Name: Somewhere Between: Mutant Pop, Electronic Minimalism and Shadow Sounds of Japan 1980-1988
Brand: Various

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

LITA183-1-2

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Colour

Purple

Colour details

Purple Cornetto

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Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: Yes

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2021-08-20

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

826853218313

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Total Cap

2 / Extended format: Yes / LP / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No / purple

Artist

Various

Genre GB

New Wave / Post Punk

Label GB

Light in the Attic

Light In The Attic (LITA) is an independent record label based in Seattle, Washington. Established in 2002 by two music enthusiasts, LITA began as a concert productions company before venturing into reissuing lost classics with modern packaging and production. With a passion for preserving and celebrating music history, LITA has become a respected authority in the industry.
Since its inception, LITA has been dedicated to unearthing forgotten gems and giving them new life. Their carefully curated catalog spans various genres and eras, showcasing the diversity of musical talent that may have otherwise been overlooked. From soulful R&B to psychedelic rock, LITA's releases are cherished by collectors and music lovers alike.
With their meticulous attention to detail and commitment to quality, LITA has gained recognition for their exceptional vinyl reissues. Each release is thoughtfully remastered from original tapes or best available sources, ensuring that the essence of the music is preserved while delivering an enhanced listening experience for modern audiences.

Back In Stock

Somewhere Between: Mutant Pop, Electronic Minimalism and Shadow Sounds of Japan 1980–1988 hovers vibe–wise between two distinct poles within Light In The Attic’s acclaimed Japan Archival Series - Kankyō Ongaku: Japanese Ambient, Environmental and New Age Music 1980–1990 and Pacific Breeze: Japanese City Pop, AOR and Boogie 1976–1986. All three albums showcase recordings produced during Japan’s soaring bubble economy of the 1980s, an era in which aesthetic visions and consumerism merged. Music echoed the nation’s prosperity and with financial abundance came the luxury to dream.

Sonically, Somewhere Between mines the midpoint between Kankyō Ongaku’s sparkling atmospherics and Pacific Breeze’s metropolitan boogie. The compilation encompasses ambient pop, underground electronics, liminal minimalism and shadow sounds—all descriptors emphasizing the hazy nature of the nebula. Out–of–focus rhythms wear ethereal accoutrements, ballads are shrouded in static, and angular drums snake skyward on transcendent tones. From the Avant–minimalism of Mkwaju Ensemble and Yoshio Ojima, to the leftfield techno-pop of Mishio Ogawa and Noriko Miyamoto (featuring members of YMO), and highlights from the groundbreaking Osaka underground label Vanity Records, these are blurry constellations defying collective categorization.

These tracks also exist in a space of transition when the major label grip on the Japanese recording market began to give way to the escalation of independents. Thanks to the idyllic economic climate and innovations in domestically–manufactured music gear, creators on the edges were empowered to focus on satisfying their artistic visions in the open headspace of home studios. While labels like Warner Music and Nippon Columbia explored new sounds through traditional channels, it was possible for Vanity, Balcony and other indie labels, not to mention self–released artists like Ojima and Naoki Asai, to publish their work via affordable media such as cassettes, 7" vinyl, and flexi–discs.

Expertly curated by Yosuke Kitazawa and Mark “Frosty” McNeill (dublab), Somewhere Between is a collection of music, much of it released for the first time outside Japan, that is bound more by energetic vibration than shared history, genre or scene. They are the sounds of transition and searching—a celebration of the freedom found in floating.

Note: The track “Days Man” by Yoshio Ojima is only available on the LP and Cassette versions.

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