A Journey, by Ché-SHIZU

A Journey

by Ché-SHIZU

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Deluxe 2LP Edition
Record/Vinyl + Digital Album
Black Editions is proud to present A Journey, newly remastered, in its first ever vinyl pressing: A deluxe two LP edition cut at D&M Berlin and pressed at Pallas Germany including expansive new artwork and first time ever lyric translations, housed in a spot gloss heavy gatefold jacket. Includes a high resolution digital download.

Includes unlimited streaming of A Journey via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.

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	1.	Juso Station 04:01
	2.	A Dream of Trousers 05:15
	3.	Vestige / Shadow 05:01
	4.	Tzitziki 06:04
	5.	Nokogiriyama No Inu 05:31
	6.	Nigihayahi 05:09
	7.	A Broad Daylight 05:10
	8.	Shaking by the Waves, Actually 02:55
	9.	Mariam Matrem 05:26
	10.	Inperayritz 01:32
	11.	Lovely on the Water 06:10
	12.	A Journey 1 08:20
	13.	A Journey 2 06:47

about

Ché-SHIZU is one of the most original and mystifying groups to ever emerge from Japan's musical underground. Founded by master improviser Chie Mukai in 1981 the group has been guided by her singular vision for nearly 40 years. Ché-SHIZU challenges notions of song structure and improvisation, embracing a seemingly shambolic approach that on closer listen reveals a deeply coherent and surreal world. Mukai’s choice of ancient stringed instruments including the er-hu and the kokyū as lead instruments only further sets the group apart. Even within the wildly diverse roster of artists championed by their Tokyo label PSF, Ché-SHIZU is a playful and confounding outlier.

Originally released in 1994, Ché-SHIZU’s second album A Journey – is a sprawling excursion through ethereal dreamscapes. The group performs a spontaneous, loose form of chamber pop that weaves folk and a light psychedelia into something entirely unique. Pop songs like “Juso Station” intersect with yearning instrumentals such as the title track to create a varied yet coherent improvisational language. The album invites listeners to take a journey through memories and dreams, to days gone by, to forests and mountain lakes, to haunting runs in the dark and bright morning illuminations. Beautifully clear in its production, A Journey has become a signature album in the group's catalog.

Though Ché-SHIZU’s music was released alongside works by PSF label mates Keiji Haino, White Heaven and Kan Mikami, it seemed to emerge from a different universe. It is within this seemingly contradictory context that Mukai’s music has thrived and evolved. Having studied renowned Fluxus composer and violinist Takehisa Kosugi in the 1970’s, she was a part of the East Bionic Symphonia, Marginal Consort and the Vedda Music Workshop. She has continued to collaborate with a wide array of artists including Fred Frith, Merzbow, 75 Dollar Bill’s Che Chen as well as Tori Kudo and Maher Shala Hash Baz. Mukai is a truly unique and distinct artist and it is with Ché-SHIZU that her voice has perhaps most clearly been realized.

Black Editions is proud to present A Journey, newly remastered, in its first ever vinyl pressing: A deluxe two LP edition cut at D&M Berlin and pressed at Pallas Germany including expansive new artwork and lyric translations, housed in a spot gloss heavy gatefold jacket.

credits

released May 25, 2018

Chie Mukai - Vocal, Er-Hu, Piano, Tambourine
Takuya Nishimura - Vocal, Bass, Guitar
Keita Koma - Vocal, Guitar
Shinji Shibayama - Vocal, Drums
Takafumi Sato - Vocal, Piano

All tracks produced and arranged by Ché-SHIZU
All tracks recorded and mixed by Masanori Ihara
All tracks recorded at studio "J" Tokyo, 1994
Additional mastering by Jeff Yellen, Ridgeline Sound
Vinyl mastering by Mike Grinser, Dubplates & Mastering, Berlin

Originally released in 1994 by P.S.F. Records, Tokyo, Japan (PSFD-53)
Black Edition produced by Peter Kolovos

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Ché-SHIZU Tokyo, Japan

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