Sundance レコード& CD

Review: Mikio Kaminakamura last appeared on this label back in 2018 and has only released a handful of EPs. But this one is a real head turner. It starts in sedate, dubbed out fashion with the quiet artists of 'Hage Messy' but 'Monk & Das' then brings sublime drum sounds, fresh vocal samples and a track that oozes its own unique character. There are twitchy electronics over more dubbed out techno grooves on 'Hap Come Come,' fresh breaks on 'Snot Dive' and heads down minimal brilliance on closer 'Soul Def'. A versatile collection, well worth copping.

Review: Last Front made these tunes for the Torema Records label in the 90s and they were only ever released in Japan in 1993. back then the country was leading the way when it came to indie labels manufacturing and pressing up their own material. Now the music made by Fumiya Tanaka, Tamotu Ide and Takehito Miyagi has been remastered for 2021. 'Green Tower' (original Paradise mix) is a dense and intense techno track with freewheeling synths and jacked up drums and 'Dream Punk' is another rattling and urgent banger that hurries onwards with a sense of tension and astral drama.

Review: Japanese techno legend Fumiya Tanaka returns to his own Sundance imprint with a brand new 12" with a customary strange and cryptic title. While information is scarce on the theme behind "We Would Like To Do Song For The Step", we can happily report that the Berlin-based artist's penchant for deep, hypnotic minimal house is on full force across the EP. We can easily imagine the dusty and understated title track being played on a Sunday afternoon at Hoppetosse, along with "In A Memorable 2018" where ethereal samples sit atop a groovy percussion layer. If you're longing for some old Tanaka material, the bass-driven and rolling minimal funk of "Don't Stuporous" calls to mind some of the quality grooves found on his acclaimed "Beautiful Days" series a couple of years back.

Review: Since 1995, Fumiya Tanaka has been Japan's foremost producer of minimal techno and tech-house. In that time, he's built up a vast discography and continues to offer-up regular doses of crunchy, mind-altering goodness. He's predictably in fine form again on this Sundance double-header. The A-side boasts two versions of 'Dance Tonight': the organ-rich, gently warming tech-house snappiness of the original mix (A2), and an acid-fired 'Dub' that drags the track further towards late-night, heads-down territory. He repeats the trick on side B, pairing the rubbery, minor-key heavy tech-house shuffle of 'If So Remember' with a loose limbed and bass-heavy dub, rich in alien sounding chords, cascading melodies and drifting vocal snippets.

Review: Here's one that got us excited: the collaboration of Japanese techno legends Fumiya Tanaka (boss of Sundance and Untitled) and veteran Kuniyuki Takahashi aka Koss: who recently appeared on our radar with his retrospective release on Music From Memory. You're in good hands with these two on the A Round About Route EP: the dynamic duo treat us to some trippy and hypnotic after hours business with these three minimalist trips. They sure know what works on the dancefloor, with over 30 years experience on the scene between them. From the hypnotic shuffle of the title track, the reductionist weirdness of "Long Journey Away" and the groovy "Shaker" experimenting with odd polyrhythms and disorienting field recordings - this one's a solid release.

Review: Fumiya Tanaka sneaks in a final EP for 2012 on his own Sundance imprint with the D6 missive featuring Radiq. "D6" skips along with the assistance of repetitive bass pulses, inconsistent clicks and claks and an oddball assortment of other bleep and blips. "D7" strips things back further, showcasing more awkward tones and underwater gurgles. The barely decipherable vocal in "Loc" replaces any synth action, as fuzzy electronics and crunched hi-hats belie penchant for simplistic perfection.

Review: Fumiya Tanaka's Sundance imprint is not exactly known for being prolific, however the standard of quality more than surpasses the paucity of their release schedule, as ably demonstrated on the label's third release. Tofu Productions sees Tanaka team up with German producer Thomas Melchior with typically refined results across the four tracks. Lead track "Trabalhador" is a subtle concoction, laying trance-inducing vocal hooks over a densely packed drum track, with a k hole bass line operating at gut level. It's joined on the A Side by the short but sweet "E Quake" which sprinkles a beguiling melodic guitar refrain over thick set bass, saturated drums and druggy, indecipherable vocals. On the flip, "Amega Furu" is a decidedly odd jack track, stripped down to the bare bones of tech house structure, whilst "The Scream" draws out the darker, menacing side to Tofu Productions.