{"product_id":"稲垣次郎-jiro-inagaki-and-soul-media-funky-stuff-cassette-tape-edition","title":"稲垣次郎 Jiro Inagaki and Soul Media - Funky Stuff (Cassette Tape Edition) [PRE-ORDER, Release Date: 30-SEP-2026]","description":"\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e\n\u003ciframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/3Lyv6VPcxa8?si=GyPxNkOrAvxluuC0\" title=\"YouTube video player\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003eAn overwhelming sonic impact—each note resonating with both elasticity and depth.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eA jewel of Japanese jazz, where a distinctly Japanese sense of autonomy meets cutting-edge recording techniques, now released on cassette for the first time.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eAt 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.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eHints 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.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eThe 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 \u0026amp; The Gang.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eEqually 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.\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv style=\"text-align: justify;\"\u003eText by Kenjiro Tsutsumi（223 Music Lab.）\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Nippon Columbia Co., Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Japanese Cassette Limited Edition [PRE-ORDER, Release Date: 30-SEP-2026]","offer_id":45790548983852,"sku":"HMVC-21","price":200.0,"currency_code":"HKD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0388\/0461\/9308\/files\/E7_A8_B2_E5_9E_A3_E6_AC_A1_E9_83_8E-jiro-inagaki-and-soul-media-funky-stuff-cassette-tape-edition.jpg?v=1783762033","url":"https:\/\/whitenoiserecords.org\/products\/%e7%a8%b2%e5%9e%a3%e6%ac%a1%e9%83%8e-jiro-inagaki-and-soul-media-funky-stuff-cassette-tape-edition","provider":"WHITE NOISE RECORDS","version":"1.0","type":"link"}