FLUX DESIGN WORKS IS BACK UP

Sorry for the inconvenience. Hoping to get around to making a brand new site at some point in the future. Just haven't had the ambition to do much of anything in this maddening summer heat and humidity. Cheers! The Belch

LATE OZU

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FLUX DESIGN WORKS IS DOWN

Having server issues at the moment, so the site will be down temporarily until I can figure out what's going on. I will probably switch from X-Server, which is a Japanese host, to a Canadian or American host, because every time I have a problem, I can't figure it out because all the emails or instructions I get are in Japanese and it's usually difficult "tech-talk" Japanese. I need a server that's easier to deal with. Sorry for the inconvenience, those of you who are trying to access my site. It'll be back up soon. Cheers...

SCRAPING FOETUS OFF THE WHEEL Re-issues

Well, shit, I just had no idea these came out a few months ago. I'm very happy about this. The 2 classic SCRAPING FOETUS OFF THE WHEEL albums, HOLE and NAIL have been re-issued by the Some Bizzare label. I used to have the originals but sadly traded them a few years back when I was living in Vancouver cause I needed cash. These have been OOP for a long time.

Those of you who are not familiar with the works of Jim G. Thirlwell, these 2 releases would be a good place to start. Monikers adopted at different times include Foetus Under Glass, You've Got Foetus On Your Breath, Foetus in Excelis Corruptus and Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel. After 1995 the name permanently became Foetus, though the related project The Foetus Symphony Orchestra was founded in 1997 and continues. It's truly a shame that such a genius is overlooked in popular culture. Doesn't matter what kind of music you dig, there's something for everyone in Foetus' music.

These 2 albums are considered Jim Thirlwell's more "accomplished" works, HOLE being full of intellectual savagery, NAIL being very musically refined with a grim atmosphere. This is intense music. I consider these to be landmarks in modern western music.

Also, this month Some Bizzare Records will be releasing the final two re-issues of Foetus: Thaw and Sink. Both releases will come as a digipak release and hold restored artwork under direct supervision from James George Thirlwell himself.

You should also check out the other works of Foetus, in my opinion they're all good. My personal faves are "Nail", "Thaw" and the 2-CD live "FOETUS IN EXCELIS CORRUPTUS - MALE. A new album tentatively titled Vein is planned for later this year.

Here's their full discography taken from Wikipedia:

Studio albums

• Deaf – You’ve Got Foetus on Your Breath (1981)
• Ache – You’ve Got Foetus on Your Breath (1982)
• Hole – Scraping Foetus off the Wheel (1984)
• Nail – Scraping Foetus off the Wheel (1985)
• Thaw – Foetus Interruptus (1988)
• Gash — Foetus (1995)
• Flow – Foetus (2001)
• Love – Foetus (2005)

Live, remix and compilation albums

• Rife – Foetus Corruptus (1988)
• Sink – Foetus Inc. (1989)
• Male – Foetus in Excelsis Corruptus Deluxe (1992)
• Boil – Foetus (1996)
• York (First Exit to Brooklyn) – The Foetus Symphony Orchestra feat. Lydia Lunch (1997)
• Blow – Foetus (2001)
• Damp – Foetus (2006)
• Vein – Foetus (in production)

EPs, singles and miscellaneous

• Spite Your Face/OKFM – Foetus Under Glass (1981)
• Wash It All Off – You've Got Foetus on Your Breath (1981)
• Tell Me, What Is the Bane of Your Life – Phillip and His Foetus Vibrations (1982)
• Custom Built for Capitalism – Foetus Over Frisco (1982)
• Calamity Crush – Foetus Art Terrorism (1984)
• Wash/Slog – You've Got Foetus on Your Breath (1985)
• Finely Honed Machine – Foetus Über Frisco (1985)
• The Foetus of Excellence – The Foetus of Excellence (1985)
• Bedrock – Foetus All-Nude Revue (1987)
• Ramrod – Scraping Foetus off the Wheel (1987)
• Butterfly Potion – Foetus Inc. (1990)
• Somnambulumdrum – Foetus Inc. (1992)
• Vice Squad Dick – Foetus/Chrome Cranks (1994)
• Null – Foetus (1995)
• Verklemmt/Be Thankful – Foetus (1995)
• Überschall 1996 – Foetus/Faust/Stereolab (1996)
• Null/Void – Foetus (1996)
• (not adam) – Foetus (2004)

NELS CLINE SINGERS: Draw Breath

Maybe some of you are unaware that Rolling Stone magazine has recently appointed Nels as a "guitar god," and I'd say I have to agree. There aren't too many other players out there at the moment that I could hold with such high respect. The only others that immediately come to mind are Allan Holdsworth, Marc Ribot, and Marc Ducret, who's best known playing with Tim Berne. Those are all players in my mind who have a very distinct voice and amazing control over the instrument.

