Description
The origin of 1990s Tokyo electronic underground: a cutting-edge 1997 compilation receives its first vinyl release
A seminal 1997 compilation featuring cutting-edge artists who shaped the 1990s Tokyo underground scene, including Virgo, known for Landform Code and Remnants, presenting IDM, techno, and ambient music.
Art Form I, a masterpiece released by Tokyo’s cult label FORM@ RECORDS on CD only in 1997, receives its first vinyl reissue as a joint archival project with Switzerland’s WRWTFWW Records.
While channeling the aesthetics of emotional machine music that resonate with the explorations of Warp’s Artificial Intelligence series, B12, The Black Dog, Ken Ishii, and early Carl Craig, it also uniquely constructs intricate rhythmic structures and acid and ambient textures. This monumental work excavates recordings from the label’s archives, packed with the warm textures and progressive electronic sounds that form the core of the label, and presents them in a limited-edition double LP format with a heavyweight sleeve.
A1. Mag-Net-Walker - Rover
A2. Tensor - Gently Drifting
A3. Minerva - Dreamers Notion
B1. Souther - Jupiter
B2. Dendrobium - Ethereal
B3. Mag-Net-Walker - Slope
C1. Virgo - First Epilogue
C2. Micro Wave Assessment Chisei - Film
D1. Led-M - Sweet Memories
D2. Penance - Marine Snow
WRWTFWW Records is delighted to announce the first-ever vinyl release of Art Form I, the overlooked 1997 compilation from Tokyo’s cult imprint FORM@ RECORDS, now available as a limited edition double LP housed in a heavyweight sleeve as part of the ongoing collaborative series between the Swiss and Japanese labels.
Originally issued only on CD, Art Form I is a fascinating deep dive into the rich and singular world of late ’90s Tokyo electronic music—an inspired collection of timeless IDM, techno, ambient, and electronica experiments. Showcasing a roster of visionary underground artists including fan-favorite Virgo (Landform Code, Remnants), the compilation maps the innovative spirit of the era: emotional machine music, intricate rhythmic architecture, mind-expanding textures, and the soulful heart that serves as the solid foundation of everything FORM@ RECORDS.
Art Form I reminds of the pioneering explorations from Warp’s Artificial Intelligence series, B12, The Black Dog, Ken Ishii, and early Carl Craig, all while maintaining its own distinctive local identity. This long-awaited vinyl edition offers listeners a fully immersive rediscovery of a pivotal moment in underground music.
Following the acclaimed reissues of Virgo’s Landform Code (1998) and Remnants (1999), the simultaneous releases of Art Form I and Art Form 2 (1998) continue the archival collaboration between WRWTFWW Records and FORM@ RECORDS, with a forthcoming vinyl edition of remix collection Re-Form Ver-1.0 (1999) to follow.
Points of interest
• For fans of Warp’s Artificial Intelligence series, Virgo, Ken Ishii, Carl Craig, B12, The Black Dog, deep electronic music, experimental soundscapes, time-capsule compilations, and late ’90s machine soul.
• First ever vinyl release of the cult Japanese electronic compilation Art Form I (1997), resurrected from the vaults of FORM@ RECORDS.
• A captivating snapshot of Japanese electronic underground: IDM, techno, ambient, acid—forward-thinking, emotional, and timeless.
• From the WRWTFWW x FORM@ archival series.
