The Ultimate Collection of YMO does exactly what it says on the tin. 2 CDs of their best tunes from their brief but brilliant career, 1978-1983. 34 tracks. CD 1. Computer Game 2. Firecracker 3. Tong Poo 4. La Femme Chinoise 5. Technopolis 6. Insomnia 7. Rydeen 8. Behind the Mask 9. Solid State Survivor 10. Radio Junk 11. Jingle 'YMO' 12. Nice Age 13. Tighten Up 14. The End of Asia 15. Citizens of Science 16. Hirake Kokoro Jiseiki CD2. 1. Cue 2. Ballet 3. U.T. 4. Gradated Grey 5. Taiso 6. Lover Come Back to Me 7. Kimi ni Mune Kyun 8. Chaos Panic 9. Ongaku 10. Lotus Love 11. Kai-kou 12. Kageki-na Shukujyo 13. The Madmen 14. Ishin Denshin 15. Perspective 16. M-16 17. Pocketful of Rainbows 18. Behind the Mask (Bonus Track Seiko Quartz CM Version). Price: £23.99
Japan's dub pioneer is back with a new album of his cool trumpet dub doodling. New versions of tunes originally recorded by his seminal group Mute Beat, Bob Marley (Jah Live Dub, Sun is Shining) and Gregory Isaacs (One More Time) covers and even versions of What a Wonderful World and From Russia with Love, the theme song for the Bond film. Comes as a set with a 30 minute DVD of live performance, recording with interviews. Price: £22.99
Sandii is a wonderful chameleon like singer who has changed from a pop and rock star with the Sunsetz to one of the greatest vocalists of Hawaiian traditional music via stopovers in Indonesia and Malaysia. This new Best Of compilation is released to mark her 30 year anniversary as a singer. Mostly tracks from her Hawaiian album, plus 3 new recordings of covers by ex-Bo-Gumbos vocalist Don't, Okinawan group Begin and Kumiko Yamashita. Price: £18.99
At last, Sandii's first solo album from 1980 gets a much needed re-release to mark her 30 years in the music business. Produced by Haruomi Hosono, sung in English, first pressing comes with paper jacket. Price: £16.99
Ryuichi Sakamoto continues to operate within the mainstream of the Japanese music scene, while retaining street credibility and hipness both at home and abroad. It's albums like this that keeps him ahead of the game. He's pulled out the favours and asked some pretty cool friends to remix his 2004 album 'Chasm'. These include Keiko Oyamada (Cornelius), Steve Jansen (ex Japan) and Craig Armstrong (Massive Attack) 13 tracks with one bonus track for the Japan release, that puts the icing on an already scrumptuous cake, a remix by his YMO friend Haruomi Hosono. Price: £18.99
From Sapporo, Hokkaido, Tha Blue Herb are one of Japan's finest hip-hop / rap artists. Tha Blue Herb have developed their own creative sound and style, undeniably hip, but not pandering to the latest trends, with a strong electronic vibe attached to their pertinent lyrics. This album features 3 Tha Blue Herb tracks together with other artists they have signed to their own Tha Blue Herb Recordings label. These are the excellent Shuren The Fire, O.N.O., Jun Gold and Naohito Uchiyama. Jazzy beats, soul and dub feature on an album that showcases the very best in Japanese hip-hop. While Tokyo usually dominates musical trends in Japan, it's in the north, Sapporo, that hip-hop has come of age. Booklet comes with English transaltions of the lyrics. Price: £18.99
Tha Blue Herb from Sapporo, Hokkaido feature rapper Ill Bostino, producer O.N.O and live dj, DJ Dye. This is their first full album from 1998 that also comes with former vinyl only releases. Edgy political hip-hop that incoporates other styles and one of the originals of the Japanese underground.
Price: £18.99
Tha Blue Herb's second album released in 2002, more experimental abstract hip-hop with a strong electronica vibe. Price: £18.99
