#japan psychedelic rock

[johnkatsmc5]

Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. “Trust Masked Replicants” 2024 Japan Experimental Psych,Space Kraut Rock

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https://open.spotify.com/album/0A2y0OHQuXvUn7JAL3Di4N

Trust Masked Replicants is the nth studio album from Kawabata Makoto’s insanely prolific psych-rock outfit Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO, who’ve been active since the early nineties. Chaotic jamming rooted in steady, hypnotic kosmische grooves is the name of the game, culminating in the side-long track ‘Asoka Ananda’ on Side B.....~

Trust Masked Replicants finds AMT in fine form, creating experimental psych-rock improvised around skeletal compositions. The group's leader, Kawabata Makoto, holds the group together while they navigate chaos infused, drone based jamming at the outer edges of human consciousness. Side B, featuring the 20 minute track Asoko Ananda, is a classic side-long fast paced AMT burner combining sped up kosmische rhythms, filter sweeps, free-jazz piano, tabla drumming and vocal experiments. Asoko Ananda utilizes many of the group's skills, ascending to the height of their collective, mountainous ability. Channeling prog, krautrock, modern composition and noise, Kawabata Makoto formed the Acid Mothers Temple in the early 90's. The group has gone on to release countless albums while touring the globe......~

Trust Masked Replicants finds AMT in fine form, creating experimental psych-rock improvised around skeletal compositions. The group's leader, Kawabata Makoto, holds the group together while they navigate chaos infused, drone based jamming at the outer edges of human consciousness. Side B, featuring the 20 minute track Asoko Ananda, is a classic side-long fast paced AMT burner combining sped up kosmische rhythms, filter sweeps, free-jazz piano, tabla drumming and vocal experiments. Asoko Ananda utilizes many of the group's skills, ascending to the height of their collective, mountainous ability. Channeling prog, krautrock, modern composition and noise, Kawabata Makoto formed the Acid Mothers Temple in the early 90's. The group has gone on to release countless albums while touring the globe.....~

This dispatch from the U.F.O. finds Makoto and company in top form. The mixing and production is some of his finest and makes the most of the excellent and diverse instrumentation on this album- particularly the different rhythm sections and the intense washes of noise and synth.

The title is an obvious nod to Beefhearts iconic Trout Mask Replica and that’s certainly present in the sound. I also hear some of the freak-punk, post-hardcore side of noise rock, particularly in Makoto guitar playing. Vibes like The Jesus Lizard, Butthole Surfers or recent collaborator Mike Watt.

As A.M.T. records go this one is reasonably concise and focused. Is it still “extreme trip music” like they used to say? Yes. However even its freest aspects are particularly musical and memorable and each song has a distinct flavor (and a distinct start and end point.) Another one to solidify the current era of the temple as one that is full of explosive creative energy as well as razor sharp precision....~

Credits

Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. - at the time of this recording were : Cotton Casino : vocals, astral mama Kawabata Makoto : guitars, synthesizer, keyboards, guitar-synthesizer, speed guru Higashi Hiroshi : synthesizer, fishin’ god Jyonson Tsu : voice, midnight whistler Satoshima Nani : drums, another dimension Sawano Shozo : bass, hex man Jiji Lee : tabla Stoo Odom : uplight bass, melodica Hello Skinny : vocals

Tracklist

Side A 1Metaphysical Deception 2Sneer At Fates 399th Century Quackery 4XXXtra Asceticism Or Allergic To Meditation

Side B 5Asoko Ananda

Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. “Trust Masked Replicants” 2024 Japan Experimental Psych,Space Kraut Rock

https://johnkatsmc5.tumblr.com/post/772299921812602880/acid-mothers-temple-the-melting-paraiso-ufo

[haveyouheardthisband]

[avomagazine]

Every week, we bring you a treasure trove of captivating music videos from lesser-known, new and intriguing Japanese artists who deserve your support! Join us on this extraordinary musical journey as we shed light on the artists who often go unnoticed but leave an unforgettable impact. We also maintain a YouTube Music playlist

This week we highlighted music videos from: 🍙 rilium 🍙 MON/KU 🍙 ミケル (Michel) 🍙 Launcher No.8 🍙 ガラスの靴は落とさない (Garasu no Kutsu wa Otosanai) 🍙 Nagakumo 🍙 ロッカ (ROCCA)

Since 2020, AVO Magazine has been curating a list of seven music videos by Japanese artists and bands across various genres, from pop and rock to metal.

