sgt. - Perception of causality

Formed in 1999 in Tokyo, Japan, the four-piece sgt. utilises a broad range of genres to create their distinctive sound, including that of post-rock, jazz, ambient and improvisation. Using a guitar, violin, drums and bass guitar, the band creates uplifting instrumental compositions comparable to such acts as toe or Anoice. This is their debut mini album, released in November 2005. Beautiful!

Artist: sgt.
Album: Perception of causality
Year: 2005
Genre: post-rock, instrumental

Tracks:
1. 万能感に関する素描
2. 銀河の車窓から
3. 春風
4. Moewe
5. .......

Official Website (buy from here)
Last.fm
MySpace

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Mono & World's End Girlfriend - Palmless Prayer/Mass Murder Refrain

A collaboration between two of the greatest bands around: post-rock band Mono and fellow Tokyo native and modern electronic composer World’s End Girlfriend. In 2005 they released "Palmless Prayer/Mass Murder Refrain", a five-part album of neo-classical/post-rock music. Dark, sad, moving and beautiful. Massive!

Artist: Mono & World's End Girlfriend
Album: Palmless Prayer/Mass Murder Refrain
Year: 2005
Genre: neo-classical, post-rock, instrumental, ambient

Tracks:
1. Trailer 1
2. Trailer 2
3. Trailer 3
4. Trailer 4
5. Trailer 5

Last.fm
Mono: Official Website
World's End Girlfriend: Official website, MySpace

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No.9 - Usual Revolution and Nine

No.9 is the musical works of multi-instrumentalist "sound designer" Takayuki Joe. Growing up in Tokyo, Joe was interested in a wide range of music including Chicago blues, the jazz of Eric Dolphy and Thelonious Monk and the Japanese modern classical composer Toru Takemitsu. He also dug into Japanese Group Sounds, spy music, animation, funk and psychedelic rock, with one of his all-time favourite albums being the Beatles White Album (which includes the Beatles weirdest ever song “Revolution 9”, with the repeated refrain “No.9, No.9, No.9...”). He composes melodic instrumental music that has many influences, including jazz, ambient, electronica and pop. This is his fifth album, released in 2008. It was released in 2009 in a remix version, which featured work by I Am Robot and Proud, Aus, Kettel and miaou, among others. An outstanding album that brings to mind the likes of World's End Girlfriend and Kashiwa Daisuke. Brilliant!

Artist: No.9
Album: Usual Revolution and Nine
Year: 2008
Genre: electronica, ambient, experimental, instrumental, idm

Tracks:
1. Introduction
2. I Hope [Canon No.9 Remix]
3. Alive
4. Future Airport
5. Again and Again
6. Symmetry World
7. Meguru
8. Found it
9. Princess
10. Prays
11. Afterglow No.9 Remix
12. Clover Classic
13. Over There Empty
14. With Millions of Love - Fine -

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

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Kashiwa Daisuke - Program Music I

Born in Hiroshima, Kashiwa Daisuke (柏大輔) started off as the composer and guitarist of post-rock band yodaka in 2001. Being inspired by the band’s psychedelic sound due to a post-rock approach, and by Maurizio Bianchi, he started a solo project in 2004. As a solo artist his idea is to create not only acoustic, but also electronic filmy soundscapes and atmospheres, by melting together a variety of classic instruments, spoken word snippets and crisp beats. With a proper amount of ambient music, all of these form an exquisite sound experience. His first album - april.#02 - was released in 2006, followed by april.#07 - a remix album. Program Music I is his second album, released in 2007, which features only two tracks, whose runtime is still over an hour. It is a brilliant electronic album; particularly the first track, Stella, is out of this world. Highly recommended!

Artist: Kashiwa Daisuke
Album: Program Music I
Year: 2007
Genre: electronica, experimental, post-rock, ambient

Tracks:
1. Stella
2. Write Once, Run Melos

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

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Anoice - Remmings

Anoice is a Tokyo based six-piece group that have been working together since 2004. One of their members is Takahiro Kido (I posted one of his albums here). They play dreamy post-rock music with neo-classical/ambient influences. This is their highly acclaimed 2006 debut. Excellent!