That said, Nels Cline has come a long way since the 90's in the LA experimental music scene, now quite a mighty force among followers of progressive-minded guitarists like David Torn, Marc Ribot, Derek Bailey, James "Blood" Ulmer or Marc Ducret, just to name a few. It obviously hasn't been a bad thing that he's also worked with some pretty well-known names, like Tim Berne, Wilco, Charlie Haden, Vinny Golia, Thurston Moore,

Cline also has an enormous discography already. He's probably leads or appears on average, 10 albums per year or more His recent Andrew Hill tribute New Monestary came out in September of last year, Downpour with Andrea Parkins and Tom Rainey hit the street in April, Wilco's Sky Blue Sky was released in May, and just six weeks later, we get Draw Breath by his Nels Cline Singers.

Now, let's get another thing crystal clear. The "Nels Cline Singers" are not singers at all, they are a trio led by Nels + Devin Hoff (contra bass, bowed and plucked) + Scott Amendola (drums, percussion, electronic effects). While Wilco might be considered While WILCO is considered his "bread-and-butter" band, The Singers is probably his prominent vehicle for stretching out.

Draw Breath is the Cline album I've been waiting for since the duo with Gregg Bendian, which was a tribute to John Coltrane's Interstellar Space, which was pulled off with amazing results. It remains one of my top albums of al time. I have to say that although I like the first Singers release, there was simply just something missing. Then he released The Giant Pin a few years ago and I was really quite disappointed with that one.


The opening track "Caved-In Heart Blues" is a beautiful beginning to the album, with a "smoking peacepipe with Indians in the desert" atmosphere. Awesome. In the next track "Attempted", it starts out as free-form bop but it's not long before the sickness comes in. The tornado has begun. "Confection" is a straight ahead rock 'n' roll for the first minute until it gets unhinged by a softer interlude led by Hoff's cello, then it gets going again with an awesome Cline solo.

"An Evening At Pops'," a showcase for the drummer it's named after, is a sixteen minute centrepiece of the album. For most of the time, it's a stew of Cline's feedback and distortion, clanging bells, electronics and Hoff's dissonant bowed Arc bass before it simmers down to some nice ambience. The following track "Angel Of The Angels" is just a nice slow tune filled by Cline's rich 12 string, setting a nice mood after the cacophony of the previous track.

The calm/storm effect emerges again with the acoustic guitar-led soft number "Recognize I" followed by another explosive, free-jazz track "Mixed Message," at least explosive for the first half. "Recognize II", a semi-reprise of the first "Recognize," serves as another wind down tune. The last track "Squirrel Of God" is mostly random noises and Cline's pulsing guitar, but it's actually my least favorite track, doesn't really go anywhere.

Draw Breath. Buy the ticket. Take the ride...

http://www.nelscline.com

Cucumber Pepsi, Bubbleman, Bilk and other weird drinks in Japan

I finally tried the limited edition Cucumber Pepsi a few weeks ago and it's actually not as bad as it looks or sounds. It doesn't come close to the classic regular old-time Pepsi taste we all love and know, but it's got a pretty interesting flavor and aftertaste.

Recently Coke and Pepsi has put out zero calorie versions of their soft drinks, Coke Zero and Pepsi Nex respectively, and they both suck. I hate Nutrasweet or whatever that fake sugar shit is they put in it. Face it, real sugar tastes good, it's fattening, but it tastes good and can't be replaced with some crummy substitute.

I don't drink soft drinks as much as I use to, I just don't care for them anymore, but one drink I fucking love is Bubbleman. Bubbleman has made somewhat of a comeback in the last couple of years. It's so funny because the fact that there's not just BUBBLEMAN, there's fucking sequels to this drink, BUBBLEMAN II., etc etc. I think there's like 8 or 9 different kinds. (See the pics) I know there was Coke and then the New Coke, then Diet Coke, etc. but this has got to be the first time that a beverage has gotten a sequel. I've never seen Coke II or Pepsi III, that's why this drink is so awesome.

