Boredoms
Encyclopedia
Boredoms (or, more recently, V∞redoms) (without an article) is an experimental rock
band from Osaka
, Japan
. The band was officially formed in 1986, although some date the band to bedroom tape experiments from 1982. The band's output is usually referred to as noise rock or sometimes Japanoise
, though their more recent records have been largely based around repetitive minimalism
, ambient music
, and tribal drumming.
The band has a vast and sometimes confusing discography
. Many band members have rotated through the group over the years, often using a number of various stage name
s. Singer Yamantaka Eye
is the closest the band has to a frontman; his style includes a range of baffling screams, babbling, electronic effects, and very heavy post-production. Drummer/keyboard player/vocalist Yoshimi P-We
is featured on most Boredoms recordings.
, who at the time acted as front man for the infamous and highly controversial noise
/performance art
act Hanatarash
, locally notorious for its extremely dangerous live shows consisting entirely of on-stage destruction and complete disregard for the audience's safety. The insane antics of Hanatarash would later be highly influential on the earliest incarnation of Boredoms, which was formed by the remaining members of a band Eye started with Hanatarash drummer Ikuo Taketani, as well as guitarist Tabata Mitsuru (known as Tabata Mara), bassist Hosoi Hisato, and vocalist Makki Sasarato, called "Acid Makki & Combi and Zombie". The band's sound was characterized by violent, noisy punk rock
/No Wave
thrashings. They recorded a single track, "U.S.A.", for a compilation tape. Shortly after the release of their first song, Taketani was replaced on drums by Yoshikawa Toyohito, a friend of Eye's. The band officially changed their name to Boredoms after Hira replaced Hosoi on bass, and Sasarato left the band due to creative differences. The band's name comes from the Buzzcocks
song "Boredom".
With the band finally reaching a level of stability, Eye and Tabata recorded their first official EP, Anal by Anal
, in mid-1986. In early 1987, Tabata left the group to later join Zeni Geva
and was replaced by Seiichi Yamamoto
as guitar player. In March 1988, the band released its first full-length, Osorezan no Stooges Kyo
. Due to unhappiness over Yoshikawa's drumming, Yoshimi P-We
from Eye's Hanatarash-related project UFO or Die was asked to serve as drummer, becoming the first female member of the band, with Yoshikawa switching to general percussion. Shortly after the change Yoshikawa left the group, to be replaced by Chew Hasegawa (now of Japanese funeral doom band Corrupted
) and then by Kazuya Nishimura, known by his stage name Atari. The band's sound from this period was marked by harsh, dissonant punk
edited extensively by Eye in the studio, citing Sonic Youth
and Funkadelic
as influences, among others. This style was seen by some as "pointlessly abrasive" without any underlying motive, making Boredoms nihlistic absolute music
, according to some critics; however, the strangeness of the record increased the band's popularity in the musical underground.
and also worked extensively with John Zorn
's polystylistic
Naked City
project, serving as guest vocalist. After the release of Boredoms' album Soul Discharge
in the United States, the band was able to parlay their growing popularity into long term record deals with Warner Bros. Records
in Japan and its United States imprint Reprise Records
. With the release of the band's critically acclaimed Pop Tatari
, generally seen as one of the strangest albums ever released by a major label, Boredoms took to the road and toured with Sonic Youth in 1992, Nirvana
for eight consecutive shows in late October and early November 1993, and Brutal Truth
in 1993. During this period, the band was asked by Steve Albini
to record a track for a compilation he was recording. Shortly after Eye again collaborated with John Zorn
on an EP under the name Mystic Fugu Orchestra, which was notably the first album released on Zorn's Tzadik Records
.
The following year, at the height of its popularity in the United States
, the band was asked to perform on the main stage of the 1994 Lollapalooza
tour in support of the album Chocolate Synthesizer
, which had just been released in the United States. The album proved largely successful for such an experimental band and was later considered one of the best albums of the 1990s by Alternative Press magazine. Yoshikawa had later joined the band in the early months of 1994 for a second time to play on Pop Tatari, often sharing vocal duties with Eye, but left again in 1994 and was replaced on percussion by EDA, who had been introduced to the band by Pavement
bassist Mark Ibold
. The band was dropped from the Reprise
roster, with Birdman Records
distributing the band's Super Roots EPs during this period.
By the time of 1998's Super Go!!!!!
EP and full-length Super æ, the band started to break sharply from their earlier atonal
noise rock
/Japanoise
sound by introducing many elements of sweeping electronica
effects and thoroughly constructed psychedelic rock
jams into their music. Perceived analogies with the music of Can
became common during this period. Described as "tumultuous space-sludge", Super æ has most often been compared to the defining elements of 1970s krautrock
. Soon after its initial release in Japan
, Super æ was met with a considerable amount of acclaim from the international music press, recognized as a modern day avant-garde
artifact and progressive "masterpiece". Notably, Super æ was considered one of the best albums of the 1990s by Pitchfork Media
.
