Archive for January, 2008


Enki smallOriginally released in 1999 Lorin Richards’ Enki album harkens back to the dark electronic music of the 80s. One name in particular keeps coming to mind – Gary Neuman. If you are a fan of electronica from the 80′s and 90′s then you should enjoy Enki by Lorin Richards.

From the Product Description at Amazon:

Enki is a theme, a beautiful collection of stories based on a sci-fi interpretation of ancient Sumerian religion. Imagine the beginning of the world not as an evolution over millions of years, or a creation that lasted six days, but a creation by beings of another planet. Beings seen in the eyes of early civilization as gods. A race so advanced that they had robots guard such fantastic places like the Garden of Eden. This is the idea behind Enki.

Personally I really enjoyed the electronic music and melancholia of the vocals throughout the album. Many tracks also include a Japonisme or oriental feel to them which explains the Japanese characters used to make the title on the album jacket.

The album’s introduction is Asian strings and wood pipes, then moves onto an ambient vaguely oriental electronic melancholia with The Mourning of the Day.

It is difficult to talk about each song individually as the tracks have similar all the tracks have strong flavors of the electronica of the 1980′s with a twist of oriental flavored instrumentals throughout. The songs I found standing out most were Due to Us and Recreate, which play a little louder with the stronger vocals. Many of the other tracks tend to keep the vocals in the background.

Essentially, this is a well-produced Japonisme/late 80s electronic album. The sounds are very crisp, and the ambient style of Enki is a nice change of pace. I would recommend it for anyone looking for a more peaceful electronic album.

Enki mediumEnki :: Tracklist
01. The Fortune Cookie Breaks (0:51)
02. In the Mourning of the Day (4:08)
03. Lying Naked (5:02)
04. Have We Given Our Way (3:25)
05. The Eagle Has Landed (3:44)
06. Take a Look Into My Eyes (4:21)
07. Little Words (1:12)
08. My Love for Enki (3:52)
09. Building a Saviour (4:39)
10. Due to Us (5:25)
11. Recreate (3:50)
12. Reprise (0:57)
Total time: 42 minutes
Lorin Richards’ site.

Please excuse my newfound interest in blogvertising – it not only helps pay the bills (believe me I really need the dosh for something special), but is also fun to do! However, before you throw your hands in the air in Despair, please note I am just getting prepped to do some of the more regular blogging that you are looking for. First up there are the indy nights that will be updated for Clubs Chop and Urga and possibly a more Goth event or three to be included. Then there are the reviews – I just got a couple of CDs from the states that I will listen to closely and I’ll check my JGoth CD pile for good measure.

Cheers,

Igor

[Gothy-alternative - Live] Toge Toge Tokagee is an art-pub style event mixing a range of bands and performances that you might not have seen at other Goth events in Tokyo. Along with the live shows there are various art exhibits in the lower labyrinthine level of Head Power.

Upcoming events

When: Friday, February 29 2008
Open: 18:00 :: Start: 18:30
Where: Head Power Shinjuku (nr. Shinjuku stn.)
Address: B1, 1-34-13 Shinjuku Shinjuku-ku Tokyo 166-0002 :: Map
Tel: 03-3354-7727
Live: JacKpoT, Shingguapoura, MOMOKA, あかしお, あめんくち, 桜華
Exhibition: Beco., SISTER ROSE, 仔鹿
Price: 2,000 yen adv. :: 2,300 yen @ door

Completed Events

When: Friday, January 25 2008
Open: 18:00 :: Start: 18:30
Where: Head Power Shinjuku (nr. Shinjuku stn.)
Address: B1, 1-34-13 Shinjuku Shinjuku-ku Tokyo 166-0002 :: Map
Tel: 03-3354-7727
Live: Suicide Ali, Jackpot, Ruce, Lady Cameilia, Anheling, Shingguapoura
Exhibition: BEASTACTION and others.
Price: 2,000 yen adv. :: 2,300 yen @ door

[Industrial, noise and other loud styles!] You lucky Osakans. DJ Taiki unleashes hell from all across Japan for this very special event. Live acts include crashing, crushing digitized noise with Corrupted, Demonoid 13, Despair, Uterozzzaaa and Rudolf Eb.er’s. They will be accompanied by DJ’s Taiki & Lucien and there will be fortune telling and shop booths.

