180g audiophile black 2xLP housed in a 5mm wide spine, matte jacket. Full color center labels. Black poly innersleeves. Shrinkwrapped. Edition of 200. bvdub – 13 (Past Inside The Present, 2025)
For its inaugural release of 2025, Past Inside The Present proudly offers a powerful set of new pieces from experimental ambient veteran bvdub (aka Brock Van Wey), simply titled 13. Across its duration, spacious arrangements nest in clouds of reverb, underscored by granular details and entrancing synth arpeggiations. According to Van Wey – a long time scholar of Eastern ideas and literature – every section represents one edict or idea from chapter 13 of the Tao Te Ching, the foundational text of Taoist doctrine, which promotes humility and freedom from desire as the core elements of a peaceful existence.
On opening track, “宠”, constellations of flickering melodies dapple a backdrop of airy, slowly shifting harmonies, while “辱” (track 2) introduces bubbling keys and a maelstrom of pulsing low-end, warping and yowling as they whip across the stereo field. At times, we hear echoes of the hardware-based works of pioneers like Global Communication and The Orb, with shades of sci-fi futurism balanced by organic complexity and human vulnerability.
The cover image of 13 is taken directly from a Chinese edition of the Tao Te Ching, whose characters convey the intricacy of the chapter’s message only when cross-referenced as a whole; each one is a simpler idea that offers only a vague fragment. In much the same way, these pieces must be heard collectively in order to gain the full experience of their varied climes and conjurings. From oceanic depths to astronomical boundlessness, 13 provides a heady dose of cosmic scale, appropriately reflected by the section of the Tao Te Ching that inspired it:
Accept being unimportant. Do not be concerned with loss and gain.
Surrender yourself humbly; then you can be trusted to care for all things.
Love the world as your own self; then you can truly care for all things.
Throughout 13’s second half, layers of propulsive patterns weave together, graced by soft distortion, and dubby motifs gather in soaring, windswept currents. On “失” (track 6) and “故” (track 9), we reach a peak of rapturous intensity, but the album’s two-part finale bears a particular gravity, as “托” (track 12) draws back to delicate, distant strings with confident elegance and a sense of lamentation. In the closing minutes of “天” (track 13), a vibrant sunset breaks through roiling darkness, its heartbreaking loveliness born from visceral volume.
Across nearly two decades worth of releases, Van Wey has applied his unmistakable production style to downtempo breaks, minimal techno, and harmonic noise, always maintaining a terrestrial grittiness and undercurrent of shadowy beauty. Collaborations with like-minded standard bearers — including Loscil and Netherworld, as well as PITP alumni James Bernard and Inquiri — have further developed his versatility and unpredictability, but 13 is a pure distillation of his expertise in beatless excursions. Curiously, by focusing on the sacrifice of the self, and pursuing the noble goal of nothingness, he has created one of the most substantial and stirring collections in his monumental catalog.
I got the mystery tape box specifically the "your getting tons of tapes" tier
and it didnt disappoint at all packaged securely overdelivered in the best way in terms of content and didnt take long to get here ,it was exciting to finally see what i got, genuinely made my day when it came in the post, a massive 22 tape package and so far every tape ive listened to has been really really good! Quality all the way, and if anyone was on the fence about getting it, well dont be, go for it you wont be disappointed .
Major respect to whoever curates the box, excellent choices!!
I Usually never leave reviews of things but this was worth doing it for.
I will definitely be buying this again no doubt about it and yeah just awesome really, very happy with it :)
It took a long time to arrive ( mainly because i put the wrong address😅) but overall its an amazing track. Thanking Cory from inner Amazing website and will buy more records from here.
The vinyl itself is very beautiful, and the sound is very punchy and clear! Of course all the tracks slap hard. Really great pressing, really great album!
I discovered the Bless Vol. 1 compilation a few years ago. Some of my favorite lo-fi artists were featured on it, and last year I reached out to the label hoping to get some of their releases.
Cory got in touch with me and personally made sure the record arrived safely. It sounds incredible, and the editions are beautifully produced.
Now I'm eagerly waiting for Vol. 1
Greetings from Argentina!
Really big fan. It’s a solidly built player and I think the aux-in recording function and ability to pair Bluetooth headphones/speaker is really unique, especially on the same device. I can’t speak to the Bluetooth pairing as I haven’t tested it out. I specifically was looking for an aux-in recording cassette player and this fit the bill perfectly. I tested this function and it sounds really great without completely losing the charm of a mic recording.
It was packaged perfectly! Everything that it came in was great, too!
HOWEVER, the page for this product does have a preview of all the songs ASSUMED to come with the album. This is not the case. This album comes with everything EXCEPT: September Rain (English Version)
With the previews available, I thought it'd be there. I was apparently missinformed. That is the ONE AND ONLY issue I have with my purchase. I wish they gave you the EXACT track list on the webpage. But like I said, that'd the only issue I had. Everything else was great.
I've been looking for an original copy of this album for a while at a price and quality that I was happy with. I was thrilled to find this on your website and couldn't pass up the opportunity to support you and support my unhealthy collection.
Excellent, can not recommend highly enough. My new go-to for Japanese import vinyl. Reasonable price, fast ship time. Will definitely be telling all 1 ½ of my friends interested in vinyl about Inner Ocean.
This album is truly fantastic. I have the cassette as well, it's so dynamic and interesting to listen to on both the turntable and in my case the player with headphones! blips is also just a very talented artist and incredibly kind person, sent me a short to make up for the shipping delay with the vinyl.
I can't say enough nice things about inner ocean and the artists on here. Interesting work from very talented people, great deals on buying multiple tapes and records, professional and kind customer service, I've honestly never had a bad transaction from inner ocean and I look forward to my next purchase! Thanks all!
Legit and amazing quality!!! These are my very first two vinyl albums and I just love how these two turned out! Would definitely recommend Inner Ocean Records to those who enjoy collecting vintage Japanese albums.
Most beautiful cassettes on earth as always. Every Inner Ocean release is an instant classic and everything I’ve ever ordered (cassettes, vinyl, merch) always comes quick and very well packaged. Best record label out!
Absolutely PHENOMENAL transaction, adding a piece of Casiopea history to my collection. Shipped fast, packed well, and Always a pleasure to do business with. Not my first Inner Ocean order, and FAR from my last! Again, many thanks to the IO crew!
I’m so glad to be able to have my favorite casiopea album on vinyl and it play wonderfully. Would say it got here quickly but alas the Canadian post strike happened not too long after I ordered it. But all in all I will definitely be ordering more from here.
Favorite Miki album. The added posted was wonderful surprise. Inner Ocean Records shipping and customer support is top notch. Can’t wait for my next purchase!
This is my first entry into the Lofi Snacks series after bumbling into the Inner Ocean label on Bandcamp and looking up their website. And my, what can I say other than it has been a delight! Really fresh vibey beats that sound great digitally on on my desk cassette player. The art is also fantastic and I love the print on the cassette itself. I've had this album on repeat since it arrived Monday. Look forward to exploring more of the Inner Ocean catalogue.
One of the greatest records in my collection! There are few legendary records that scratch the sonic itch this one does. Love the addition of the obi strip. Inner Ocean delivers greatness yet again!