In 1999, the band released Vision Creation Newsun
in Japan
. This album saw an evolution in their sound, combining the evolving space rock
themes explored in their Super Roots EPs and preceding album Super æ with "a much more earthly, primal, primitively worshipful inspiration". It features psychedelic
soundscaping
and "cosmic synths", complex tribal drumming, "cathartic celebrations of noise", and Eye's unique power electronic and turntabalistic
stylings. The album is often considered the band's greatest achievement thus far, and has been described by critics as blending the "manic, high-speed, cut-up form punk rock
" of their earlier albums with a new sound that is "just as intense and exhilarating, but more beautiful and more expansive".
After its release, Eye oversaw a series of remix album
s of the Boredoms catalogue by guest DJs
. After the final remix album, Eye's own Rebore, vol. 0
, was released in 2000, Boredoms seemed to disappear for a few years with no releases or tour dates, while the members participated in various side projects and other bands.
Despite the changes, the group's music still revolves around the tribal drumming patterns heard on Vision Creation Newsun. The band was signed by Vice Records
for its releases in the United States since it had been dropped by Reprise. All Super Roots releases were then reissued on Vice in early 2007 (with the exclusion of Super Roots 2
). In late 2004, Boredoms released its first album as a group in four years, Seadrum/House of Sun
, most of which had been previously recorded before the band's brief hiatus. This release also saw the band move from their label WEA Japan to the smaller Japanese label Commmons. The album was not celebrated to the extent of their previous albums, yet it still garnered mostly positive reviews, culminating with an exemplary score of 73% on Metacritic
. Following its release, EDA left the band and was replaced by Yojiro Tatekawa.
In early 2007, the group released Super Roots 9
, the first addition to the Super Roots series since 1999 and their first major release since Seadrum/House of Sun. It was recorded during a Christmas Eve
2004 concert, making it only the band's third official live release since 1998's Super Seeeeee!!!!!!
video (discounting disc two of the Vision Creation Newsun
boxset, which included a 35-minute excerpt of a live concert). Super Roots 9 also saw the band move from Warner International to the smaller Japanese label Commmons for domestic releases and American label Thrill Jockey
for overseas. Later, in April, the group (as V∞redoms) played three dates with Sonic Youth
in Japan. The band also plans to try using newly developed contact microphones to record the sounds made by the human body while dancing.
Recently, the band released a live DVD/CD combination called Live at Sunflancisco
in December 2007 followed by the remix single Voaltz / Relerer in August 2008, while Eye and Yoshimi have come out with new records of their own this year. During a recent 2008 United States tour with Iron & Wine
, Eye used a new seven-necked guitar called the "Sevener" or "Sevena". The band is also recruiting for a new drummer.
The band's most recent addition to the Super Roots EP series, Super Roots 10
, was released on January 28, 2009.
in Brooklyn Bridge Park, New York City
, with drummer Muneomi Senju replacing Nishimura. The "77" denoted not only the date (7/7/2007) but also the number of drummers in the ensemble.
The band continued the concept on August 8, 2008, with two concerts called 88 Boadrum
held in Los Angeles and Brooklyn. Boredoms headlined the Los Angeles show while Gang Gang Dance
conducted the Brooklyn show.
A third concert, Boadrum 9, took place on September 9, 2009 at Terminal 5 in New York City. It featured 9 drummers in total, two from Boredoms (Yoshimi and Yojiro) and seven others from prominent experimental music acts, namely Zach Hill (Hella
), Hisham Bharoocha (Soft Circle
, ex: Black Dice
, Lightning Bolt), Butchy Fuego (Pit er Pat
), Kid Millions (Oneida
), Jeremy Hyman (Ponytail
), Dave Nuss (No-Neck Blues Band
) and Aaron Moore (Volcano The Bear
)
In 2010, Boredoms toured internationally including two Boadrum performances at All Tomorrow's Parties
curated by Matt Groening
at Butlins Minehead
, England, in addition to shows in London, Japan, Mexico and as part of the Melbourne International Arts Festival
on October 10, 2010.
In 2011, Boredoms premiered new material at the All Tomorrows Parties "I'll Be Your Mirror" Festival in Tokyo. Six drummers were arranged in a circle around Eye, who used motion sensors to trigger ambient drone soundscapes created by Shinji Masuko that corresponded to each drummer. The music featured highly repetitive motorik
rhythms that grew in complexity over the course of the hour long set. The band have been chosen by Jeff Mangum
of Neutral Milk Hotel
to perform this new material at the All Tomorrow's Parties
festival that he will curate in December 2011 in Minehead, England.