Omen of Evil ’08
When: February 9
Where: Club Sunsui Osaka
Address: B1F 1-12-20 Higashi ShinsaiBashi Chuo-ku Osaka, Tokyo :: 〒 542-0083 大阪市中央区東心斎橋1-12-20 心斎橋シキシマビル B1F Map
Tel: 03-5439-9199
Live: Corrupted, Demonoid 13 (Nagoya), Despair (Tokyo), Uterozzzaaa and Rudolf Eb.er’s.
DJ’s: Taiki, Lucien, Bonzin
Shop booths: Territory, Dorbermann, Band Goods
Open: 20:00 ~ 06:00
Price: 2,000 yen Advance :: 2,500 yen @ Door


 

Omen of Evil Back

[Electrock on steroids] Oh Lordy. Featuring super heavy loud sound projects Scorpions Death Rock and Akira Death, along with heavy industrial rock units Sino Re-Build Projects and Destruct System, this promises to be a big night for extreme sound! Also included are Japanese Babies and Amp Char War, whom I would guess like it loud too.

機械爆裂 -Machine Explosion 02
When: February 3 (Sunday)
Where: Shibuya Cyclone
Address: Kokusai Bldg. B2F Udagawa-cho13-16 Shibuya-ku, Tokyo :: 150-0042 東京都渋谷区宇多川町13-16
国際ビルA館B2 :: Map
Tel: 03-3463-0069
Live: Destruct System, Sino Re-build Projects, Japanese Babies, Scorpions Death Rock, Akira Death and Amp Char War
Open: 18:00 :: Start 18:30
Price: 1,500 yen Advance or with flyer :: 1,800 yen @ Door

Alamode Night[Goth Live, DJ & More!] Alamode nights have changed from a Gothic-Lolita affair to a more Goth fusion event. It has a nice mix of cyber, GL, industrial and more going on with live acts, DJ’d music, performances and more! The April show includes GPKISM!

Alamode Night 30
When: February 10
Where: Studio Cube 326
Address: 3-2-6, Tamachi, Minato-ku, Tokyo :: 108-0002 東京都港区海岸3-2-6 :: Map
Tel: 03-5439-9199
Live: The Royal Dead, Sawdust in Me,
DJ’s: Takuya Angel, Sisen and Lim
Macabre Theater: Rose de Reficul et Guiggles
Open: 16:30
Price: 3,000 yen Advance or with flyer :: 3,500 yen @ Door

Alamode Night 31
When: April 13
Where: Studio Cube 326
Address: 3-2-6, Tamachi, Minato-ku, Tokyo :: 108-0002 東京都港区海岸3-2-6 :: Map
Tel: 03-5439-9199
Special Live: GPKISM from Australia
Live: Blood, Candy Spooky Theatre, Marlee
DJ’s: Takuya Angel, Sisen and Lim
Macabre Theater: Rose de Reficul et Guiggles
Open: 16:30
Price: 3,000 yen Advance or with flyer :: 3,500 yen @ Door

February Flyer

Alamode Night

April Flyer

Alamode Night

[Goth/Industrial Live] Featuring cyber-goths Psydoll, tactical industrialists 2Bullet and wickedly cool Sawdust in Me this promises to be one helluva night. They will be joined by Gregor Samsa and Re:Del. The event starts early so you should expect an extended night of La Machinerie (yeah, I’m a Psycho Bitch fan!).

Incidentally, if you have not done so already, 2Bullet has released its new EP, Anarchism, for free download online, just Go here to hear their latest material – it rocks.

Machinery Heaven Vol.2
When: February 9 (Saturday)
Where: Urga Shinjuku
Address: Address: B1, 2-42-16, Kabuki-cho, Shinjuku, Tokyo :: 東京都新宿区歌舞伎町2-42-16 B1F :: Google Map
Tel: 03-5287-3390
Live: Psydoll, 2Bullet, Sawdust in Me, Gregor Samsa and Re:Del
Open: 16:00 :: Start: 17:00
Price: 2,000 yen adv. :: 2,500 yen @ door

According to the Destruct System Web site they have been recording a full album with new track due out this Summer. It’s early days yet, but I look forward to hearing a complete album from this band.

The band has five samples and one full recording available in MP3 format on the site (just click on sounds).

