Another special/limited Kan Mikami edition from PSF, this one was originally scheduled as the follow-up to Mikami's fan club-only album, 19 Years, 2 Months, 16th Night, re-released by PSF last year. This one reads like Mikami's very own Genuine Bootleg Series, a collection of live, studio and demo material recorded off the cuff and on the lam. Moves from the oddest country swing moves ever fried in acid through moments of beautifully misconstrued Diddley-beat and blats of pure soul poetry so savage that the very arc of his syllables is enough to make your chest crease. This is the perfect opener for the Mikami neophyte. Housed once again in a special hard white card gatefold jacket, this comes in a limited edition of 1000 copies and is already all-but sold out at source. Highly recommended.

Part of PSF's new Kazuki Tomokawa art edition series bundling classic Tomokawa back catalogue in beautiful gatefold card jackets with all new art from Tomokawa himself. All releases limited to 500 copies. Dream team hook-up from the two reigning kings of the Japanese folk-brut underground, with help from a cast of PSF heavies including the late free bassist Motoharu Yoshizawa. Highly recommended.

First ever live album from the world-beating trio of Keiji Haino, Kan Mikami and Toshi Ishizuka in a limited edition of 1000 copies in mini paper LP-style sleeves with obi. Haino's playing is at its most straight-forwardly beautiful, with soul-searing arcs of beautiful single-note bliss cutting high swathes through the heart of Mikami's black blues. There is a suite of songs that appeared on another Mikami CD that represents the most epic and emotionally-charged playing the trio have ever laid down and the way that Ishizuka triggers single martial explosions while Haino illuminates the space above him has exactly the same electrifying spirit/force of the Albert Ayler Orchestra. There are moments here that are so outrageously epic, just increasing peaks of vertical tone-on-tone, that it's almost overwhelming and when Haino joins Mikami on vocals it feels uniquely cathartic. The tongue-in-cheek blurb on the disc best sums it up: "With a combined age of 171, the most powerful geriatric rock trio in the world." And it's no mere hubris. In the absence of Fushitsusha, they might just be the greatest rock band in the world. Best Vajra ever. Highest possible recommendation.

International big-band summit from a group led by Japanese folk spirit Kan Mikami and featuring female Korean percussionist Heyon Shin, Tsugaru Shamisen virtuoso Michihiro Sato (who has played with Keiji Haino and John Zorn), drummer Toshi Ishizuka (Vajra et al) and Toshiki Sawada.

Studio recordings from the duo of Japanese folk-spirit Kan Mikami and percussionist Ishizuka (Vajra et al): “Mikami is in as fine a fettle as ever. Ishizuka is the perfect partner to Mikami’s unique phrasing, all in the eternal now as straight forward momentum is fractured into a schizophrenic tumble in twenty dimensional directions at once.”

Part of PSF's new Kazuki Tomokawa art edition series bundling classic Tomokawa back catalogue in beautiful gatefold card jackets with all new art from Tomokawa himself. All releases limited to 500 copies. Ferocious live selection from this vital Japanese folk spirit with Tomokawa at some kind of apex of personal revelation. Highly recommended.

Part of PSF's new Kazuki Tomokawa art edition series bundling classic Tomokawa back catalogue in beautiful gatefold card jackets with all new art from Tomokawa himself. All releases limited to 500 copies. Another incredibly anguished live recording from one of the most singular avant/folk performers to come up through the Japanese underground. Solo and duos with longtime collaborator Masato Nagahata. Highly recommended.

First completely solo album from Japanese folk spirit, gambler, actor, pin-up, painter and decadent poet Kazuki Tomokawa in 16 years. Consisting of just vocals and acoustic guitar, A Bumpkin’s Empty Bravado was recorded after an illness where Tomokawa was advised to temporarily give up drinking and smoking in order to save his life. Tomokawa is one of the great contemporary vocal stylists and the force and conviction of his delivery is so powerful that it effortlessly transcends the language barrier. His song-writing here is inspired, with melodies that sound a little like classic Dylan made a bit more elastic and given tougher phrasing. The bulk of the material feels like timeless folk-simple melodies re-birthed as vehicles for dark, surrealist violence and to counter the force of his striking vocal delivery he delivers some particularly tender guitar picking alongside this classic driving ballad style. Comes with a fold-out poster sleeve featuring art from Tomokawa and sleevenotes and lyrics in both English and Japanese. Highly recommended.