There's a whole culture surrounding Bubbleman, it's not just a mere soft drink. The soda itself is extremely sweet, but the can and bottle designs are pretty crazy. Check out the pics. The basic story is that Bubble Man is from "Soda Planet." There's an interior view of their rocket, and the guy labeled "Captain Pilot" is sitting on the shoulders of a guy labeled "Assistant." There's another shot of the two guys in a spaceship with their legs and feet hanging out through the holes. Just check out the website and you can even read a monthly online magazine called B-STYLE dedicated to the soda loving space man. It's all in Japanese, but you can still see how ridiculously crazy the whole concept is. Bubbleman just kills the competition.

Also, recently Suntory has put out another retardedly sweet soft drink called BINGO BONGO which I just tried the other day when I was camping in Wakayama. It's really good too, maybe even better than Bubbleman, again their is beginning to be a whole subculture arising from the release of this soft drink.

The next weird drink I'll talk about is BILK, which has been successfully produced at a Hokkaido based brewery. It's a low-malt beer with milk, after the drink was suggested as a product that would help use up surplus milk. It reportedly has a fruity flavor that its brewers hope will be popular among women. The idea for the drink was conceived after dairy firms threw out a huge amount of surplus milk in March last year. The son of the manager of a liquor store in Nakashibetsu, whose main industry is dairy farming, suggested the idea of producing the milk beer to local brewery Abashiri Beer. Since one-third of the drink is milk, the drink has been viewed as a good way to use up milk in the town. Each 330 ml bottle goes for 380 yen. As far as I know, it's still only sold in Nakashibetsu, with six liquor stores selling the drink. I don't really know if I want to try it anyway, it sounds pretty gross.

Now, the last drink I'm going to mention just looks completely disgusting, it's a fucking kimchi drink from a company called Coolpis, not exactly a great name for a beverage. This stuff is made in... you guessed it... Korea. If you have the balls to try this, I'll drink my own urine to prove my worth.

A Fine Frenzy - One Cell In The Sea

Damn, I gotta say I'm pretty impressed with this album. This is a totally new band to me and I just picked this CD up on a whim, I just had a feeling that this was going to be good and bet your boots it is. Rarely am I so impressed with a debut pop effort, I think the last time was Dot Allison's debut CD, Afterglow.

Anyway, every tune is good. The songs have a very haunting and subtle beauty reminding me a bit of Beth Orton's music, a little Tori Amos, and a little Sarah McLaughlin. Can't help but hearing some hints of The Sundays as well. Alison Sudol's voice is absolutely yummy. She wraps herself around each tune perfectly. By the way, she's drop dead beautiful as well, I can't help but getting a bit of a woody when I hear her and look at the album cover shot of her. Anyway, my woody is not as important as the music itself.

To me, they're all standouts, there's no filler here. Just buy it, you'll fall in love with this band. Also great artwork by Alison Sudol with the help of some other fine people. This is just a perfect debut. Can't wait to hear more...

Weird Sex in Japan

The porn industry in Japan is a multi-billion dollar industry that shows no sign of slowing down. Japan is a country where there is some extremely weird shit going on which makes other countries look tame in comparison.

The fucked up thing about Japanese porn is THE CENSOR - it’s illegal to show bush or cock without that damn blurry mosaic. Japanese officials even go to great lengths sorting through foreign imported porn with a black felt pen to make sure no foreign penises make into the Japanese market either. The censor was introduced during the Meiji Era to “protect public morals”, but when WWII was over, it was one of the few laws the Americans decided to keep.

On the other hand, it's totally OK to show someone's anus. Judging from some Japanese films I've seen, it's also totally OK to show extreme gore and violence too. You just can't see some guy's John Thomas or a woman's forest. Pretty stupid, right? Oh, this is just the beginning...

I wouldn't consider the stuff I'm going to explain from here "porn" , but all of it is readily available and can easily be found alongside regular porn and is clearly spank material for somebody out there.

