King Japan 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Mysterious South Korean singer Ji Sook once made a detour under the pseudonym Akiko Mizuhara, and under the name, she delivered the 'Love Message', a short love letter comprising K-pop and disco. Featuring members of Malaia, it's a covers album in its entirety; a slew of Western standards follow on from an instrumental bossa nova medley on the album's latter half, including versions of 'The Girl From Ipanema' and Marvin Gaye's 'What's Going On'.

Review: Back in 2004, Japanese r&b artist Tina headed into the studio with self-styled 'king of digging' Muro - a prolific DJ, producer, record collector and re-editor - to record some tracks for her fifth solo album. The most acclaimed of the lot was 'Struttin With Muro', a dope, funk-fuelled jam that made use of some choice Roy Ayers samples. At the time, Muro also prepared alternate takes - utilising different elements of the sampled Ayers track - which then appeared on a now impossible to find promo 12-inch. This 45 offers up those two takes - vocal and instrumental - and both sound like guaranteed party-starting jams, the kind of hybrid r&b/funky hip-hop workouts that never fail to get things going out on the dancefloor.

Review: Released back in 1979, Inga was Yagi Masao's first truly solo project released on vinyl. The late jazz pianist had previously created a tribute album to Thelonious Monk in the summer of 1960, a lovesong to one of the greatest jazz composers in history. The Japanese Americanophile is hardly a small star himself, scoring multiple movies and TV shows like the boxing anime 'Ashita no Joe' as well as live-action 60s classics like 'Good-bye Moscow' and 'Bad Girl, Yoko'. Well deserving of a third issuing, the first vinyl reissue since its original pressing, 'Inga' is a multi-instrumental masterpiece where Masao flexes his dexterity to the highest degree. No better is this shown than the dramatic, sweeping intro track ' Memories (Piano Solo)', a showcase in tempo and restraint unlike any you will ever hear today. Curiously, his name seems to be misspelt as Yagui on the 'Inga' cover, and that cover alone - one of numerous quirks to this spellbinding release.