Nujabes: Hydeout Productions – First Collection (Import) Vinyl 2LP

Storied Japanese record producer, DJ, & composer Jun Seba aka Nujabes created his independent record label Hydeout Productions in 1998, and First Collection is a compilation album, originally released in 2003. This is the first vinyl pressing of the record, and Nujabes, who passed away in 2010, put together a tight collection of beats and rhymes featuring guests like: Funky DL, Apani B, Substantial, Shing02, L-Universe, Pase Rock, Five Deez, and Cise Starr. Atmospheric and chill, Seba’s jazz-hip-hop template is on full display, and the selections represent Nujabes’ fresh and passionate early works as well as the more “emotional and metaphorical” works that defined his later career. Highlights include “Luv(sic) pt2,” “Don’t Even Try It,” “It’s About Time – Fat John Remix,” and “Still Talking To You.”

• black double vinyl pressing
• high-quality Japan import
• gatefold jacket
• original release year: 2003
• music label: Hydeout Productions 2024

reviewed by singing in japanese 09/2019