Experimental rock
Experimental rock or avant-garde rock is a type of music based on rock which experiments with the basic elements of the genre, or which pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique....
band from Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, Japan
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...
. The band was officially formed in 1986, although some date the band to bedroom tape experiments from 1982. The band's output is usually referred to as noise rock or sometimes 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...
, though their more recent records have been largely based around repetitive minimalism
Minimalism
Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is set out to expose the essence, essentials or identity of a subject through eliminating all non-essential forms, features or concepts...
, ambient music
Ambient music
Ambient music is a musical genre that focuses largely on the timbral characteristics of sounds, often organized or performed to evoke an "atmospheric", "visual" or "unobtrusive" quality.- History :...
, and tribal drumming.
The band has a vast and sometimes confusing discography
Boredoms discography
This is a discography of Boredoms, a Japanese experimental noise rock band. To date, Boredoms have released seven full-length studio albums, eleven EPs , three singles, one live album, three videos, a cassette series, and five remix albums, in addition to their members' various side...
. Many band members have rotated through the group over the years, often using a number of various stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
s. Singer Yamantaka Eye
Yamantaka Eye
, real name , born February 13, 1964 in Kobe, is a Japanese vocalist and visual artist, best known as a member of Boredoms. He has changed his name three times, from Yamatsuka Eye, to Yamantaka Eye, to Yamataka Eye, and sometimes calls himself eYe or EYヨ...
is the closest the band has to a frontman; his style includes a range of baffling screams, babbling, electronic effects, and very heavy post-production. Drummer/keyboard player/vocalist Yoshimi P-We
Yoshimi P-We
Yoshimi P-We, is a Japanese musician best known for her role as the longest consistent drummer in the Japanese rock band Boredoms.Yoshimi also plays trumpet, guitar, and keyboard, and sings....
is featured on most Boredoms recordings.
Formation and early years
Boredoms were formed in early 1986 by Yamantaka EyeYamantaka Eye
, real name , born February 13, 1964 in Kobe, is a Japanese vocalist and visual artist, best known as a member of Boredoms. He has changed his name three times, from Yamatsuka Eye, to Yamantaka Eye, to Yamataka Eye, and sometimes calls himself eYe or EYヨ...
, who at the time acted as front man for the infamous and highly controversial noise
Noise music
Noise music is a term used to describe varieties of avant-garde music and sound art that may use elements such as cacophony, dissonance, atonality, noise, indeterminacy, and repetition in their realization. Noise music can feature distortion, various types of acoustically or electronically...
/performance art
Performance art
In art, performance art is a performance presented to an audience, traditionally interdisciplinary. Performance may be either scripted or unscripted, random or carefully orchestrated; spontaneous or otherwise carefully planned with or without audience participation. The performance can be live or...
act Hanatarash
Hanatarash
Hanatarashi , meaning "sniveler" or "snot-nosed" in Japanese, was a noise band created by later Boredoms frontman Yamantaka Eye and featured Zeni Geva guitarist Mitsuru Tabata. The outfit was formed in Osaka, Japan in 1984 after Eye and Tabata met as stage hands at an Einstürzende Neubauten show...
, locally notorious for its extremely dangerous live shows consisting entirely of on-stage destruction and complete disregard for the audience's safety. The insane antics of Hanatarash would later be highly influential on the earliest incarnation of Boredoms, which was formed by the remaining members of a band Eye started with Hanatarash drummer Ikuo Taketani, as well as guitarist Tabata Mitsuru (known as Tabata Mara), bassist Hosoi Hisato, and vocalist Makki Sasarato, called "Acid Makki & Combi and Zombie". The band's sound was characterized by violent, noisy punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
/No Wave
No Wave
No Wave was a short-lived but influential underground music, film, performance art, video, and contemporary art scene that had its beginnings during the mid-1970s in New York City. The term No Wave is in part satirical word play rejecting the commercial elements of the then-popular New Wave genre...
thrashings. They recorded a single track, "U.S.A.", for a compilation tape. Shortly after the release of their first song, Taketani was replaced on drums by Yoshikawa Toyohito, a friend of Eye's. The band officially changed their name to Boredoms after Hira replaced Hosoi on bass, and Sasarato left the band due to creative differences. The band's name comes from the Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton in 1976, led by singer–songwriter–guitarist Pete Shelley.They are regarded as an important influence on the Manchester music scene, the independent record label movement, punk rock, power pop, pop punk and indie rock. They achieved commercial...
song "Boredom".
With the band finally reaching a level of stability, Eye and Tabata recorded their first official EP, Anal by Anal
Anal by Anal
Anal by Anal is the first release by Japanese noise rock band Boredoms, released in 1986 by Japanese label Trans Records and again in 1993 by SSE Communications....
