Japanese Noise Project

April Update: Jim ORourke & Carlos Giffoni, Tabata Mitsuru, Suicidal 10cc, JUNKO of Hijokaidan

2011-05-08T00:34:00.006+09:00

Here are a few photos of recent happenings in the last couple of weeks. It was unfortunate that I had to miss a few performances (I mean, interviews and shootings) but the other day I was able to have a great, long dinner with Tabata Mitsuru, an original founding (through briefly departing) member of The Boredoms as well as Hanatarashi. Currently Tabata plays in the Steve Albini-produced trio Zeni Geva with Yoshida Tatsuya and KK Null (who also appear in this film). Small world isn't it.

Earlier in the month, Carlos Giffoni flew over to Tokyo (despite all the post-quake aftershock paranoia) and toured the West with Jim O'Rourke. Despite a very noticeable earthquake hours before, the show went on and we talked about setting up a chat to discuss Giffoni's work with Hiroshi Hasegawa (ASTRO) and the one and only Masami Akita (Merzbow) who both appear in this film. That's scheduled to happen down the line.

Also, last week I was able to spend some time with Hijokaidan's better 1/3, JUNKO. Such a pleasure to hear her unwavering stance on performance and music as well as her stories- she really helped capture a certain energy in her anecdotes. Equal parts charming and insightful. The Hijokaidan performance that ensued was nothing short of one of the most wild and intriguing performances I've ever seen and it's all on camera. JOJO Hiroshige taping a microphone to a baseball bat and swinging it into the crowd left me speechless- only because I was laughing too hard. Everyone was. The playful and riotous dimension which Hijokaidan's performance take on instantly consumes everyone, about as fast as everyone jumped back on upon the first chords. Other notables were L?K?O's [experimental] DJ set, Jim O'Rourke with Masaya Nakahara as Suicidal 10cc, Atsuhiro Ito playing with OFFSEASON accompanied by a remarkable performance dancer although her name escapes me now. I also purchased a few rarities at the Hijokaidan pop up merch shop.

So now it's into the editing room to keep chopping up the trailer as well as moving into the next series of interviews this week with a few media and industry types who have been active and influential since the 'early days.' Also, moving to the new domain soon.

A few photos:

Above: JUNKO of Hijokaidan followed by Tabata Mitsuru, April 2011.

Below: Masaya Nakahara with Jim O'Rourke followed by Carlos Giffoni and Jim O'Rourke, then fans at DeNoise event while watchin Suicidal 10cc, followed by Atsuhiro Ito and his Optron.

A talk with Hisham Bharoocha aka Soft Circle

2010-12-23T22:43:00.006+09:00

I sat down with musician, artist and friend Hisham Bharoocha a little over a month ago while he was in Tokyo for a few shows and fresh off a Boredoms performance in Australia. You may know Hisham through his solo music project, Soft Circle (myspace here), and you may know he's been a key creative partner of EYE- increasingly in recent years- with creative direction and co- production of the mammoth Boadrum perfomances in New York (7/7/2007) and Los Angeles (8/08/2008). I thought I'd ask Hisham for a few comments about his long relationship and experiences of working with EYE as well personal thoughts on the artist, some of which I'd like to consider appending to the rise of The Boredoms.

EYE and Hisham recently spoke together at the ICA in London where Soft Circle (with its new member, Benjamin Vida) performed. Check it out here:
http://www.ica.org.uk/26459/Talks/Boadrum-in-Conversation.html
and here:
http://www.ica.org.uk/26457/Music/Soft-Circle-EYE-Boredoms-Nedry-Baths.html

We're approaching another sit down with EYE Yamataka in the coming year and I'll be heading to Osaka for a few days for another couple of interviews with some artists and key figures (but don't want to mention them just yet!).

More later.

A talk with Shinro Ohtake of JUKE/19, Puzzle Punks

2010-10-18T14:26:00.006+09:00

A couple of weeks ago I sat down with experimental musician and mixed-media artist Shinro Ohtake. Ohtake, now 55 years old, is known for his epic body of work (his retrospective at the new national museum a couple of years of ago occupied the entire museum; the first artist to do so). We conversed about the atmosphere of the music "scene" around the time which JUKE/19 came together as well as how they scrapped together the resources for a recording, which Ikeezumi (of PSF) got behind early and released. Nice how that ties together. Ohtake went into some more details of how he first met a younger Yamataka EYE and formed Puzzle Punks. Ohtake's influence on a then somewhat impressionable EYE is measurable- both in his artwork and later musical activities. Aside from great stories, Ohtake's comments on EYE as well as the Japanese avant garde music "scene" at large were fascinating additions.

