Japanese Cassette Limited Edition [PRE-ORDER, Release Date: 30-SEP-2026] Release Date: 30/9/2026 Label: Nippon Columbia Co., Ltd
Description
An overwhelming sonic impact—each note resonating with both elasticity and depth.
A jewel of Japanese jazz, where a distinctly Japanese sense of autonomy meets cutting-edge recording techniques, now released on cassette for the first time.
At a time when Japanese jazz was absorbing influences from the United States and Europe while searching for its own identity, Jiro Inagaki turned his focus to one essential element: groove.
Hints of this direction could already be heard in his previous work In the Groove, which explored the fusion of jazz-rock and funk. But on Funky Stuff, that dark, elastic, and deeply rooted groove finally reaches its fully realized form.
The album features “Painted Paradise”, driven by a tightly locked groove anchored by finger-picked bass in the intro; “Breeze”, highlighted by mellow arrangements from Hiromasa Suzuki (a.k.a. “Colgen”); and the title track “Funky Stuff”, a uniquely reinterpreted cover of Kool & The Gang.
Equally integral to the album’s appeal is its distinctive recording approach. Close miking, meticulous sound absorption, and bold use of compression come together to create a uniquely Japanese recording aesthetic—dense and dry, yet strikingly vivid. This sonic character amplifies the album’s groove, making it all the more visceral and compelling.
Side A
1. Painted Paradise
2. Funky Motion
3. Breeze
4. Scratch
Side B
1. Funky Stuff
2. One For Jiro
3. Gentle Wave
4. Four Up
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