RYO KAWASAKI Vinilo y CD

Review: Last year, NuNorthern Soul treated us to a much-needed reissue of Japanese jazz guitarist Ryo Kawasaki's sublime 1983 LP Lucky Lady. Now Mr Bongo has decided to deliver a new edition of another full-length gem from the late, great musician's catalogue: 1976's jazz-funk and fusion-flavoured Juice, which has previously not been released on CD outside of Japan. It's an exceptionally vibrant set all told, with the virtuoso Kawasaki being joined by a range of similarly talented musicians to race through tracks that generally slap hard, boast infectious breakbeat-driven rhythms, and come blessed with a range of exciting, life-affirming solos. Critics of jazz-funk often point out that in the wrong hands it can get self-indulgent and noodly; Juice never falls into this trap and remains thoroughly tight and on-point throughout.

Review: Late, great Japanese guitarist Ryo Kawasaki is behind this classic bit of jazz-funk fusion from 1976. It was recorded originally in New York and now gets a reissue form the hard working Mr Bongo crew. It is a record that has picked dup cult status over the years for those looking for samples and has been pillaged by everyone from Diamond D, Puff Daddy, and Kool G Rap. Playing on the sessions were drummer Jimmy Young as well as rhythm guitarist Hugh McCracken and bassist Stu Woods who all help bring every track to life.

Review: NuNorthern Soul take a brief respite from their BJ Smith series so boss man 'Phat' Phil Cooper can indulge his love for Ryo Kawasaki. Focusing on the period that the '70s met the '80s, Selected Works pulls together five delicious slices of Kawasaki bliss from a boundary pushing discography that spans writing, arranging, producing and playing. For an introduction to Kawasaki, this release is near perfect, taking in sublime jazz through heaving slabs of funk to out-there electronic vibes. Extra context is provided in the extensive sleeve notes from Marc Rowlands that pull from his 2015 interview with Kawasaki. Despite being five tracks long, this still feels like a generous rifle through the Ryo archives.

Review: First released in 1986, "Electric World" was the debut single from Ryo Kawasaki and Satellites, a New York-based collective helmed by a computer programmer who built his own MIDI-workstation. Here it gets a timely reissue. It's an intriguing EP, with the title track - which is available in original mix and extended version form - offering a breezy, warm and (whisper it) Balearic mix of cheery synth-pop melodies, addictive female load vocals, dreamy chords, NYC freestyle ticks (the oft-used Fairlight orchestral stab) and beats that sit somewhere between electro and freestyle. Instrumental cut "727" continues on a similar theme, peppering a squelchy bassline and bustling machine drums with spacey chords and oodles of additional percussion sounds.