Enjoy the music!

[zef-zef]

Japanese Freaks / Weird Japan

Geinoh Yamashirogumi - 恐山 (Osorezan) from: 芸能山城組 (Geinoh Yamashirogumi) - 恐山 (Osorezan) / 銅之剣舞 (Dou No Kenbai) (Victor, 1976)

[possible-streetwear]

[jumpingiznotacrime]

[crypticsalutations]

A Conversation with Simon Edwards: Bassist, Backing Vocalist, and Co-Lyricist of Saturnalia

Saturnalia. A short lived, Leek based post punk project built between friends in the 1980's, but for Cryptic Salutations they represent so much more; the beginning of an era. Coming across The Cold Night Air deep within the forgotten recesses of YouTube one night a few years ago, I had no clue that a band with only four publicly released tracks would leave such an impression that their very existence would contribute to the birth of an entire blog. This blog. This one right here. When I started sharing tracks, I'd never planned to go in an interviewing direction. I just wanted to share my interest in obscure music with others and find a bunch of cool jams along the way. One thing I noticed consistently, however, was that many of these bands and artists I'd come to enjoy were pretty much faceless. Maybe one obfuscated photo here and there, or names that were seemingly untraceable, and Saturnalia was no exception.

Cover of Inside the Devil's Circle 7" single, previously the only identifiable image of the band online With only one black and white photo, as well as first initials and last names listed in one of their singles, Saturnalia were effectively... nobody. You had to know them to know them, pretty much. For some reason though, this anonymity intrigued me. It was just baffling that a band could drop 4 banger tracks, then disappear into the world without leaving so much as a foot print. Who were they, what was their inception like, and where were they now? This curiosity is almost singlehandedly what changed the direction of Cryptic Salutations. Every few months I would poke around online in attempt to get this thing rolling, but I hit road blocks time and time again. I'd already interviewed the likes of Steinhardt and Jonathan Lemon, so I figured I just wasn't looking hard enough... Until I stumbled upon, hilariously, a Facebook post. A Leek local was sharing his memories of Saturnalia, and also appeared to be part of their local music scene. It was the closest lead I'd ever gotten, so I contacted him, and it magically paid off! To make a long story short, I was put into contact with Simon, who played bass, sang backing vocals, and co-wrote Saturnalia's lyrics, and today he has offered to answer some of my burning questions regarding the how's, why's, and when's of the band. It was exciting enough for me to rise out of the coffin of hiatus-land, so I'm very pleased to bring you the interview here in full! Enjoy! Interview below

Cryptic Salutations: What is the story of Saturnalia’s beginnings?

Simon Edwards: The roots of Saturnalia came from four school friends jamming together in bedrooms and garages, learning to play our instruments, and figuring out how to play together. I played bass guitar, occasional double bass, and did backing vocals, Dave Woodcock played keyboards, Jonathan Kirk was on drums, and Steve 'Spacebat' Masters was on main vocals, guitar and sax.

In the last six months or so of the band's existence, we added a second guitarist, Martin Hedley.

CS: What first got you into music? Who were your inspirations?

Simon: Punk and new wave gave us the impetus to do something, without having to be virtuosos. A couple of the guys had also been into Pink Floyd previously, and later we were all quite open to all kinds of influences. Dave Woodcock and I got quite into jazz theory and tribal sounds. I'd say that some of the band's main contemporary influences were Ultravox (pre-Midge Ure), Psychedelic Furs, Japan, Joy Division, The Stranglers, Talking Heads and Chrome.

New photos courtesy of Simon CS: What was the band’s creative process like?

Simon: Ordinarily, someone would bring a chord sequence or a riff along to a rehearsal, and we'd jam around it, but on occasion Dave W or Spacebat would bring an almost complete idea. The lyrics were written by me or Spacebat, about half-and-half.

