Debut: Thu 09 Sep, 2021, 8pm ET, First Unitarian Congregational Society, Tickets
Streaming release: Thu 16 Sep, 2021, 8pm ET. On this page and Vimeo
AvanTokyo and ISSUE Project Room are thrilled to support a new creation by Japanese noise music legend Keiji Haino in collaboration with Jim O’Rourke & Oren Ambarchi. The audio work will debut at a September 9 event also to feature live performances by Tamio Shiraishi and Ikue Mori, and be available online September 16.
While many of Haino, O’Rourke and Ambarchi’s recent works focus on their power trio, their recent release on Ambarchi’s Black Truffle imprint shows the three utilizing an almost entirely electronic set-up, with Haino on electronics, drum machine, and Chinese double-reed horn, O’Rourke on synth, and Ambarchi on pedal steel and electronics.
Keiji Haino was born in Chiba, Japan in 1952. Inspired by Antonin Artaud, he aimed to participate in theatre, but an encounter with The Doors stimulated him to pursue music. In 1978 he formed rock band Fushitsusha, and he has been internationally active in various forms including groups such as Fushitsusha and Sanhedrin, DJ as “experimental mixture,” as well as collaborations on guitar, percussion, the hurdy gurdy, wind and string instruments, local instruments from across the world and electronic gear. Haino has released more than 200 recordings and performed live at least 1,800 times. keijihaino.bandcamp.com
Jim O’Rourke has been involved in music since the late 80s, as composer, producer, engineer, and collaborator, and currently resides in Japan. He has produced records for Stereolab and Sonic Youth and scored films for Werner Herzog and Koji Wakamatsu. Since 2013 O’Rourke has released the bulk of his own work on Steamroom.Bandcamp.com
Oren Ambarchi hails from Australia, and has performed with artists such as Fennesz, Charlemagne Palestine, Sunn 0)) and John Zorn. His acclaimed trio with Keiji Haino and Jim O’Rourke performs in Tokyo annually with many of their concerts documented on Ambarchi’s Black Truffle label.
The September 9 concert will also present Japanese saxophonist Tamio Shiraishi—a member of the original Fushitsusha—with experimental musician Julia Santoli, as well as a performance by legendary Japanese percussionist Ikue Mori with New Zealand bagpiper and guitarist David Watson. The event opens ISSUE Project Room’s 2021 fall season and welcomes audiences for the first live program in nearly eighteen months.