Jun Konagaya LP “Organ” – Urashima
Ltd to 200 with booklet
Vinyl reissue of Jun Konagaya‘s seminal solo album, titled Organ. Originally presented in 2012 on the CD digital medium, this opus marks Konagaya’s inaugural solo venture, distinctly departing from his earlier collaborative endeavors under the monikers Grim and White Hospital. A prodigious figure in the Japanese noise and industrial landscape, Grim left an indelible mark in the 1980s with its dark, luminous allure. After a series of live performances and select sonic releases, Grim mysteriously receded from the scene. However, in 2009, the complete sound sources of Grim resurfaced under Konagaya’s meticulous curation, hinting at a potential resurgence. The auditory journey presented in Organ is a far cry from the abrasive feedback and primal roars that characterized Grim’s sonic palette. Instead, Konagaya embarks on a melodic exploration of melancholy, akin to the ethereal folk sensibilities glimpsed in Grim’s Message.
Organ, weaves a narrative of otherworldly beauty—a malformed tale where Magnolia, a young protagonist, contemplates the enigmatic Gamahead. Eschewing the aggressive tonalities synonymous with Grim, Organ transcends into a contemplative and introspective realm.
Probably of the weirdest and softer Konagaya’s release.
$32
Same version as below, comes in a massive wooden box version, ltd to 99 + Bonus Tape
SOLD OUT
Jun Konagaya CS “Magnetic tape 88-90”
Limited to 80 copies, this cassette features the captivating seven previously unreleased tracks drawn from Konagaya’s recordings between 1988 and 1990, including the extended 20-minute version of the original Schlafen track from the Organ album.
$16
Grim 2 x 7″ Amaterasu / Tsukuyumi – Urashima
Deluxe wooden box ltd to 300 with a 14 page booklet
A visionary one-man project, crafted by Jun Konagaya, Grim transcends the conventional boundaries of industrial music, power electronics, and noise. Emerging from the ashes of the legendary White Hospital, Konagaya’s artistic trajectory spans nearly three decades, with a unique ability to draw inspiration from a diverse array of influences, ranging from the abrasive sounds of Whitehouse and SPK to the haunting traditional folk music of Tibet. The Amaterasu 7″ represents a pivotal moment in Grim’s discography, a concise yet profoundly impactful exploration into the avant-garde realms of noise. Comprising three meticulously crafted tracks, this release showcases Konagaya’s mastery in manipulating unconventional sounds to create a sonic landscape that is both challenging and deeply resonant. Each composition unravels like an intricately forged labyrinth of industrial tumult, pulling the listener into a visceral experience that defies the commonplace.
$42 SOLD OUT
Grim LP “Message” Urashima
Limited edition of 199 copies. White vinyl 2023 repress
It belongs to a body of three releases created by Grim during the 1980s, including the full length, “Folk Music”, issued by Eskimo Records in 1986, and the EP, “Amaterasu”, released by G.A. Propaganda in 1985. While its two predecessors are brilliant and more or less what you might expect from a seminal artist of Japanese noise, “Message” follows a markedly different path, delving toward the realm of pop and folk via a series of six songs that emit a stronger connection to Daniel Johnson, Syd Barrett, Sebadoh, and Tenniscoats than anything the noise scene has ever produced; it feels like walking through an ancient fairy tale forest, all hazy, magical and slightly eerie. Dreamy and meandering, drawing on ’60s psychedelia, DIY aesthetics, and folky undercurrents, Grim’s “Message” is a masterstroke in underground Japanese pop, pushing radically forward, while challenging the boundaries of the scene to which the project predominately belongs. Following the album’s original release in 1987, Jun Konagaya followed different paths beyond the world of sound, before unexpectedly relaunching an incredibly prolific career, returning to more explicit territories of noise. As such, “Message” remained a coveted, rare artefact of a road less traveled and a window into the diverse talents and temperaments that rest below all of his output.
One of the most distinct and unexpected artifacts of the Japanese scene during the period, rather than the full throttle fury for which it has been widely known, here we encounter the one-man project of Jun Konagaya weaving stunningly beautiful passages within the realm of pop and folk, incorporating elements of ’60s psychedelia and Lo-Fi DIY, with Yukio Nagoshi, founding member of the Vasilisk unit, on guitar and percussion and A. Takahashi on vocals, with collaboration and technical support from Tomosada Kuwahara, partner and co-founder with Jun Konagaya of the legendary group White Hospital. First ever reissue of the album furthers these insights, extending the original EP with an entirely new body of noise-oriented reworks by Grim of the original six tracks, effectively doubling in length to a full-length release.
$25 SOLD OUT
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