Tag: ‘Music’

‘Without records’ – Otomo Yoshihide

09 Oct 2008

What happens when you take the records away from record players? You get "without records," an installation by experimental musicians Otomo Yoshihide and Yasutomo Aoyama that uses more than 100 record-free turntables to explore the sound of disappearing technology.


"without records" - YCAM Otomo Yoshihide / ENSEMBLES

You also get the "hyper wr player," a four-armed hi-fi version of the concept.


"hyper wr player" - YCAM Otomo Yoshihide / ENSEMBLES

These installations are on display as part of the "ENSEMBLES" event at the Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media (YCAM), which runs until October 13.

[Link: ENSEMBLES/Otomo Yoshihide]

Optron: Brilliant instrument of noise

02 Oct 2008

Improv musician Atsuhiro Ito wields a flickering noise contraption called the "Optron" (or "Optrum"), a miked-up fluorescent light tube he plugs into an array of effects pedals and plays sort of like an electric guitar. The Optron is featured in some Sony Walkman commercials.


+ Optron - Walkman CM 1


+ Optron - Walkman CM 2 (with Yoichiro Shin on drums)

[More on YouTube: Atsuhiro Ito, Optrum, Optron]

Circuit-bent Pikachu instruments

29 Jul 2008

Circuit-bent Pikachu instruments --

Circuit bender Kaseo has a marvelous collection of musical instruments built from modified Pikachu toys.

- Bent Pikachu Limited Edition: Punk's not dead.

* * * * *

- Y.M.O.: This "Y.M.O" (Yellow Mouse Orchestra), a group of MIDI-controlled circuit-bent Pikachus, performs a tweaked version of "Rydeen" by the original Y.M.O. (Yellow Magic Orchestra).

* * * * *

- 12 bent Pikachu orchestra +1: Live performance in Tokyo.

* * * * *

[Links: bEnt or diE?, Kaseo's Youtube channel]

Video: Supercar – Wonder Word

07 Jul 2008

Supercar: Wonderword --

A delightfully odd form of communication is at work here in this music video for Supercar's "Wonder Word." Directed by Koichiro Tsujikawa.

Related: Videos by Koichiro Tsujikawa (+ Cornelius)

Music (& film) posters by Tadanori Yokoo

23 Jun 2008

Tadanori Yokoo, one of Japan's most prolific and internationally recognized graphic designers, has created a number of psychedelic posters for notable musicians.

Poster by Tadanori Yokoo --
Earth, Wind & Fire, 1976 [Enlarge]

Poster by Tadanori Yokoo --
Santana - Lotus, 1974 [Enlarge]

Poster by Tadanori Yokoo --
The Beatles, 1972 [Enlarge]

Poster by Tadanori Yokoo --
Emerson, Lake & Palmer concert poster, 1972 [Enlarge]

Poster by Tadanori Yokoo --
Tangerine Dream, 1976 [Enlarge]

Poster by Tadanori Yokoo --
Beatles - Star Club, 1977 [Enlarge]

Poster by Tadanori Yokoo --
Cochin Moon, 1978 [Enlarge]

Poster by Tadanori Yokoo --
Holst - The Planets, 1979 [Enlarge]

Poster by Tadanori Yokoo --
Earth, Wind & Fire, 1993 [Enlarge]

* * * * *

Yokoo is also known to have designed the occasional movie poster, including these three psychedelic beauties for Roger Corman's "The Trip."

Poster by Tadanori Yokoo --
The Trip, 1968 [Enlarge]

Poster by Tadanori Yokoo --
The Trip, 1968 [Enlarge]

Poster by Tadanori Yokoo --
The Trip, 1968 [Enlarge]

Kyoteizinc: Chiptune disco video

08 May 2008

Omodaka: Kyoteizinc --

Omodaka, a creative project adopting a self-described "trial and error process of mutational fusion of music and motion graphics," has a new video for chiptune disco track "Kyoteizinc," which features the captivating computer-tweaked dance of Masako Yasumoto. (Watch it.)

The video is directed by Hiroshi Kizu. Omodaka is on Tokyo-based independent label Far East Recording.

Video: WABOT-2 android plays keyboard (1985)

22 Apr 2008

WABOT-2 --

WABOT-2, an intelligent humanoid keyboard player developed by Waseda University in the 1980s, was considered the most advanced robot of its time. In addition to camera eyes that could read musical notation and deft hands that could tap out tunes of average difficulty, WABOT-2 could listen to accompanying singers and adjust its tempo, as well as carry on basic conversation. The android demonstrated its musical skills at Expo '85 in Tsukuba, Japan with a performance of Kitaro's new age classic "Silk Road." (Watch a clip.)

Built in order to develop the basic technology, strength and skills for robots of the 21st century, WABOT-2 was equipped with a hierarchical system of 80 microprocessors modeled after the human nervous system, and its arms and legs had 50 degrees of freedom -- more than any other robot in existence at the time. Waseda University regards WABOT-2 as a landmark achievement in the evolution of personal robots.

[Video: The Computer Chronicles (1985 broadcast) - Parts 1, 2, 3]

Bento lunches decorated as album covers

16 Apr 2008

Food hackers at Obacchi Jacket Lunch Box cut and arrange ordinary bento lunch box ingredients to recreate famous album covers.

Obacchi Jacket Lunch Box --

Rage Against The Machine - Evil Empire: Egg, paprika, nori (seaweed sheet), kamaboko (fish sausage), carrot, potato, ham, black sesame, rice

Obacchi Jacket Lunch Box --

Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland: Nori, paprika (red & orange), egg, rice

Obacchi Jacket Lunch Box --

Aphex Twin - Richard D. James Album: Potato, umeboshi (pickled plum), fish/vegetable flakes, nori, kamaboko, rice

Obacchi Jacket Lunch Box --

KISS - Destroyer: Egg, nori, ume (Japanese plum), kamaboko, rice

Obacchi Jacket Lunch Box --

King Crimson - In The Court Of The Crimson King: Mentaiko (cod roe), kamaboko, ham, nori, rice

Obacchi Jacket Lunch Box --

Weezer - Green Album: Cabbage, nori, ham, kamaboko, paprika, rice

Obacchi Jacket Lunch Box --

The Velvet Underground & Nico - The Velvet Underground: Nori, egg, rice

Obacchi Jacket Lunch Box --

Public Enemy - Muse Sick-N-Hour Mess Age: Nori, kamaboko, umeboshi, rice

See more than 25 pages of these bentos at Obacchi Jacket Lunch Box (use the "Next" link at the bottom of each page to scroll through the site).

[Via: Zaeega]

Video: Mononoke Dance

14 Apr 2008

Mononoke Dance --

Denki Groove's video for "Mononoke Dance" is yet another masterpiece by manga artist Masakazu Amahisa. Using stick-puppet animation, the video tells the story of a couple who crash their car on a dark forest road and encounter a Konaki-jiji (monster baby with the face of an old man) that leads them deep into the woods to a wild party for yokai, or traditional Japanese monsters. (Watch it.)

Guests at the party include Hitodama (fireballs), Kyonshi (Chinese vampire), Onyudo (shapeshifting monk), Jizo (guardian deity of children), Noppera-bo (faceless ghost), Rokurokubi (long-necked monster), Kappa (water imp), Hoichi the Earless, someone who dances like Yoshio Kojima, and many others.

Incidentally, the song "Mononoke Dance" is used as the opening theme for the "Hakaba Kitaro" anime series now airing on Fuji TV (the video here is completely unrelated to the TV show).

« Older
Newer »