, in mid-1986. In early 1987, Tabata left the group to later join Zeni Geva
Zeni Geva
Zeni Geva is a Japanese heavy metal group led by singer and guitarist KK. Null, together with guitarist Mitsuru Tabata and drummer Tatsuya Yoshida...
and was replaced by Seiichi Yamamoto
Seiichi Yamamoto
is a Japanese musician. While perhaps most famous for his role as guitarist for the noise rock band Boredoms, he has released multitudes of records both as a solo artist and with several other musicians and bands, in addition to composing the soundtracks to several films.- Solo projects :* Suido...
as guitar player. In March 1988, the band released its first full-length, Osorezan no Stooges Kyo
Osorezan no Stooges Kyo
Osorezan no Stooges Kyo is an album by Boredoms, released in 1988 on Selfish Records. The title translates to "The Stooges' Craze in Osorezan".-Track listing:#"Wipe Out Shock Shoppers" – 0:21#"Boredom, Vs, Sdi" – 3:23#"We Never Sleep" – 2:10...
. Due to unhappiness over Yoshikawa's drumming, Yoshimi P-We
Yoshimi P-We
Yoshimi P-We, is a Japanese musician best known for her role as the longest consistent drummer in the Japanese rock band Boredoms.Yoshimi also plays trumpet, guitar, and keyboard, and sings....
from Eye's Hanatarash-related project UFO or Die was asked to serve as drummer, becoming the first female member of the band, with Yoshikawa switching to general percussion. Shortly after the change Yoshikawa left the group, to be replaced by Chew Hasegawa (now of Japanese funeral doom band Corrupted
Corrupted (band)
Corrupted are a Japanese doom/sludge metal band. They are known for their antipathy towards mainstream acceptance, even in their subgenre, which naturally tends towards obscurity. This is reflected not only in their dark and oppressive musical style but their reclusive nature, avoiding interviews...
) and then by Kazuya Nishimura, known by his stage name Atari. The band's sound from this period was marked by harsh, dissonant punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
edited extensively by Eye in the studio, citing Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
and Funkadelic
Funkadelic
Funkadelic was an American band most prominent during the 1970s. The band and its sister act Parliament, both led by George Clinton, began the funk music culture of that decade.-History:...
as influences, among others. This style was seen by some as "pointlessly abrasive" without any underlying motive, making Boredoms nihlistic absolute music
Absolute music
Absolute music is a concept in music that describes music as an art form separated from formalisms or other considerations; it is not explicitly about anything; it is non-representational. In contrast to program music, absolute music makes sense without accompanying words, images, drama, or...
, according to some critics; however, the strangeness of the record increased the band's popularity in the musical underground.
Growing popularity
In 1988 and 1989, Eye found himself making friends with Sonic YouthSonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
and also worked extensively with 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 polystylistic
Polystylism
Polystylism is the use of multiple styles or techniques in literature, art, film, or, especially, music, and is a postmodern characteristic.Some prominent contemporary polystylist composers include Peter Maxwell Davies, Michael Colgrass, Lera Auerbach, Sofia Gubaidulina, George Rochberg, Alfred...
Naked City
Naked City (band)
Naked City was an avant-garde music group led by saxophonist and composer John Zorn. Active primarily in New York City from 1988 to 1993, Naked City was initiated by Zorn as a "composition workshop" to test the limits of composition in a traditional rock band lineup...
project, serving as guest vocalist. After the release of Boredoms' album Soul Discharge
Soul Discharge
Soul Discharge is a 1989 album by experimental noise rock band Boredoms. It was named the 89th greatest album of the 1980s by Pitchfork Media.-Soul Discharge:Original Selfish Records LP release -Soul Discharge '99:...
in the United States, the band was able to parlay their growing popularity into long term record deals with Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
in Japan and its United States imprint Reprise Records
Reprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
. With the release of the band's critically acclaimed Pop Tatari
Pop Tatari
Pop Tatari is the third full-length album by Boredoms, released in 1992 by Warner Music Japan, in 1993 by Reprise Records, and in the United Kingdom in 2004 by Very Friendly Records....
, generally seen as one of the strangest albums ever released by a major label, Boredoms took to the road and toured with Sonic Youth in 1992, Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
for eight consecutive shows in late October and early November 1993, and Brutal Truth
Brutal Truth
Brutal Truth is an American grindcore band from New York City, formed by ex-Anthrax, Nuclear Assault, and Stormtroopers Of Death bass guitarist Dan Lilker in 1990. The group disbanded in 1999, but reformed in 2006 and continue to release new music.-History:...
in 1993. During this period, the band was asked by Steve Albini
Steve Albini
Steven Frank Albini is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman, and Flour, and is currently a member of Shellac...
to record a track for a compilation he was recording. Shortly after Eye again collaborated with 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...
on an EP under the name Mystic Fugu Orchestra, which was notably the first album released on Zorn's Tzadik Records
Tzadik Records
Tzadik Records is a record label based in New York City specialising in avant-garde and experimental music. The label was established by the eclectic composer and saxophonist John Zorn in 1995; Zorn is the executive producer of all Tzadik releases...