Keiji Haino DJ Set

2010-10-02T20:46:00.005+09:00

Last Wednesday we stepped out to the unlikeliest of venues, Module, for a three-hour DJ set by Keiji Haino. To say it was an intense and eclectic traversing 180 minutes of music streaming through the speakers would just save you from making an understatement. Everything from cold minimal, Ethiopian jazz (Mahmoud Ahmed from the Ethiopiques 7: Erè Mèla Mèla Record), Turkish and Byzantine parading instrumentals, The Ramones to KRS-into were among the identifiable in a perpetual and aurally affronting whirlpool of genre and chronology.

PSF Records 30th Anniversary Show at Showboat

2010-09-22T16:34:00.009+09:00

PSF Records, the record label overseen by Hideo Ikeezumi, is celebrating its 30th anniversary on September 25th with a show at Showboat in Koenji, Tokyo. Details as follow.

Ishihara Hiroshi with Friends, Marble Ship and Hasegawa Shizuo.

Ishihara Hiroshi (vocals and guitar), Kitada Tomohiro (bass) and Arakawa Yasunobu (drums).

Doors at 6:30, starts at 7:00

Advanced tickets: ¥2,800. Available at Showboat, Lawson Ticket and e-plus (search by date).

At the door: ¥3,300 (drink included)

Venue and Contact:Tel 03-3337-5745, info (at) showboat.co.jp, http://showboat.co.jp

Photo: Cameron McKean

Title decided but to be announced

2010-09-22T15:38:00.011+09:00

What's a director's blog if it's never updated?

I've been away, busy writing and researching, actually working, in and out again, and still managing to continue writing towards finishing the film and going to select performances (Keiji Haino and Jim O'Rourke on the Hara Museum lawn showed me a few things I've never seen before). We're still in the deeper trenches but the light at the end of the tunnel has cracked into sight. We're excited. Mainly because one of the key hurdles is out of the way. By that I mean I've finally decided on a title for the film which while I feel more than adequately resounds conceptually, I'll announce it in the coming month(s). It'll be more appropriate when we move everything over to the new domain online. With the final push, a new site will be designed, host more video clips, a more in depth bio on the film, premise and characters, the ACTUAL TRAILER along with a more dedicated consistency of updates.

Another item I'd like to share is work on an extension of the film. As we progress, a short nonetheless in-depth portrait on one of our key characters will follow this film.

Towards the end of the month I'll be sitting down with Shinro Ohtake, the intense and epic visual artist and musician behind Juke 19 (1978-1983, actual original release limited to 1000 copies I believe) and the Puzzle Punks (was sold out the last time I stopped by PSF), a collaborative act Ohtake started in 1995 with Yamatsuka EYE.

More later.

Nakahara Masaya Birthday Performance

2010-06-03T15:14:00.002+09:00

Nakahara Masaya is going to have a Birthday event and we're all invited. There's going to be live performances by Hair Stylistics, Suicidal 10cc (which is Nakahara Masaya with Jim O'Rourke), as well as a solo performance by Jim O'Rourke and then what appears a collaboration with Hair Stylistics, Eiko Ishibashi, Tatsuhisa Yamamoto (profile in Japanese) and AyA (of ooioo), kayo, GJ (from lastdaybikini) / DJ: kayo, GJ (from lastdaybikini).

Opens at 19:00 and starts at 20:00 and ¥2000 gets you in.

The Boredoms and Friends Live on May 28th

2010-05-10T16:08:00.002+09:00

The Boredoms will stop by Tokyo for a now sold-out performance with the following collaborators. We're looking forward to being back in Tokyo, catching the show and talking closely with EYE and Hisham of Soft Circle. The line up is as follows: EYE, YOSHIMI, YOJIRO, Hisham Bharoocha (Soft Circle), Zach Hill (HELLA), Butchy Fuego (Pit Er Pat, NA FUEGO), Kid Millions (Oneida), Jeremy Hyman (Ponytail) and Shinji Masuko (DMBQ).

The Boredoms will also be playing this years Sense of Wonder Festival too.

Thanks to Jason Bergman for the photo of The Boredoms at Terminal 5.

Hair Stylistics- Four Hour Multi Speaker Performance

2009-09-19T17:56:00.003+09:00

Masaya Nakahara will perform with a multi-speaker arrangement for four hours, as listed. Nakahara will team up with Yoshio Kuge of Flying Rhythms and Atsuhiro Ito of Optrum, certainly no stranger to this blog.

Here is what you need to know:
Venue: Super Deluxe
Time: opens at 17:00, starts at 17:30
Price: 2500円

Atsuhiro Ito performs at The Hara Museum

2009-09-09T15:38:00.003+09:00

Reservations are currently being accepted for a solo performance at the Hara Museum of Contemporary Art. Ito will perform in The Hall, a uniquely shaped space rarely opened to performances to be followed by a talk by the artist. For those who may not know, Ito also makes time to work as a university professor of sound art, theory and approach; one of the many reasons why I always enjoy our interviews.

