Hey folks, as has been pointed out by fellow listee Pace, I haven't really been participating on the list very much due to time constraints. However, seeing that today's my day off, I thought I'd pipe in about a scene which I don't believe has ever been discussed in this forum: The Japanese noise/minimal/experimental scene. To be fair, I'd like to mention straight off that this thread will not appeal to beat heads who are looking for something to dance to, but rather to those who are looking for some vibrant listening. Those who dig ambient music, industrial and experimental, or various Laswell/Zorn/Tzadik projects, listen up!
This stuff's been going on since the 80's but I've been properly introduced to it only in the last 10-12 months. In some cases, I would not even classify what this scene is putting out as music per se, but more as auditory art. Here's a partial list of what floats my boat these days:
1- AUBE: AKA Akifuma Nakajima from Osaka, Japan. When I mentioned auditory art, I was talking mostly about AUBE, my personal favorite. What this artist does is constructs sound collages using one source material for inspiration, per release. For example, he may use the various sounds that are emitted from fire to create an album. Sources that I've heard him use are fire, water, telephones, stone, the human heart, the sounds emitted from halogen lights, etc...... The results are often mindblowing, so much so that I wound up picking up 10 releases from this artist in one week, and loving them all!! The artwork which accompanies each release is often indicative of the sound source which AUBE is using for that particular release. For example, the album, "SET ON", on the Manifold label, is cased in two pieces of stone, as the source material used is various objects being scraped against stone. Check him out, you will not be disappointed. Feel free to email me if you want me to lead you in the right direction, as AUBE has released well over 200 records
2- Keiji Haino: Any fan of experimental music with the use of guitar and/or vocals in interesting settings should definitely check this genius out. Some of you may know him as the mind behind Japanese experimental powerhouse trio Fushitsusha, or from his many collaborations with John Zorn and the NY scene in general. Of special interest is a project available on Tzadik records called Purple Trap, featuring Haino on guitar, Bill Laswell on bass, and the great Rashied Ali on drums. The drumming reminds one of late era Coltrane. I'm sure Trane would have loved this.
3-Merzbow: AKA Masami Akita. Merzbow tends to lean towards the more extreme part of the experimental scene, with his releases often getting REAAAAALLLY loud!! His ideas are really worth checking out, however, as he's delved into the world of free jazz, cartoons, and the S&M scene for inspiration. Of interest may be "Door Open At 8AM" on the alien8 label, which is Merzbow's tribute to free jazz. He uses actual samples from free jazz recordings by Tony Williams, Jimmy Elvin, and John Coltrane. His reworking of Coltrane's "Africa Brass Sessions pt.2" is absolutely brutal!! Fans of industrial music will be especially be interested in this artist, whose released well over 1000 recordings over a decade spanning 20 years. Of interest is last year's "Merzbox", a boxset featuring 500 cd's, books written by him, drawings, a t-shirt, and more. No, I don't have it.
4-Monstre: This guy's a new guy to the experimental scene. He's released only one record, "Sucre 3" on the Alien8 label, but it's really an incredible recording, so I thought that I'd mention it here. This recording was constructed mainly with voice-based sounds, as well as with various toy instruments, primitive drum machines, and samplers. The result is a very catchy and playful record, which is currently in very heavy rotation chez-moi.
5-Set Fire To Flames
6-Fly Pan Am
7-A Silver Mt. Zion
I mention these three projects because they all feature members of Godspeed You Black Emperor! Personally, I like Set Fire To Flames and A Silver Mt. Zion more than GSYBE
8- Masonna: His source material of choice is the use of vocals, and feeding them through various feedback devices and loopers. Fans of Boredoms singer Yamantaka Eye will love this stuff. His release, "Frequency LSD" on Alien8 recordings, was voted one of the top 5 noise albums of all time by Wire magazine.
9- Francisco Lopez: Hailing from Spain, Francisco Lopez is perhaps the most interesting of all the experimental artists out there today. His live shows are the focus of his art, as the audience is required to wear blindfolds and are seated in such a way that speakers are surrounding them in every which direction. Lopez himself is never seen, as he performs his concerts within the confines of a tent. Basically, this concentraes each listener solely on the auditory, and the result is simply mindblowing. Check him out if ever you have a chance.
There's really so much more, but I just realized what time it is, so I gotta go. If any of you would like more info on these or other artists, or are interested in a trade, please feel free to contact me. Meanwhile, here's a list of great sites which can appease any curiousity you may have further:
www.alien8recordings.com
www.manifoldrecords.com
www.amplexus.it
www.dronerecords.de
www.going-underground.de
www.http://www.adnoiseam.net
www.worldart-music.de
Over and out,
Stimp
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