.
The following year, at the height of its popularity in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the band was asked to perform on the main stage of the 1994 Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza
Lollapalooza is an annual music festival featuring popular alternative rock, heavy metal, punk rock and hip hop bands, dance and comedy performances, and craft booths. It has also provided a platform for non-profit and political groups. The music festival hosts more than 160,000 people over a...
tour in support of the album Chocolate Synthesizer
Chocolate Synthesizer
Chocolate Synthesizer is the fourth full-length album by Japanese noise rock band Boredoms, released in 1994 by WEA Japan and Reprise Records and in 2004 on Very Friendly Records....
, which had just been released in the United States. The album proved largely successful for such an experimental band and was later considered one of the best albums of the 1990s by Alternative Press magazine. Yoshikawa had later joined the band in the early months of 1994 for a second time to play on Pop Tatari, often sharing vocal duties with Eye, but left again in 1994 and was replaced on percussion by EDA, who had been introduced to the band by Pavement
Pavement (band)
Pavement is an American alternative rock band that formed in Stockton, California in 1989. In their career, they achieved a significant cult following, and they were called the best band of the 1990s by prominent music critics Robert Christgau and Stephen Thomas Erlewine...
bassist Mark Ibold
Mark Ibold
Mark Ibold is a New York-based bass guitarist, member of the indie band Pavement from 1992 to 1999, and again as of their 2010 reunion. He is also currently in the alternative rock band Sonic Youth....
. The band was dropped from the Reprise
Reprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
roster, with Birdman Records
Birdman Records
Birdman Records is an independent record label based in South San Francisco, founded by former Warner Bros. Records A&R vice-president David Katznelson.-History:...
distributing the band's Super Roots EPs during this period.
By the time of 1998's Super Go!!!!!
Super Go!!!!!
Super Go!!!!! is a maxi single by the Japanese experimental noise rock band Boredoms. All the songs are remixes of "Super Going" from the band's next album, Super æ....
EP and full-length Super æ, the band started to break sharply from their earlier atonal
Atonality
Atonality in its broadest sense describes music that lacks a tonal center, or key. Atonality in this sense usually describes compositions written from about 1908 to the present day where a hierarchy of pitches focusing on a single, central tone is not used, and the notes of the chromatic scale...
noise rock
Noise rock
Noise rock describes a style of post-punk rock music that became prominent in the 1980s. Noise rock makes use of the traditional instrumentation and iconography of rock, but incorporates atonality and especially dissonance, and also frequently discards usual songwriting conventions.-Style:Noise...
/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...
sound by introducing many elements of sweeping electronica
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
effects and thoroughly constructed 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...
jams into their music. Perceived analogies with the music of Can
Can (band)
Can was an experimental rock band formed in Cologne, West Germany in 1968. Later labeled as one of the first "krautrock" groups, they transcended mainstream influences and incorporated strong minimalist and world music elements into their often psychedelic music.Can constructed their music largely...
became common during this period. Described as "tumultuous space-sludge", Super æ has most often been compared to the defining elements of 1970s krautrock
Krautrock
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...
. Soon after its initial release in Japan
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...
, Super æ was met with a considerable amount of acclaim from the international music press, recognized as a modern day avant-garde
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
artifact and progressive "masterpiece". Notably, Super æ was considered one of the best albums of the 1990s by Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
.
In 1999, the band released Vision Creation Newsun
Vision Creation Newsun
-Limited edition:The album was originally released with alternative artwork, a second disc, a T-shirt, a sticker, and an electronic device that played sampled frog noises when the box was opened. The second disc contains a 30+ minute live track consisting of an unreleased song and the opening track...
in Japan
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...
. This album saw an evolution in their sound, combining the evolving 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...
themes explored in their Super Roots EPs and preceding album Super æ with "a much more earthly, primal, primitively worshipful inspiration". It features psychedelic
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...
soundscaping
Soundscape
A soundscape is a sound or combination of sounds that forms or arises from an immersive environment. The study of soundscape is the subject of acoustic ecology...
and "cosmic synths", complex tribal drumming, "cathartic celebrations of noise", and Eye's unique power electronic and turntabalistic
Turntablism
Turntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating music using phonograph turntables and a DJ mixer.The word 'turntablist' was coined in 1995 by DJ Babu to describe the difference between a DJ who just plays records, and one who performs by touching and moving the records, stylus and mixer...
stylings. The album is often considered the band's greatest achievement thus far, and has been described by critics as blending the "manic, high-speed, cut-up form punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
" of their earlier albums with a new sound that is "just as intense and exhilarating, but more beautiful and more expansive".
