Pure is the long-awaited debut release from Melt, the trio of guitarist Takashi Ueno, bassist Jyoji Sawada and drummer Marcos Fernandes. The three create a distinctive sound often fueled by driving rhythms and rich harmonies informed by rock, techno, improvisation and world musics. Melt spent two days with engineer Kenji Matsui at Echo & Cloud in Tokyo recording and overdubbing material for Pure. The session captures the spontaneous compositional style of the trio's improvised live performances. Ueno, Sawada and Fernandes first stepped on the stage together in August of 2012 at Port of Call, a monthly experimental music series curated by Fernandes at Shichoushitsu 2 in Yokohama. Following their initial performance, the three immediately decided to form a unit, deriving its name from the title of that event, Meltdown. Melt's improvised performances can be heard in clubs, cafes and other venues in and around Tokyo and Yokohama. Melt also currently plays host at Koganecho Happening, a bimonthly multi-media event held at Shichoushitsu 2. Takashi Ueno, best known as the guitarist of Tenniscoats, continues to push the limits of his instrument, making it sound at once familiar and alien but always musical, both solo and in groups. His restless and whimsical spirit is evident in Variations of Weeds (Room 40), his new solo guitar experiments as well as his current work with J-pop's Makoto Kawamoto. Multi-instrumentalist Jyoji Sawada's long-running career as performer, composer, producer and arranger covers the gamut from pop to jazz, electronic to chamber music, twentieth century music to improvisation and myriad collaborations with artists worldwide. Well known as a member of the Brazilian-tinged Choro Club, his recent opus include the No Nukes Jazz Orchestra (Song X) and Makrokosmos Vol. lll (Blu Spec), featuring piano works of George Crumb. A native of Yokohama, Japan, Marcos Fernandes spent over three decades in California as performer, producer and curator. He performs worldwide as a solo improviser, phonographer and percussionist/sound artist with various ensembles, dancers, poets and visual artists. His latest output include work with various rock outfits as well as Sounding the Space (Accretions), a DVD of his site specific performance project. Produced by Melt and Keiji Matsui. Recorded, mixed and nastered by Keiji Matsui at Echo & Cloud. Photos by Jun Ishikura and Fuyuki Nikkawa. Design by Marcos Fernandes.