New Yukihiro Takahashi album and live box set, Kabuki and Bunraku DVDs with English subtitles, new Blue Asia album, Japanese and Okinawan roots and traditional music, vintage Japanese jazz and much more. | New albums and DVDs at reduced prices. |
Secondhand CDs of Japanese artists and Japanese pressings of non-Japanese artists from around the world. | Our own productions and special imports at reduced prices. Four titles from China's Liu Fang, plus Japan's Micabox, featuring Haruomi Hosono, OKI's brilliant Dub Ainu, Miyazawa, Abdul Tee-Jay and Detty Kurnia. |
Reduced prices on our record label and sister company. The Queen of Dangdut Elvy Sukaesih and classic, samba performed by Velha Guarda da Portela from Rio de Janeiro . Plus Rikki, SambaSunda, Arsenio Rodriguez, Carmen Miranda and more. | CDs plus full biographies and articles on the superb artists represented internationally by Far Side Music. For live booking of these and other artists, go to the Other Services section on this page. |
All the available CDs plus detailed articles or biographies on our best selling artists. Click here to select either Japan, Okinawa or Others. Please note, most of these CDs only appear in this section, not in the main catalogue. | For 37 years, Japan's most respected music publication has been Music Magazine. MM recently published their writer's choices of the greatest ever albums. From 1960s folk, through to YMO and the best of the latest, here then, are the 27 greatest Japanese rock albums of all time from the people who should know. |
Music Magazine's 13 greatest pop albums of all time from original 30s popular songs, the greatest enka, 60s kayokyoku and Group Sounds, 70s folk, 80s new music, 90s rap through to J-pop. | Japrocksampler - How the Post-War Japanese Blew their Minds on Rock 'n' Roll - is an excellent book written by Julian Cope. 'An exploration of the clash between traditional, conservative Japanese values and the wild rock 'n' roll renegades of the 1960s and 70s.' Julian included his personal Top 50, most of which are currently unavailable, but here we post the CDs that you can buy. As others get re-released, we'll add them to the list. |
The Big Three (Shokichi Kina, Rinken Band, Nenes) plus a couple of younger musicians as chosen by Music Magazine. | Music from south east and east Asia has always been a poplar 'world music' in Japan. The greatest albums from Indonesia (both Far Side projects), Malaysia, Vietnam and China. |
Click here to select Classical, Contemporary, Masters of Japan series, Japanese Traditional Dance Series, Kyoto Records, Traditional Entertainment series, Colezo!, Living National Treasures series, Japanese Traditional Music series or Music of Japanese People series | Click here to select Roots, Enka, Folk, Rock, Pop, Electro-pop, Dub/Reggae/Ska, Club/Dance/Chill out, Ambient, Jazz/Avant Garde, Improvised / Electronic and Japanese Latin. |
Fantastic series of 10 Japanese popular music CDs from 1928-59, plus other vintage classics by Ryoichi Hattori, Shizuko Kasagi and others. The fantastic Nippon Modern Times Series, the King Archive series of Asakusa Opera, songs of Azenbo Soeda and more, and series of classic comic bands. | Click here to select the amazing NHK kabuki series with English commentaries and other kabuki DVDs, noh and kyogen, music- both traditional and pop, festivals, film and documentaries, anime and sumo. |
Click here to select Japanese and Asian artist releases on SHM-CD, HQ, BLUE-SPEC or SACD. | From Rock and Dance to Traditional and DVDs. |
Southern Japanese island with a rich, vibrant tradition with elements of Okinawa and Japan performed by young and veteran artists. | Amami island music mixed with various sounds by the island's most creative musicians including Rikki, Maricamizuki and Kohsuke Atari. |
Ancient meditative sounds from the Orient and Pacific combined with various contemporary styles and sounds. | Click here to select either Shanghai Hits from 1930s and 40s, Traditional Rock and Pop or DVDs. Extensive lists of traditional titles can be found under the King World Music Library and JVC World Sounds series sections below. |
Music from the eastern edge of Asia. Click here to choose either, traditional and folk, roots crossovers, pop and rock or ponchak. For more traditional titles look under King World Music Library and JVC World Sounds series. | Patriotic songs by state sponsored groups such as Pochonbo Electronic Ensemble, Wangjaesan Light Music Band, the Korean People's Army Band and Army Song and Dance Ensemble and Revolutionary Opera. |
Chinese influenced Traditional sounds from the western edge of southeast Asia. Includes the wonderful singer Huong Thanh from Vietnam and a brilliant Burmese CD. Further traditional titles under King World Music Library and JVC World Sounds sections below. | Click here to select the singers Pompuang Duangjian, Jintara Poonlarp, Siriporn Ampaipong or Lukthung, Morlam, Morlam Sing, Kantrum, Classical and Instrumental Folk, Pop, Cassettes, Others or Compilations. |
Click here to select either Traditional Vocal, Traditional Instrumental, 60s-70s Roots and Rock, Modern Khmer Roots or Khmer Pop. | An exciting mix of strong Arabic flavours with, Indian, Chinese and Western music make Malaysia one of south east Asia's most exciting music destinations. Click here to select either Traditional, Modern Roots and Pop, P.Ramlee & Saloma, Siti Nurhaliza or Nornaniza Idris. |
Sublime ancient traditions, wild pop mixtures. Click here to select genres of music. For more Balinese, Javanese and Sundanese gamelan titles look under King World Music Library and JVC World Sounds series below. | Folk and indigenous music from Taiwan, plus southeast Asian pop, Chinese style. |
Compilations and collaborations. | Large selection of Japan only releases of music with a large following in Japan. Click here to select Japanese artists, Hawaiian and Pacific artists or compilations |
Click here to select Japan only releases from Arabic, Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, South Asia and Global. Some artists from these areas, others by Japanese artists. | SHM-CD versions of 15 titles from the JVC World Sounds series. |
Full catalogue listing nearly complete with sound samples of the acclaimed series of traditional music from around the world. 100 titles divided by region and country. | Good value six CD set of 100 tracks plus five geographical compilations. |
Other superb world music series from top Japanese record companies. | Back in the 1970s Colombia released on LP several classic recordings of traditional music from around the world. Long deleted, these are now released onto CD. |
150 albums of traditional music from around the world. The 100 titles of the King World Music Library series repackaged, plus long deleted albums now reissued, new recordings, and some 2CD and 3 CD collections. A remarkable body of work, all with English liner notes. | Starting in 1967, the Nonesuch Explorer Series set the benchmark for ethnic recordings of music from around the world. 50 CDs are released in Japan, with the original LP jackets, many not yet re-released elsewhere. |
Rough Guides to Vietnam, Malaysia, China, Thailand, Okinawa, Japan, Indonesia, Hawaii, East Asia Travelogue, Very Best of the Far East and more. | Italian label mainly active in the 1970s and 80s that ranks alongside Folkways, Nonesuch or Ocora. Recorded from the late 1960s, originally released on LP, 30 titles are now released on CD at a low price and available exclusively in Japan. |
Natural sounds from areas of natural beauty in Japan, Amami, Yakushima and the Shimanto river. | Respect Records is one of Japan's best world music labels, exclusively represented worldwide by Far Side Music. Click here to select the full catalogue or new releases. |
Click here to select releases by Western artists on SHM-CD or HQ CD | From Mongolia and Tuva, Japanese and Asian only releases. Many more traditional titles from the region available from King World Music Library and JVC World Sounds series sections below. |
