Selected Works 1979 To 1983 EP

NuNorthern Soul take a brief respite from their BJ Smith series so boss man ‘Phat’ Phil Cooper can indulge his love for Ryo Kawasaki. Focusing on the period that the ’70s met the ’80s, Selected Works pulls together five delicious slices of Kawasaki bliss from a boundary pushing discography that spans writing, arranging, producing and playing.

For an introduction to Kawasaki, this release is near perfect, taking in sublime jazz through heaving slabs of funk to out-there electronic vibes. Extra context is provided in the extensive sleeve notes from Marc Rowlands that pull from his 2015 interview with Kawasaki. Despite being five tracks long, this still feels like a generous rifle through the Ryo archives…