Osamu Sato - Linen Records Presents Osamu Sato Studio Live (February 2021 In Tokyo) / Bootleg Download

What can really be said about the one and only Osamu Sato without feeling the need to go in depth about all the range and quality of his work over these decades? Well I guess just re-state, even though it has never been stated in this very blog before, the fact that he is one of my personal favorite artists in the world of videogames, visual art, and electronic music. It has been that way for quite a long while now, I remember playing LSD Dream Emulator when I was really young and rather than being perplexed or mesmerized by the wonderful visuals and the miscellaneous nature of its experience I was just amazed with the music more than anything. It would take years before I found out that the man had a rather considerable discography behind him, and whats more, a very worthwhile one at that. 

But outside of magnificent works like Transmigration, The Esoteric Retina or the multiple LSD themed works, Sato also had a very mesmerizing collection of live/in studio performances, or sets to be more appropriate, to be found out there. Needless to say, as soon as I found most of those I just dived right into them as much as I could, but there were always some that were just the cream at the top. Live at Dommune and Live From The Studio 2020 just put Sato in full force on a modern context, the man just has a knack to create wild remixes and to fully elaborate an immersive experience in such fascinating ways through his sets that it all just helped to make me completely excited and enthusiastic about whatever the man came up with moving forward. 

It is safe to assume that the pandemic interrupted a lot of Sato's plans, but it is obvious he is doing his best regardless of the circumstances. Sure, he has been in the spotlight of his fandom for various reasons, most notably the fact that he got involved with NFT's, making a lot of long time fans suddenly want to disassociate with him completely, but in a personal aspect it didn't bother me one bit (sure, I don't support it, but at the same time it doesn't affect any of the previous experience I've had with the man's work, and I personally think that if something like that does have a huge effect on your perception of the ENTIRE work of an artist then there is something very weird about you, but alas). I still look forward to whatever the man has to deliver in the next few years, but until the time for official releases come we still have treats such as these ones to enjoy in all their glory (but I still wonder what on earth would an official DJ Mix CD/release from the man be like, or if there would ever be plans for one). 

This was a set Osamu did in early 2021 back in Linen Records in promotion of his Transformed Collection album from 2020, footage was recorded and uploaded in two parts on the man's youtube channel and what we have is something on a similar vein of the Studio 2020 set, but more fleshed out and better polished in some aspects. Some of the mixes are just lovely and very hypnotizing to listen to over and over again, and the set as a whole is just a blast, perfect to just put in the background and relax with. Regardless of what the man has done, there is no doubt in my mind that I am still excited and interested in whatever he decides to do next.

Long Life To The Esoteric Retina!!!

PS: Please go watch and subscribe to Sato's Youtube channel, it's always a blast to watch any of his videos, just wish the man uploaded much more content than what we have available now.

Osamu Sato - Linen Records Presents Osamu Sato Studio Live (February 2021 In Tokyo)

1. Introduction (2:49)
2. I Love You (Ultra Super Delax Dub Live Mix) (5:50)
3. Eastern Mind (Self Control Live Mix) (5:16)
4. Long Tall Eyelash (5:39)
5. Professional Problem (5:08)
6. Come On And (Fujiyama Live Mix) (5:16)
7. Flower Architect (5:18)
8. Grass Fiber Temple (Live Mix) (6:10)
9. Transmigration (Gently Live Mix) (5:44)
10. Number Nine (5:54)
11. Done (Super Extended Live Mix) (7:19)
12. Do Fusion (5:19)

Download Here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_0mz7K1KQip-wfR9CBAzYm1O1oadhXRf?usp=sharing

Tim Buckley - The Lion's Share 1970 & Felt Forum 1972 / Bootleg Download

 

