Cristina Camargo
Moral Tem Hora / Minas Do Rei Salomão

A long-lost Japanese acid folk gem, Niningashi’s 1974 private press debut Heavy Way shimmers with originality, deft song writing and a dream-like groove.Although he was training as a pharmacist, Kazuhisa Okubo was much more interested in prescribing musical medicine.A coming-of-age album, Heavy Way captured a turning point in Okubo’s life, and Japanese society more widely as a nostalgia for the pastoral calm of the traditional life, met the cosmopolitan thrill of coffee, sex and cigarettes in the big city.Intoxicated by Tokyo, driven by a passion for music and surrounded by a thriving acid folk scene, the young student filtered his experiences through a psychedelic cocktail of soulful influences from the US and Japan.Niningashi was his first band, and Heavy Way was their only album. It was honest and raw, deep and strangely funky, in an off-beat kind of way. Across nine tracks, Okubo and the 6-piece band put their own spin on the new folk sound of Japan, combining witty lyrics with electric guitar-driven solos and crisp, understated grooves.Melancholy and profound, opening track ‘Ameagari’ feels like a synthesis of Harvest-era Neil Young and Haruomi Hosono’s Happy End. Then there’s the whimsical washboard country sound of ‘Semai Boku No Heyade’; the moody, low-lit charm of ‘Restaurant’; and ‘Hitoribotchi’, a sensitive portrayal of childhood, steeped in memories of rainfall that will resonate with fans of Woo and Mac Demarco.While Okubo would go on to taste success with psychedelic folk bands Neko and Kaze, the latter of which scored three #1 albums, little is known about his mysterious debut with Niningashi.Self-released by Okubo in 1974, and featuring album artwork by his brother, it has slowly generated a cult following online, intrigued by its soft and enchanting sound. So few records were ultimately pressed that those remaining have fetched up to £1,500 online.Featured on Time Capsule’s era-spanning collection Nippon Acid Folk, Niningashi’s Heavy Way is a deep-cut grail of a vibrant time in Japan’s musical history, where even the pharmacists were making jams.

After 14 years Zambon is closing down the beloved Sampler Series with Vol.10. 7 tracks. 7 new producers. All killers no fillers.

For the second chapter of his odyssey, we find again Le Commandant Couche Tôt in the middle of the Amazon River, escaping from drones and wildfires in a hovercraft.Une Histoire d’Amour Brésilienne (A brazilian love story) shares a dystopian vision widely inspired by the environmental issues of 2020 and 2021, which illustrates a form of anxiety toward the future.Its soundtrack however is purposely the antithesis of the story: a very optimistic tribute to space-disco and brazilian funk. A “good vibe” pill to give hope for a new beginning.