Your Favorite Japanese Prog Albums

dr wu23 wrote: The only ones I know are... Ain Soph Kenso Bi Kyo Ran Flower Traveling band

Edited by Psychedelic Paul - May 12 2021 at 14:52

Uhh I thought of another humdinger of a band, Omoide Hatoba
Perhaps one of the most interesting heirtakers to what Faust tried to do in the 70s...though sounding completely unique.
To paint a better picture, here’s a snippet of my review of Vuoy where I (try to) describe the first couple of tracks:

‘Que 90s dance music with beeping electric signals, scratching old school dj manoeuvres and that early Liam Howlett infatuated industrial palette. Laser beams interfere and a pair of mice start jumping on the old piano. Stops - and the funky earthy percussion takes over and somehow dives into the dance beats once again. Something or someone's signalling in Morse code now, and everything seems to be ready for an ending.

Russian punk music enters the room with jolly freaky violin joining the festivities. The beats grow sluggish and we get froggy bits of interweaving noises and back into the breach again we go with the surging punk energy that oddly enough now sports an altogether more ethereal touch. Ending with the wind the song fades away.

Acoustical fun, bouncy blues bass with a jumpy and slightly kling klangy feel to it. Recorded inside a skip probably. The mumbling Japanese laid back gibberish ornamenting the semi blues electronic music have a strange crooner facet to them that I really dig. Then the see saw guitars start, and we get twirled around with yet another chill out vocal spree.

The space toddlers arrive in plastic chains armed with tiny Casio synths and a metal banjo. They are about to go work in the mines, and they play this marching electronic ditty every morning.

Avantguarde drumming pounding away sounding like logs hitting a wash bucket - starts things up nicely - juicing up with some Crimsonesque angular guitar patterns, and then there's the guy in the back sounding like a deeply moving fog horn. There's a small silence before the storm, and we hear the rattlesnake jitter. Pounding again, we get the marching almost Zeuhlish beats blasting their way through a rocking storm of what could've been the soundtrack music to a fisherman's trance party.‘

Rick1 wrote: I love Koenji Hyakkei but what about Ruins?

Most of my favourites have been mentioned. Japan is high on that Avant and or Zeuhl style for me. Not sure if Pochakaito Malko was mentioned but their debut has a Zeuhl flavour. 

hellogoodbye wrote: Many great titles here, but I still keep in mind the Neo Geo album by Ryuichi Sakamoto, first japanese record I've ever heard.

Mellotron Storm wrote: Most of my favourites have been mentioned. Japan is high on that Avant and or Zeuhl style for me. Not sure if Pochakaito Malko was mentioned but their debut has a Zeuhl flavour.  Miyama & His New Herd- "Yamataifu" is like experimental Big band or something like that.  Stubbs- "The Prime Moving Lumps" is one of my favourite Canterbury records, checkout those keyboards. Interpose's self titled debut is Symphonic and a beauty. Naikaku's "Shell" has this great sounding rhythm section and the guitarist can play.

Hi John, nice picks there my friend
I have still to get my hands on that Stubbs album but had honestly completely forgotten about it’s existence. That’s why these type of threads are nice. Like a friendly pat on the shoulder.
I thought of a couple more actually:
Ghost - Tune In, Turn On, Free Tibet (like a freely mumbling letter of protest, ending with a long and deep pulsating rock trance)
Takehisa Kosugi - Catch Wave (progressive electronic performed on violin)
Stomu Yamash’ta - Red Buddha (progressive electronic performed entirely on percussion)

1. Bondage Fruit II
2. Happy Family - Minimal Gods
3. Koenji Hyakkei - Viva Kenji
4. Bondage Fruit VI
5. Pochakaite Malko - Laya
6. Korekyojinn - Tundra
7. Bondage Fruit - Bondage Fruit
8. Kiyo*Sen - Duology
9. Happy Family - Tosčco
10. Fantasmagoria - Day and Night
11. Pochakaite Malko - Pochakaite Malko
12. Salle Gaveau - Alloy
13. Opabinia - Opabinia
14. Kitaro - Oasis
15. Era - Tono
16. Koenji Hyakkei- Angher Shisspa
17. P-Model - In a Model Room
18. Kiyo*Sen - Chocolate Booster
19. OOIOO - Taiga
20. Doom - Complicated Mind
21. Hiromi - Time Control
22. Hikashu - Tententen
23. Flower Travelin Band - Satori
24. Dhidalah - Threshold
25. P-Model - Potpourri
26. Jun Fukamachi - Spiral Steps
27. Ruins - Vrresto
28. Osamu Kitajima - The Source
29. Doom - Illegal Soul
30. Kitaro - Astral Voyage


Yes, there is some non-prog on my list.

Edited by Tapfret - May 16 2021 at 08:58

Mellotron Storm wrote: Most of my favourites have been mentioned. Japan is high on that Avant and or Zeuhl style for me. Not sure if Pochakaito Malko was mentioned but their debut has a Zeuhl flavour.  Miyama & His New Herd- "Yamataifu" is like experimental Big band or something like that.  Stubbs- "The Prime Moving Lumps" is one of my favourite Canterbury records, checkout those keyboards. Interpose's self titled debut is Symphonic and a beauty. Naikaku's "Shell" has this great sounding rhythm section and the guitarist can play.

Oh yeah that Stubbs album is a real gem, an excellent mix between National Health/Hatfield and Crimson. I wish this would get a remaster sometime because it’s far from perfect.
Btw John did you ever manage of locating their debut album?

Yonin-Bayashi - Ishoku Sokuhatsu