Osaka is one of the beating hearts of Japanese experimental music, historically home to artists such as Masonna, Hijokaidan, Incapacitants and Boredoms, as well as the Alchemy Records label. It’s also the site of live venue Namba Bears, which has presented numerous underground and experimental acts since it opened in 1986.
Osaka’s current scene continues in this tradition, but nowadays there is often a struggle to make events happen. Even so, the DIY spirit persists, with shows ranging from techno, contemporary and experimental music to jazz, hardcore and metal.
This playlist focusses on the more experimental and harder to find corners of the scene, and attempts to give a taste of what is really unique to Osaka.
Weiches Loch
“5”
(La Muro Mia Muro)
Osaka’s best metal percussion ensemble, post-apocalyptic, tribal, a group that combines the discipline and devotion of traditional Japanese taiko music with the industrial soundscapes of groups like Einstürzende Neubauten and Test Dept. Their live shows are rituals filled with grinder sparks and primitive grooves. All the members are also active in many other bands in Osaka, performing solo and otherwise. This track is an exclusive courtesy of Weiches Loch member Sin Tamon’s La Muro Mia Muro label, as are the following tracks by Vexation Soul and Oboo.
Vexation Soul
“Soyogito”
(La Muro Mia Muro)
Beginning life as Vermilion Sands in the 1980s, the current version of Vexation Soul applies Polnareff’s poetry to experimental, rhythmic and sometimes feverish sounding backgrounds. It’s dark and atmospheric, closer to sound art than music. The live ensemble varies, sometimes consisting of only a vocalist and drummer, sometimes five or six members with trumpet, voice, guitars, upright bass, samplers and so on. The imagery is interesting, conjuring impressions of the Mojave desert and psychedelia. This is a unique and interesting group.
OBOO
“Suchakes”
(La Muro Mia Muro)
OBOO is a duo of Yasushi Yoshida and Tsuyoshi Kanda who create a powerful sound with only effects-driven bass guitar and vocals. More rhythmic than melodic in musical terms, it becomes like a percussive bombardment, an intense experience that instills a trance-like state. Through repetition of simple rhythmic patterns, the listener starts to hear differently, creating new depths to the music. At once immersive and purifying, primitive and electric.
Hibushibire
“We Won’t Go Back To The Past”
From Magical Metamorphosis Third Eye
(Riot Season)
Probably the greatest current psych rock band in Osaka, capable of moving from beautiful calm and ambient vibes to high energy grooves effortlessly in seconds. What catches the attention, especially live, is the hard hitting and consistently amazing drumming of Aoi Hama; the group’s songs that seem to go on endlessly demand great endurance and persistence on Hama’s part. Live, the whole band is a tight, highly entertaining machine that should be recognised globally with the likes of Travelling Flower Band, Kikagaku Moyo, Boris and Acid Mothers Temple.
KK Manga
“You”
from EP1
(Self-released)
KK Manga is known for its ferocious and noisy live performances, performing all around Osaka, but especially in their home base Namba Bears. Two drummers keep delivering syncopated noise madness on top of synthesizers and the singer hamaji is like a human bullet of intensity and rage, blasting through anything that comes in their way. The approach of combining techno feel and heavy beats to noise like this is a quarantee to get any party started.
Stillills
“「s」”
(Self-released)
Stillills, or more familiarly スチルス, is an Amagasaki based artist who is very active in the experimental scene in Osaka, playing a few times a week. While he participates in various other projects, his solo work is calm and ambient, driven by sitar and synthesizers. The sitar gives the music a somewhat melancholic and spiritual twist and creates something completely unique and interesting.
Sayozoku
“Hoshi”
From サヨ族誕生 Birth Of Sayozoku
(Tall Grass Records)
Sayozoku consists of Tenjin Sayaka and Yonju Miyaoka, who also run a small gallery called Maho no Seikatsu in Konohana. They are very active in their duo, on top of which Miyaoka is also active with many different improvisation groups, including 終古のオミット (Shūko no Omit) – their album, 秘密の回顧録 (Himitsu no kaiko-roku), is recommended. This song demonstrates Miyaoka’s songwriting, but also showcases some of the more freeform approach that Sayozoku offers during live performances.
Read Jere Kilpinen’s full report on Osaka’s underground noise scene in The Wire 494. Wire subscribers can also read the article online via the digital magazine library.
AloJapan.com