A really beautiful record from the Japanese electro scene at the start of the 80s – a record that's got some of the catchy synth modes of the period, but which also has a fair bit of other elements going on too! Logic System features keyboards from Hideki Matsutake – best known for his keyboard programming with YMO – and here, his style expands into some wider modes that almost remind us of our favorite French soundtrack styles of the period – slight currents of sentiment, and a richness of expression that goes way past the more familiar simpler forms of the keyboards. There's definitely some catchier tunes too, and the balance is very nice – on a set that's mostly instrumental, save for some occasional vocoded bits. Titles inlcude "Metamorphism", "Equivalent", "Be Yourself", "Prophet", "Morpheus", and "Venus". LP, Vinyl record album

Back in the 70s, there were plenty of records that mixed together the Japanese shamisen with more contemporary sounds – but of them all, this set might well be one of the wildest – as it features two side-long tracks that mix the acoustic strings of the ancient instrument with a mix of moogy electronics and keyboards! Konae Imato handles the shamisen in a very classic style – with lots of raspy touches along the three strings – while Masashi Komatsubara delivers all these different sounds from the moog – sometimes very abstract, sometimes tuneful, sometimes very experimental – all of which makes for a wonderful sense of variety throughout the record! Hideki Matsutake (aka Logic System) was part of the album's creation too – and the record features the long tracks "Journey To Edo" and "The City Of Edo". LP, Vinyl record album

Our fair city of Chicago has been home to countless famous high school stars over the decades – important musicians, athletes, and even gang members and politicians – all of whom sprung from the large institutions that make up the city's educational system! This book looks at the years of thought that went into the design of the modern high school in Chicago – architectural details that have a key psychological, emotional, and (obviously) educational impact – in ways that are different than, but similar to the thoughts that went into designing the modern house of incarceration. The book's written from an academic perspective, and provides a fascinating amount of detail – and is hardcover, 294 pages, with many black and white photos and illustrations throughout. Book