Information:
Sunday, September 13th in the Museum's Hall at 6:30 PM (doors at 6:00).
￥3000 for General Admission, ￥2,500 for Museum Members (with a guest).
Includes one drink and admission to the ongoing exhibition (so you can check it before the performance).
Reserve via telephone at 03-3445-0669 or info (at) haramuseum.co.jp

Instrumentalize 2009 Fluorescent Night

2009-08-17T01:51:00.014+09:00

Atsuhiro Ito will collaborate with Minoru Sato for an evening entitled Instrumentalize09: Fluorescent night. Sato's research and creative activities are explored in the form of installations, performances and written text all in addition to which he is producing sound and more music-oriented works under the name S.A.S.W. Atsuhiro Ito's sound tool, the optron, should prove an adept combo with Sato's more installation-based style and orchestra of self-made instruments. Although, from what I gather they will performing as a fluorescent tube duo.

The less we know, the more we can expect.

Details:
Opens at 18:30, starts at 19:00 and costs 1,500 Yen (including 1 drink) at Gift Lab.

Thanks.

Gatax-EYE plus Hisham, tonight at Vacant

2009-08-15T12:36:00.007+09:00

We're finally back in town and back on the beat. Just got through a few days of shooting with Atsuhiro Ito and Hiroshi Hasegawa, who's first time ever collaboration we were excited to catch. Now we're just in time to catch Hisham's jam with EYE tonight. The two perform under the name Gatax and are averaging about one performance every two years.

This is a super quick update so please check the link below for more info on the show tonight (yes, tonight- excuse the last minute post) as well as the exhibit which Hisham is curating featuring some of our friends and favorite artists like Zach Hill, Brian Degraw, Bjorn Copeland, EYE and the list goes on.

http://www.n0idea.com/vacant/menu.html

New videos and interviews to be posted soon, still getting through hours of footage.

Thanks.

"And Co soon" EYE Yamataka exhibit at magical, ARTROOM

2009-07-05T19:47:00.005+09:00

While The Boredoms are preparing for a series of performances this summer and fall, EYE has also been busy getting together a set of new artworks for an exhibition at one of our favorite galleries, The Magical Artroom in Ebisu, Tokyo.

Upon entering the reception at the opening party, I was surprised to see the primary medium EYE had utilized for these works- car hoods. Catching up with EYE, the story goes that he was driving his car on the winding roads of Nara and had a bit of an accident. When the estimate made it clear the the car would be too expensive to repair, EYE had set the abandoned car hood on the side of his house. Eventually weeds and other plant life began to grow up alongside the crumpled surface and created a series of lines at which point EYE decided to take the hood indoors and draw his own lines, swirls and segments. After completing a landscape-themed image rendered by thin lines in an array of bright colors, EYE's excitement led the artist to purchase a few more hoods via Yahoo auctions. While at the opening reception, Sebastian and I had fun catching up with EYE and talked about The Boredoms upcoming performance on a cruise ship for 3 nights with Gang Gang Dance, Zach Hill and Goma in addition to a long list of other DJs and VJs.

The title of this exhibition, taken from the words “Art Coming Soon,” hinges on the idea that the works presented here are in progress. In progress because they were and are constantly formed, and reformed. These intensely visual expressions are a collage from the sounds, lines and everyday objects the artist has encountered in his somewhat prolific history. In the basement of the NADiff bookstore is a smaller exhibition of vinyl records and other music-related visual media EYE has chosen to create and recreate through a pop-charged mash up of realia. All of the records on the wall are for sale via a priced scale and can also be listened to for your visual and audio pleasure (This text adapted from my blog post at Shift).

Here are the details of the exhibit:
EYE Yamataka “& Co Soon” at Magical Artroom
Date: June 21st - July 18th, 2009
Open: 12:00-20:00, Closed on Sunday, Monday and Public Holidays
Place: magical, ARTROOM at Nadiff
Address: NADiff A/P/A/R/T 3F 1-18-4, Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-0013
Tel : 03-3445-8988
Admission: Free!

Otomo Yoshihide's Ensembles continues at Vacant

2009-06-30T20:28:00.009+09:00

Otomo Yoshihide's ongoing work Ensembles, a large-scale musical exhibition held last year at the YCAM InterLab in Eastern Japan, comes to Tokyo for a short string of performances. The credo of discovering and utilizing new, or 'found,' sounds in composition remains at the core as Yoshihide continues working to "create a variety of musical devices in all sorts of places."

