP is a far cry from both his previous and subsequent musical efforts.

The tracks contained here are comprised of cut-up and collaged recordings from various unspecified french movies intertwined with the occasional spoken word segments - all seemingly recorded using a cheap-o cassette player making for quite the lo-fi work. Nevertheless, "Montparnasse" harbors a very intriguing surreal atmosphere - just check out the later part of "Concert Maillol" with it's haunting looped piano, indistinct sound samples and Yorans bizarre hummings, mumblings and fumblings (of the tape recorder). I think this would sit well as the soundtrack to any fever dream.

Another favorite is the melancholic and paranoid title track and the ethereal dialogue-ladden murkiness of "Je Derve Avec Láir", but reviews of individual tracks feel pointless as this is definitely meant to be consumed whole. For maximum impact; play this very late at night.

"Montparnasse" was followed up by two more singles (of a totally different nature, I should add) before Yoran temporarily disappeared from the music scene. He later reemerged as a trance DJ under the moniker Yoji Biomehanika and regularly plays at raves all over the world. Nevertheless, I'd say that his main musical legacy lie within the three singles he put out in the early eighties.

Again, I'd wish to give my thanks for being granted to post here on Stalking Duppi, and I sincerely hope you'll all enjoy this outlandish little EP.

Download.

The Gurdjieff - self-titled 7" EP (Night Gallery Records, 1985)

2010-08-10T10:55:00.008-05:00

Tracklisting

Side A
S.P.I.Ritual
Optical Illusion

Side B
Oratorio
Animal Language

As far as I know, this is the only recording from "The Gurdjieff" outside of their/his/her appearance on the "Individual Music Osaka" cassette book released by Yuzuri Agi after the dissolution of Vanity Records. Released on the very odd Night Gallery label (run by guitarist of Auschwitz, I think), that also released Yoran, Duppi, and others before switching entirely to heavy metal. A strange trajectory...

The Gurdjieff is especially bizarre, skirting the line between morose minimal synth and all-out electro-industrial noise. The phrase "Maurizio Bianchi in Dracula's castle" is strangely applicable. Back cover has "THANKS TO NORMAL•B" printed underneath the song titles. I wasn't sure if that was a direct reference to Normal Brain (from Vanity Records) until I noticed a Texas Instruments Speak & Spell buried in the mix on "Oratorio". Not to be missed. Enjoy!

Download.

Wha-Ha-Ha / Sakata Orchestra split 7" (Better Days Records, 1981)

2010-07-29T11:03:00.006-05:00

Tracklisting

Side A
Wha-Ha-Ha - Onna De Yokota

Side B
Sakata Orchestra - Wha-Ha-Ha Ondo

This is one of the more obscure records from the art-pop-prog-jazz nutzoid group Wha-Ha-Ha, here backed with Sakata Orchestra, virtually the same band as far as I can tell. Imagine a Picky Picnic with serious chops and you're almost there.

Download.

Amaryllis - Oto-san 7" (Amaryllis Records, 1985)

2010-07-18T19:48:00.004-05:00

Tracklisting

Side A
Oto-san

Side B
Sensei (Sono No Ichi)
Shinya No Dekigoto

How about that cover, eh? This group was from Kyoto, home to an incredible experimental scene in the 80s. Much of this scene is documented in the "Foam" 2LP comp on Ylem records, produced and curated by Kaoru Sato of EP-4 and R.N.A. Organism. Sato's name on a record causes a giant exclamation mark to appear above my head, and you'll know why after hearing this.

I'll come right out and say that this is one of my favorite 7"s ever. 10 minutes of hallucinatory mania starting with "Oto-san" on the A-side, a driving, post-punky track that goes way overboard in every department. The nuttiness is ratcheted up a notch from the get-go on side B, the first track seeming to perpetually be in a state of trying to decide whether it wants to be 33⅓ or 45rpm, with echo-guitar and plink-plonk synths only adding to the dizziness. B2 throws in out-of-the-blue classical samples and a few abused instruments, punctuating vocalist Alice Sailor's surreal wails. Stupefying.

If you enjoy this, stay tuned. We'll be seeing more Amaryllis and Kaoru Sato 'round these parts.

Download.

note: This 7" was distributed by Telegraph Records, so I'm tagging it as such. I plan to share many more records on Telegraph.

Voice - self-titled 10" EP (Kitchen Records, 198?)

2010-07-17T00:36:00.008-05:00

Tracklisting

Side A
Betsudo No Nakano Shiawase (Happiness in Bed at Night)
Kiyanbasu No Hiroin (Heroine of the Canvas)

Side B
Tazogawa No Hamabe (Beach of the Dusk)
Maruseiyu (Marseilles)

This tolerable slice of new-wave is mostly interesting for being on the Kitchen Records label, known to "Indies" collectors and blogophiles as the label that released a Variètè flexi and the (Vanity Records related) MLD 7". Unfortunately, the rest of the Kitchen discography is less inspired. Not to say that you shouldn't check this out - just know that this drifts in to some rather cloying, XTC-sounding territory.