The fist kind I'm going to explain is the "Lolita" or sometimes called "Lolicon" and Junior Idol. There's a slew of these type of books that come out on a weekly basis, usually around 30 bucks a pop. (no pun intended) Softcore child porn was actually legal in Japan until as recently as 1999, when international pressure forced Japan to take action.

Their action?Instead of softcore child porn, the market redirected it’s attention to junior idol photobooks and DVDs. While most junior idols are around the 11-16 age, some such as Nanami or and the recently popular Irie Saaya have started off their modelling career as young as 6. The DVDs and photobooks showcase the young models in a variety of uniforms and swimsuits, some mostly harmless but others can get some pretty racey, but never nude.

In Canada or the U.S. many of these books would be banned immediately without question. But Japan is a country with a serious lolita complex. Things get even weirder within the junior idol collection like the young girls dressing up like cats, playing weird tag games, or acting like babies sucking their thumb. Later in their career, they usually go on to make shitty girlie j-pop music. I think very few get into the porn business, thankfully.

Perhaps it can be argued that the existence of junior idol video material etc. satisfies some people's desires, rather than forcing themselves on real children. Hmmmm, when I think about that really hard, I don't agree. Hentai manga, for example, is commonly read by your average dude on the subway, and raping small girls is a common theme in these comics. Japan has one of the highest child abuse rates in the world, and I think Manga is partly responsible for this. It's really hard to pinpoint one thing that makes Japan such a fucked up culture, but I think the wrong message is Definitely being sent out.

Next up is bestiality porn. This is not really new to Japan, but what's fucked is that it is sold over the counter just like any other porn, where as in Canada or the States, it can only be found in the black market. This is where things get really fucked. It's not just dogs that are getting some action. Eels, worms, frogs, goldfish, sea cucumbers, and even Octopus have their own little niche market cornered. Like the appropriately titled “Morale Lesbian Wriggles and Cumming Octopus Wriggles”

Now HERE's where I draw the line. SCAT VIDEOS. If you don't know what SCAT is, weeeellll, probably you don't want to know and you should skip this paragraph. These are videos in which people perform many different bodily functions on each other, like pissing, shitting, you name it. Then sometimes they chow down on the resulting excrement like it's a birthday BBQ. Again, these videos are right alongside normal porn. I've been to some used CD & DVD shops in Nipponbashi and sometimes they have fliers advertising the shit videos, which any kid could easily come in and pick up. As another interesting sidenote, most "used" shops have normal videos or CD's on display outside the shop, then you go in and there's a very small section of normal family movies, the rest is porn.

If you’re into this weird shit, you'll love Japan. It's a bit much to handle sometimes. I mean, whatever happened normal sex? Like, you know, you get down on your GF or wife, she gets down on you, then you just do the 'ol in-out in-out for 20 or 30 minutes. Missionary, Doggy-Style, sideways, her on top, whatever. Why do people need to shit on each other or get tied up to get off. I dunno, maybe I'm just missing out on all the fun. Anyway, I hope this was informative and entertaining.... Check ya later.

Pandhandling in Japan

Until today, I don't think I've ever seen a panhandler or beggar on the streets in Japan. The picture above is not the guy I saw, I didn't have my camera today.

Anyway, it's just rare to see homeless people in Japan begging. Most of them are too proud to do that. Also, it's not so difficult for homeless people living in a major city like Osaka or Tokyo to get by, because people throw out loads of great stuff every day in this country, so the homeless kind of serve as unpaid recyclers. Many homeless people gather cans, boxes, bottles, etc. to make pocket money, and build houses using stuff people throw out, which is usually good stuff. This is a country where people discard perfectly good electronics just because they want the latest and the greatest. So the homeless benefit from their carelessness and greed.

I'm not trying to say life is easy for homeless people here, that's not the case at all. BUT, many homeless people actually look like they're quite content, they probably became homeless because they didn't want to conform to such a rigid system.

I love Vancouver, but one of the worst things about living there is that there are toooooo many panhandlers. Most of them are either hooked on the booze or the smack, or both. In many cases, they're just lazy fucking punks who don't want to do anything and let society pay their way through life. Homeless people in Japan don't want to bother people or impose on people, so they just leave people alone, and people leave them alone. Also, drugs are not nearly as big of a problem as in Vancouver or NY, for example. Most of the homeless you see in Japan are over 30 at least, many being in their 40's, 50's and 60's. You don't see as many young people on the streets here like you do in Vancouver.

