Yukino Inamine + Akio Naga - Yugafu Ai Kaji - Japan CD Limited Edition

The Ryukyu dub album Sekaho Aifu, which sold out immediately in its analog release, is finally available on CD with two bonus tracks! Pioneering an exotic (Balearic) sound unlike anything heard before—a fusion of TB-303, Ryukyuan folk music, and dub—the much-talked-about album Yugafuai Kaji was released in 2025 and sold out immediately. This album, which made a huge impact not only on the world music scene but also on the club music scene—including techno and house—is now available on CD! The bonus tracks include Yukino Inamine’s original song “Miyagi Kaigan,” originally released on a 7-inch vinyl in 2023, and “Miyagi Kaigan Akio Nagase Sunset Dub”! A collaborative work by AKIONAGASE—who has been active in the Kansai region’s underground scene since the late 1990s—and singer Yukino Inamine, who weaves together tradition and a fresh sensibility in Ryukyuan folk songs using the sanshin, a memento from her “Oji” (grandfather). Sekaho Aifu. AKIONAGASE has been active in the Kansai region since the late 1990s. Under his own moniker, , he organized parties and operated a record shop of the same name at venues such as Tsurunoma and SoundChannel—key hubs of the Kansai underground dance scene in the 2000s—while also releasing works as both an artist and a label through 〈SoundChannel〉 and 〈RUDIMENTS〉. His 2003 album MakeDub, which also features the ahead-of-its-time techno-dancehall track “DanceHallKing,” serves as a little-known singularity bridging techno, acid house, reggae, and dub; even today, its original sound retains a fresh resonance (I’m eagerly hoping for an LP release!). Although his output slowed for a time, since the 2018 release “Delusion” on Chillmountain—led by his friend Ground—he has continued to release music at his own pace. In recent years, he has also released works and remixes on UK labels such as [Emotional]Especial〉, among others, incorporating a variety of elements—from intense acid sounds to Afro and Ryukyuan folk music—through the medium of dub, and continues to deliver a sound brimming with originality. This album represents NAGASE’s latest venture into Ryukyuan folk music, featuring Yukino Inamine’s vocals and sanshin playing. As such, with the exception of “Ishikawa Ren’uta,” all tracks on this album are standards of Ryukyuan folk music. The collaboration began after NAGASE remixed Yukino Inamine’s original song “Miyagi Kaigan,” released in 2023, with the concept of fusing Inamine’s renditions of Ryukyuan folk song standards with NAGASE’s production. Based on Ryukyuan folk song standards selected by NAGASE from Inamine’s live repertoire, the album was constructed by editing together material Inamine had recorded during her stay in the Kansai region at the studio of HAV (of Soul Fire), a dub master in Osaka, and NAGASE’s basic tracks.