Led by producer, composer, and multi-instrumentalist Mark de Clive Lowe, Tokyo's Ronin Arkestra brings together some of the most supreme and innovative players in Japan's Jazz and electronic scene, featuring members of Kyoto Jazz Sextet, WONK, Cro-Magnon, Root Soul, Sleepwalker, Sauce81 and Kyoto Jazz Massive. Formed in 2017, the collective's debut album 'Sonkei', released 27th September via Albert's Favourites, fuses '60s deep and spiritual jazz with experimental electronica. The album follows the release of their critically acclaimed debut EP 'First Meeting', released earlier this year. The super-group takes their name from Ronin, the masterless samurai of a time gone by. Deadly master swordsmen who, without lords to serve, roamed Japan offering their skills wherever needed. As the need for their swordsmanship declined, they became master artisans making textiles, crafting poetry, painting and writing books. It's a fascinating evolution that has a parallel to each member in the Ronin Arkestra collective - master musicians from different bands and clans coming together to create a vagabond band of like-minded musicians - weaving the stories of their lives into a collective sound. 'The members of Ronin Arkestra are some of my favorite musicians anywhere and the way we all come together in battle formation with so much heart and soul is making magic,' says de Clive Lowe. The musical 'stories' contained in 'Sonkei' are each named after episodes from Samurai Champloo, an Edo-era, Japanese anime series following two ronin and their charge in search of the elusive 'samurai who smells of sunflower'. 'It's a favourite of mine, with it's two main characters being such juxtaposed personalities, but their only way to succeed is to work together - the lessons and reflection in that alone is self-evident,' adds de Clive Lowe. Compositions such as 'Lullabies of the Lost' are a deep meditation that transports us simultaneously back hundreds of years into the right here and now, while the horn-heavy, fusion-driven 'Art of Altercation', confronts the skill of conflict and confrontation. Elsewhere, the impulsive and free-flowing 'Cosmic Collisions' merges raw grooves and electronics - an interstellar configuration of stars, light years from each other, while 'Circle of Transmigration' challenges the never ending circle of life, fusing soaring horns and piano-driven melodies. Ronin Arkestra started life with de Clive Lowe wanting to create a project with some of his favourite Japanese musicians, unaware of the sound, shape or vibe it would manifest. Reaching out to his musician friends including Sauce81, they began recording at Red Bull Studio in Tokyo and the chemistry was instant, creating an impulsive sound that blended spiritual jazz and beat sensibilities heavy on the improvisation. 'That's the beauty of this collective - everyone is so great at what they do, playing to the music rather than their own egos and so open to the moment. That's the heart of the 'jazz' in Ronin Arkestra - being wide open to the moment and letting the music happen as it wants to. In every way there's so much respect and reverence for the music, and for each other - which is no coincidence given how much Japan is built on an ingrained culture of respect. There's a beautiful word for this in Japanese: sonkei,' says de Clive-Lowe. Mark de Clive-Lowe is a half-Japanese, half-New Zealander musician, composer and producer raised in Auckland, New Zealand. He came to international prominence during his decade living in London between 1998 and 2008, a became a regular collaborator with a community of producers including Bugz in the Attic, 4Hero and Restless Soul. A veteran of the UK's broken beat movement, he has been involved with over 200 releases, collaborating with artists including Lauryn Hill, Jody Watley, Shirley Horn, UK soul singer Omar, percussionist Sammy Figueroa and bass player Pino Palladino.
Release date:
October 18, 2019
Label:
Install our app to receive notifications when new upcoming releases are added.

Recommended equipment and accessories
-
Cartridges - Top Picks
A selection of turnatble cartridges that provide great performance and sound quality
-
Vinyl Care - Top Picks
A selection of accesories to keep your turntable equipment & vinyl records in the best shape
-
Pro-Ject Phono Box DC Pre-Amp
Compact, high-performance phono preamplifier for both MM and MC cartridges, delivering a clean, detailed signal with minimal noise.
-
Turntables - Top Picks
A selection of reliable record players you can buy today, for every budget
-
Nagaoka MP-110H Cartridge
Features a high-quality elliptical stylus that provides excellent tracking and minimizes distortion, delivering a detailed sound reproduction with an output voltage of 5.0 mV
Featured Upcoming Vinyl
-
Warmen Band Of Brothers (Yellow Splatter)
Reaper Entertainment
August 15, 2025 -
Ed Sheeran Play
Atlantic
September 12, 2025 -
Wolf Alice The Clearing
Rca Records
August 22, 2025 -
Pete Droge Fade Away Blue
Missing Piece Records
August 22, 2025 -
James Yorkston Songs for Nina and Johanna
Domino Record Co
August 22, 2025 -
Backstreet Boys Millennium 2.0 [2xLP]
Legacy Recordings
July 11, 2025 -
Steve Gunn Music For Writers (Opaque Orange)
Three Lobed Recordings
August 15, 2025 -
Kaiser Chiefs Employment 20: China Anniversary Edition [2xLP]
Universal UK
July 25, 2025 -
Manslaughter 777 God's World
Thrill Jockey
July 25, 2025 -
Belinda Carlisle Once Upon A Time In California (Picture)
Demon / Edsel
August 29, 2025 -
Gruff Rhys Dim Probs
Rock Action Records
September 26, 2025 -
Three Days Grace Alienation
Rca Records
August 22, 2025 -
Beton Arme Renaissance
La Vida Es Un Mus
July 11, 2025 -
Half Japanese Adventure (Cream)
Fire Records
July 11, 2025