''Sounds from the Far East'' is a compilation album by Japanese house producer

Soichi Terada is a Japanese electronic music composer, best known for his work in the ''Ape Escape'' video game series. He started producing music in 1989 as well as remixing singers such as Nami Shimada. He and fellow producer Shinichiro Yokota formed Far Ea ...

released by Dutch label Rush Hour on March 23, 2015. The album was compiled by German-born Korean DJ Hunee with appearances from Shinichiro Yokota and Manabu Nagayama. The album includes many long-sought material by Terada and Yokota, including Yokota's "Do It Again," known as Yokota's most popular work, and "Sun Showered," an alternate version of Nami Shimada and Terada's song "Sunshower" which was remixed by

Larry Heard Larry Heard (born May 31, 1960) is an American DJ, record producer, and musician who has recorded under various names, most notably Mr. Fingers. He is widely known as a pioneering figure in 1980s house music, and was leader of the influential gr ...

and

Mark Kamins Mark Kamins (April 13, 1955 – February 14, 2013) was an American record producer, remixer, and disc jockey famous for his role in the New York club scene. He is best known for helping launch the career of singer Madonna by bringing her to Sire ...

. The album came after renewed interest in Japanese house music with the release of "The Far East Transcripts" via the London-based label Hhatri in 2014. Rush Hour's co-founder, Antal Heitlager, reached out to Terada if he was interested in the project, with Terada allowing the project as he took interest. The album's release led to Terada touring and releasing new music.

Composition and recording

The album includes 12 tracks, split between two vinyl discs with six tracks in each. It includes five tracks from ''Far East Recording'', five tracks from ''Far East Recording 2'', and three tracks from ''La Ronde'', "Got To Be Real", and "Tokyo XXX." The opening track "Saturday Love Sunday" features a sample of "

Saturday Love "Saturday Love" is a song performed by American R&B singers Cherrelle and Alexander O'Neal. It was released in October 1985. The song peaked at #2 on the US R&B chart and became a moderate pop hit peaking at #26 on the US Hot 100 in the spring ...

" by

Cherrelle Cheryl Anne Norton (born October 13, 1958), better known by her stage name Cherrelle, is an American R&B singer and songwriter who gained fame in the mid-1980s. Her signature hits include "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On", "Where Do I Run To", "Eve ...

and

Alexander O'Neal Alexander O'Neal (born November 15, 1953) is an American R&B singer, songwriter and arranger from Natchez, Mississippi. O'Neal came to prominence in the mid-1980s as a solo artist, with eleven Top 40 singles on the US R&B chart, three of whic ...

. Yokota's first track, "Do It Again," sample's "Good Groove" by

Derek B Derek Boland (15 January 1965 – 15 November 2009), better known by his stage name Derek B, was a British rapper. His most commercially successful releases were "Goodgroove" and "Bad Young Brother" in 1988. Biography Born in Hammersmith, Lo ...

. "Sun Showered" is an alternate version of Nami Shimada and Terada's song "Sunshower." "Low Tension (Alternative Version)" is an alternate mix of "Low Tension," which appeared on ''La Ronde''. "CPM" includes four samples from "Peanut Butter" by Gwen Guthrie, "Do It to the Music" by

Raw Silk Raw Silk was an American dance band, which originated in New York. History Raw Silk first signed to West End Records, which was once a popular garage label, where they recorded moderate hits. Their songs were remixed by post-disco/ R&B produ ...

, "Keep It Warm (Extended)" by Voices in the Dark, and "Spread Love" by the

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featuring

Evelyn Thomas Ellen Lucille "Evelyn" Thomas (born August 22, 1953) is an American singer from Chicago, Illinois, best known for the Hi-NRG dance hits " High Energy", "Masquerade", "Standing at the Crossroads", "Reflections", and "Weak Spot". Thomas has an ...

. "Shake Yours" includes a sample of "I.C. Love Affair" by Gaznevada. Later versions replaced Yokota's "Shake Yours" with Terada's "We Came Together," or removed the song entirely. "Purple Haze (Edit)" is an edit of Terada's "Purple Haze" by Hunee, which samples " Purple Haze" by

the Jimi Hendrix Experience James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix (born Johnny Allen Hendrix; November 27, 1942September 18, 1970) was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most ...

Critical reception

The album received general positive reviews from critics. Paul Clarke of '' Resident Advisor'' gave the album a 3.8/5, calling it the "aural equivalent of

Amerikamura Amerikamura (also America mura; アメリカ村, ''American Village'') is a sizable retail and entertainment area near Shinsaibashi in the Chūō-ku district of Osaka, Japan. It is usually referred to by locals as "Ame-mura". Amerikamura is a ...

" and "just as good as

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and

garage A garage is a covered structure built for the purpose of parking, storing, protecting, maintaining, and/or repairing vehicles. Specific applications include: *Garage (residential), a building or part of a building for storing one or more vehicle ...

." Matt Anniss of

Juno Records Juno Records is a UK-based online dance music retail store, selling vinyl records, CDs, music downloads and music accessories, founded by Richard Atherton and Sharon Boyd. The website was created in 1996 as an information-only site called ''The D ...

praised the album, saying that the Far East sound was "warm, rich and expertly melodious, with sun-bright motifs and enveloping pads combining to create cuts that were breezy and almost unashamedly positive."

Track listing

References

{{Authority control 2015 compilation albums