Anyway, I was a bit surprised to see that guy today. As an interesting note, he only had one single 5 yen coin in his hat. Don't know how long he's been sitting there, but it didn't look like he was doing too well.

SABBAT re-issues

I posted this review of "Dreamweaver" back on my TOP 25 Metal Albums of All Time post in February 2006: you can find the full post HERE

"One of the most sadly overlooked metal albums by one of the most sadly overlooked bands ever. I think this is THE BEST metal act to come out of the UK, period. It's a shame that this has never been re-issued , considering all the crap that IS being re-issued (and re-issued again...) that doesn't need to be. How many fucking times has the Motley Crue catalogue been re-issued? Answer: Too many. I'm not pissing on MC, just one example, I actually like the Crue's first 3 albums. Anyway, I digress. This is like taking "LORD OF THE RINGS" and making it into a metal musical. That's the best way I can describe it. Extremely tight songwriting and arrangements, awesome rapid-fire vocals from Martin Walkyier (who's now in another band called SKYCLAD) great sound, great concept (based on the book "The Way of Wryd" by Brian Bates) quite simply a perfect thrash album. Grab it if you can find it."

Well, I am very happy to finally find out that these have been finally re-issued. These are essential for any serious fan of 80's thrash. I picked up "Dreamweaver" but haven't been able to find "History of a Time to Come" yet, which is their first album. In my opinion, Dreamweaver is the better of the 2, but "History of a Time to Come" is not far behind, it basically set the stage for what was to come.

Pretty good re-mastering job on DREAMWEAVER, not drastically different from the original. But it's worth it just for the expanded notes and the 3 bonus live tracks. The only thing I'm not happy with, being the anal graphic designer that I am, is the cover reproduction, it's too dark and the small details are lost. Looks like they scanned the LP cover, took it into Photoshop and put the despeckle effect on it. Too bad there weren't more obscure metal albums coming out with the Japanese paper sleeve treatment. Japan's the only place they can seem to do it right.

Human Lanterns

OVERLOOKED HORROR MOVIES PART 10

It's been awhile since I reviewed anything for my "Overlooked Horror Movies" series, I believe the last one was Monkey Shines, which I reviewed in August last year. Anyway, I'm going to continue the series with this one, directed by the imfamous Shaw Brothers in 1982.

Premise: A rivalry between two renown swordsmen turns deadly when an outcast swordsman turned lantern maker with a score to settle begins kidnapping people close to both of them and using their skin to fashion lanterns.

If you like swordfighting movies mixed with a healthy dose of sickness and gore, check out this film. The movie takes place in the jian hu world of the Chinese knight. Lots of great action as well as some unforgettable horrific and gory imagery. The killer is this fucking freak who wears a skull mask and fur coats and shit. He takes his victims (who are mostly women) to his little underground workshop and then uses a water-powered mill to grind up the bones and the flesh nearby as he ties up his victims and skins them alive for use in making lanterns. This crazy Chinese fucker can leap great distances, run up trees, and maul even the most experienced swordsmen without a scratch. The gore is tame by modern standards, but it's a nicely shot classic with some bizarre imagery that won't leave your mind for a long time afterwards.

Basic Plot: Swordsman Lung (Lau Wing) hires a reclusive craftsman named Chun Fang (Lo Lieh) to make a lantern for him because he wants something really unique and special. Chun agrees to perform the task, but for his own malicious intent. Years earlier, Chun was once a renown swordsman, but he lost a fight with Lung, received a facial scare, and lost the woman he loved to Lung. After hearing a story of human lanterns, he decides to make his own with the skin of the people closest to Lung including his mistress and his wife. Lung also targets the sister of Lung's rival, Tan Fu (Chen Kuan-tai). When people begin to disappear, this causes both men to accuse the other while the local law enforcement officer (Sun Chien) is at a loss for lack of evidence. Their rivalry turns serious when Tan hires a hitman (Lo Meng) to kill Lung. The plan fails and the two square off for a final showdown until the killer appears briefly in his costume and wielding a vicious unarmed kung fu style. Suspecting the lantern maker, Lung goes to investigate his home where the killer waits for him.

