Fushitsusha
Encyclopedia
Fushitsusha is a Japan
ese rock band
specialising in the psychedelic rock
, space rock
and noise rock genres. The band consists of electric guitar
ist and singer Keiji Haino
, and a shifting cast of complementary musicians. The group released the majority of its material in the 1990s.
joined briefly in 1979 before Fushitsusha became a trio with the addition of Jun Hamano (bass) and Shuhei Takashima (drums). The lineup soon changed, adding Yasushi Ozawa (bass) and Jun Kosugi (drums) throughout the 1990s. Their 1993 album Allegorical Misunderstanding was released on John Zorn
's record label, Avant, although most of their albums have come out on independent label P.S.F.
and on major label Tokuma.
Fushitsusha recently returned to duo status, with Haino supplementing percussion with tape loops, though the band is believed to have been on hiatus since 2001.
In February 2008, longtime bassist Yasushi Ozawa died.
bands of the 1970s and British psychedelic music
of the 1960s and '70s. They are generally considered part of the Japanese psychedelic music scene alongside bands like Ghost and Acid Mothers Temple
. Their music occasionally ventures to the more aggressive "Japanoise
" end of the sonic spectrum, but usually remains haunting and contemplative.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese rock band
Rock Band
Rock Band is a music video game developed by Harmonix Music Systems, published by MTV Games and Electronic Arts. It is the first title in the Rock Band series. The PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions were released in the United States on November 20, 2007, while the PlayStation 2 version was...
specialising in the psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock
Psychedelic rock is a style of rock music that is inspired or influenced by psychedelic culture and attempts to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues rock bands in United States and the United Kingdom...
, space rock
Space rock
Space rock is a subgenre of rock music; the term originally referred to a group of early, mostly British, 1970s progressive and psychedelic rock bands such as Hawkwind and Pink Floyd, characterised by slow, lengthy instrumental passages dominated by electric organs, synthesizers, experimental...
and noise rock genres. The band consists of electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
ist and singer Keiji Haino
Keiji Haino
Keiji Haino born May 3, 1952 in Chiba, Japan, and currently residing in Tokyo, is a Japanese musician whose work has included rock, free improvisation, noise, singer-songwriter, solo percussion, psychedelic, minimalism and drone styles...
, and a shifting cast of complementary musicians. The group released the majority of its material in the 1990s.
History
Haino formed Fushitsusha in 1978, although their first LP was not released until 1989. The band initially consisted of Haino on guitar and vocals, and Tamio Shiraishi on synthesizer. After the departure of Shiraishi, AyuoAyuo
Ayuo is a Japanese-American composer, poet, lyricist, singer and performer of plucked string instruments including guitar, bouzouki, Irish harp, Chinese zheng, Japanese koto,and medieval European psaltery...
joined briefly in 1979 before Fushitsusha became a trio with the addition of Jun Hamano (bass) and Shuhei Takashima (drums). The lineup soon changed, adding Yasushi Ozawa (bass) and Jun Kosugi (drums) throughout the 1990s. Their 1993 album Allegorical Misunderstanding was released on John Zorn
John Zorn
John Zorn is an American avant-garde composer, arranger, record producer, saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist. Zorn is a prolific artist: he has hundreds of album credits as performer, composer, or producer...
's record label, Avant, although most of their albums have come out on independent label P.S.F.
P.S.F. Records
P.S.F. Records is a Japanese record label specialising in underground psychedelic and folk music, and free improvisation. P.S.F. are named after the 1985 High Rise record Psychedelic Speed Freaks and were established in Tokyo by Hideo Ikeezumi with the philosophy "I only release to what I like,...
and on major label Tokuma.
Fushitsusha recently returned to duo status, with Haino supplementing percussion with tape loops, though the band is believed to have been on hiatus since 2001.
In February 2008, longtime bassist Yasushi Ozawa died.
Music
The band's sound is influenced by German krautrockKrautrock
Krautrock is a generic name for the experimental music scenes that appeared in Germany in the late 1960s and gained popularity throughout the 1970s, especially in Britain. The term is a result of the English-speaking world's reception of the music at the time and not a reference to any one...
bands of the 1970s and British psychedelic music
Psychedelic music
Psychedelic music covers a range of popular music styles and genres, which are inspired by or influenced by psychedelic culture and which attempt to replicate and enhance the mind-altering experiences of psychedelic drugs. It emerged during the mid 1960s among folk rock and blues-rock bands in the...
of the 1960s and '70s. They are generally considered part of the Japanese psychedelic music scene alongside bands like Ghost and Acid Mothers Temple
Acid Mothers Temple
Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. is a Japanese psychedelic band, the core of which formed in 1995. The band is led by guitarist Kawabata Makoto and early in their career featured many musicians, but by 2004 the line-up had coalesced with only a few core members and frequent guest...
. Their music occasionally ventures to the more aggressive "Japanoise
Japanoise
is a portmanteau of the words "Japanese" and "noise": a term applied to the diverse, prolific, and influential noise music scene of Japan. Primarily popular and active in the 1980s and 1990s but still alive today, the Japanoise scene is defined by a remarkable sense of musical freedom...
" end of the sonic spectrum, but usually remains haunting and contemplative.
Studio albums
- Allegorical MisunderstandingAllegorical MisunderstandingAllegorical Misunderstanding is a 1993 album by the band Fushitsusha. The album was produced by John Zorn and was the first studio album from the band.-Track listing:# "Magic I" - 2:38# "Magic II" - 8:39# "Magic III" - 1:08# "Magic IV" - 3:29...
- CD (Avant, 1993) - Pathétique [also known as Hisou] - CD (P.S.F., 1994)
- The Caution Appears - CD (Les Disques du Soleil et de l'Acier, 1995) (reissued 2004)
- Untitled (3) - CD (Purple Trap, 1995) (disc 4 of Purple Trap's 4-CD box set The Soul's True Love, which also contained three solo Haino discs)
- A Death Never To Be Complete - CD (Tokuma Japan Communications, 1997)
- The Time Is Nigh - CD (Tokuma Japan Communications, 1997)
- A Little Longer Thus - CD (Tokuma Japan Communications, 1998)
- The Wisdom Prepared - CD (Tokuma Japan Communications, 1998)
- I Saw It! That Which Before I Could Only Sense... - 2-CD (Paratactile, 2000)
- Origin's Hesitation - CD (P.S.F., 2001)
Live albums
- Untitled - 2-LP (P.S.F., 1989) (reissued on 2xCD, 1997) [sometimes referred to as Live I]
- Untitled (2) - 2-CD (P.S.F., 1991) [sometimes referred to as Live II]
- Radio Code - cassette(s) (no label, 1989) (Live radio recordings in Amsterdam from 1988–89)
- Gold Blood - CD (Charnel, 1998) (Live in San Francisco, Nov. 7, 1996)
- Withdrawe, This Sable Disclosure Ere Devot'd - CD (Victo, 1998) (Live in Victoriaville, Canada, May 16, 1997)
- The Wound That Was Given Birth To Must Be Bigger Than The Wound That Gave Birth [also known as Purple Trap] - 2-CD (Purple Trap, 1996) [recorded live in London]
- It Was Eternity That Reached Out First [English translation of actual title Eien no ho ga, saki ni te o dashita no sa] - CD (P.S.F., 2003) (Live recording from 1978)
- Archive 1-6: Live 12-13-2003) - 6CDR BOX (Archive, 2004) (7 Hour Marathon set from 2003, 6 of 20 copies made.)