It bears repeating, well, at least serve as a reminder to myself, that: music lives best outside any kind of gatekeeping. When we’re blessed to discover music that moves us, doesn’t that blessing feel even more profound when we discover that others can partake in its existence with us? It’s what’s leading me to explore what other voices have to share with us and what spurred me to reach out to Tyler Craft from Echo Ocho, for the latest of episode of Digging Deep.
Over a year go, when I first encountered Tyler’s “First & Last: Japanese Private Press” mixes for Aquarium Drunkard, I was thoroughly impressed. I thought: this was someone who understood the “how” and the “why” necessary to elucidate some of the little we know about contemporary Japanese music and in his case, jishuban, Japanese privately-pressed music.
Rather than treat this music as exotic, reverential, or something else, in his mixes (and what he shares through his social media) care is taken to craft a different narrative, best he can. It’s in his own way, a very humble form of imparting that we’re at a crossroads where tons of great music, some of it the “first and last” those makers will ever make, can be lost to time, forgotten in our rush to the next, highly-coveted, reissue. In the end, it posits: why can’t there be space for these other kind of musicians and their work to be remembered, as well?
As you’ll experience in our conversation and hear in Tyler’s mix, it’s our transformation from passive collectors to active listeners that can lead to great new discoveries — some which you’ll find today and others which he’ll press again on First & Last Records, shortly.
Tyler Craft Interview
F/S: Can you tell me a little about yourself? I believe you’re based in Taos, NM. As someone raised in El Paso, TX, I fondly remember that part of New Mexico. I remember the snow-capped mountains, the pueblo-style architecture and that fantastic drive to and from Santa Fe. I guess, what’s your connection to this part of the world?
Tyler Craft: I spent much of my youth in the midwest. I was born in Cleveland, OH, and then moved to St. Louis, MO, just before high school. I went to college at University of Missouri-Columbia, where I joined the college radio station, which brought me my first exposure to private press and non-mainstream music.
After college, I worked as a web developer in a graphic design shop in downtown St. Louis for six years before making the jump to San Francisco, CA. I loved living in the Bay but came to the conclusion that I’d never be able to buy a home there. I refused to move back to the midwest, don’t get me wrong, there are great cities and great people doing great things; but I don’t want midwest summers or winters.
In 2019, I moved to Taos, not for any family connection, but simply because I love the area. The landscape is amazing, the weather is perfect and it has such a rich cultural history. My partner and I built a home on a couple acres in view of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.
Quick side note: in second grade, my dad’s company tried to move us to El Paso. I went with my parents to visit but the only things I remember are Thunderbird Mountain, and going across the border with my parents where they bought me a Jacob’s Ladder.
F/S: What are some of the“foundational” records or music that you’ve cherish the most, that might explain what kind of taste you have?
Tyler Craft: Honestly, I got into music late, and into records even later. In high school, my music was primarily influenced by my older brothers, who relied heavily on Led Zeppelin and The Allman Brothers Band. I didn’t dislike it, but I never loved it. It was just what was always on. Once I got to college, I joined their radio station and had my first chance to explore the stacks of records. Pitchfork was just starting out, and stations like WFMU started broadcasting online. And with Soulseek, it felt like I had the ability to listen to anything.
Since I moved around so much, I avoided records as it was one less thing to move. It wasn’t until around 2010 that I picked up a cheap record player and started buying vinyl. I think one of the first records I ever purchased was the Ted Lucas reissue by Yoga Records.
This is a long winded way of saying: I don’t have specific “foundational” records, as much as vibes, for lack of a better word. I would say that I’m primarily drawn to small label and private press music. There is a sound that is unique. It has a sincerity and earnestness that I absolutely love. It doesn’t matter the language or genre. In fact, sometimes it helps being in a foreign language, as I find most (not all) lyrics to be mediocre. It could be rock, folk, New Age, orchestral, tropicália, Highlife, jazz or anything else. Ted Lucas, Robbie Basho, Wilcox Sullivan Wilcox, or obscurities that labels like Numero Group, Sublime Frequencies or Awesome Tapes From Africa would reissue.
F/S: Where I know you from is your, seemingly, deep well of Japanese private press records. How does one get into that kind of collecting? Was this something you set out to do consciously?
Tyler Craft: It was not conscious at all. It was a right time, right place situation. Just under 10 years ago, I was going through a stressful period of my life; I didn’t love my job and I was going through a divorce. I was trying to figure out my life.
I came across a Shiro, Bread & Butter track on YouTube, and it’s a nice track, but nothing that memorable. However, it made me want to find more. There was something familiar, yet different. It was comforting. Since I didn’t speak the language, it didn’t have the distraction of lyrics. It could be whatever I wanted it to be.