Anyone familiar with Shaw Brothers films knows how unique of an atmosphere they create.Swordplay films have been a staple at Shaw Brothers for nearly two decades and filmmakers were likely struggling to come up with new ideas to keep audiences interested at the time Human Lanterns was released. The brothers succeed very well in creating that genuinely creepy atmosphere and psychological horror style that is so unique to Asian cinema. I've only seen a few Shaw Brother's films, but they always manage to have great costumes and sets that are just not of this world, kind of reminding me of Dario Argento sometimes with a huge emphasis on rich colors.

The only thing I didn't like about the film is that it's inconsistency with the horror theme. The opening of the film suggests full on horror, but I think there's too much emphasis on the swordplay and not the horror. Otherwise, the film works well and I would consider it essential viewing for any horror film buff or even Chinese swordplay film buff. Chekka chekka chekka check it out!

Uuuuhhh, yeah... OK...

Who the fuck would want to mess their body up so badly? I mean, hey, fuck, I'm all for expressing yourself, but isn't it a bit hard to eat with a ring going through your fucking mouth? They could tone it down just a bit. I never got into the body mutilating thing, just doesn't seem like an option for me. It kind of limits your career options a tad. Am I shocked? No. Do I think it's stupid.? No, not really, if you want to modify your entire body so that you look like one of Saruman's army, that's your perogative, me just thinks it's too much. ...

Fuck Milk, Got Pot?

This is simply the coolest T-shirt I've seen in quite awhile. I was surfing porn the other day and found the shot of this girl wearing this shirt. Two Thumbs up!!!!!

I was at Fanbi Town with my wife today and saw some weird English T-shirts as usual. I'd really like to know who comes up with this shit. It seems they just randomly pick a bunch of words and phrases and throw everything into a blender, then the out comes the resuling phrase.

Anyway, this is an awesome shirt. Pretty cool looking chick too. Nice Ronnie Milsap glasses by the way.

GOLDEN WEEK

Golden Week, as usual, was nothing particularly special, just the usual drinking, eating, sleeping crap. I had lots of fun playing with my wife's sister's kid, who's 3 now. One day we drove around the mountains on these fucking super narrow roads for about 5 hours, not exactly my idea of fun. I like driving around, but the roads in Okayama are so twisty that one can get carsick pretty easily, plus I'm not big on high places with narrow roads and no guardrail. I don't know what they were thinking when they built those roads. Some of the roads are so narrow, you wouldn't be able to get some European or American cars through. Japanese cars are more built smaller to compensate for these shitty roads.

Anyway, Goldwn Week. What's the point really? It should be called GODDAMN HECTIC WEEK, or STUPID WEEK, because the whole concept of everyone taking the same holiday is absurd, really. Travelling is a big fat pain in the ass because it's crowded and stressful, all the tourist attractions are crowded, so you can't really enjoy yourself at all. We went to Arima Onsen, bt we didn't actually go in to any bath houses because they were too crowded and people were lined up to get in. To boot, GOLDEN WEEK is too damn short, so when it's over you just feel disappointed, like after a long weekend, and tired. Piss on Golden Week and Japan's shit system!!!

BIG SATAN - Live in Cognito

First off, I gotta say that I prefer Tim Berne's live stuff to his studio work, although he still kicks ass in ANY setting. Some bands are just best experienced live and Tim Berne's groups are no exception. This isn’t BIG SATAN’s first live recording, but it’s definitely their best. Simply put, this fuckin' rocks out, balls to the wall.

Marc Ducret share's more compositional duties with Berne in BIG SATAN than other groups, but obviously drawing ideas from other Berne/Ducret-involved projects like Science Friction, as well as Bloodcount and Caos Totale, so a lot of that past has played a big part in shaping BIG SATAN's tunes. Tom Rainey doesn't contribute much to the tunes themselves, but he’s a vital player to shaping the BIG SATAN sound. He basically puts the "BIG" in BIG SATAN, providing much of the bottom end.

The music goes many places, from dark and spacious to dense and pummeling in others. Probably this is my favourite live album from Tim Berne since Bloodcount's 3-CD set "BLOODCOUNT UNWOUND". As always, awesome artwork from one of my faves, Stephen Byram (thanks for the comment on my blog : )))))

This is the NEW metal, motherfuckers.