I'll continue on by extracting a lengthy quote from the Ensembles Manifesto:

The life-changing fascination with music that came over me in my teens was rooted in the discovery that new and unfamiliar sounds could cause a reaction among a large number of people gathered in one place. All of the music I loved--free jazz, free improvisation, noise, alternative--had this kind of effect. The fascination was not only with the music itself, but also with the feeling of total unity that came from the aura and power of the space and the gravitational pull existing among the people who were there. I wanted to get away from the kind of music that leaves no distance between sound source and eardrums; I wanted to bring back space and noise. I wondered what would happen if I tried to make music not just for individual listening, but music that emerged as it passed through the ears, hands and bodies of many people. This is how ENSEMBLES got started.

Its entitled ENSEMBLES, in the plural form, for the reason that Yoshihide envisioned an aggregate of works that were intertwined both in implication and development- something multilayered. With intentions less aligned as a single event but rather more in the direction of being plural and integral; which for Yoshihide means sometimes happening simultaneously or sometimes unfolding at a more comfortable pace yet leaving room for inconsistency and contradiction.

Referring back to the Ensembles Manifesto, Yoshihide continues:

For now, the idea is that between July and October, in a variety of venues, we'll present a wide range of new and previously existing works, performances, etc.--from very small to medium-sized events and from nearly individual creations to works involving many people-- that unfold semi-improvisationally at times, guerrilla-style at others. The plan itself is not fixed; my intention is to develop something that will adapt flexibly to each situation, something that could not be realized in an established art museum or concert hall. What's more, based on the results this time, I'm hoping to continue ENSEMBLES next year, the year after that, and into the future. It will be a challenge, but I'm sure it will be interesting.

For now, here are details of the coming Tokyo performance:

Otomo Yoshihide ＋ Yasutomo Aoyama ＋ Takayuki Ito/YCAM InterLab ＋ Masayoshi Takada ＋α

Date:　7.4(Sat)-8.9(Sun)　13:00-20:00
Place:　Vacant　(3-20-13 Jingumae Shibuya-ku, Tokyo/ 03-6459-2962)
Admission:　￥500 / ￥1,000 (with DVD!)
Organized by:　N0 IDEA, ENSEMBLES Committee
Supported by:　Fostex Company, Shiseido Co., Ltd.
Cooperated by:　Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media[YCAM]
Technical Supported by:　YCAM InterLab

There are also a few events scheduled around so here is a rundown of more happenings:

Sunday July 5th brings the opening event with live sets by:
DJ トランキライザ (Tranquilizer), Aoyama Yasutomo+Otomo Yoshihide, Mori Yuko, Sachiko M and two others whose names I couldn't make out.

Sunday August 2nd features a talk event held with Otomo Yoshihide and Guest(s).

Sunday August 9th there is a closing event with a performance by Otomo Yoshihide and α which opens at 18:30 and starts at 19:00.

A visit to Hideo Ikeezumi's PSF Records

2009-06-03T21:14:00.008+09:00

Last Wednesday brought a visit to PSF Records where Hideo Ikeezumi has been running his PSF shop and label HQ for about 30 years. Set in an inconspicuous apartment in central-west Tokyo, the shop is packed full of releases from the Japanese psychedelic and avant-garde underground; some in limited quantities and unfortunately out of print for good. Amidst the digging and 360-head scans of the room, we were even lucky enough to find an originally packaged, Incapacitants cassette tape from their earlier days among other treasures. So as a somewhat historical vault full of stories, renowned passersby and seeing Ikeezumi as one of the essential historical figures in this story, we were more than happy to land the chance to have an interview.

While at PSF, we had a great conversation which extended from historical themes, personal anecdotes, future plans even to simple thumbs-up-thumbs-down or to-stock-or-not-to-stock ratings as we chatted through the years and perused the shelves of releases (top shelf being reserved for his favorites). I also picked up a back issue of G-Modern, the psychedelic, avant-garde, underground magazine which Ikeezumi edits, which features an over ten page interview with Keiji Haino. To add, I also came away with a live recording of Takayanagi Masayuki, New Direction / Call In Question which Ikeezumi straight pushed on me and told me I needed to hear.

Photos: Cameron Mckean, more on our flickr.

DeNoise, Photos

2009-05-07T12:57:00.007+09:00

DeNoise turned out to be a rather busy evening for us but thought I'd go ahead and post two photos from the show. We came away with some great interviews. A kind thank you to Satomi Ito for lending us photos from her Flickr. There are plenty more photos there.

Astro collaborated with Kuruu Crew taking up synth and eventually nomadic vocal duties.

The Inpacacitants gravity was in effect with the tight circle that enclosed them immediately upon starting.

Thanks.