I think I’m like any collector, once you find something that grips you, there is a desire to find more; to try to be a completist, which we’ll never be. The more I would learn about these bands, the more interested I became. Most of these records were pressed in a quantity of 100 or less — my favorite record had only 15 copies pressed! These records, at the time, cost more than double the average yearly salary. Bands had to fundraise to record and press.
It’s why you’ll see so many compilations, as well as EP’s from this time, as they were less expensive to make. Also, many of the album titles are First & Last Album, or something to that effect, which I find absolutely heartbreaking. These were records they had to make. They had to get these out into the world before they would break up as individual members would leave to enter the “real world.”
The amazing part is that I’m not talking about 50-75 great Japanese private press records coming out during this time. I’m talking hundreds upon hundreds. Many that are still completely unknown and I think they deserve to be heard.
F/S: Where do you discover (let alone find or buy) the music you’re collecting? It’s not like private-press anything, yet alone something of that nature from Japan, of all places, is deeply-mined territory.
Tyler Craft: I started looking for records ignorantly. Web shops, YouTube channels…etc., following contributors on Discogs, and tracing all the paths I could in order to learn more. Like most people who are interested in this music, I ended up at Yahoo Japan auctions. I’ve spent more time (and money) than I care to admit, clicking through auctions, trying to decide if I should buy something I’ve never seen before, solely based on a couple poorly-translated sentences and a photo of an album jacket.
I’m happy to see that this music is getting more attention. I think it’s easier to get familiar with this music today, as opposed to when I started, which is great. One of the things that really helped raise awareness was the Wonder Ground Record Guide Book, that the Branco Label in Japan put out in 2020. It’s like a Japanese Private Press version of Hans Pokora’s 1001 Record Collectors Dreams books. Since that was published, a lot of the records from the book have found there way onto YouTube.
In the end, it’s no different than any other genre or music scene that you want to get into. It requires non-stop learning. That can take many different forms; going down YouTube rabbit holes, reaching out to people over Discogs, RYM, Instagram, etc. My recommendation would be to not be afraid of asking ignorant questions, and be as nice as possible to everyone you talk with. This is, actually, how I got to know Johan Nilsson (@crimsontent), a long time collector with deep knowledge on this music. He was kind enough to answer some of my ignorant questions, and over time we became friends, and together we founded First & Last Records, which will focus on locating these artists, and working with those artists to reissue their music.
F/S: What’s the story behind Echo Ocho? I remember how interesting your first release, Peter Kardas’s I Saw You, was. Can you share some of the vision behind your record label (or store)? It must be some kind of labor to run something like it, in our current state of the world.
Tyler Craft: Echo Ocho, originally, was a place for me and my birthday twin, Chris Harper, to host mixes. He was at the college radio station with me and we both loved finding, listening, and sharing obscure music. We never advertised it. It was as much for us as for anyone else.
I was always interested in reissuing music; to help shine a light on something that didn’t get the attention I thought it deserved. I reached out to Douglas Mcgowan, who runs Yoga Records, asking if I could help him with any future projects. He, miraculously, responded with interest. We talked off and on for a couple years before finally settling on the Peter Kardas project. For lack of a better idea, I co-released it under the Echo Ocho name. I had ideas of pivoting from mixes to reissues, but it never quite worked out that way.
Chris and I both had a kid, and life took over. We didn’t have time to work on mixes, and I had been digging into all this Japanese music that I wanted to share. I didn’t want to post it to my personal Instagram account, as I feared I would annoy friends and family. So I repurposed the Echo Ocho account and started sharing records that way.
Douglas and I enjoyed working with each other on the Kardas record, so we decided it would make more sense for me to formally join him at Yoga where we could work on reissues together, rather than reissuing a bunch of records under two labels. Our first vinyl project since I officially joined, Talvé Naked In The Park, is shipping now, and we have a bunch of other exciting projects in different stages of reissue.
F/S: I also realize that you’re starting a new venture to reissue some of these unique Japanese private press records under the name First & Last Records. If you can share anything with us, what can we look forward to in the future?
Tyler Craft: Yes! This is something I’m really excited about. The label is myself in Taos, Johan Nilsson (@crimsontent) in New York City, and Shinsaku Ikeshita (@skyfish69) in Tokyo. I’m amazed at how much we’ve gotten done because we’ve never met in person, we’ve only communicated through text in a group chat. But we all share a deep love of this music, and together, we’ve managed to locate and sign 5 artists, and we hope to increase that number soon.
Our first release is the Untitled White Album by Hiroshi Tanaka & Yoichi Fuwa, who are two mysterious creatures, who in 1974, recorded over 50 nameless songs in Fuwa’s apartment. Since they could not fit all of the songs on an album they choose 19 of their favorites and self-released their Untitled White Album. The album has since grown itself a fitting mystique, often referred to simply as an Untitled Album by Unknown Artist.