SERGEI KURYOKHIN - DIVINE MADNESS

I first discovered Sergei Kuryokhin's music about 2 years ago. I was at a free jazz bar in Tokyo with my friend, who had heard his music before at this same bar. What came out of the speakers was unlike any other music I had ever heard. It was extremely odd, but refreshing to hear. It was totally unclassifiable. That particular CD was titled DON CARLOS. The music went in so many different unpredictable and bizarre directions, but always stayed tightly focused. The ensemble on this particular disc is Sergei's now legendary "Orkestr Pop-Mekhanika" (Popular Mechanics Orchestra) which he formed around 1984. The ever-changing project included musicians, bands and actors from Leningrad and Moscow, as well as from Europe, such as Vanessa Redgrave, "Akvarium" and Boris Grebenshchikov, "Kino" and Viktor Tsoy, "Igry", "Auktsion", Dzhungli", "Tri-O", Sergei Bugayev, even a Red Army Ensemble and many others. During "perestroika" under Mikhail Gorbachev, Kuryokhin was harshly attacked by the Communist Party ideologist Ligachev who called the Popular Mechanics show an "ideological and artistic jumble!"

Anyway, I have always been on the lookout for his CD's and had no luck until recently. I found Some Combinations of Fingers and Passion released on the Leo label a few months back, which is solo piano performances. The way he approaches any instrument, it seems, is by channeling everything into it. He just throws everything into his music. I've rarely heard playing so passionate and personal.

Just a few weeks ago, my firend in Tokyo pretty much discovered a gold mine of rare Sergei stuff, mostly on the Solyd label in Russia. So far, I've only listened to a few of these CD's, but they're all brilliant. Very odd but striking packaging. Some of the CD's come in jewel cases with a dayglo colored cardboard sleeve to house them in with a booklet of photos from the respective performances.

He also has a 4-CD box set on LEO called DIVINE MADNESS which contains the rare and long out of print titles: SUBWAY CULTURE, PIANO ZOOLOGICAL ELEMENTS, INTRODUCTION IN POP MECHANICS and POP MECHANICS NO.17. This is the next set I'd like to track down. These are all early works I believe.

Anyway, I urge any fan of avant-garde music to track down his music and wallow in the insanity. You'll be floored.

I'm too lazy to write my own biography so the following biography is taken from http://mitki.kulichki.net/recent/skiif/

"Sergey Kuryokhin, pianist, composer, band leader, actor, director and public figure died of cancer on July 9, 1996, at the age of 42. He first attracted public attention as jazz pianist, playing solo, with Vladimir Chekasin, Anatoly Vapirov and others. In the early 1980s, before he was allowed to travel outside the Soviet Union, his records published by Leo Records, as well as a number of TV programs made him one of the cult figures of the burgeoning Russian underground. In 1984 he formed Pop-Mechanika Orchestra - a band, a concept and a philosophy. The band, which could be anything from a modest trio to a full blown multimedia extravag anza complete with a full symphony, a brass band, a rock group, a circus, a zoo, a gypsy singer, and whatever else his fantasy could bring up at the moment, subsequently toured most of the world. Sergey Kuryokhin's discography counts more than 40 LPs and CDs, he composed music for dozens of films worldwide. His importance however stretches beyond his documented legacy. He was most known and valued as a tireless catalyst of artistic life, as a creative force which united and formed the artistic community, as one of the strongest and most vital voices of a rev olutionary era, the era which transformed the stagnant Soviet Union into new, yet unknown, but vibrant Russia.

Walls all over the world are coming down: cultural, physical and intellectual. As was the Pop-Mechanika Orchestra, the SKIIFestival will be of an interdisciplinary nature. Thus it is rather a Feast of Arts: the Festival stages will host Baroque, Classical , Jazz, Free Improvisation, Rock, Dance, Film, Theater & Poetry."

Recommended links:
http://www.kuryokhin.ru/skif_e.php
http://www.kuryokhin.ru/
http://www.discogs.com/artist
http://www.raig.ru/kuriokhin.asp

Ivan's Childhood

Awesome. I've been waiting for Criterion to release this. It's finally coming out as a special edition. This is Andrei Tarkovsky's first feature film. This is a great film from a director who was in full bloom by the time he made his first feature film. This is one of the most unforgettable depictions of how a kid deals with wartime. Goddamn genius! Check it out. it's coming out in July this year. One of my absolute faves.