I don't recognize any of the band member's names, but I noticed that Keiichi Ohta was responsible for the art direction. Ohta was a member of Guernica with Jun Togawa, and released a great solo album. He's sure to pop up again on this blog...

Download.

EDIT: This one is starting to grow on me...

Picky Picnic - Cynical Hysteria World 2x7" (Panic Records, 1986)

2010-07-14T01:46:00.002-05:00

Tracklisting

Side A
Fanfare / どんぐり行進曲 (Donguri Koushinkyoku, trans. "Acorn March")

Side B
It's a Hysterical Place
Tsuntapunk
びょうき (Byouki, trans. "Ill")

Side C
トリップ・サンドイッチ (Torippu・Sandoitsuchi, "Trip・Sandwich")

Side D
Go Go Twins
(仮) 放課後 ((Kari) Houkago, "(Provisional) After School")

This group is often compared to the Residents, but I find their sonic palette to be idiosyncratically Japanese. The kindergarten-prog thing going on here sets them comfortably beside the avant-naïve stylings of their brethren in Wha-Ha-Ha, yet there's just enough of a punk aesthetic there to attach them to German label-mates Der Plan, Pyrolator, and the rest of the Ata Tak crew.

This double 7" EP (I believe it's their final release) sees the usual duo of Kaoru Todoroki and Yuji Asuka teamed up with famed animator/illustrator Kiriko Kubo, probably known best in the states for doing the album art for John Zorn's Cobra. It's a match made in heaven, really. In fact, a few of Kiriko's works have titles very similar to those of Picky Picnic (Cynical Hysterie Hour, Kuru Kuru Cynical), causing me to wonder just how close their relationship was. Sadly, Picky Picnic would disband shortly after this recording for reasons unknown.

Download.

Phew - Finale / Urahara 7" (Pass Records, 1980)

2010-07-12T01:58:00.002-05:00

Tracklisting

Side A
終曲 (Shuukyoku, trans. "Finale")

Side B
うらはら (Urahara, trans. ???)

1st solo recording by Phew (Hiromi Moritani), formerly of no-wave group Aunt Sally, on the essential Pass Records label (PAS-203). Ryuichi Sakamoto, helming the mix, does brilliant work here, especially on the fractured "Urahara", replete with discordant piano, plink-plonk synthwork (reminiscent of his B-2 Unit LP), and Phew's inimitable deadpan chant. No doubt this is what caught the ear of Holger Czukay and Jaki Liebezeit, who would later join her on her follow-up LP.

Download.

Tolerance - Today's Thrill flexi (Vanity Records, 1980)

2010-05-09T20:53:00.002-05:00

Tracklisting

Side A
Today's Thrill

With this beautiful blue flexi-disc let me welcome you to STALKING DUPPI. I'll be posting a lot of Japanese "Indies" (80's underground) groups, so stay tuned. If you recognize the blog name, you've come to the right place...

For some background on this flexi, I recommend you take a minute to read Dave Knapik's Vanity Records overview at his blog. You'll notice he's linked everything but the flexis... something I hope to change here at SD.

True to the Tolerance m.o. (and that of Vanity Records in general), this is 5 and a half minutes of muted thump, acoustic-or-electronic? rustle, nearly inaudible female vocals, and meandering synthesizer. Enjoy.

Download.

STALKING DUPPI

Well...

Popsong's Factory - My Pops / D'Ameja 7" (Pillbox, 1981)

Chiko Hige x Kaoru Sato - Le Chant De La Honte! 12" (Telegraph, 1985)

Real Fish - テナン LP (Invitation, 1985)

Taiji - Musique Concrete 8" flexi (胎内レーベル, 1983)

Sympathy Nervous - Automaticism LP (Minimal Wave, 2011)

Zombie Project - Hispaniola 7" flexi (self-released, 1983)

Thought Broadcast - Up-Maker 7"

EGO 02 / Critical Species - Individual Music Ozaka 1985 cassette + zine

Translation help needed.

Panasist - Hoshizora No Panasist / Dummy Robot 7" (Epic, 1980)

Sodom - Material Flower 12" (Trans, 1986)

Quasimode - 真昼 [Jeux De Vertige] LP (Di-Stance, 1986)

He Was - s/t 7" flexi (Kageroh, 1983)

Dendö Marionette - s/t 7" flexi (QP., 1981)

sh - 深き森から 7" (Zero, 1983)

Geil - I'm 7" (Taiyo, 1986)

Libido - 低く飛んでゆく 7" (LLE, 1986)

+Alpha - s/t 7" (self-released, 198?)