I've always been more of a Jeff Buckley sort of individual due to various reasons, but mostly because of the larger amount of documented live and interview footage that exists of him in comparison to his own father. This not only allows one to experience a more sort of "personal" relationship with Jeff as an artist, but also to just appreciate him more as a person (with his artistic beliefs/passions and his beautiful perception of life), and also to just appreciate the musical evolution that was slowly, but surely, taking place, and that sadly got lost due to Jeff's tragic death at the age of 30 (with him strongly stating that the least he wanted was for everyone to stay fixated on Grace and how he truly wanted to deliver something that was completely of his own in his future albums, always passionate to play and always excited to the possibility of recording and performing more of his music). Of course, that is not to say that I don't have any sort of appreciation of Tim whatsoever (he was a remarkable artist and a huge influence on many of my own favorites) or that there are no documents of him that would allow anyone to make that sort of connection but they are certainly less abundant and more sporadic. 

It is a curious thing really. Tim has a lot more studio recordings than his son, and died at an earlier age as well, but there are curiously not that many bootleg live recordings or video interviews of him, and even the written/transcripted interviews that are available are relatively few and sometimes very far in between. Overall I'd say that Tim was way more inconsistent than Jeff, but after all, it is an unfair comparison to make between two artists that don't have almost anything in common outside of them sharing their last name and the fact that they both had an incredible talent with their voices and their musical abilities. Nevertheless, and being redundant for a bit, I still appreciate and admire a lot of what Tim has done in his lifetime, particularly between the stretch of late 1968 and late 1972.

Out of the relatively few Tim bootlegs that are available, most of them are recordings from 1967-Early 1968 and 1975, with the 60s ones being very enjoyable and remarkable at times but still showing him developing his own sound and the recordings before his passing showing him on his least interesting form, wearing off and getting full of the "Look at the Fool" style performances. By the time October 1968 became present, Buckley had started to show more consistent setlists and started to unveil a more intriguing and "experimental" sound, with this point in his career being perfectly encapsulated on the official "Dream Letter" live album. Songs were starting to become longer, full of jamming that was carried by the chemistry of the wonderful ensembles that Tim carried to the shows, and by 1969 he was just shining onstage, with documents like the masteful "Venice Mating Call" showing that in full splendor, with a powerful and compelling setlist that was starting to show hints of what would become his musical peak in the next few months. These following couple of years are not only among my favorite of his, but also the ones that are the least documented compared to the rest of his career. 

Before the release of "Greetings From LA" and during the craze that the wonderful "Starsailor" and "Lorca" brought with them, Tim was on full force with his live performances. The Starsailor ensemble was magnificent, and what Tim was available to accomplish even not long after their disolution was still remarkable in both his group and solo gigs. Sadly, there are not many outstanding documents from this period to truly showcase that on full force. Most of them are either incomplete, recorded like absolute shit, or both, which makes it even more of a pain to have hopes that one day a full soundboard recording will pop up blessed by the angels and God himself. But at least not everything is that bad. What I bring here are two recordings, sound quality very rough on both but at least the least garbage out of all the mountain of pain that are these unofficial documents, recordings listenable enough to make one truly appreciate, or at least get an idea, of what made these years so special. The Lion's Share gig is something to specially keep an eye out for, because even with that sound quality one can truly feel the magnificence that was the Starsailor quartet, playing material from both of those enormous 1970 albums in one tight setlist, with Buckley's voice on full splendor and a very relentless guitar playing, Balkin's powerful bass, Baker's tight drumming and Gardner's outstanding use of reeds and trumpet making up for one of the most intriguing recordings from Tim's career as a whole, which makes it even more of a shame that the sound quality itself feels like it was coming from a microphone hidden in a coat pocket. The Felt Forum 1972 recording is less energetic, but it is still a joy to listen to, it has a lot of what made the 1969 gigs special, even having a very interesting rendition of Gypsy Woman as the closer, but it definitely was aiming for something more calm and introspective, elements that would make up most of what made Greetings From LA special in its own way. 

Not excellent, not "a must" for any music fan, but these are definitely recommended for any Tim Buckley fan that appreciates the man's career as a whole. Just small oddities, treats if you will, that might have a lot to offer if you really give them the chance. 

