Arcane Candy

It’s been a long time—around a decade, actually—since PSF last offered a treat for our eyes as well as our ears. This here flick of a solo percussion show by Keiji Haino is of recent vintage, filmed at Plan B in Tokyo and released on May 10, 2002—just after Haino’s 50th birthday. Plan B is a concrete basement venue, usually used for avant garde dance / performance. Haino regularly plays either solo percussion or percussion / dance duos with the famous butoh dancer Min Tanaka, who also has released a duo record with Derek Bailey on Table of the Elements.

Needless to say, this video is a dimly-lit affair, comprised of numerous edited segments—each featuring Haino manhandling a different instrument. The show begins pitched in black as Haino flicks a tiny light off and on repeatedly. A little more light appears as he bows the rungs of some sort of musical “bird cage” which resonates wildly—sending shrill, ethereal tones flying throughout the space. A lion’s share of the rest of the show is comprised of Haino banging and scraping cymbals around on the floor and walls, pinging small “xylophones” and ringing two little hand bells while moaning and growling. My favorite part is when he sits down in a chair and slowly starts going postal with two big ol’ tambourines.

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This disc is a recording of a live performance from April 2000. All 12 tracks are duets, but the instrumentation on each track varies, with Haino playing guitar, sarode, gyumbari, gothan, esraj and darbouka. Yoshida plays drums, Korg X5D and darbouka. (Track 10 is a darbouka duet, whatever a darbouka is—some sort of percussion.) Most of the tracks are purely instrumental. Only two actually have a little bit of Haino singing, and only one of those is really a song designed around Haino’s voice. The rest are freely-improvised instrumentals. Some of the songs–especially the electric guitar and drums duets–are dense and heavy-sounding improvisations a la Ruins. In fact, the guitar and drums duets really bring to mind the Derek Bailey / Ruins collaborations like Tohjinbo on Paratactile and Saisoro on Tzadik. But, about half the songs have Haino on a variety of ethnic (for lack of a more accurate term) instruments. These improvisations are mellower. When two longtime improvisers get together, you expect seamless improvisation and that is just what is captured on this CD. Calling it improvisation almost seems like cheating. No one expecting these sorts of results will be disappointed. This is not a rock album—expectations of such will not be met. Too good.—David Keffer

Label: Noise Asia Catalog Number: NAIM 12 Format: CD Packaging: Mini-LP gatefold Tracks: 12 Total Time: 64:12 Country: Japan Released: 2002 Related Artists: Fushitsusha More: Forced Exposure, Official, Poison Pie, PSF, Wikipedia

Two full CDs worth of slowly-inching tectonic continental sound plates from Tokyo’s supreme sullen small one, Keiji Haino. The first five-inch tiddlywink in this set finds Haino teaming up with the hurdy gurdy for the fourth time–in CDland, that is. Unlike the relentless PSF, Tokuma and Halana screech cloud forays of yore, however, this’n’ here forges onward into much more subtle, almost shy areas of own-foot-starin’ quasi-gentle puffery. But such a nicely suspended example of sustained spirit envelope hasn’t often been floated by anyone else in such a pristine manner as this. Deep, drifting atmosphere with distant banshee vocals emanate from the direct center of infinity. What a nice addition–a la Affection, Nijiumu, etc.–to a catalog now hinting at the vastness of Sun Ra’s.

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Released in 2000, this CD was recorded back in November 1996 at Moat Studios in London during the same sessions which begat some of the Tokuma releases of yore, if I’m not mistaken. With the Incus label at the helm, you can never really expect your cruise to be one of smooth sailing. The father of improv guitar, Derek Bailey, and Japan’s longtime sound wanderer, Keiji Haino, spontaneously mesh together many merging / clashing, guitar / vocal sound patterns here with as much displeasure as expected. Featuring Derek on electric guitar only and Haino on vocals only, who sounds for all the world as if he were strapped into the dentist’s chair for the duration and getting root canals in every one of his teeth with no anesthesia. A nice, squirrelly, abstract Haino drawing adorns the cover.

Label: Incus Catalog Number: INCUS CD 40 Format: CD Packaging: Jewel case Tracks: 16 Total Time: 42:20 Country: England Released: 2000 Related Artists: Fushitsusha More: Forced Exposure, Official, Poison Pie, PSF, Wikipedia

This is a short and totally pleasing CD from the Japanese label Horen, broken up into seven songs of prime psychedelic slop rock wonder. Legendary hurt amp-coaxer Keiji Haino splatters out gobs of fuzz guitar backed up quite simply by two Japanese women named Eddie on bass, vocals and keyboard; and Bill on drums and vocals. Haino’s guitar tone here is more shimmery, trebly and scintillating than usual, adding a nice twist to his usual sound. (Oh, wait, that’s a cretan bulgari on a few tracks.) The two long, wandering songs here are fully ruling and should easily enough send you bussing off into a most pleasant, darkened bedroom full of a smoke of uncertain origin. Definitely for fans of Fushitsusha, although, needless to say, this isn’t nearly as heavy or galaxy hub-bound. If any kind of smoke whatsoever has at any time ever left your lips, you need this. The very light pastel pink cover is unusual for Haino, and it’s also heavily textured in the nicest way. But, as I’ve said before, on Haino collaboration CDs, sometimes another color besides black may appear.