After its release, Eye oversaw a series of remix album
Remix album
A remix album is an album consisting mostly of remixes or re-recorded versions of a music artists' earlier released material.One of the earliest remix albums was 1971's Aerial Pandemonium Ballet by Harry Nilsson, which was released by Nilsson after the successes of Everybody's Talkin and The Point!...
s of the Boredoms catalogue by guest DJs
Disc jockey
A disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
. After the final remix album, Eye's own Rebore, vol. 0
Rebore, vol. 0
Rebore, vol. 0: Vision Recreation by Eye is a 2001 album by experimental noise rock band Boredoms. It is the final in the series of four remix albums of Boredoms material and was compiled and mixed entirely by Eye.-Track listing:#"7" – 8:40#"77" – 6:31...
, was released in 2000, Boredoms seemed to disappear for a few years with no releases or tour dates, while the members participated in various side projects and other bands.
Current activities
Rumors that the band had broken up began to circulate, but a smaller ensemble who called themselves V∞redoms resurfaced in 2003. The group's line-up had changed considerably upon its return, stripping down to a much smaller ensemble with Yamantaka Eye on vocals, Izumi Kiyoshi (who had performed on Vision Creation Newsun and Super æ) on synthesizer, and Yoshimi P-We, Nishimura, and EDA playing drums and percussion.Despite the changes, the group's music still revolves around the tribal drumming patterns heard on Vision Creation Newsun. The band was signed by Vice Records
Vice (magazine)
VICE is a free magazine and media conglomerate founded in Montreal, Quebec and currently based in New York City.Vice is available in 27 countries...
for its releases in the United States since it had been dropped by Reprise. All Super Roots releases were then reissued on Vice in early 2007 (with the exclusion of Super Roots 2
Super Roots 2
Super Roots 2 is the second installment of the Super Roots EP series by Japanese experimental band Boredoms. It was mailed out to people in Japan who completed and mailed in a survey card enclosed with the Japanese release of Chocolate Synthesizer or packaged with copies of the album exported...
). In late 2004, Boredoms released its first album as a group in four years, Seadrum/House of Sun
Seadrum/House of Sun
Seadrum/House of Sun is an album by Boredoms, released in 2004 by Warner Music Japan and in 2005 on Vice Records in the United States. It consisted of just two extended 20 minute tracks, with the tribal drumming now generally equated with modern-day Boredoms and elements of drone music, trance...
, most of which had been previously recorded before the band's brief hiatus. This release also saw the band move from their label WEA Japan to the smaller Japanese label Commmons. The album was not celebrated to the extent of their previous albums, yet it still garnered mostly positive reviews, culminating with an exemplary score of 73% on Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. Following its release, EDA left the band and was replaced by Yojiro Tatekawa.
In early 2007, the group released Super Roots 9
Super Roots 9
Super Roots 9 is the eighth installment of Super Roots EPs by Japanese experimental band Boredoms . This album continues with the previous trends of Boredoms' drum-oriented tribal drone music. It documents a Christmas 2004 show with a 24-member choral ensemble....
, the first addition to the Super Roots series since 1999 and their first major release since Seadrum/House of Sun. It was recorded during a Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve refers to the evening or entire day preceding Christmas Day, a widely celebrated festival commemorating the birth of Jesus of Nazareth that takes place on December 25...
2004 concert, making it only the band's third official live release since 1998's Super Seeeeee!!!!!!
Super Seeeeee!!!!!!
Super Seeeeee!!!!!! is a live video released by Japanese noise rock band Boredoms, and is their first official video. It was released in 1998 by Warner Music Japan on VHS, and reissued later in 2004 and 2006 on DVD.-Track listing:...
video (discounting disc two of the Vision Creation Newsun
Vision Creation Newsun
-Limited edition:The album was originally released with alternative artwork, a second disc, a T-shirt, a sticker, and an electronic device that played sampled frog noises when the box was opened. The second disc contains a 30+ minute live track consisting of an unreleased song and the opening track...
boxset, which included a 35-minute excerpt of a live concert). Super Roots 9 also saw the band move from Warner International to the smaller Japanese label Commmons for domestic releases and American label Thrill Jockey
Thrill Jockey
Thrill Jockey Records is an American independent record label established in 1992 in New York City by former Atlantic Records A&R representative Bettina Richards.-History:...
for overseas. Later, in April, the group (as V∞redoms) played three dates with Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
in Japan. The band also plans to try using newly developed contact microphones to record the sounds made by the human body while dancing.
