Neil Halstead: "We were always ambitious

The crown jewel is the album closer "Swordsman"

span over a particularly fruitful period in the composer's career

” bridging the gap between Shaffer’s earlier work and the clarity of Patience

Jasper Lee

V/A - Longing For The Shadow: Ryūkōka Recordings, 1921-1939 LP Stoner Neil Halstead: "We were alwaysEmerging during the early stages of the recording industry in Japan, the rykka style adopted western classical, blues & jazz elements into traditional and classical Japanese music. This collection of 1920s & 30s rykka recordings follows on from the Kouta Katsutaro tape we put out a couple of years back, and further captures the hauntingly unique sound of a cultural merging that was starting to reflect itself via popular song, ahead of the widespread