Royal Dead :: LycanthropeThe Royal Dead (ex. Phantasmagoria) released this Maxi-single CD way back in 2005 (and there’s a new full album out now so this review is behind the times!). The Maxi-single CD contains five tracks, but it is more like a three-track single CD with a prologue and epilogue added in. It is a concept mini-album focusing the music and lyrics around the lycanthropy – the ability to change into a werewolf and such (no kidding, I hear you say). The prologue and epilogue are more short thematic refrains than songs in themselves. I noticed some glitched sounds in the epilogue, but apart from that this album is a crisply-recorded, dark, dancable piece of electronicka.

The three main tracks, Howling, Fortune and Lycanthrope feature prominently in DJ sets at Gothic Events in Japan reflecting their very dance-friendly up-tempo electronicka, violins and backed up by the divine vocals making for an enjoyable listening experience.

Track two, Howling, should be particularly familiar to anyone who has gone to a Goth event in Tokyo as it is the most often played of the tracks. The dancable synth melds with the siren-like vocals. Luna is another familiar track on the local Goth scene. It starts slowly, but ramps up with some strong ax-riffs before the vocals slide in harmoniously. Fortune gets less club play, perhaps due to its slow start with synth-keyboards – but drumbeats soon give the track’s tempo a kick. Once again the vocals give the track a nice eerily beautiful feel.

Overall this is a good example of dark synth-pop backed with some rocky guitar and violin work and held together by the beautiful yet despairing vocals. On the negative side I think the tiny little glitch-sounds (whether intended or not) on Epilogue were a little off-putting, but the real negative is that Lycanthrope is too short! I think there should have been at least five full-blown tracks (or a couple of remixes would have been great) to add to the listener’s experience. In final conclusion, yes I would buy it for the three main tracks alone, but I am much more excited by their new-released self-titled album with 10 tracks!

Royal Dead :: LycanthropeThe Royal Dead/Phantasmagoria :: Lycanthrope :: Track Listing
01. Prologue (1:21)
02. Howling (4:17) – Sample
03. Luna (4:58) – Sample
04. Fortune (3:33) – Sample
05. Epilogue (1:22)
Total Tim: 15:31

I am not sure where you can pick up this MCD, but you can pick up the NEW 10-track CD from Music Non Stop! That is one I plan on getting some day soon…

Sawdust in MeMortification Made Me is the debut EP from Osakan femme-driven Sawdust in Me (MySpace). Formed in 2005 Sawdust in Me is a female duo consisting of Haji (vocals and programming) and Hinowa (vocals and performance). The music is club-play ready with its combination of EBM and distorted breakbeats. However, what makes the CD special however, are the two vocalists whose diverging voices create the six vocal variants with two screaming, singing, spoken voices playing throughout the CD. An extra plus is that the work has been the re-recording and mixing by Jude from DeathWatch Asia. The combination of varied vocals and professional recording makes this CD something any club goer of J-Music lover would enjoy. Don’t be fooled by the cakes and pretty animals, that’s just a cover for the evil inside!

The first three songs, Define, Envy, My Way Out start out as straight dance floor tracks before the vocals kick in. Once the screaming begins the songs take on a more serious mien. As the two vocalists play off each other’s voice ranges, the songs become quite a deep listening experience without losing their pop-appeal. Thirteenth starts the heavy EBM beat and kicks in some radio-voiced vocals.

Substitute knocks you like a tsunami with evil bitch screams crashing down over the sound. Clever mixing of the music and vocals makes this a quite unique industrial track – almost, but not quite – as heavy as Despair. This is probably my favorite track of this EP.

The final track, Heaven, is the instrumental sign-off track featuring slow, heavy Gothic keyboards with glitch beats thrown in for added effect.

Overall, I find this CD to be a really accessible dance CD with the twin vocalists giving it a real kick as a unique piece of work, although I would have liked a couple more extended tracks going over four minutes. It is definitely worth checking out.

Sawdust in MeMortification Made Me :: Track List
01. Define (3.00) – Sample
02. Envy (3.36) – Sample
03. My Way Out (3.03)
04. Thirteenth (3.28) – Sample
05. Substitute (2.47)
06. Heaven (2.49)
Total Time: 18 minutes
Price: ¥1000 / Euro 7.00

You can find distribution on the DeathWatch Asia distribution list or simply buy direct from Music Non Stop internationally.