Next Music From Tokyo will be returning in May, 2012.
www.nextmusicfromtokyo.com
This will be the fourth edition of the tour and the featured artists this time around are Zazen Boys, group_inou, Praha Depart, and Charan-Po-Rantan.
The tour dates are as follows:
May 18th Toronto@ The Rivoli
May 19th Toronto@ The Rivoli
May 21st Montreal@ Divan Orange
May 23rd Vancouver@ The Waldorf Hotel
Here are the bands that will be appearing at NMFT vol. 4:
Zazen Boys
Mukai Shutoku’s former band Number Girl is renowned as one of the most important
and influential bands in Japanese rock history. The manner in which Number Girl
abruptly disbanded in 2002 at the peak of its popularity was heartbreaking to
legions of fans throughout the country. Having been the frontman and creative
mastermind behind Number Girl, Mukai Shutoku inherited an immediate and substantial
fanbase for his subsequent project, ZAZEN BOYS.
But instead of sticking to a proven formula (i.e the straightforward alt-rock
approach of Number Girl) Mukai would use ZAZEN BOYS as a vehicle for experimentation
and for profoundly stretching his creative boundaries. Although ZAZEN BOYS’s first
album was a direct continuation of the more experimental side of Number Girl,
subsequent releases diverged greatly in exploring intricate arrangements and changing
time signatures, delving into house/electronica/funk/folk/spoken word, all with a heavy
dose of unpredictability but maintaining a modicum of pop sensibility. This progressive,
“less accessible” approach alienated a good portion of the original core of Number Girl fans,
but has garnered a generation of new fans who appreciate Mukai’s sophisticated, improvisational genius.
ZAZEN BOYS greatest strength as a band lies in its passionate live performances characterized
by a high degree of improvisation, impeccable cohesion and virtuosic, unmistakable skill.
On stage their veteran swagger and instrumental mastery exude an aura that is “larger than life”
compelling the audience to believe they are witnessing the pinnacle of musicianship.
Although ZAZEN BOYS will never achieve the commercial success of Number Girl, Mukai’s current project
has already accomplished much more in expanding the scope and capabilities of Japanese rock and
music in general.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXtI4zLSSaM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5OGe47h_JU
group_inou
group_inou is a duo of iconoclasts who deconstruct chiptune, hip hop, IDM, krautrock, jazz and noise
to create a unique, clearly distinct and innovative musical style of their own. Both members started out
playing in garage/punk bands and CP (emcee) had originally intended Imai (DJ/producer) to play drums
for his (still active) emo/post-punk band Uri Gagarn.
Imai never did play drums for Uri Gagarn but would instead team up with cp to create a revolutionary style of music
centered around cp freeflow rhyming and screaming over Imai’s beautifully crafted genre-escaping instrumentals.
Their refreshing approach to dance music is progressive, experimental and intelligent and champions an underground/DIY
ethic that keeps them level and focussed on pushing the envelope despite increasing mainstream success.
Having a background in punk/HC music clearly shows in the wildness and sheer intensity of group_inou’s live performances.
cp roams the stage unpredictably like a demon-possessed and often performs amongst the audience
on the floor with them or crowd-surfing with mic-in-hand right above them. Imai is just as animated and impassioned
behind the mixing board flailing his limbs and contorting his body to match the emotion, soul and ferocity of his music.
group_inou have shared the stage with Battles, Gang Gang Dance, deerhoof, OWEN, Why?, Locust, Melt Banana, nisennenmondai,
toe, and ZAZEN BOYS and group_inou’s spectacular live performances have more than held their own.
They are just as comfortable performing at tiny, cramped live houses as they are performing in front of tens of thousands
at major festivals such as Fuji Rock and Rising Sun. While group_inou’s groundbreaking music sounds just fine on CD
their true brilliance is best appreciated in a live setting.is (still active) emo/post-punk band Uri Gagarn.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pTCWYdK00k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8_q0gFreLI
Praha Depart
Praha Depart’s music is a fusion of metal, shoegaze, hardcore and psychedelic
post-punk with an underlying tribal/folk beat. Something the Japan Times describes as
“irrepressibly danceable gypsy punk.” The instrumentation and female vocals ebb and flow
between darkly serene to ferocious crescendos of emotion and noise.
Jumpei’s intricate and powerful drumming is the backbone. An infectious tribal beat peppered
with thunderous fills and improvised solos. Tsukasa layers on simple guitar melodies
accentuated with brilliant phrasing, spine shivering effects and lightning speed riffs.
Lastly, Mai attacks the low end on bass while using her voice to demonstrate the full spectrum
of her emotions with soothing whispers, playful shrills, ear shattering war-cries and
bloodcurdling screams.
Already revered in Tokyo’s underground, Praha Depart ventured stateside in 2011 playing
multiple shows in New York and Philadelphia followed by a European tour with 11 shows
in Slovenia, France, Spain, Netherlands and Germany.
Praha Depart’s music is soulful, unpretentious and overflowing with emotion and raw power.
http://soundcloud.com/callandrespons...t-portrait-man
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbsS7nWW-O8
Charan-po-Rantan & CANCAN BALKAN
As a duo, Charan-Po-Rantan can captivate any audience with their soulful, quirky charm.
However, when backed by their supremely talented support band CANCAN BALKAN , Charan-Po-Rantan’s already potent stage performance is exalted to an awe-inspiring level. Bizarre and campy but oozing with elite musical talent, Charan-Po-Rantan & CANCAN BALKAN’s brilliantly orchestrated original songs and unique Japanese twist on Klezmer and gypsy/folk classics is guaranteed to elicit cheers from anyone with an open mind and appreciation for good music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mk01qCEcLbw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn9Ln7pnoZ8