TOMC's second beat album in almost two years, "True Life" is an album filled with the history of beat music from the 1990s to the 2020s.
The album is a combination of "deep respect for the history of jazz and soul", "sound-collage like abstract hip-hop and trip-hop", "hybrid musicality with various rhythms similar to LA beats", and "a quiet listening experience that resonates with ambient music after the lo-fi beats movement. The result is a work that combines all of these qualities.
In addition, the album is unique in its deep knowledge of club culture, including medium grooves like rare grooves and neo-soul, house music, and even 2step.
This album is like Nujabes' "Modal Soul" in the 2020s, and is a dense piece of sampledelia magic similar to The Avalanches, Cornelius and others.
The album features three guests. H.Takahashi, the owner of Kankyo Records, where TOMC also works as a writer/reviewer, and one of the current frontrunners in nowadays Japanese ambient scene, pushes the quality of the balearic new age track, "True Life Again," to the extreme. Yutaka Hirasaka, a guitarist/beatmaker shows off his superb groovy playing on "Ubiquity. Hiroyuki Nakamura, a pianist and a longtime friend of TOMC, plays a key role in raising the quality of the three songs that form the heart of the album. He is like Uyama Hiroto in Nujabes’ works.
What TOMC expresses in its sound is a genuine wish for those who stand at the crossroads of their lives to live their "true life" with their hearts beating with excitement while being lost in their own positions.
Yes, this album may appear to be a complex work, with three deep "inner" suites and short interludes, but the result is very far from a sense of introspection or stagnation. Instead, the album is filled with sincere vibes that inspire and celebrate the lives of listeners living in today's uncertain society.
This album is TOMC's first masterpiece, summarizing his extensive work from beats to ambient and beyond. We hope that this album will connect the cultures before and after the lo-fi movement and will be loved beyond the boundaries of the scene for a long time to come.
TRACKLIST Side A 1. Ambience (feat. NAKAMURA Hiroyuki) 2. Lush Life 3. Inner Vesper (Part 1 & 2) 4. Yosuga 5. Inner Shimmer (Part 1 & 2) 6. Another Saturday 7. (Midtownlifecrisis) 8. True End (feat. NAKAMURA Hiroyuki) 9. True Life Counterpoint
Side B 1. Place To Be (Album Mix) 2. Ubiquity (feat. yutaka hirasaka) 3. Inner Stepper (Part 1 & 2) 4. (Midlifetowncrisis) 5. True Life (feat. NAKAMURA Hiroyuki) 6. True Life Again (feat. H.Takahashi)
Customer Reviews
Overall rating: 4.8 / 5 from 266 reviews.
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!