Masaya Nakahara's Room at Vacant, until May 5th

2009-05-02T13:26:00.007+09:00

Last night, popped by the opening of a new space, Vacant, where film critic Masaya Nakahara aka Hair Stylistics (formerly Violent Onsen Geisha) was and will be screening selected films. Titled "Masaya Nakahara's Room," I believe its an on going series of screenings based on our brief conversation last night. I didn't get a chance to ask him what will be showing but we bookmarked an interview for the future and he was more than kind of enough to pass me a disc of some unreleased stuff from his previously finished subscription series of releases- can't wait to pop it in the player.

A few details of whats going this Golden week at Vacant:

May 4th -- Live
Yoshihide Otomo x Seiichi Yamamoto
Open 18:30/ Start 19:00 (schedule may change)
Fee: ¥2500 (advance), ¥3000 (same-day) + 1 drink

May 5th -- Live & DJ
Oorutaichi with YTAMO (from Urichipangoon), Takuma Watanabe x Muneomi Senju x Special Guest, Eiko Ishibashi with Muneomi Senju, Mao Yamasaki (Akichi Records)
Open 15:30/ Starrt 16:00
Fee: ¥2500 (advance), ¥3000 (same-day) + 1 drink

May 6th -- Live & Performance
Hasro & Bokka, Jun Takahashi x Kan Takagi x Fuyuki Yamakawa x Atsuhiro Ito
Open 17:30/ Start 18:00
Fee: ¥3500 (advance), ¥4000 (same-day) + 1 drink

Full info at Tokyo Art Beat:
Vacant Opening Event "Wrong Dance, Right Steps"
Venue: Vacant
Schedule: From 2009-05-01 To 2009-05-06

DeNoise April 29, 2009

2009-04-27T15:15:00.000+09:00

This Wednesday, we'll be heading out in full force to continue our chat with Atsuhiro Ito (Optrum) and Hiroshi Hasegawa in addition to capturing The Incapacitants' performance. Likely to be a rambunctuous evening full of (some first time) collaborations, performing live are:
Melt-Banana Lite
Kuruucrew + ASTRO
OFFSEASON (Atsuhiro Ito+HIKO+Kuropipe Stardust)
MARUOSA
Overload Collapse (Nicolas Fasnacht & Nikola Mounoud from Switzerland)
Evil Moisture (a.k.a Andy Bolus from Paris, France)
TOKAGE (Yann Grivet from Switzerland).

Opens at 17:00, starts at 17:30. All the above for 2800円 (advance) or 3300円 (plus drink) at the door.

Kikuri, Our Love Will Destroy The World, Tetragrammaton at Superdeluxe April 10, 2009.

2009-04-25T17:42:00.001+09:00

A little over two weeks ago, we made it out to this show but running late, missed Muddy World's set although timely enough to catch Tetragrammaton (Myspace)- a quieter guitar and percussion based trio of Cal Lyall, TOMO and Nobunaga Ken. While TOMO mostly relied on a soprano sax, a hurdy-gurdy gave the opening a Mediterranean-folk aesthetic, and along with Lyall applying a bow to his fretboard, set a brooding scene of orchestral drone. Eventual pick slides up distortion-charged strings began to pierce like a steel stringed violin and as the distant toms grew louder, riffs briefly appeared among the more short lived rhythmic episodes and premature build ups.

What brought the sense of centrality and cohesion to the unit was the eventual swelling from a series of cues-TOMO's monk-like chants, Nobunaga's tempered drum line and Lyall's bouts of frenetic guitar and nomadic fingerings. In full measure, these appropriate cues summed to an abrupt and resonant end to Tetragrammaton’s performance.

This tour was centered around Campbell Kneale’s (formerly Birchville Cat Motel new project, Our Love Will Destroy the World. What marked Kneale’s performance was depth- the initial shimmering notes subsequently layered upon, the vocals set at a distance along with body movements which worked to contextualize the scope of the sounds produced.

That the vocals seemed low-level tracked wasn’t weakening but rather provided a platform for Kneale to expel his deepest screams. At one point well into the set, with arms out as wide as a pastor, staggering and belting out to the crowd, Kneale appeared euphorically enthralled- ebbing, flowing and swaying his limbs, at one point gripping the sides of the table and putting the microphone fully into his mouth. The over 40 minute set wound down with a bagpipe flute run through layers of delay before reaching ears. Well into those lighter notes, Kneale faded off into the distance, trailing off with his own monkish chanting until the only thing we could hear were heavy breaths.

