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Otomo Yoshihide |
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Otomo Yoshihide |
Turntables, Guitar |
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Profile |
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Ever wonder what would happen if one were to mix an oscillating circuit and and some free jazz together? It might sound pretty terrible, but if turned into a viable recording, it may just resemble the work of Otomo Yoshihide, a man possessing one of the most wide-ranging minds in modern music. Between the turntables and his wailing electric guitar, Otomo and his innumerable projects have garnered well-deserved acclaim in electronic, free jazz and minimalist circles, attracting the attention and opportunities to work with elite musicians including John Zorn and Yamatsuka Eye.
Otomo's penchant for cut-and-paste composing manifested at an early age, as he began experimenting with homemade radios and electric circuits before graduating to making sound collages on open-reel tape players in junior high school. Not surprisingly, Musique Concrète, a French movement from the 1940s that consisted of editing common sounds together, proved to be the biggest influence on Otomo. His first taste of jazz came in high school during the height of Japan's free jazz scene, especially from guitarist Takayanagi Masayuki, who gave Otomo lessons.
In 1979 Otomo attended university in Tokyo, concentrating on ethnomusicology. He also began playing live gigs, doing improvisation with his guitar and tapes. It was not until the end of the 1980s that Otomo began releasing records with his first project Ground Zero. The group underwent countless member changes, and despite its eclectic range of styles, was a noise rock ensemble at heart, and true to Otomo's jazz roots, rife with free-ranging improvisations. Ground Zero became a highly influential unit, continuing until its disbandment in 1998.
From 1992 to 1994, Otomo participated in no fewer than three more projects, including the Double Unit Orchestra and Celluloid Machine Gun. The third, Mosquito Paper, incorporated spoken word with jazz and traditional Japanese instruments under the goal of uniting speech with music. Otomo also launched his Sampling Virus Project, consisting of tapes full of samples for anyone to use - the basic idea being the samples would integrate themselves into artists' music and be passed around in similar fashion to a virus. Otomo also began writing articles on Japan's noise music, with the intent of introducing new audiences to the burgeoning scene.
Following the split of Ground Zero, Otomo's style began to reflect stronger minimalist and jazz influences. He formed Filament with former Ground Zero member Sachiko M, playing music concentrating on sine waves, and became a forerunner in the avant-garde electronic Onkyo movement (named after the Japanese stereo company). Otomo also founded Otomo Yoshihide's New Jazz Ensemble (also known as ONJQ or New Jazz Quartet in Japan), and while the ensemble has more traditional jazz instrumentation, ONJQ is still deeply rooted in Otomo's free jazz and noise background.
Otomo is still active with ONJQ, and continues to collaborate with many prominent musicians including Nobukazu Takemura and The Boredoms' Yamatsuka Eye. His latest development is fronting the juggernaut Date Course Pentagon Royal Garden, an 11-piece ensemble hearkening back to the sound of Miles Davis (especially the electrification of Bitches Brew), but still heavy on the noise and electronica of ONJQ.
- James Route (published 2005.03.09, updated Unknown) |
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Links |
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Samples |
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Discography list |
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| Albums |
| BFFP126CD |
Live! |
| PO-C1 |
Otomo Yoshihide |
| OMBA-002 |
Problem |
| Cassette-2 |
Live at Aketa-no-mise in Tokyo, July 28, 1989 |
| R-001 |
Silanganan Ingay |
| Unknown |
Duo |
| LS-001 |
Terminal-Zero |
| Lost Space-000 |
Ground-0 No. 0 |
| Unknown |
Who Is Otomo Yoshihide |
| SFCD 003 |
We Insist? |
| Extreme |
The Night before the Death of the Sampling Virus |
| JO96-24 |
Live!! |
| Unknown |
Duo Improvisation |
| GG021CD |
Sound Factory |
| FSC-015 |
Digital Tranquilizer Ver. 1.0 |
| AM 069 |
21 Situations |
| CDLA 99021 |
Without Kuryokhin |
| TZ 7222 |
Pilgrimage |
| ASP 2001 |
Moving Parts |
| HDCD 002 |
Warholes or All Andy Would Enjoy (And Fear) |
| AM 111 |
Studio — Analogique — Numérique |
| erstwhile 29 |
Time Travel |
| dat-2/headz14 |
Turntables and Computers |
| ALOY1CD |
Turntable Solo |
| FSC-029 |
Digital Tranquilizer Ver. 1.01 |
| AM 131 |
Grr |
| dms-101 |
Guitar Solo: 12 October 2004 @ Shinjuku Pit Inn, Tokyo + 1 |
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The Night before the Death of the Sampling Virus (Album)
Released: 1993 (Extreme)
Label: XCD-024
Tracklist
[88 different sound samples included] |
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We Insist? (Album)
Released: 1992 (SFCD 003)
Label: Sound Factory Records
Tracklist
1. We Insist?
a)Rinko-Gun
b) X-Day
2. Replicant
3. Terminal-Zero
4. Xper. Xr.
5. Blackbird 1
6. Watchtower Waltz
7. Film Maker from Kreuzberg
8. Chronicle
9. Quiet Fire at GOK
10. Cash Dispenser
11. Hardcore Chinese Opera
12. Techno
13. Crossover
14. Thrash
15. Death House
16. Acid Jazz
17. Psyche Punk
18. World Music
19. Be-bop
20. Boundary
21. Last Words
22. Yuppie's Walk
23. Blackbird 2
24. Walls |
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Terminal-Zero (Album)
Released: 1991 (LS-001)
Label: Lost Space
Tracklist
(Side A)
1. USA-KIH
2. 2NC
3. YUEN-FA
4. ESE
5. SWORDSMAN-2
6. INORI-2
7. K-E
8. SPIN
9. DB-EP
10. POP
11. CHANEL-7
(Side B)
1. SABETU-TOSHI
a. SWORDSMAN
(includes 7 more untitled tracks) |
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Ground-0 No. 0 (Album)
Released: 1991 (Lost Space-000)
Label: Lost Space
Tracklist
(8 untitled tracks) |
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Who Is Otomo Yoshihide (Album)
Released: 1991
Tracklist
1. Last Words
2. Terminal-Zero 1
3. Terminal-Zero 2
4. Terminal-Zero 3
5. Autumn Story
6. Lam Cheng-Ting |
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Live at Aketa-no-mise in Tokyo, July 28, 1989 (Album)
Released: 1989 (Cassette-2)
Label: Tanga-Tanga
Tracklist
(Side A)
1. Noise from Far East 6, 4
2. Jalan-Jalan
(Side B)
1. For John Zorn
2. Junk-Guitar Solo |
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Silanganan Ingay (Album)
Released: 1989 (R-001)
Label: Tanga-Tanga
Tracklist
(Side A)
1. Noise from Far East
2. The Time to Live and the Time to Die
3. 1.2.3.4.
4. 6 and 14 Wave
5. Black and Blue
6. Green Bicycle
7. Intolerable Fellow
(Side B)
1. Short Tune
2. Mob?
3. For T.T.
4. Crying Sky
5. #7
6. Jalan
7. Don't Be Late!
8. Rip |
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Duo (Album)
Released: 1989
Tracklist
Side A: Piece of Work (3 tracks)
Side B: Piece of Work (3 tracks)
Note: 10mm tape that came with Silanganan Ingay LP |
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