Chance Operation - Demo. Seat 7" flexi (self-released, 1980)

C. Memi - Heavenly Peace (Fairy Records, 1982)

Commune - Will/I Can't Believe 7" (Autonomy, 1979)

Room - Promotion Disk 7" flexi (Room, 1984)

Metro Farce - Barizanveaux LP (Kitchen, 1983)

Mariah - うたかたの日々 2x12" (Better Days, 1983)

Various Artists - "Green Tape" cassette (Caligari, 198?)

Taiji - Endress World. Coincidence. Evanesce. 7" flexi (胎内レーベル, 1985)

Pale Cocoon - 繭 cassette + Toy Box flexi (Pafe, 1984)

P.T.A's - Young Vernacular 10" (Cragale, 1984)

Noise - 天皇 LP (ALM, 1980)

Help Japan

Takami - ー天使行ーY. De Noir Ⅱ LP (LLE, 1983)

Reiko Kudo - Rice Field Silently Riping in the Night CD (Periodic Document, 2000)

NON baNd - s/t 10" (Telegraph, 1982)

Klara Circus - Angel Orphan / Boku No Katamuki 7" flexi (Nagomu, 1987)

Mamoru Fujieda - Radiated Falling 7" flexi (Marquee Moon, 1982)

Aquapolis - Eldorado 7" flexi (Marquee Moon, 1982)

Heiner Goebbels & Alfred Harth - I Don't Bend, I Never Turn Round 7" flexi (Marquee Moon, 1982)

Sema - S. Minor Ghosts 7" flexi (Marquee Moon, 1982)

Magical Power Mako / Time Unit - Music From Heaven / The Clap & Ko-ten 7" flexi (Marquee Moon, 1981)

Lost / Kaleidoscope - お前は呪文を唱へる / Darkness 7" flexi (Marquee Moon, 1981)

Libido / Pneuma - Motionless / 滅びの塔 7" flexi (Marquee Moon, 1981)

Gilles de Rais / Phaidia - Sanatorium / 楽園 7" flexi (Marquee Moon, 1981)

Katra Turana - Mortera in the Moonlight 7" flexi (Marquee Moon, 1981)

Pablo Picasso - Soft Type LP (Telegraph Records, 1983)

Urban Dance - s/t LP (Non-Standard, 1985)

Minca Panopica - Heckell Jackell 12" (Nagomu, 1989)

Pablo Picasso - s/t 7" (Telegraph Records, 1981)

Yasuaki Shimizu - IQ 179 LP (Columbia Japan, 1981)

Synchronize - 訪問者, 幼年期... 7" (Plaza, 198?)

ミン&クリナメン - 世界によろしく 7" EP (Nagomu, 1987)

Para-Phrase - SU-DE-NI!? 7" flexi (Beat Generation, 1981)

パイナップル4.9 - s/t 10" (Gym, 1983)

Sakata Orchestra - 4 O'Clock LP (Better Days, 1981)

The Goónzees - s/t 7" flexi (Kuru Kuru, 1983)

Sadato Group - s/t 7" flexi (Kang-Gung, 1984)

Ikari - s/t 7" flexi (R.B.F., 1984)

Bachikaburi - Ichi-ryu 7" EP (Nagomu, 1985)

姫御前 - s/t 7" flexi (胎内レーベル, 1985)

Picky Picnic - Lovely Water Peaceful 7" flexi (Nagomu, 1986)

Tomo Akikawabaya - 1985 7" (Castle, 1985)

P-Model - One Pattern LP (Alfa, 1986)

P-Model - Karkador LP (Alfa, 1985)

Pale Cocoon - 黄金時代 7" picture disc (Pafe, 1984)

Rorie With A*T*H - Door Dream 7" EP (Altamira, 1982)

The Return of Video Game Music LP (Alfa, 1985)

月光慰問客 - 月がでたので 7" EP (Pafe, 1986)

Pale Cocoon - 青空の実験室 / Secret Sounds 10" EP (Pafe, 1982)

Lewisite - タイムトラベラー 7" (Cragale, 1985)

3F=C - と・ま・ど・い 7" flexi (R.B.F., 1984)

Agencement - untitled LP (Pico, 1986)

PTA's - Tiger / Fukumen Toshi 7" (Cragale, 1986)

P.T.A's - New Songs 7" flexi (Cragale, 1981)

Habit of Sex

Yoran - Montparnasse 7" EP (Unbalance, 1981)

The Gurdjieff - self-titled 7" EP (Night Gallery Records, 1985)

Wha-Ha-Ha / Sakata Orchestra split 7" (Better Days Records, 1981)

Amaryllis - Oto-san 7" (Amaryllis Records, 1985)

Voice - self-titled 10" EP (Kitchen Records, 198?)

Rorie With ATH - Door Dream 7" EP (Altamira, 1982)