amalgamation

One of the most tripped-out albums you'll ever hear from Japanese keyboardist Masahiko Satoh - and that's saying a lot, considering some of his other avant sessions of the 70s! This one's a really free-form jam - recorded so that each of the two long tunes takes up a side of the record apiece - one with really full-on, frenzied noise - courtesy of some ring modulators played by Satoh, undercut with some really heavy drums from Louis Hayes, a surprising entry for a session like this! Side two has a sound that's a bit more organic - some spare percussion at first - but the record then moves into noisier territory too, and even features some cool scatting female vocals. Highly recommended!

Original LP gatefold sleeve

No.7 in Julian Cope's Top 50 Jap rock album list

Side 1

Amalgamation I

Side 2

Amalgamation II