Enjoy!

Tim Buckley & Starsailor - The Lion's Share, San Anselmo, CA, October 1970

1. Come Here Woman / Freeway Blues (16:49)

2. Down By The Borderline (2:43)

3. You Can Always Tell A City By Its Graffiti (13:37)

4. Lorca (12:27)

5. Down By The Borderline (Fast) (7:58)

6. Lead Me To Bed (Or Leave Me To Beaten By Cattle) (9:34)

Tim Buckley - Felt Forum, New York City, New York, 23-09-1972

1. Introduction (0:28)

2. Buzzin’ Fly (7:45)

3. Love From Room 109 (3:11)

4. Happy Time (6:31)

5. I Just Don’t Work Right In The Morning (15:34)

6. Gypsy Woman (17:35)

Download Here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Z3Foq3pJnPjL-l8FSytsNBGM6ipxvm38?usp=sharing

Katra Turana - 2015年12月29日に吉祥寺Star Pine's Cafe / Bootleg Download

 

Katra Turana's return to studio in 2022 was very much unexpected and surprising, but very much a thing that is to be welcomed with open arms for all of those who are fans of the always captivating and charming Japanese experimental/prog scene. Honestly it was a long time overdue, the band had been performing some gigs ever since they released their last proper studio album in 1986, alternating between supporting members and kind of hinting (?) at new material or newer versions of classic material from their catalog during those performances. Of course, and as it seems to be custom with Japanese acts performing at Japanese gigs, few of these performances were recorded and distributed on their entirety or at least on a sound quality that didn't make you want to blow your brains out as soon as possible. But at least some gems managed to slip by and bless us with their existence. 

This is a rather small set from 2015 performed at the legendary Star Pine's Cafe, nothing too fancy, nothing too full of itself either, just a very charming and digestible livestream that had great sound quality and that was made up by some of the most recognizable and memorable compositions from the band that were given some very nice treatment (sadly never released officially, but that's why we are here). It all ended up in some nice renditions, for the most part, that at times do manage to cross the line by becoming absolute outstanding highlights, indeed proving that this band still has plenty of steam left in the machinery to keep things going for a long while. In particular pay attention to the last few songs, in particular Tendon and The End, with all the band coming together in their calm progression and onstage chemistry, offering some great instrumental bits and also being the track where the vocals manage to work at their best. 

It is not really something outstanding or completely revolutionary, even for the Katra Turana formula, but it really is a nice small little thing to sit through and enjoy. Really wonderful atmosphere and the instrumentals really deliver in the end, so it really is nice. Honestly feel that this is a wonderful complementary piece of their new Reboot album, which is pretty close to what was described here. Basically re-recordings of their material with some modern lineup and modern equipment to aid in all, ending up in a record that justifies its length and does so on a great way, definitely being a pleasant listen for fans or appreciators of the band's legacy as a whole.

(Also a side-note, but it really was a huge surprise seeing it released digitally and distributed physically by Telegraph in such a remarkable surprise since most people who followed it thought they had become sort of a living corpse years ago, and also by the Inundow label, which honestly has been on fire with a streak of wonderful releases over these last few years, in particular in 2022 with the absolutely outstanding Gerogerigegege project ">(decrescendo) Final Chapter", so this is definitely a label to keep looking forward to in the upcoming months.) You can listen to Reboot and support Katra Turana here:

https://inundow.bandcamp.com/album/reboot 

https://www.deezer.com/us/album/299823737

https://music.apple.com/us/album/reboot/1612966477

https://open.spotify.com/album/2sjNbM3wy1ZMMD3eTSrDcN

1. Epigenesis (4:48)

2. Orange Sunshine (3:54) 

3. okies-adutam (4:19)

4. Acid Rain (5:10)

5. Tendon (2:45)

6. Kasawa Umbrella (6:23)

7. The End (14:05)

Download Here - https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/13-wd7V5MT_OAmdsF9ElQgA4cOgXJwDO_?usp=sharing