High Rise – Dispersion 2LP Black Editions

From the moment they emerged in the early days of the ’80s Tokyo underground, High Rise set themselves apart as radical outliers, shattering the limits of rock and psychedelic music with a ferocity unmatched even in that heady era. The group’s core duo of Asahito Nanjo on bass/vocals and Munehiro Narita on guitar had an explosive chemistry; they mutated, distorted, amplified the raw velocity, heaviness, and electricity of late ’60s/early ’70s rock into an entirely new, monstrous form. Running in similar circles, their approach paralleled that of Les Rallizes Dénudés, but with a more garage/proto-punk attack and the blistering intensity of a full-on amphetamine rush. While Mizutani’s guitar is what took Rallizes’s to another level, the same can be said for Narita’s guitar work in High Rise- rightfully placing him in the pantheon of psychedelic guitarists and for some to call him “the undisputed king of the motorcycle fuzz guitar”. The band inspired the launch of the legendary P.S.F. label, giving it its first two releases which along with its third release, the debut of Keiji Haino‘s Fushitsusha, signaled a new era in the world of Japanese underground music. High Rise’s second album, 1986’s II, was a triumph and fully lived up to the group’s original Psychedelic Speed Freaks moniker, instantly raising the stakes for any band to follow. It carved out a new stream of rock music, rooted in an encyclopedic knowledge of the music’s history and an almost metaphysical understanding of its raw elements and spirit. High Rise’s third album, 1992’s Dispersion, kept the group’s in-the-red intensity while pushing into new directions. Less grounded in speed, Nanjo along with drummer Dr. Euro build powerful, dynamic riffs that swing with crushing levels of heaviness. Slower pieces rife with blues infused tension appear alongside dissonant no wave inflected passages and rumbling biker rave-ups. All of which provide Narita with the room to create one of rock guitars most compelling high wire spectacles. Throughout the album he creates dizzying torrents of notes with a precision, control and endless inventiveness that crackles with chaotic energy. Remixed and remastered from the original master tapes by Asahito Nanjo and released in a deluxe gatefold double LP edition housed in a die-cut slipcase printed entirely with spot colors and featuring spot UV gloss and soft touch finishes. Pressed to high quality vinyl at RTI.