Silver Pavilion (Ginkakuji)

Private Music was an independent label based out of the United States. Founded by Tangerine Dream's keyboardist Peter Baumann, this label helped produce some of the greatest instrumental albums of all time. As one of Private Music's earlier releases, their 20th in fact, AZUMA truly showcases what this label was about to its core. The eclectic library of albums that this now-defunct label helped produce continues to stand the test of time to this day and this one is among the best! Artwork for this album was carried out by Ronald Birke and encapsulates the sound that this album exudes perfectly! You can easily get lost amongst the muted tones of greens and blues with giant blobs of grey that pull you in with their grandiose and abstract shapes. It's just aesthetically pleasing in all the right ways, all the way down to the wonderfully designed font of the album's name and the accented red bar that totally dominates your focal point at times. I really like how the album art harkens toward the current generation of high-art vaporwave covers that we have all grown to love. Mastering was carried out by Bill Kipper of Masterdisk in New York City and is just impeccable. Listening to this album some 30 years after its pressing is something magical to witness and like everything else, stands the test of time.

Armor (Ohyoroi)

AZUMA has become an absolute staple in my collection and is one of the best albums I think I've ever heard. Becoming somewhat lost to time I felt it was important to shed some light on this fantastical and truly moving album. I want nothing more than this album to get the love and attention it deserves and I feel like this review was the best way in which I could achieve that. This is absolutely a must-have album for anyone that’s a fan of video game music and vaporwave alike! Do not sleep on finding a copy of this!