Back when we interviewed Yamataka EYE, EYE referenced Merzbow as an earlier influence not so much musically but more so artistically. EYE asked if I had ever seen Akita play drums and I briefly hesitated before answering because I didn’t even know Merzbow had a background in percussion. After that, it became a distant anecdote and so towards the end of Kikuri, after Haino had played to a drum loop he programmed minutes before, Merzbow wandered back to the drum set and gave the performance a bit of an unexpected and rather folkloric turn. While Merzbow largely improvised on the drum kit, an eventual and steady concreté build up sprouted as the most cohesive part of Kikuri’s set. Although, with full measures of power electronics and guitar, their performance was not limited to the facade their main instruments would suggest and as we saw, both musicians had an impressive number of tricks up their sleeves.

The familiarity with either member of Kikuri still fails to prevent my expectations from dissolving. With Haino eschewing pre-gig rehearsal with collaborators, one can never know what to expect. On this evening, the duo were more coherent and complimentary than one of those cataclysmic juxtapositions. From the start, Merzbow revved subtler bass tones that seemed elasticity tests while in the usual cross-legged pose, Haino reached for a 12 string guitar, abruptly entering with iron-wrangling notes over the digital hum. These surging drones became a launching pad for Haino’s lunar-bound adventures but soon enough, Merzbow’s motorcycle accelerations turned into heavier swirls that upped the tempo. Haino momentarily abandoned his strumming for pick slides all the way up the neck in addition to harsh pulls and palm-massages of strings. Seated convulsion followed and Haino’s strum hand began to blur the naked eye. Through an output of introverted howls and winds via Merzbow, the time eventually came for Haino to extend his arm to the mic for some stern syllabic yelping and heavy breathing.

While Haino synched up rhythmically, it was in that lull when Merzbow stood up and reached for his strumming apparatus- a rectangular halogen light casing with tightly coiled springs in the place of a bulb which he strums like a guitar. Just that there isn’t much strumming going on, rather scratching and rubbing with a hand held metallic puck. Occasionally varied with wah and distortion pedals, it was in that treble storm that Haino stood up and went berzerk fighting some gravitational pull on his guitar.

Moving on to use his digital theremins, zipping and revving his hands to produce a new variety sounds and warped tones, Haino actually looked like a wizard casting a spell the way his hands locked. Haino then wandered back to the amp and pulled out a metallic disc of a small bag.

The contact mics picked up everything as he played it with a mini hammer, a bow as well as lettting it jangle and scrape against the floor. In the dark, dents from earlier bouts were visible. With Akita behind the drum set, Haino returned to his guitar, where things seemed to coalesce only to be brought to an end.

Ok, thats all for now.

Photos: Cameron McKean (B/W) and John Chandler (Color)
More on our Flickr set.

Hiroshi Hasegawa (Astro), live photos and a brief interview

2009-03-30T17:00:00.000+09:00

The lack of posting could be a kind reflection of how hectic its been over here although, the film has pressed on and in the recent lull of posting we've actually been active at shows (Optrum, Hair Stylistics was properly exceptional) in addition to writing (Eye Yamataka interview in Dazed & Confused, Feb09), research and of course, editing footage into the darker (...and then brighter) hours of the day. Two weeks ago, one of our familiar faces, Hiroshi Hasegawa aka Astro collaborated with Batur Sonmez aka Analog Suicide from Istanbul Turkey at Shinjuku Urga. It was part of Lunatic Scope Volume 12, a line up which featured Bastard Noise, Defektro and Government Alpha.

Even though our cameraman couldn't make it at the last minute, we still followed through on Hasegawa's invitation. Afterwards, I had a nice albeit brief chat which we continued over email and so I'll post some words I translated from Hasegawa with some images to go along. We'll cut part 2 of our interview with Hasegawa-san in the near future and be sure to post a clip on our Youtube and Vimeo channels. In the meantime....

My attention was initially drawn to what seemed the latest addition to Hasegawa's fold up table- a mysterious retro-looking box and what appeared to be gold-coated paper. Hasegawa's set was centered around two metallic (about A4 size) sheets; shiny and paper thin. On where their role: "well, those metallic sheets, I had attached contact microphones which worked to pick up the friction and vibrations when I shook or slid the sheets against each other." In addition to the pedal set up below his table, Hasegawa was in true analog-form running the smaller contact microphones through a high voltage, all-tube analog annihilator; essentially the 'box' on the table which all eyes seemed to gravitate towards at one moment or another (I have a weblink if anyone wants to know). "Since my performance is based around my [analog, ed] synthesizer and effector set up, I'm somewhat limited to what extent I can move my body so these sheets gave me some more freedom not only in terms of sound but also movement."

