Haino Keiji & Yoshida Tatsuya - New Rap (2006)

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Haino Keiji & Yoshida Tatsuya - New Rap (2006)

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Avant-garde guitarist Keiji Haino's partnership with Ruins drummer and founder member Tatsuyo Yoshida is, as you'd expect, an ear-splitting, mind-bending atonal and percussive onslaught. Yoshida's splintered drumming is more than a match for Haino's bizarre, disjointed guitar and vocal rants–but though you'd never categorize this music as sensitive, it's thought-provoking and frequently surprisingly empathetic. And, though the tracks are named after well-known Manhattan thoroughfares, nervous visitors may be assured that they're rarely as chaotic as they're sonically portrayed here.

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Haino Keiji & Yoshida Tatsuya - New Rap (2006)

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Yoshida Tatsuya:

Without a doubt, Tatsuya Yoshida was one of the most important drummers on the Japanese scene in the final decades of the 20th century, having spearheaded at least a half dozen of that country's most important groups. Perhaps best-known among these would be the Ruins; an ironic band name coming from a land in which most aspects of antiquity have been preserved rather than destroyed. This group's unique basic instrumentation of drums and bass was no less than a palace revolt against the established role of the rhythm section. As if setting the basement servant headquarters aflame and then tromping upstairs to take control of the house proper, the two musicians let their amazingly intricate rhythmic patterns become the music – not that "rhythmic patterns" is much of a description of what most of it sounds like, kind of like calling the Thames River "water." Although he has said his main influence was European progressive rock drummer Christian Vander, Tatsuya was still usually heard in the traditional drummer's ensemble role. Having long since stepped beyond that, he has had an interesting development creating his own solo music; becoming a one-man band in the process and using elements of everything from sheer noise to disco and pop.

The appeal of his solo performance and the technical mastery of drumming that is displayed as an almost casual aspect can have surprising appeal, as the artist found out himself during a solo tour that took him to a remote part of Northern Italy. He was carrying much too much luggage, a typical syndrome with percussionists, and was faced with the haunting dilemma of having to go up and down lengthy passages of stairs to reach a train platform that was actually only a few feet away; and completely accessible if one only ignored the severe warning not to cross the tracks to reach other platforms. The former Yugoslavian territories remain the only part of Europe in which citizens are allowed to wander across train tracks at will; Italy, like the rest of Europe, dispenses punishment for any violations. Yet, in some cases, the heavily laden are known to glance around for signs of police or railway officials, and make a move if the coast is clear. This is just what the hapless Tatsuya did, most likely under the advice of a corrupt touring partner, only to see a policeman dashing toward him from a section of the station he hadn't noticed. He geared up for trouble but the policeman simply took off his hat in tribute and said in pidgin English: "Please, if I may have a moment. I am a local percussionist and would like to ask some technical question about your performance last night."

Other band collaborations of his include Akaten, Koenjihyakkei, Ybo2, and Gerogerigegege. He has recorded prolifically in every context.

~ Eugene Chadbourne, Rovi

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Haino Keiji & Yoshida Tatsuya - New Rap (2006)

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Haino Keiji:

When attempting to describe what Keiji Haino does to a guitar, the verb "play" seems terribly insufficient. Mauling might be a more appropriate choice, maybe even destroying. Whatever, whether it is as a solo performer or leading his tremendous trio Fushitsusha, Haino has been leading the loud, free form, noise-loaded, jazz/rock guitar movement in Japan for nearly three decades, starting with seminal noise-jazz/rockers Lost Aaraaff in 1971. He remains a virtual unknown, even among the music connoisseurs in his own country (I once asked a group of Japanese students, all of whom admitted to being eclectic music fans, about him, not one had heard of him) but his music as beautiful as it is coruscating is jarring, unpredictable and well worth hearing, especially by those enamored of those on the fringes of music performance.

Affecting a rock star pose (long black hair, ever-present sunglasses) Haino is an accomplished player who enjoys experimenting with undulating sheets of metallic sound. His solo recordings are frequently done live with no overdubbing, and Haino adds to the frenetic improvisatory mood by emitting shrieks and yelps as he strangles the neck of his Gibson SG. If you need a familiar example think of the more extreme moments of the late, great Sonny Sharrock, or Pete Cosey's envelope-pushing soloing with Miles Davis in the mid-70s. With Fushitsusha, however, Haino's playing is more nuanced and restrained, kind of like Bill Frisell or an introspective Fred Frith. That doesn't mean however that Haino and Fushitsusha are afraid of cutting loose and tearing it up, they are well-known (hell, revered) for turning up the volume and kicking out the jams, and the aural chaos is frequently stunning.

Not for the faint of heart or for those who compare every guitar player to Edward Van Halen, Keiji Haino is a tremendously exciting player. Granted his entire output is not essential (some of his solo recordings are repetitive), but when it comes to pushing the boundaries of music, noise, and where the guitar fits in this discourse, he has few peers.

~ John Dougan, All Music Guide

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Haino Keiji & Yoshida Tatsuya - New Rap (2006)

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Haino Keiji & Yoshida Tatsuya - New Rap (2006)

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