Schaft
Encyclopedia
Schaft is a Japan
ese music
al side project whose main members are Fujii Maki of Soft Ballet
and Hisashi Imai
of Buck-Tick
. Schaft can be thought of as being a supergroup
in that Maki and Imai form the core of the group and a rotating roster of collaborators, who are well-known within their genres, are brought in to work on various songs. Raymond Watts of PIG is Schaft's most recurring collaborator, having contributed to half the songs on their debut album and toured with the band.
Schaft would remain dormant from then until 1994, when Imai's band Buck-Tick
and Maki's band Soft Ballet
toured together, giving the duo the opportunity to occasionally perform sets under the name Schaft., however the urge to reform Schaft must have come to the duo long before their live reunion, as only a month later they released their first full album of all new material.
For their debut album, Swtichblade
, Imai and Maki enlisted the help of several collaborators including members of Coil
, Autechre
and Meat Beat Manifesto
but the most prominent collaborator was Raymond Watts who contributed to about half the material on the album and eventually went on a short tour with the group. The short support tour ran for five dates around Japan , one of which was filmed and later released to home video as Switchblade - Visual Mix.
As can be seen in the video footage, these concerts would start with only Imai and Maki taking the stage, playing guitars and electronics respectively, with prerecorded vocals playing when necessary. Watts and drummer Motokatsu
of The Mad Capsule Markets
would join them on stage only a few songs into the setlist. It is also interesting to note that a handful of the songs played live are alternate versions of what was released on Switchblade and were never made available outside of the live video. One exception to this would be a version of "Cold Light" which was used live and later found find a home of the Schaft remix EP, Switch
.
Despite the project being popular in Japan , there were few further developments from Schaft after 1994. A promotional 12 inch Visual Cortex single was released in a limited run of 200 in 1995 consisting entirely of previously released material, after which point the band fell silent for several years.
Years later in 1999, Schaft remixed one of Zilch
's songs for their album Bastard Eyes
and the duo of Imai and Maki made guest appearances on Zilch's "Cut Your Edge Tour 99" on three separate dates. However, while they were introduced to the audience as Schaft, they played alongside Zilch as guest musicians and did not play their own songs This was Schaft's final activity of any kind.
Though Schaft would never reform, Imai and Watts joined with Atsushi Sakurai
and Sascha Konietzko
in 2001 to form the band Schwein
, a somewhat spiritual successor to Schaft.
Even further in the future, in 2006, the Hellsing OVA series used the Schaft song "Broken English" in a promotional trailer and, eventually went on to use the song within the show itself in OVA V.
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 music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
al side project whose main members are Fujii Maki of Soft Ballet
Soft Ballet
Soft Ballet is a Japanese Pop and EBM band. The group had three members: Maki Fujii, Ken Morioka, and Ryoichi Endo. They have been recording since 1989, though they had a long span of inactivity from 1995 to 2002 while the members pursued solo projects....
and Hisashi Imai
Hisashi Imai
is a Japanese musician and songwriter. He is known as lead guitarist of the rock band Buck-Tick since 1983. He has also performed in musical side-projects such as Schaft , Schwein , and more recently Lucy .- History :...
of Buck-Tick
Buck-Tick
Buck-Tick is a rock band formed in 1983 in Fujioka, Japan. The band has consisted of Atsushi Sakurai , Hisashi Imai , Hidehiko Hoshino , Yutaka Higuchi and Toll Yagami for the majority of its existence...
. Schaft can be thought of as being a supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
in that Maki and Imai form the core of the group and a rotating roster of collaborators, who are well-known within their genres, are brought in to work on various songs. Raymond Watts of PIG is Schaft's most recurring collaborator, having contributed to half the songs on their debut album and toured with the band.
History
Maki and Imai originally formed Schaft in 1991 to record and release the song "Nicht-Titel" (German for "Non-Title") on the album Dance 2 Noise 001, a compilation album of various Japanese electronic and industrial acts. A live concert event was held on December 16 of the same year for the purpose of promoting the Dance 2 Noise 001 compilation and Schaft made their live debut, playing "Nich-Titel" and at least one other song (though the exact setlist is unknown).Schaft would remain dormant from then until 1994, when Imai's band Buck-Tick
Buck-Tick
Buck-Tick is a rock band formed in 1983 in Fujioka, Japan. The band has consisted of Atsushi Sakurai , Hisashi Imai , Hidehiko Hoshino , Yutaka Higuchi and Toll Yagami for the majority of its existence...
and Maki's band Soft Ballet
Soft Ballet
Soft Ballet is a Japanese Pop and EBM band. The group had three members: Maki Fujii, Ken Morioka, and Ryoichi Endo. They have been recording since 1989, though they had a long span of inactivity from 1995 to 2002 while the members pursued solo projects....
toured together, giving the duo the opportunity to occasionally perform sets under the name Schaft., however the urge to reform Schaft must have come to the duo long before their live reunion, as only a month later they released their first full album of all new material.