Label: Horen Catalog Number: MIMI-010 Format: CD Packaging: Jewel case Tracks: 7 Total Time: 44:30 Country: Japan Released: 2000 Related Artists: Fushitsusha More: Forced Exposure, Official, Poison Pie, PSF, Wikipedia

This CD contains nearly an hour’s worth of live performances recorded at the Schlachthof in Wels, Austria on March 31, 2000 during a Spring concert tour of Europe. Featuring Peter Brotzmann on clarinet and tenor sax, Keiji Haino on electric guitar and vocals, and Shoji Hano on bamboo horn and drums, this clearly-recorded thang aggressively wrangles its way through the jungles of hair covering your your head, your ears—hell, your entire body! Once inside your brain, this heapin’ helpin’ of scaldin’ soul-scour will quickly erase all memories of servitude that you’ve ever amassed. Haino’s vocal shrieking with Brotzmann’s acoustic squealing—all held-up by Hano’s faithful tub work—should clear out your ailin’ head better than a continual administration of nitrous oxide on the deck of a Caribbean-bound luxury boat. Brotzmann even momentarily shows that he’s still not afraid of a tune. The cover shows off a nicer layout than usual: tangled trees inked on the front cover, plus liner notes by Shoji Hano and pics of the participants inside.

Label: DIW Catalog Number: DIW-938 Format: CD Packaging: Jewel case Tracks: 5 Total Time: 56:23 Country: Japan Released: 2000 Related Artists: Fushitsusha More: Forced Exposure, Official, Poison Pie, PSF, Wikipedia

The Strange Face is a continuation of sorts to Shoji Hano’s 1991 Tayhei Nippon percussion CD, two tracks of which Haino played guitar on. Well, here we are again a decade later, but with Haino and his axe more up front. Clearly and loudly recorded in Asagaya Studio and released in 2000, this CD is filled with plenty of high guitar keens, sweet vocals with percussion tinkles, dissonant rockings, growling vocal exorcisms, jaunty workouts, light percussion patter with distant guitar shimmers and much more that you may and may not expect. The all-black booklet comes complete with Japanese liner notes and photos of the musicians. The cover shot of both of ’em together is really nice, although it looks like it may have been Photoshopped together.

Label: Ultra Hard Gel Catalog Number: GEL CD 01 Format: CD Packaging: Jewel case Tracks: 7 Total Time: 43:59 Country: Japan Released: 2000 Related Artists: Fushitsusha More: Forced Exposure, Official, Poison Pie, PSF, Wikipedia

Well, here we go again with this “Purple Trap” business. Purple Trap first appeared as the title of a 2-CD set by Fushitsusha, then re-appeared as the name of the label that released The Soul’s True Love 4-CD box set by Keiji Haino. Now, here it crops up a third time as the name of a new trio featuring Keiji Haino on guitar and vocals, Rashied Ali (John Coltrane) on drums and Bill Laswell on bass.

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This year 2000 CD from France fixes Keiji Haino up with French avant guitarist Jean Francois Pauvros, who, like Haino, has been working for three decades now, and percussionist Francois Causse. Why he is given lesser billing is beyond me, as he plays on many of these tracks. This album is full of gently floating freedom atmospherics of a most dim and misty hue—the perfect soundtrack to blast out into your front yard next Halloween. The glacial pace picks up at times, even rocking out for a short while in the middle. On the way from A to Z, we encounter bouts of Haino’s trademark solo vocal torture, collections of meandering sound flurries and areas of uncertain ambience. Overall, this is the perfect album for fans of clouded aquariums. The white cover sports a really blurry landscape photo with the two guitarists on the front. Then there’s the matter of this “Y” thing. Is it really the title of the album (it’s not on the spine), or just a graphic device? The world may never know.

Label: Shambala Catalog Number: SHAMB 99003 Format: CD Packaging: Jewel case Tracks: 8 Total Time: 58:10 Country: France Released: 1999 Related Artists: Fushitsusha More: Forced Exposure, Official, Poison Pie, PSF, Wikipedia

There’s a green cover on this one, but sometimes when Keiji Haino collaborates, the other party may take liberties on the artwork and some sort of color—even white—may appear. I know, it’s shocking. The photo shows a hollow body guitar by some leopard print fabric and a big red pillow in a shadow-laden, candle-lit room. The music consists of a series of improvs between Haino and the rhythm section of John Zorn’s Masada, featuring acoustic guitar, stand-up bass and very professional, virtuosic drum kit workouts that are sure to confuse any farmers you might know. I do believe it’s ’bout supper time, lil’ darlin’. With plenty of quirky swingin’ and rockin’ bandied about all over—this is another good one. Recommended.

Label: Avant Catalog Number: AVAN 074 Format: CD Packaging: Jewel case Tracks: 5 Total Time: 57:43 Country: Japan Released: 1998 Related Artists: Fushitsusha More: Forced Exposure, Official, Poison Pie, PSF, Wikipedia