Jun Fukamachi: Nicole (86 Spring And Summer Collection – Instrumental Images) Vinyl LP Jun Fukamachi

Japanese ambient synth grail reissued! Pioneering synth player Jun Fukamachi built his career in the 70’s on jazz-fusion. It wasn’t until the 80’s that his sound took a turn to more experimental and ambient zones, specifically on 1986’s Nicole LP. The album would prove to be Fukamachi’s magnum opus, an ethereal listening experience that blurred the lines of modern classical, ambient, jazz and experimental synth, created specifically for celebrated fashion designer Mitsuhiro Matsuda’s clothing line of the same name. At the time, the LP would be available as a limited promo-only release available to attendees and participants of the 1986 fashion show, making original copies a rare and highly coveted (not to mention expensive) commodity. Thankfully WRWTFWWR has come through with the first ever commercially available reissue of this modern Japanese masterpiece, officially licensed and released in cooperation with the artists’s estate. It’s the kind of record that truly seems timeless (no joke, tracks like “Breathing New Life,” “Nile Blue,” or “Urban Square” might even be mistaken for contemporary vaporwave or dungeon synth), proving just how forward-thinking Fukamachi was. Comes complete with printed insert and new liner notes by Masaharu Yoshioka. Fans of Japanese ambient, YMO, Midori Takada, etc. need this in their life. Recommended.

• 1st ever reissue, never before available commercially
• printed insert
• music label: We Release Whatever The Fuck We Want Records 2017

reviewed by Otakun 11/2017