In praise of Koenjihyakkei

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Insanely great band led by Ruins drummer Tatsuya Yoshida. They've got a new record in August. Their first two are total classic, and the 3rd isn't far behind. They sound like Magma x #*#*#*# and I'm not even kidding. (or, if you've heard Ruins' Symphonica record, it's kind of like that, but better)

discography at AMG

― Dominique (dleone), Monday, 18 July 2005 22:38 (twenty years ago)

track 8: ZOLTAN

dedicated to: ZOLTAN

― milton parker (Jon L), Monday, 18 July 2005 22:46 (twenty years ago)

J'aime la Zeuhl!

LEARN2SEARCH

― OLD SPICE® CHEMTRAILS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (ex machina), Monday, 18 July 2005 22:49 (twenty years ago)

I think what this thread needs is a big Yoshida picture.

http://www.tampere.fi/musicfestivals/jazz2002/tatsuya_yoshida.jpg

― Dominique (dleone), Monday, 18 July 2005 22:52 (twenty years ago)

I was a little disappointed to not see this ruins tour.

― OLD SPICE® CHEMTRAILS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (ex machina), Monday, 18 July 2005 22:55 (twenty years ago)

"Maschtervoz" is flagged as 5 stars on iTunes right now. Yum.

― OLD SPICE® CHEMTRAILS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (ex machina), Monday, 18 July 2005 22:56 (twenty years ago)

I'm seeing him on Friday in Chicago. I don't think he ever found a bassist for this date, so I guess it will be "Ruins solo". But I'm already nervous.

― Dominique (dleone), Monday, 18 July 2005 22:59 (twenty years ago)

wow, had no idea Nami Sagara sang on their third, she lives in SF now & I wish she'd play more

Ruins & Zubi Zuva would tour frequently in the mid-90's, but never Koenji. Loaned my copy of Viva Koenji! to friend two years ago, haven't heard it since, damnation

― milton parker (Jon L), Monday, 18 July 2005 23:00 (twenty years ago)

Don't you read the yahoogroups Boredoms list? I think there was a bassist listed for chicago.

xpost

― OLD SPICE® CHEMTRAILS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (ex machina), Monday, 18 July 2005 23:00 (twenty years ago)

i totally forgot he was touring

but i will be in florida ;(

― ryan duelberg (duelberg), Monday, 18 July 2005 23:00 (twenty years ago)

wow, had no idea Nami Sagara sang on their third, she lives in SF now & I wish she'd play more

see, this is why SF is the good place, and IL is the bad place. I watched Deerhoof play this wkd, and was again reminded that I need to have some out of body experiences out there

― Dominique (dleone), Monday, 18 July 2005 23:04 (twenty years ago)

totally feeling dumb I didn't send you straight to alameda for the apartment shopping

this sunday, hemlock tavern, RUINS ALONE: BASSIST WANTED TOUR

― milton parker (Jon L), Monday, 18 July 2005 23:06 (twenty years ago)

Don't you read the yahoogroups Boredoms list? I think there was a bassist listed for chicago.

haven't seen a bassist yet for Chicago, though I did just realize they're playing w/Yowie, which should be interesting.

― Dominique (dleone), Monday, 18 July 2005 23:08 (twenty years ago)

I watched Deerhoof play this wkd,

uh, so did it. they were at a big art opening at the Yerba Buena on friday. what day did you see them? i walked out after half a song.

― The Amazing Jaxon! (jaxon), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 00:00 (twenty years ago)

so did i, obv

― The Amazing Jaxon! (jaxon), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 00:00 (twenty years ago)

I saw on Sunday at Intonation

― Dominique (dleone), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 00:37 (twenty years ago)

Alameda?

I always mean to go to those Yuerba Buena openings, but I never do.

― Adam In Real Life (nordicskilla), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 02:16 (twenty years ago)

alameda still has the occasional affordable livable space, and it plays the 50's retro-suburb thing to such extremes that I kind of like it. wouldn't buy a house there, but renting, sure.

― milton parker (Jon L), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 04:53 (twenty years ago)

has Deerhoof gone "Jazz Odyssey"?

― milton parker (Jon L), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 05:32 (twenty years ago)

new Koenjihyakkei cover:
http://progressive.homestead.com/files/koenjihyakkei_angherr_shisspa.jpg

The new stuff that Deerhoof played kind of reminded me of King Crimson trying to play Chocolate Synthesizer. Long stretches of instrumental stuff, pretty complex changes, but also pretty spastic delivery. I thought it was good!