CS: Were there ever any live shows, if so, does footage exist, and did you enjoy playing live?

Simon: We played about fifteen or twenty live shows, mostly in our local area, in community halls, pubs, nightclubs, the local university student bar, but we also got to play one gig in London, at the iconic Marquee Club on Wardour Street. I don't believe any live footage exists, but I'd love to be proved wrong!

CS: Where has life taken you since the end of Saturnalia?

Simon: About a year after Saturnalia split up, I moved to London with Martin Hedley and my then girlfriend, and formed a band called Ask Virginia, which lasted a few years, played a few gigs and recorded loads of demos. I then joined Martin's resurrected band, Bible For Dogs, which was a frantic punk-jazz experience. I currently curate and present a specialist music show called Loose Canon, which is broadcast in the UK, Hong Kong and Bulgaria. I'm also a music promoter in my local area, specialising in alternative/indie/post-punk/punk.

Spacebat and Kirk now live about an hour from me, and we still get together now and again for a few drinks and a jam session. Dave Woodcock lives in Canada, but we see each other every couple of years. Martin Hedley lives on the south coast, and is in a horror swamp blues band called The Wattingers.

CS: In your own opinion, what do you think of the music industry then and now?

Simon: In the seventies and eighties, it was so much easier to get people to come out to gigs, at least in a small town, as there was so little else to do. Selling vinyl was so much easier, too – local bands like us would print a thousand or two thousand 7” singles, and easily sell most of them through local record shops.

CS: Of Saturnalia’s four tracks, did you have one that stood out to you as ‘the best?’

Simon: Of the four tracks on the Saturnalia singles, my favourite was 'Girl On The 8th Floor' - I think we'd all found our own musical voices by that point. All four of the original members had a creative hand in putting the song together, and I wrote the lyrics. I feel that the track still holds up well, is very evocative, yet still obviously of its time.

Lyrics from 'Girl On The 8th Floor / The Cold Night Air' 7" single CS: If you could give your past self any advice, what would it be?

Simon: I'd tell my younger self to stick to his guns, not compromise musically, and generally be a bit more pushy.

CS: How was the name ‘Saturnalia’ chosen?

Simon: I really can't remember how the name came about, to be honest, but a three out of four of us voted for it.

CS: Are there any unique stories behind the lyrics? ‘Inside the Devils Circle’ has a particularly interesting narrative.

Simon: 'Devils Circle' was one of Spacebat's lyrics – I seem to think that he got the idea from a film, but I don't remember which one. Most of my own lyrics were written using a variation on Bowie's cut-up technique.

Lyrics from 'Inside the Devil's Circle' 7" single CS: Anything else you’d like to share or promote?

Simon: I'm sending you rehearsal room demos of three more Saturnalia tracks (CS Note: Find the track 'Oh Tara' below!!), which I hope you'll enjoy – feel free to play any of them to your listeners, if you'd like to. I'll also include a studio demo from another band I mentioned, Ask Virginia, from around 1986. Anyone who's interested in current alternative/indie/post-punk etc might like to listen to my radio show, Loose Canon – here's a link to my Soundcloud account, where there are a large number of archive shows: Link

Never before seen 'Oh Tara' rehearsal room demo

[elsotemo]

Satori

[haveyouheardthisband]

[sxyx]

[avomagazine]

Tomorrow Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. will embark on a new extensive tour through Europe, starting in Belgium at the new venue of Magasin 4 More information in this article linked below

[seansmusichunt]

Story of Flower Travellin' Band

Most known today for their 1971 proto-doom metal album, “Satori,” The Flower Travellin’ Band have an interesting history of attempting to bring a heavy rock sound to Japan and in their later careers, the singer had many successful albums including one with The Wailers and the guitarist created his own instrument known as the Sitarla. Watch this video to the end to learn the full history of this…

[possible-streetwear]

[haveyouheardthisband]

[sxyx]

ho leng nui

[avomagazine]

Progressive rock band Green Milk from the Planet Orange will embark on a summer tour through Europe, starting on 23 August in Germany.

More in this article.