Recently, the band released a live DVD/CD combination called Live at Sunflancisco
Live at Sunflancisco
Live at Sunflancisco is a live video by Japanese noise rock band Boredoms, released in 2007 by Commmons in a DVD+CD set. The live footage was shot in San Francisco, California during the band's 2005 tour of the United States while the CD contains two brief studio tracks.-Track listing:DVD#Boredoms...
in December 2007 followed by the remix single Voaltz / Relerer in August 2008, while Eye and Yoshimi have come out with new records of their own this year. During a recent 2008 United States tour with Iron & Wine
Iron & Wine
Samuel Beam , better known by his stage and recording name Iron & Wine, is an American singer-songwriter. He has released four studio albums, several EPs and singles, as well as a few download-only releases, which include a live album...
, Eye used a new seven-necked guitar called the "Sevener" or "Sevena". The band is also recruiting for a new drummer.
The band's most recent addition to the Super Roots EP series, Super Roots 10
Super Roots 10
Super Roots 10 is the ninth installment of Super Roots EPs by Japanese experimental band Boredoms.-Track listing:# "Super Rooy" – 0:38# "Ant 10" – 9:28# "Ant 10/Estereo 10 " – 9:34# "Ant 10 " – 5:24...
, was released on January 28, 2009.
Boadrum concerts
On July 7, 2007, Boredoms performed a concert entitled 77 Boadrum77 Boadrum
77 Boa Drum was a concert held on July 7, 2007 at 7:07 PM consisting of 77 drummers. The concert was organized by Boredoms. The title of the concert was a portmanteau of "Boredoms", "boa", "drum", and "77"...
in Brooklyn Bridge Park, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, with drummer Muneomi Senju replacing Nishimura. The "77" denoted not only the date (7/7/2007) but also the number of drummers in the ensemble.
The band continued the concept on August 8, 2008, with two concerts called 88 Boadrum
88 Boadrum
88 Boadrum was a duo of free concerts following 2007's 77 Boadrum, hosted by Japanese noise rock band Boredoms. The concerts took place at the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles, California and the Williamsburg waterfront in Brooklyn, New York and featured a new 88-minute composition.Each concert...
held in Los Angeles and Brooklyn. Boredoms headlined the Los Angeles show while Gang Gang Dance
Gang Gang Dance
Gang Gang Dance is an American experimental music band based in Manhattan, New York City. The band is known for its distinctive sound which features synthesized electronics and percussion, plus the varied vocal styles of singer Lizzi Bougatsos...
conducted the Brooklyn show.
A third concert, Boadrum 9, took place on September 9, 2009 at Terminal 5 in New York City. It featured 9 drummers in total, two from Boredoms (Yoshimi and Yojiro) and seven others from prominent experimental music acts, namely Zach Hill (Hella
Hella (band)
Hella is an American band from Sacramento, California. They play a technical blend of math rock, noise rock, and experimental rock. The primary members of the band are Spencer Seim on electric guitar and Zach Hill on drums...
), Hisham Bharoocha (Soft Circle
Soft Circle
Soft Circle is the project of New York City based musician Hisham Bharoocha. His debut album, Full Bloom, was released January 23, 2007, on the Eastern Developments Music record label. His sound is characterized by looped guitar riffs, drums, and repeated vocals.In 2009 Ben Vida joined Soft Circle...
, ex: Black Dice
Black Dice
Black Dice is an experimental electronic music group currently based in Brooklyn, New York, USA.-Early years:Black Dice formed in spring 1997 soon after guitarist Bjorn Copeland met drummer Hisham Bharoocha and bassist Sebastian Blanck when they were students at the Rhode Island School of Design...
, Lightning Bolt), Butchy Fuego (Pit er Pat
Pit er Pat
Pit er Pat is an Experimental band from Chicago Illinois. They formed in 2004 as the trio of Fay Davis-Jeffers on keyboard and vocals, former founding member of Alkaline Trio Rob Doran on bass, and Butchy Fuego on drums. Their sound is very atmospheric and has a dark ambience that is similar to...
), Kid Millions (Oneida
Oneida (band)
Oneida is a rock band from Brooklyn, New York. Their influences include psychedelic rock, krautrock, electronic, noise rock, and minimalism, but the overall structure and intent of their music cannot be easily traced to any of these styles...
), Jeremy Hyman (Ponytail
Ponytail (band)
Ponytail was a 4-piece art rock band formed in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, on the label We Are Free. Their sound has been compared to Deerhoof as well as Ecstatic Sunshine, since Dustin Wong was a founder of that band, and due to the band's experimental guitar work and unique vocal stylings...
