Koenjihyakkei - Hundred Sights of Koenji
SKU
32-SKINGRAFT90
This reissues in remastered form the very first Koenjihyakkei album, which was originally released in Japan in a limited edition, quickly gained a great reputation and dissapeared from view after a couple of years (we carried it for as long as it was available). At that time, I didn't suspect that Koenjihyakkei was anything other than a fun and great Magma-inspired one-off by Tatsuya Yoshida and crew. Now we are 4 albums and 2 DVDs along and this is obviously an ongoing and important project that has toured the world. Having said all that, this album and perhaps their second as well, even though they are early, might be my favorite. It has an unbridled energy level that just knocks you out from the moment the laser hits the microscopic pits in the plastic. From its original release in 1994 until now, the reputation of certain aspects of Magma and other progressive rock has raised hugely - read the hype below and see how they are selling this; I never thought I would see "Deus ex Machina" or "Area" used on a promo-blurb released by a major distributor...
"For the first time ever, Skin Graft Records proudly presents Koenjihyakkei’s legendary debut album, Hundred Sights of Koenji, to western listeners. With the original issue on Japan’s God Mountain label largely unheard and fetching enormous prices on the collector’s market, Hundred Sights of Koenji returns to print in a deluxe remastered edition. Originally released in 1994, it includes the full Ruins line-up of Yoshida Tatsuya, Masuda Ryuichi, Kubota Aki, and Kuwahara Shigekazu for a futuristic journey to those hallowed fields of yore. Koenjihyakkei is Area and ELP at their most excessive, Deus Ex Machina with tempo changes multiplied by 100, and Magma at their Orff-ian choral, fusion jazz, overcharged gospel peak. Here begins a new chapter in the storied Zeuhl scene, where foreign tongues, interplanetary wars, and inhuman technique rule the roost."
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