Koichi Watanabe - Electronic Music 1979-1980 (2002 compilation)

Three electronic explorations from this Japanese artist, about whom there seems to virtually no information online* - at least on English-language sites.  Bit of a mystery one, then; this compilation just caught my eye as a cheap addition to a Discogs order.  The only information given on the back of the album is that these pieces, each around 20 minutes in length, were recorded in Tokyo in 1979 (track 1) and 1980 (tracks 2-3).

Given the recording years, and perhaps because I've been listening to so much early 80s electronica lately, I think I was expecting a bit more high-fidelity sheen to Watanabe's music.  Quite the opposite is true: his tracks here, named Amoebas, Caimen and San-Youchiyu, are murky, echo-laden soundscapes reminiscent of '76-'77 Throbbing Gristle at their calmest, '71 Cluster or perhaps even Kluster.  The last track is a bit more melodic, and will appeal to fans of Conrad Schnitzler.  Definitely worth hearing if you like lo-fi, exploratory electronics.

link

pw: sgtg

* The usual caveat applies here, namely that I'm not exactly an exhaustive googler, and may well have missed something...