), Dave Nuss (No-Neck Blues Band
No-Neck Blues Band
The No-Neck Blues Band, also known as NNCK, is a seven-member free-form improvisational musical collective from New York City. Formed in 1992, the original band was of eight members , and has practiced weekly in a space in Harlem since...
) and Aaron Moore (Volcano The Bear
Volcano The Bear
Volcano the Bear are an improvisational/experimental English band formed in Leicester in 1995. The group's members are Aaron Moore , Nick Mott , Clarence Manuelo and Daniel Padden...
)
In 2010, Boredoms toured internationally including two Boadrum performances at All Tomorrow's Parties
All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....
curated by Matt Groening
Matt Groening
Matthew Abram "Matt" Groening is an American cartoonist, screenwriter, and producer. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell as well as two successful television series, The Simpsons and Futurama....
at Butlins Minehead
Minehead
Minehead is a coastal town and civil parish in Somerset, England. It lies on the south bank of the Bristol Channel, north-west of the county town of Taunton, from the border with the county of Devon and in proximity of the Exmoor National Park...
, England, in addition to shows in London, Japan, Mexico and as part of the Melbourne International Arts Festival
Melbourne International Arts Festival
Melbourne Festival is a celebration of dance, theatre, music, visual arts, multimedia, outdoor and free events held for 17 days each October in a number of venues across Melbourne, Australia.-History:...
on October 10, 2010.
In 2011, Boredoms premiered new material at the All Tomorrows Parties "I'll Be Your Mirror" Festival in Tokyo. Six drummers were arranged in a circle around Eye, who used motion sensors to trigger ambient drone soundscapes created by Shinji Masuko that corresponded to each drummer. The music featured highly repetitive motorik
Motorik
Motorik is a term coined by music journalists to describe the 4/4 beat often used by "Krautrock" bands such as Neu! and Kraftwerk...
rhythms that grew in complexity over the course of the hour long set. The band have been chosen by Jeff Mangum
Jeff Mangum
Jeff Mangum is a musician best known for being the lyricist, vocalist and guitarist of the band Neutral Milk Hotel, as well as being one of the cofounders of The Elephant 6 Recording Company. Mangum, along with the other founding members of the Elephant 6, attended Ruston High School in the late...
of Neutral Milk Hotel
Neutral Milk Hotel
Neutral Milk Hotel was an American indie rock band formed by singer, guitarist and songwriter Jeff Mangum in the early 1990s. The band was noted for its experimental sound, obscure lyrics and eclectic instrumentation....
to perform this new material at the All Tomorrow's Parties
All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)
All Tomorrow's Parties is a music festival which takes place at Camber Sands holiday camp in East Sussex and Butlin's holiday camp in Minehead, Somerset, England....
festival that he will curate in December 2011 in Minehead, England.
Members
- Yamantaka EyeYamantaka Eye, real name , born February 13, 1964 in Kobe, is a Japanese vocalist and visual artist, best known as a member of Boredoms. He has changed his name three times, from Yamatsuka Eye, to Yamantaka Eye, to Yamataka Eye, and sometimes calls himself eYe or EYヨ...
– vocals, noiseNoiseIn common use, the word noise means any unwanted sound. In both analog and digital electronics, noise is random unwanted perturbation to a wanted signal; it is called noise as a generalisation of the acoustic noise heard when listening to a weak radio transmission with significant electrical noise...
, sound effectsSampling (music)In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
, sevena - Yoshimi P-WeYoshimi P-WeYoshimi P-We, is a Japanese musician best known for her role as the longest consistent drummer in the Japanese rock band Boredoms.Yoshimi also plays trumpet, guitar, and keyboard, and sings....
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
, vocals, djembeDjembeA djembe also known as jembe, jenbe, djbobimbe, jymbe, yembe, or jimbay, or sanbanyi in Susu; is a skin-covered drum meant played with bare hands....
, keyboardKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Yojiro Tatekawa – drums, percussion
- Shinji Masuko - Guitar, noise, conspiracy
Previous members
- Muneomi Senju – drums, percussion
- Ikuo Taketani – drums
- Hosoi Hisato – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Tabata Mitsuru (Tabata Mara) – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Hiyashi Hira – bass guitar, vocals, percussion
- Seiichi YamamotoSeiichi Yamamotois a Japanese musician. While perhaps most famous for his role as guitarist for the noise rock band Boredoms, he has released multitudes of records both as a solo artist and with several other musicians and bands, in addition to composing the soundtracks to several films.- Solo projects :* Suido...
– guitar, vocals, percussion - Yoshikawa Toyohito – drums, vocals
- Chew Hasegawa – drums
- Kazuya Nishimura (Atari or ATR) – drums, synth pad, vocals, samples, djembe
- EDA – drums, electronic drums, djembe
- Izumi Kiyoshi – synthesizer, sampling
- God Mama – dancing