Phew
Phew
This is a really cool post-punk record that manages to be somber at times yet weird and funky too. Very creative! As After Dinner approaches Rock in Opposition through more of a Japanese pop lens, this record does much the same with Krautrock. Of course it doesn't hurt that the musicians Phew is playing with are huge figures from that scene: Holger Czukay, Jaki Liebezeit, and Conny Plank namely. Lots of great drumming, interesting synths, and really whacky bass sounds!
New Decade
The renowned avant-garde artist Phew has returned to Mute for her forthcoming album New Decade. Working with voice and electronics, New Decade’s six new tracks define her as a master of her craft. Described by pitchfork as ‘a Japanese underground legend’, she was a founding member of Osaka punk band Aunt Sally, who broke up in 1980. Since then she has worked solo and collaborated with musical luminaries including as Ryuichi Sakamoto, Jim O’Rourke, Ana da Silva (The Raincoats), Seiichi Yamamoto (…
Backfire of Joy
Black Truffle is thrilled to announce Backfire of Joy, a previously unheard recording from Phew, John Duncan and Kondo Tatsuo, documenting a concert at Tokyo’s Hosei University in 1982. Though the fertile exchange of ‘zines, tapes and records between the Japanese underground and the Los Angeles Free Music Society meant the artists were familiar with each other’s work, this performance (occurring on Duncan’s first visit to Japan) was their first meeting and only performance as a trio.
Duncan is h…
Vertigo KO
A compilation of unreleased material from the Light Sleep and Voice Hardcore sessions alongside specially recorded new material, including a cover of “The Void” by The Raincoats. Both formats include a 20 page zine designed by Studio Tape Echo featuring photography from Masayuki Shioda and writing from both Disciples and Phew. It follows on from a limited edition cassette and digital release of Phew’s music on Disicples called Vertical Jamming, which compiled some of the cult Japanese artist’s l…
Patience Soup
Patience Soup presents the entirety of a live performance from the trio of Oren Ambarchi, Jim O'Rourke, and Japanese underground legend Phew that took place at the Kitakyushu Performing Arts Center on November 4th, 2015. Known to many listeners outside Japan primarily for her early collaborations with members of Can, Phew has been undergoing something of a creative renaissance in the last few years, prolifically recording and releasing a body of work that strips away the band arrangements presen…
Voice Hardcore
Living legend Phew follows up her brilliant Light Sleep album with another masterwork - Voice Hardcore - comprised entirely of her iconic, instantly recognizable voice, twisted, folded and layered over six mesmerizing tracks.. Startling side of pelting drum machines and psychedelic noise from Japanese synth/punk pioneer Hiromi Moritani a.k.a. Phew; an avant-garde vocalist who started out in art-punk unit Aunt Sally (whose only full-length was released by Vanity Records in 1979) and has …
Light Sleep
Startling side of pelting drum machines and psychedelic noise from Japanese synth/punk pioneer Hiromi Moritani a.k.a. Phew; an avant-garde vocalist who started out in art-punk unit Aunt Sally (whose only full-length was released by Vanity Records in 1979) and has since collaborated with everyone from Ryuinchi Sakamoto to Can, DAF and Bill Laswell during an illustrious career. Light Sleep packs the kind of febrile energy and thrust that you might expect from a young, new artist enthralled wi…