Artist: Anoice
Album: Remmings
Year: 2006
Genre: post-rock, instrumental, ambient, neo-classical

Tracks:
1. [Untitled]
2. Asprin Music
3. [Untitled]
4. Kyoto
5. [Untitled]
6. Liange
7. [Untitled]
8. The Three-Days Blow
9. [Untitled]

Official Website (buy from here)
Last.fm
MySpace

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World's End Girlfriend - Ending Story

World’s End Girlfriend (ワールズ・エンド・ガールフレンド) is Katsuhiko Maeda, a musical genius from Nagasaki but based in Tokyo, Japan. I have already posted his last year's soundtrack, Air Doll. This one is his first album released on Yoshihiro Hanno’s Current label in 2000, which caught people’s attention in Japan and abroad. No need to say much about this artist. One of the greatest musicians in the world. Get it now!

Artist: World's End Girlfriend
Album: Ending Story
Year: 2000
Genre: electronica, ambient, post-rock, experimental, instrumental

Tracks:
1. Listening You
2. Magical Romantic Freestyle
3. Heartbreak Wonderland
4. Cruel Girl’s Beauty
5. Air Reason
6. Purple Orange
7. Red Red Red
8. A Faint Melody
9. Ending Story
10. Birthday

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

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Miaou - Make These Things Alright

Miaou are a Japanese post-rock band, formed in 1999 by Tatsuki Hamasaki and sisters Mayumi and Hiromi Hasegawa. Their music is a tuneful, dreamy version of instrumental rock. This is their second full length album, released in 2005. Really good!

Artist: Miaou
Album: Make These Things Alright
Year: 2005
Genre: post-rock, instrumental

Tracks:
1. Intro
2. Future Pavilion
3. A Bird in the Hand
4. Silent Picture
5. Tiger Note
6. Dante
7. On a Sunday
8. When Will You Come Home?
9. Lasa

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

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World’s End Girlfriend - Air Doll (空気人形)

World’s End Girlfriend (ワールズ・エンド・ガールフレンド) is Katsuhiko Maeda, a musical genius from Nagasaki but based in Tokyo, Japan. His music cannot be placed in one genre since it is a fusion of electronica, post-rock, ambient and experimental. Really unique style! This is his latest album, a soundtrack he wrote for the 2009 Japanese film "Air Doll" (空気人形), directed by Hirokazu Koreeda. I haven't seen the film, but the music is simply stunning! A must!

Artist: World's End Girlfriend (ワールズ・エンド・ガールフレンド)
Album: Air Doll (空気人形)
Year: 2009
Genre: ambient, post-rock, instrumental, electronica

Tracks:
1. 風と共に目覚め
2. 誕生の日に
3. 叶えられた祈り
4. 傘は
5. 空洞の坂に
6. 光を映す影
7. 交差する
8. 冒険の彩り
9. 追憶の記録
10. 道
11. 誕生会の夢
12. 点在について
13. 雨に唄わず
14. 少し早足になって
15. 水の中へ
16. 百年の窒息
17. 夜は問い
18. いくつかの答え
19. 再来の風
20. 呼吸
21. 水の線路　(詩:吉野弘「生命は」より / 朗読:ペ・ドゥナ )

Official Website
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MySpace

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DJ Krush & Toshinori Kondo - Ki-Oku

DJ Krush is known as the father of japanese trip and hip-hop. His sounds create a unique dark downtempo atmosphere. Toshinori Kondo is one of the top trumpeters from Japan. The combination of a turntablist such as Krush and the trumpeting of Kondo seems like it wouldn’t be a match. Yet, the mixture once again proves that Krush’s ability to produce with live musicians creates very impressive and moving results. Amazing album! A must!

Artist: DJ Krush & Toshinori Kondo
Album: Ki-Oku
Year: 1998
Genre: jazz, trip-hop, electronica, downtempo

Tracks:
1. Toh-Sui
2. Tobira-1
3. Mu-Getsu
4. Ha-Doh
5. Sun Is Shining
6. Mu-Chu
7. Tobira-2
8. Fu-Yu
9. Ki-Gen
10. Ko-Ku
11. Shoh-Ka
12. Bu-Seki
13. Tobira-3

Official DJ Krush website
Last.fm
Wikipedia

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Supercar - Highvision

Supercar was a Japanese rock band active from 1995 to 2005, and who made their debut in 1997. Their music combines alternative/indie music with electronica. This is their fourth album, released in 2002. Really good!