For their debut album, Swtichblade
Switchblade (album)
Switchblade is a 1994 album by Schaft. A promotional video for the song Arbor Vitate was filmed, and was later re-used by PIG for their version of the song.-Track listing:# "Olive" – 5:04# "The Hero Inside" – 4:01# "Thirsty Fly" – 6:27...
, Imai and Maki enlisted the help of several collaborators including members of Coil
Coil (band)
Coil were an English cross-genre, experimental music group formed in 1982 by John Balance—later credited as "Jhonn Balance"—and his partner Peter Christopherson, aka "Sleazy". The duo worked together on a series of releases before Balance chose the name Coil, which he claimed to be...
, Autechre
Autechre
Autechre are an English electronic music duo consisting of Rob Brown and Sean Booth, both natives of Rochdale, Greater Manchester. Formed in 1987, they are one of the most prominent acts signed to Warp Records, a label known for its pioneering electronic music and through which all Autechre albums...
and Meat Beat Manifesto
Meat Beat Manifesto
Meat Beat Manifesto, often shortened to Meat Beat or MBM, is an electronic music group originally consisting of Jack Dangers and Jonny Stephens formed in 1987 in Swindon, UK...
but the most prominent collaborator was Raymond Watts who contributed to about half the material on the album and eventually went on a short tour with the group. The short support tour ran for five dates around Japan , one of which was filmed and later released to home video as Switchblade - Visual Mix.
As can be seen in the video footage, these concerts would start with only Imai and Maki taking the stage, playing guitars and electronics respectively, with prerecorded vocals playing when necessary. Watts and drummer Motokatsu
Motokatsu Miyagami
is the drummer for The Mad Capsule Markets. Motokatsu replaced former Berrie drummer Seto on the band's first release, Government Wall. He also plays in a side-project called Rally, with members of GLAY and Thee Michelle Gun Elephant...
of The Mad Capsule Markets
The Mad Capsule Markets
The Mad Capsule Markets were a Japanese band that formed in 1990 and were active until 2006...
would join them on stage only a few songs into the setlist. It is also interesting to note that a handful of the songs played live are alternate versions of what was released on Switchblade and were never made available outside of the live video. One exception to this would be a version of "Cold Light" which was used live and later found find a home of the Schaft remix EP, Switch
Switch (EP)
Switch is a 1994 remix EP by Schaft. Switch is a companion release to Switchblade, which is where the original versions of the remixes come from.-Track listing:# "Arbor Vitate " – 5:03# "Cold Light " – 5:31...
.
Despite the project being popular in Japan , there were few further developments from Schaft after 1994. A promotional 12 inch Visual Cortex single was released in a limited run of 200 in 1995 consisting entirely of previously released material, after which point the band fell silent for several years.
Years later in 1999, Schaft remixed one of Zilch
Zilch (band)
Zilch is an alternative/industrial rock band formed in 1996 by Hideto "hide" Matsumoto , Ray McVeigh , Paul Raven , Joey Castillo and I.N.A...
's songs for their album Bastard Eyes
Bastard Eyes
Bastard Eyes is a remix album from the band Zilch. The tracks on this album are remixes, done by numerous different bands and artists, of the songs from their debut album, 3.2.1....
and the duo of Imai and Maki made guest appearances on Zilch's "Cut Your Edge Tour 99" on three separate dates. However, while they were introduced to the audience as Schaft, they played alongside Zilch as guest musicians and did not play their own songs This was Schaft's final activity of any kind.
Though Schaft would never reform, Imai and Watts joined with Atsushi Sakurai
Atsushi Sakurai
is a Japanese musician and singer-songwriter. He has been the vocalist for the rock band Buck-Tick since 1985, previously being their drummer from 1983. He was also a member of Schwein with Hisashi Imai , Sascha Konietzko and Raymond Watts ....
and Sascha Konietzko
Sascha Konietzko
Sascha Konietzko , also known as Sascha K and Käpt'n K, is a German musician and producer. He is the founder, frontman, and "anchor" of industrial rock band KMFDM. Konietzko jokingly purports himself to be the father of industrial rock...
in 2001 to form the band Schwein
Schwein
Schwein is a music group comprising members of Buck-Tick, KMFDM, and PIG. Members Raymond Watts and Hisashi Imai , both having worked together in Schaft, were joined by Atsushi Sakurai , Sascha Konietzko and Lucia Cifarelli...
, a somewhat spiritual successor to Schaft.
Even further in the future, in 2006, the Hellsing OVA series used the Schaft song "Broken English" in a promotional trailer and, eventually went on to use the song within the show itself in OVA V.
Miscellaneous Appearances
- Contribution of original track "Nicht-Titel" on the compilation Dance 2 Noise 001 (1991)
- Contribution of a remix on the ZilchZilch (band)Zilch is an alternative/industrial rock band formed in 1996 by Hideto "hide" Matsumoto , Ray McVeigh , Paul Raven , Joey Castillo and I.N.A...
album, Bastard EyesBastard EyesBastard Eyes is a remix album from the band Zilch. The tracks on this album are remixes, done by numerous different bands and artists, of the songs from their debut album, 3.2.1....
(1999)