― Dominique (dleone), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 11:22 (twenty years ago)

(and apparently new Koenji will out on Skin Graft)

― Dominique (dleone), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 11:37 (twenty years ago)

I have never heard this band but "Koenji Hyakkei" means "100 views of Koenji". Koenji is the neighborhood in W.Tokyo where I love to stay when I'm there, it's a pretty incredible place.

― gygax! (gygax!), Tuesday, 19 July 2005 15:25 (twenty years ago)

Has anyone heard the new album????

Also: What's the deal with Eskaton? Help me search out more Zeuhl!

― OLD SPICE® CHEMTRAILS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (ex machina), Saturday, 23 July 2005 00:25 (twenty years ago)

What about Pardenheap? I hear they too are RAD.

― Adam In Real Life (nordicskilla), Saturday, 23 July 2005 00:35 (twenty years ago)

1st Koenji album - AMAZING
2nd - NOT SO GOOD but everyone seems to love it
Nivraym - A BIT DULL and sounds like Yoshida recorded it in his bedroom, Dominique what did you think of this one?
Anyone seen the DVD?

― Matt #2 (Matt #2), Saturday, 23 July 2005 20:09 (twenty years ago)

I think NIVRAYM is badly recorded (at least relative to the first two - and I think II is Yoshida's pinnacle), but I like a lot of the tunes. It's less zeuhly than the first two, getting a bit more intricate, maybe even fusiony in places. I have the DVD too, and it's a fine document of their live show, but not too much to look at. Just one camera angle, no extras or anything.

I've heard two tracks of the new one, and it seems jazzier than the other records. There's actually a sax in the lineup now, so sometimes the band sounds like Weidorje or even Soft Machine on occasion. Still lots of operatic singing and Yoshida rhythm workouts though.

Re: Eskaton, I think I started a thread about them a few months ago here. Very chop-heavy, fusion-zuehl. If you've heard Magma's Live album from '75, Eskaton take that sound and run with it. Fast, technical, pretty impressive really. I prefer Magma, but Eskaton has many fans. '4 Visions' is generally considered their best record.

― Dominique (dleone), Monday, 25 July 2005 21:00 (twenty years ago)

three years pass...

anyone else heard the nivraym remaster/re-recording/whatever-it-is on skin graft? old release sounded like it was never mastered or something, which I thought really did it a disservice. the mix on this one seems much cleaner to my ears.

arrangements are a bit different too. most noticeably w/sax parts that pop up here-and-there. seems like they've toned down the use of guitars too.

this is probably my fave koenji record (even tho it easily seems to be the consensus pick for WORST koenji release!), so I'm pretty happy about this.

― original bgm, Friday, 8 May 2009 19:55 (sixteen years ago)

four years pass...

https://scontent-b-atl.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/t1.0-9/10274288_655494847864327_6984826577873873265_n.jpg

They are in the studio again???

― frogbs, Wednesday, 23 April 2014 13:19 (eleven years ago)

YEAH!!!

― original bgm, Wednesday, 23 April 2014 15:47 (eleven years ago)

IOSS!!!

― Dominique, Wednesday, 23 April 2014 17:24 (eleven years ago)

I love Viva Koenji or Koenji 2 or whatever it's called - what'd y'all recommend for me to hear next?

― imago, Wednesday, 23 April 2014 22:06 (eleven years ago)

Hermeto Pascoal: "Só Não Toca Quem Não Quer" or "Mundo Verde Esperanca"

― massaman gai, Thursday, 24 April 2014 04:10 (eleven years ago)

one year passes...

huge Nivraym kick lately. man does this remaster sound great. weird to get a Koenjihyakkei "song" stuck in your head but I've been thinking about "Axail Hasck" all day. god there are so many wild ass keyboard solos on this disc

― frogbs, Friday, 29 January 2016 20:30 (ten years ago)

I get fragments of songs from 100 Sights of stuck in my head relatively regularly

― sarahell, Friday, 29 January 2016 20:33 (ten years ago)

three years pass...

holy shit the london shot last night was unbelievable. one of those shows where 1 song in you know its in your all time list. incredible energy.

― Hmmmmm (jamiesummerz), Monday, 13 May 2019 09:28 (six years ago)

*london show

― Hmmmmm (jamiesummerz), Monday, 13 May 2019 09:28 (six years ago)

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