Bolshoiz - 1st

B is for Bolshoiz. "Punk" project from Osaka's mysterious master of ceremonies Alco Degurutieni. Degurutieni is known for his elaborate stage shows and diverse performances with each outing being different from his last. Sometimes it could be a small affair with just a handful of musicians by his side shrowded in darkness illuminated by a sole red lamp. Other times he will have an ensemble of musicians and performers to accompany him with elaborate stage props that range from burnt out cars to metal grinders and scaffolding. Whether bombastic or eerily intimate you can be sure Degurutieni will put on a memorable show.

With a similar croak and a persuasion towards Junk-Jazz with an Eastern European slant Degurutieni could almost be the lost Japanese love child of the devil himself Tom Waits. Here Degurutieni teams up with regular band collaborators the exceedingly talented drummer Watanabe and amplified tuba player Daisuke Takaoka. Joining the motley crew is also Black Light Orchestra's Yannick Dupont.

The first 2 tracks off this 2007 CDR could definitely be described as a sort of punk (Albeit Degurutieni's own distinctive rendering of it.) while the last 3 tracks sound more like Degurutieni's usual exotic, sleazy, drunk Jazz. 

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Aleks Et Les Japonaises - Ojamashimasu (おじゃまします)

I always have trouble deciding what to upload next so to make the decision easier I will now start uploading things in alphabetical order. Well at least until I get bored of the idea or get stuck on a letter I can't find anything for.

A is for Alek Et Les Japonaises a Belgian based duo with Alek and his Japanese partner. Alek are purveyors of super catchy French lounge electro-pop. It's all lighthearted tongue-in-cheek fun with the pair alternating between amusing Japanese and French lyrics. My personal favourite on this self released EP is track 5 "Kuchi Kusai". A super catchy little ditty about intolerably bad breath so watch who's around when you inevitably start singing it to yourself in the mornings.

Alek frequently play shows at various places around Europe and also come over to Japan occasionally so check their official website for tour dates. You can buy their music at their shows or download it from their Soundclick page.

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Mandog - Dream Of Liquid

Hope everyone had a good xmas and New Year. I was back in the UK for a week or two hence no updates.

There are few things I love more on this earth than a stone cold slab of psyched out Krautrock and Mandog serve it in spades. The Tokyo 3 piece (Guit/Moog, Bass, Drums) band very much evoke the sound of Can circa-the early 70's. Blissed out, indulgent psychedelic freakouts reminiscent of Can's legendary epic improv sessions. There's nothing better than the sound of a group of talented musicians cutting loose and letting it all hang out.    

The Can connections also runs a little deeper. According to the liner notes penned by non other than former Can vocalist Damo Suzuki Mandog's founder Keiichi Miyashita was a Jazz guitarist before hanging up his guitar and retiring from music in his early 20's. It wasn't until 10 years later when he saw Damo Suzuki performing with his travelling improv project "Netweork" that he was inspired to start his music career afresh. 

Mandog is essentially Keiichi himself with the band line-up changing with each performance. Sometimes it's solo with the aid of drum machines, synths and loops pedals and sometimes he's joined by a host of other musicians. On this particular recording he's accompanied by Drummer Masataka Fujikake and Bassist Akira Kikuchi.

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Hakuchi (白痴) - Pops

The three piece hailing from Saga prefecture on the North Western tip of the Japanese island of Kyushu describe themselves as "Junk Pop" which is a fairly appropriate tag. The band who take their name from the Japanese translation of Fyodor Dostoyevsk's "The Idiot" have a joyous, care free, unpretentious, anything goes approach to their music. Something ably demonstrated in the opening track of their 5 track CDR where the band breakdown into Japanese instructional exercise drills mid-song before launching into 30 seconds of Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit"then rolling straight back into the groove like nothing happened. yeah, why not?

Hakuchi are as fun as they are loud, catchy and unpredictable.  

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Jyunen Senshu (十年選手) - 9696PAR

Jyunen Senshu (Teenage Player) is a side project from Yoshida Hajime best known for being the guitarist/vocalist in long standing Tokyo punk experimenters Panicsmile. Those familiar with his main band won't be too surprised by what's on offer here. It's got a much more chilled vibe to it but the Captain Beefheart, No-Wave influences are still very apparent. 

Not too sure exactly what the lineup is as there's very little information on the band but it seems to be a drum, bass, guit setup accompanied by 2 saxophones. The band sound pretty similar to other local Tokyoites such as Bossston Cruizing Mania and PQ (and possibly have some shared members.). Occasional spoken word vocals layered on top of off kilter bass, stop and start drums, dischordant smokey sax lines and abrasive guitar stabs that ends up sound like a laid back James Chance and The Contortions.

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Ultra Fuckers - King Of Scum Ultra Fuckers at KB*CC 2003

Self declared "Kings of Scum" the Ultra Fuckers are ambassadors of one of Kansai's more quirky little sub-genres. Scum rock which sprang in the mid to late 90's is defined more by its approach and execution rather than stylistic similarities. Scum Rock is defined by its clumsy, amateurish, antagonistic, provocative, wild and eccentric performances. Infamously shy a lot of bands have a hard time getting any sort of reaction from Japanese crowds. Scum is all about shaking things up and keeping things unpredictable in order to create the necessary climate for the elusive "happening".                

Ultra Fuckers' particular brand of scum comes in the form of some raw, crappy, awkward garage punk and more recently experimental diversions into oddball Krautrock. Usually wearing a paper bag on his head and clad in skate pads vocalist  Kawai Kazuki's favourite party trick is to bring a ladder on stage with him and use it to launch his body at anything close enough to hit. At least until 2003 when such antics earned Kazuki a rather painful broken shin bone. The ladder has very rarely been seen since. The painful incident is preserved here on youtube and was later released on a DVD fittingly titled "Bone Crunch Memory".

Kazuki also helps curate Lost Frog, a website created to disseminate scum rock through the web. The site seems to be only sporadically active these days but you'll find a lot of interesting stuff available for free download including a number of Ultra Fuckers' EPs and self-releases.    

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Maruo Maruko - CDR Live Sept 2010 (丸尾丸子)

Kyoto based Maruo Maruko is one of my favourite local singer/songwriters. I've already posted a few things from her but she has her first proper studio album coming out this month through Tokyo based indie label Enban (円盤) so now seems as good a time as any to share some more stuff from this talented musician.

This CDR is a live recording made by her in Sept of 2010. There's no info about where it was recorded but the recordings are of a decent quality. Maruko's music has a beautiful timeless folk feel to it that feels both evocative and nostalgic and also uniquely Japanese. Maruko is a multi-instrumentalist who most often uses accordion but also makes use of guitar, mouth harp, toy instruments and even sometimes radio. She's playing a handful of shows to promote the release of her album so check her out if you can.

Dec 1st @Kyoto Urban Guild

Dec 7th @ Osaka Chef-d'oeuvre

Dec 13th@ Osaka Namba Bears

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