2023 Repress
Kitchen sink Scuzz n’ Bass from 1998 Tokyo underground. Existing somewhere between Drum n Bass, Musique Concrète, Noise music, and Free Jazz, and yet occupying a space all its own, Jigen was an integral part of the shadowy yet prolific Shi-Ra-Nui imprint and greater Tokyo underground music scene in general, working as much behind the scenes as in front of them.
There is an inherent grit to the work on display here. Free Jazz drumming, bells, and flutes coarsely interact with skipping, precision breaks, and industrial (think equipment not music) atmospherics, punctuated by occasional gaps of silence. Samples disappear and reappear, creating a circular narrative, and the nine tracks on each album perhaps trigger a sense of mild dèjá vu within the listener.
Originally released on CD by Shi-Ra-Nui in 1998, ^ ^ is proud to present the first officially licensed vinyl pressings of both albums by Jigen (and of any Shi-Ra-Nui material so far for that matter), mastered and cut by Beau Thomas at Teneightseven.