The liner notes lead off with their self-proclamation of being heirs to The Beatles. And it’s a fitting claim; their music is like a fairy tale. It’s leisurely and relaxed, yet bursting at the seams, with melodies and youthful ambition.
Originally only 100 copies were made and was one of the most sought after Japanese private press albums of its time. We are reissuing it for the first time with an additional LP, an Untitled White Album II, featuring 16 previously unreleased songs from the original sessions.
Our second release is already out to press, and the third is fast following. We’ll also have a few digital only releases planned. So, if you are interested in this music, check out our website, follow our Instagram, or check us out on Bandcamp.
F/S: I can’t recommend enough the series of mixes you’ve done for Aquarium Drunkard shining a light on the“jishuban” or Japanese private press scene. How did this eight volume series come to fruition? Also, what made you bring it to an end, if you don’t mind me asking?
Thank you for the kind words! Technically it has not ended. I always have a few mixes in the works. It primarily depends on what I pick up at auction, and how it fits together with the rest of my collection. Justin at Aquarium Drunkard has been great about providing me the flexibility to send over a mix as it comes. So expect a few more!
F/S: Have you gone to Japan? If so, what was it like for you?
Tyler Craft: This is where my imposter syndrome will spike. I have not been to Japan. It’s always been a place I was interested in, but I was never a Japanophile, so it was never top of my list. Over the past 5 years, I haven’t done much travel. We moved to Taos, built a house, had a kid, and of course there was that whole pandemic thing. Once we are ready for some long flights, I think Japan will be one of the first places we go. I don’t think anything would make me happier than to hand deliver a reissue to one of our artists.
F/S: What were your thoughts behind the mix you’re sharing today with F/S readers? I really feel a special “springlike” feeling from it but that’s me. Any special artist or artists in this mix that you’d like to point out?
Tyler Craft: My favorite mixes bounce around a bit to show the range of style, and quality in the music from this time. I also wanted this to have a different feel than what I’ve done for Aquarium Drunkard. Those mixes have really focused on the acid folk side of private press, which could get a little slow from time to time. From the first guitar notes of the Kamideppo track, on this mix, everything feels a bit brighter and airier.
In 1972, オクノ修 (Osamu Okuno), put out this amazing folk record on Himico. Three years later, his sound evolved, and both he his label mate Mitsu Harada each released a gorgeous pop EP. Tracks 5 & 6 on the mix are taken from those EP’s.
A couple tracks later is this Hの集団 song, also released in 1975, that is this beautiful fuzzy slacker instrumental that is like nothing else I’ve heard from that time.
Last, but not least, I’m a sucker for a long dirge at the end of a mix, and this mix is no different. It’s by the band とお, and the track is from a live compilation. The jacket this record came in is blank, but it came with a small piece of paper that I believe functioned as a ticket to the show (or a voucher for the record after the show). とお has a couple tracks on this comp, and they are some of my favorite from that comp. Sadly, I have no clue if they ever released anything else.
The diversity and range of music makes me wish I could time travel back and experience it in person.
F/S: Finally, I apologize for asking this, but I’m always curious how anyone discovers this blog: so, how or what brought you here?
In 2018, Douglas, and I were fawning over Hiroshi Yoshimura’s Pier & Loft tape, and he sent me over a link to your Oscilation Circuit: Série Réflexion 1 post in 2018 and told me to take a listen. Later that year you posted the Mushi & Lakansyel: Koté Ou record as well. After that, your blog has always been one of my to go to places to learn about music.
All photos and images kindly provided by Tyler Craft.
[Editor’s note: Thanks to Tyler for contributing to this mix. You can find everything music-related he is currently working on either at @echoocho or @firstandlastrecords.]
Guest Mix by Tyler Craft (Echo Ocho + First & Last Records)
Tracklist:
Kamideppo – 紙鉄砲のテーマ
山本えーぞー (Eezoh Yamamoto) – 灰色の唄
T.A.M. Music Library – 紅畔
かんざまし (Kanzamashi) – 過ぎたこと
オクノ修 (Osamu Okuno) -月の光が窓からさしこむ部屋で
Mitsu Harada – Ōkii Kodomo
パル (Pal) – チェリー・ワイン
East Table – 君を見つけて
Hの集団 – それでも太陽は
ジョセフィーヌ (Josephine) – 恋方んて·はーどげん
伍円玉 (Goendama) – 水
グリーン・ピース (Green Peace) – そんな気が,,,
山本 洋 (Hiroshi Yamamoto) – 途中下車
ザ・ウィーズ (The Weeds) – 山火事焼けろ
とお (Toot) – 若=5