We briefly went on to discuss collaborations and how the evening went with both Sonmez and Reiko A. While Astro was enthralled with the sheets (and the occasional reattaching of the contact mics), he commented, "of course, I think its important to not only hear, but also to be conscious of your collaborator's sounds- its very much like a regular sign that is read." Meanwhile, Reiko A's dance performance, punctuated with fixed stares, corpse-like poses on the floor as well as firmly locked ones via angular jukes, was familiar of the Butoh aesthetic in broader strokes. "Yeah, I've been playing together with Reiko for quite some time and so we I can really read her signalspretty well. From that gathered sense of communication, I've come to more fully realize the importance of her signs and movements. I can observe the movements Reiko makes, and while they are natural reactions, from my sounds, and she's expressing in a physical way, its like a language that gives me a more composite idea of what is happening during the performance."

All photos courtesy N. Yamamoto-Masson, 2009

Video: Hiroshi Hasegawa at Earthdom, October 16 2008

2008-11-17T09:32:00.000+09:00

Hiroshi Hasegawa aka Astro (Live, Tokyo October 16, 2008) from JapaneseNoiseProject on Vimeo.

Hiroshi Hasegawa, performing under the name Astro, invited us down to Earthdom in Shin Okubo to catch one of his solo sets. With a simple table propping up his audio lab: an analog synthesizer set in half of a suitcase in addition to a small mixer and some effects pedals. Almost in a ritual-like fashion, Hasegawa started his performance by lighting incense cradled in a small dish. Hasegawa’s set was rather linear and structural with introductions of sounds, drones and pulsing waves that entered so appropriately, one could assume they were time, or planned. At slower tempos, improvisation can get a bit blurry however it was clearly in real time. Enthralled, enthused and focused throughout, when the incense burned out, the set ended.

We had a great, long talk after the set with Hasegawa about the origins and motivations for his music. Hasegawa continued by filling us in on what was going on around the time when he was growing up and experimenting with his first synthesizer (which he borrowed from Mikawa of The Incapacitants).

We’ll archive that for now, but we’ll show a little performance here.

We are now broadcasting on Youtube and Vimeo

2008-11-16T17:49:00.001+09:00

If you've stumbled upon us from either of these video sites, or not, check out our profile pages and subscribe if you feel like it. Despite a little encoding bug, we're back on track and we've got plenty of clips to come.

Youtube: http://youtube.com/user/JapaneseNoiseProject

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Thanks.

Video: The Incapacitants at UFO Club, October 12 2008

2008-11-09T07:50:00.000+09:00

Sunday night at the quaint UFO Club in Koenji, West Tokyo. One of Tokyo’s smaller venues hallmarked by walls inked with psychedelic swirls, furniture faintly echoing mod and a deep red velvet (or velour) curtain which opens and closes performances. We were there to film The Incapacitants, a rather rarity these days in Tokyo or anywhere else for that matter. I've chosen to focus on the Incapacitants as one of the key figures in the Japanese noise and avante garde community not only because of their lengthy discography going back to the early 80s, but also because of what Toshiji Mikawa (member of Hijokaidan) and Fumio Kosakai (formerly of C.C.C.C.) work to achieve.

The Incapacitants are loud. The sonic spectrum which they command quickly vary from excerpts distorted polemics, electronic pulses and heavy drones with a rhythm all their own. The power of their performance forces grimaces of curiousity in the audience if not actual spasmic dancing- in them too. Questions like, “What constitutes music or What is noise? Is this noise? Does sound (or I as a listener) have a threshold?” can be plausibly raised. Thats not to say their highly dynamic performance isn’t ordered in such a way to bring such an organized stream of sonic chaos via their technical work. In fact, few moments of an Incapacitants performance see them wandering too far from their equipment.

Mikawa and Kosakai’s performances are something of a journey for the two- attempting to arrive at either some kind of sonic threshold or meditative “Zen.” Yes, it is perhaps an exhausted statement that extreme sounds, by virtue of their harshness, produce some kind of mental and spiritual vacuum for the performer (and listener) that can be often referred to as a kind of Zen. But I think there’s more to it. With The Incapacitants, notions of compositional structure, melody, harmony, rhythm and crescendo are paved over as if they were an obstacle along the way. But to where? Is it a place where those conventional notions of ‘music concrete’ evaporate? Even, Is this noise? Is this music? Is it an untangling of forces that bound them not only musically but personally and socially? For Kosakai and Mikawa, performance is more of a transgressive act- not just arriving somewhere but going past that. The two musicians, government employees in their 40s, seemingly deconstruct structural forces which dominate their lives. To what degree the duo is consciously, or arbitrarily, navigating in that hellish squall of sound, is one topic we touched on. Our post show interview with The Incapacitants had the two generously, and rather cheerfully, explaining their performance, thoughts on “noise music,” composition and attitudes towards loving and no-so-adoring audiences alike. With Part 1 complete, we move on to Part 2.

