Inoxia Records

Inoxia Records is a Japanese independent record label associated particularly closely with Boris, the experimental music band whose work has appeared repeatedly in the label's catalogue. Its releases occupy the intersection of experimental rock, drone, noise, avant-garde music, and related underground scenes. The label's documented catalogue begins in the late 1990s with the compilation From Koenji to Eternity and releases by artists including Soft, Keiji Haino with Boris, Thermo, Boris, Gaji, and Niwa. It subsequently issued or participated in releases involving collaborations between Boris and Merzbow, Boris and Michio Kurihara, and Sunn O))) and Boris. The label's catalogue shows a preference for artist-led and scene-oriented projects rather than mainstream commercial repertoire. It has issued multiple physical formats, including compact discs, seven-inch singles, long-playing records, double albums, and boxed or expanded editions. Several releases document collaborations, alternate versions, soundtrack work, or recordings connected with Japan's experimental music community. This makes the label relevant both as a home for Boris-related material and as a channel for adjacent Japanese and international underground artists. In addition to releasing its own material, Inoxia Records has been described as distributing releases from other Japanese labels, including Daymare Recordings, Pedal Records, and Diwphalanx Records. Its role therefore extends beyond a conventional artist-label relationship to include distribution within a network of specialist independent music imprints. Public reference material does not establish a precise founding date, ownership structure, headquarters, current leadership, or present operating status. It also does not provide reliable financial information or evidence of stock-market listing. The available documentation is primarily discographic, so the label is best understood through its releases, collaborations, and position within Japan's experimental and independent music ecosystem.

Inoxia Records is documented as a Japanese record label closely related to Boris, the experimental music band. The available public account does not identify a founder, incorporation date, headquarters, ownership structure, or detailed management history. Instead, the label's history is most clearly represented by its catalogue and by its relationships with other independent Japanese music organizations. The earliest listed release is the various-artists compilation From Koenji to Eternity, issued on CD in 1997. That same year, the label released Soft's Shamanic Waveform, establishing a catalogue oriented toward experimental and non-mainstream music rather than conventional popular repertoire. In 1998, it issued Black: Implication Flooding, a collaboration between Keiji Haino and Boris. This release helped illustrate the label's role in connecting Boris with prominent figures in Japan's avant-garde and underground music scenes. The catalogue expanded in 1999 with Thermo's drum plugged and the Boris and Choukoku no Niwa collaboration More Echoes, Touching Air Landscape. Thermo returned in 2001 with Touring Inferno. In 2002, Inoxia documented a further important Boris collaboration through Boris with Merzbow's Megatone, alongside Boris's 7-inch release 1970. These releases show the label's interest in both album-length experimental work and smaller physical formats. The early and mid-2000s brought additional releases by artists connected to the same broad independent scene. Gaji's 9pm at GFM and Niwa's I & I Harmonic Odyssey appeared in 2003. In 2005, the label issued Boris with Merzbow's 04092001 on LP and Boris's Soundtrack from the Film Mabuta no Ura on LP. The following year saw Boris's Dronevil - final as a two-CD release and the Japanese version of Sunn O))) and Boris's Altar. These projects placed Inoxia within a wider international network of experimental heavy music while retaining its Japanese independent-label identity. In 2007, the catalogue included Rollo's Pinhole on LP and Boris with Michio Kurihara's Rainbow as an LP and two-LP box-set edition. The physical presentation of these releases, particularly the expanded vinyl edition, reflects the label's engagement with collector-oriented formats and specialist audiences. Beyond its own releases, Inoxia Records has been described as distributing material from Daymare Recordings, Pedal Records, and Diwphalanx Records. This distribution role links it to a broader network of Japanese independent labels and suggests that its importance lies not only in issuing recordings but also in helping circulate experimental and underground music. The available sources do not document later milestones, a formal closure, or a confirmed current operating status. Accordingly, the label's present status remains unknown in this dossier.

• 2007

  Vinyl and box-set releases

  [1]Inoxia Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The documented 2007 catalogue included Rollo's Pinhole and Boris with Michio Kurihara's Rainbow, including a two-LP box-set format.

• 2006

  Dronevil and Altar releases

  [1]Inoxia Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Inoxia released Boris's Dronevil - final and the Japanese edition of Sunn O))) and Boris's Altar.

• 2005

  Expanded Boris-related catalogue

  [1]Inoxia Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The label issued 04092001 by Boris with Merzbow and Boris's Soundtrack from the Film Mabuta no Ura on LP.

• 2002

  Boris and Merzbow collaboration enters catalogue

  [1]Inoxia Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Inoxia released Megatone by Boris with Merzbow and Boris's 1970 7-inch single.

• 1999

  Further experimental and collaborative releases

  [1]Inoxia Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The label released Thermo's drum plugged and Boris with Choukoku no Niwa's More Echoes, Touching Air Landscape.

• 1998

  Keiji Haino and Boris collaboration released

  [1]Inoxia Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Inoxia issued Black: Implication Flooding, a collaboration credited to Keiji Haino with Boris.

• 1997

  Catalogue begins with compilation and Soft release

  [1]Inoxia Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The documented catalogue opens with the various-artists compilation From Koenji to Eternity and Soft's Shamanic Waveform, both issued on CD.

A specialist Japanese independent label focused on experimental, drone, noise, avant-garde, and underground music, with a strong Boris connection and a wider role in distributing releases from related Japanese labels.

• Various-artists compilation · 1997

  From Koenji to Eternity

  A 1997 compact-disc compilation and the earliest listed release in the label's documented catalogue. Its various-artists format reflects Inoxia's role in presenting a broader experimental music community rather than limiting the imprint to one recording act.

• Experimental rock and collaborative recordings

  Boris-related releases

  A substantial part of the documented catalogue is connected with Boris, including standalone releases, collaborations with Keiji Haino, Merzbow, Choukoku no Niwa, Michio Kurihara, and Sunn O))), as well as soundtrack and multi-disc projects. These releases form the label's clearest artistic identity.

• Noise and experimental collaboration · 2002

  Megatone

  A 2002 CD credited to Boris with Merzbow. It represents Inoxia's role in documenting collaborations between major figures in Japanese experimental rock and noise music.

• Experimental heavy music collaboration · 2006

  Altar

  The Japanese version of the Sunn O))) and Boris collaboration, released by Inoxia in 2006 on CD. It connects the label's Japanese catalogue to an international experimental heavy-music audience.

• Experimental rock collaboration · 2007

  Rainbow

  A 2007 release by Boris with Michio Kurihara, issued on LP and in a two-LP box-set edition. Its formats demonstrate the label's use of collector-oriented physical releases.

1. 1Inoxia Recordsen.wikipedia.org