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Tracklist

A1	紙の道 [BASKETBALL MIX]
A2	TAITOの眺め [上野 駅 MIX]
A3	DINsync [DARIUS ループ]
A4	Vendiagram [円錐 MIX]
A5	新幹線警鐘の偶然 [嵐山 MIX]
B1	parc [松の木 MIX]
B2	SHAPESHIFTER [本州の地図 MIX]
B3	アウト・オブ・ブルー [HER AURA’S インタールード]
B4	ノーム空港ーアンディリ空港 [KODIAK 海山 MIX]
B5	土星ゾーンへようこそ [LAST COAST MIX]

Notes

Listening to it now, two months after its initial digital release, this album feels like a travel diary. I was in the tiny fishing village of Shoji when Marcus of OverScan invited me to play a small show with H. Takahashi in Osaka.

On the bus ride west to Nagoya, the lightbulb went on. To stay busy, I had been editing live practice jams on my laptop, and since I had no merch, I thought I could probably cobble together some kind of "Nippon EP" and give out a download card at the show. I started feverishly working to finish the tracks, peppering in recent field recordings from my travels. I quickly realized that I had enough decent material for a full-length album!

When I was in Osaka, I met up with OverScan and Joshua Stefane of Endurance. We sat down in a cramped little bar, opened up Photoshop and began to properly translate the liner notes of my album into Japanese.

The next day, an hour before the show, I frantically ran to a nearby Kinko's, gave my design to the print technician and despite the language barrier, was able to coerce a rush job.

After the set at HOPKEN in Osaka, I took my laptop to the back of the room and uploaded the tracks to bandcamp. Thus the Nippon LP was born!

Now, every time I hear these tracks, I can remember the view out of the bus or train window, as I pieced it together. The pace at which this album was released helps it feel fresh in my mind... pretty much the opposite of my last album!

Most of these tracks are basically live with very little overdubbing. While in Japan, editing was done and field recordings were added. This album will always have a special place in my heart and I'm excited to share this cassette version with everyone!

So much of this album came together thanks to the help of amazing friends, new and old. I am so grateful to everyone who was a part of this release!

Thanks for listening!
-Joe

Featured Equipment: Eurorack Modular System, Roland TR-707, Roland SH-101, Yamaha DX7, Ensoniq ESQ-1, Korg Poly-61,
Korg Mono/Poly, and Apple Macbook Pro.

This album features field recordings taken in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Shoji-ko. It was mixed while in the air over Alaska, on the
Shinkansen and on various busses around Japan.

All synthesizers were recorded in 2016 at Moss Archive, USA.

Thanks to Joshua Wittig, Marcus Miller, Kazuma Sasajima, Hiroki Takahashi, Ootsusan, Christopher A. Olson, Takafumi Kawata and Nick Coffman.

有り難うございます

credits

released July 3, 2016

Music and graphic design by Joseph Bastardo
Translated by Joshua Wittig
Mastered by Paul Marzoratti