A bit more background about the group, the Incapacitants are one of the oldest and well-known vocal based performance acts in Japan forming in Osaka in 1981 (originally a solo project of Mikawa). While drawing attention, respect as well as admirers, their performances and tours in Japan (including the extremely rare ones abroad) have become miniscule. In 1999, they had their first performance abroad (the Music Unlimited Festival in Wels, Austria) and in 2007, they were invited to the No Fun Festival in New York, curated by Carlos Giffoni (Myspace).

Thanks to Flavio for taking photos. Video: Vicente Gutierrez. Editing: Olivier Farmarchi. For our next clip, we're now going through footage from our interview and performance encounter with Hiroshi Hasegawa- the man is deep.

Video: Keiji Haino, Jim O'Rourke, Yoshio Kuge

2008-10-13T23:52:00.000+09:00

We've finally emerged after a long break (read: logistical fracas) with a clip from one of the first performances and interviews we conducted. This short one (about 40 seconds) is a lull in a ferocious set by Haino, O'Rourke and Kuge. Enjoy this preview of whats to come! Haino's flailing yet concerted control of feedback is only one of the highlights from this performance's reel.

When we finalize the subtitles to our exclusive Haino interview, part 1 of which was conducted after this performance, we'll get that uploaded here as well. While we didn't really clear posting parts of our footage on youtube with Haino and O'Rourke, and while this may slightly hurt our web visibility, we're happy only posting it here.

Ok, our next post will cover last night's (Sunday Oct. 12) exclusive evening [full performance and interview] at Koenji's UFO Club with the Incapacitants. We cannot wait to show you the raw, captivating power that was their set- it was absolutely one of the most engaging, dramatic and literally hands-on endings to any live performance I have ever seen.

That said (and viewed) its good to be back. This Thursday (Oct. 16) looks like an evening with Hiroshi Hasegawa.

Atsuhiro Ito Live at Earthdom, Shin Okubo, July 26th- Rehearsal

2008-08-04T07:42:00.000+09:00

Atsuhiro Ito, originally uploaded by japannoise.

We actually ended up opting to shoot Ito during his rehearsal. It went great. As always, Ito was a candid fellow happy to share his work and welcomed us. We got some great footage and a crisp audio track- a big thanks goes to Sebastian Therre, here snapped in action by our Sebastian. We’ll be adding a voice over to our own edited version a bit later, but in the meantime, The Wire just posted a clip as a web exclusive which we edited for them to accompany our piece in issue #294.

More to come: Yoshida Tatsuya of Ruins Alone (video interview, performance) and Hiroshi Hasegawa of C.C.C.C and Astro, who we are scheduled to film in the coming weeks.

Update - Atsuhiro Ito

2008-07-26T07:55:00.000+09:00

While we have other shows filmed such as Ruins Alone to name but one, we're still editing and piecing together our trailer. In the meantime, cautious of not missing any opportunity, we'll be heading to Earthdom in Shin-Okubo this Saturday (26th) evening to catch a performance from the luminescent Atsuhiro Ito (of Optrum and OFF SEASON). Again, our video will be coming soon.

Hard to refrain from mentioning, but we're really looking forward to announcing more interviews and posting videos.

Keiji Haino + Jim O'Rourke + Yoshio Kuge. May 25th, 2008 at Shinjuku JAM, Tokyo

2008-07-25T15:16:00.000+09:00

The first show we decided to cover coincided shortly after the idea of this film's inception. With everything arranged the day of, we were excited to film this first time collaboration between one of Japan's foremost avante-garde guitarists, Haino, and music enthusiast Jim O'Rourke, who recently relocated to Tokyo. What's to be said for Yoshio Kuge is his lengthy and entrenched mainstay as one of Tokyo's finest hardcore drummers; currently active in percussion unit The Flying Rhythms (Here's a Youtube clip from 2007).

But actually, this wasn't the first time O'Rourke and Haino have come together on stage. The last time was October 2007 but since then, and up until the very afternoon of the show, the two had not rehearsed once. That's the word on the street- Haino never rehearses with a collaborator before a performance as a means of safeguarding the intricacies of improvisational dynamic.

To go back a step, the idea for Haino and O'Rourke's collaboration came at a quiet, 5-seater, quaint bar in Shinjuku's Golden Gai district which the two frequented. Since the place only has about 5 seats, we'll refrain from namedropping but we do plan to feature it in the film as one of Tokyo's somewhat key locales where members of the noise community meet. Another thing- the owner of the bar has been quite the matchmaker on the scene double timing as a promoter for shows at Shinjuku Jam and other venues within a stone's throw.

As soon as we get out of the editing room, we'll be posting clips from this ear-inflaming performance as well as a clip from our exclusive post-performance video interview with Haino-san.

My review of this performance is in the current issue of The Wire (#294). Photo by Sebastian Mayer.

That is all for now.