Artist: Supercar
Album: Highvision
Year: 2002
Genre: indie, electronica

Tracks:
1. Starline
2. Warning Bell
3. Storywriter
4. Aoharu Youth
5. Otogi Nation
6. Strobolights
7. I
8. Yumegiwa Last Boy
9. Nijiiro Darkness
10. Silent Yaritori

Last.fm
Wikipedia
Sunday people - Fan site

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Sonic Flower - Sonic Flower

Sonic Flower is a side project of Japanese Band Church of Misery. Formed in Tokyo, their music is a mixture of stoner rock, psychedelic groove, funk, progressive and even doom metal. This is their first, and only, album so far, released in 2003. Really good album. Recommended for Kyuss fans!

Artist: Sonic Flower
Album: Sonic Flower
Year: 2003
Genre: psychedelic, progressive, stoner

Tracks:
1. Cosmic Highway
2. Black Sunrise
3. Astroqueen
4. Sonic Flower
5. Indian Summer
6. Going Down

Last.fm
MySpace

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Takahiro Kido - Fleursy Music

Takahiro Kido is a composer residing in Tokyo, Japan, also member of the post-rock band Anoice. His music is a blissful combination of various classical instruments - piano, violin, viola, organ and guitars with a little electronics. Fleursy Music was released in 2008 on PLOP records. Beautiful music!

Artist: Takahiro Kido
Album: Fleursy Music
Year: 2008
Genre: neo-classical, piano, ambient, electronica, instrumental

Tracks:
1. Y
2. Smile-Spotter Chronicle
3. Poco!
4. Milk Tea
5. You Lost What?
6. Landscape with Snow
7. Gentle Afternoon
8. Christmas Song
9. Izze
10. Good-Bye...

Official Website (buy from here)
Last.fm
MySpace

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Middle 9 - Sea That Has Become Known

Middle 9 is a band formed in Osaka, Japan, in 2003. This is their first full-length album, released in 2008. Their music is a combination of post-rock and jazz, similar to Tortoise. Really good! Highly recommended!

Artist: Middle 9
Album: Sea That Has Become Known
Year: 2008
Genre: post-rock, instrumental, jazz

Tracks:
1. Island Pull Out
2. Liam
3. Replique,Tableau
4. Paprika
5. Marsupial
6. Fix
7. Shu Shu
8. Tonotopy the Bamboo Coral
9. After It Pause

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace (buy from here)

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ROVO - Condor

ROVO is a Japanese instrumental band formed in 1996 by former members of Boredoms. Their music combines elements of psychedelic rock, kraut-rock and jazz-rock. They define their music as "man-drive trance" and many of their compositions have a dance-oriented minimalism similar to that of Neu! or the early '80s instrumentals of Simple Minds. This is one of my favourite bands and I can't really recommend a single album. Condor, released in 2006, is one of their most recent albums. It's one of their strongest songs, played in 3 parts: "Aires", "n'Popo" and "Land". An absolute must!

Artist: ROVO
Album: Condor
Year: 2006
Genre: psychedelic, instrumental, kraut-rock

Tracks:
1. Aires
2. n'Popo
3. Land

Official Website (Japanese)
Last.fm
MySpace

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Eksperimentoj - eksperimentoj

Eksperimentoj is a progressive rock band from Japan formed in May 2002. This is their first album released in January 2007 through Hurricane Records. Their sound is a fusion of post-rock and progressive rock which they call "sound art". The name "eksperimentoj" means "experiments" in Esperanto.

Artist: Eksperimentoj
Album: eksperimentoj
Year: 2007
Genre: progressive, post-rock

Tracks:
1. Planetalium
2. Note
3. Broken infinity
4. Untitled
5. Solaris
6. Prophecy is from a nightmare
7. Nocturnal
8. Point at the sky (for Kurt Cobain)
9. Piano
10. Piano sustained
11. Instrumenta muziko
12. Prismo

Official Website
Last.fm
MySpace

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Mono - Hymn to the Immortal Wind

Artist: Mono

Album: Hymn to the Immortal Wind

Year: 2009

Genre: post-rock, instrumental

Tracks:
1. Ashes in the Snow
2. Burial at Sea
3. Silent Fight, Sleeping Dawn
4. Pure as Snow (Trails of the Winter Storm)
5. Follow the Map
6. The Battle to Heaven

7. Everlasting Light

Official Website

Last.fm

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