The Tokyo Concert Experience

Dub and the ECM sound are a perfect match. Dub’s austere but resounding presence of a steady drum and bass backbone, along with dashes of echo and reverb is not unlike the ECM style jazz. They both strive for the same ethereal otherworldly atmosphere. It makes sense for three of the most distinctive artists of these genres to collaborate. As much as they are perfect examples for each, they are creative individuals that define the preconceived notions of dub and the ECM sound. Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare, Sly & Robbie , not only were present during reggae’s transition from roots to dancehall, they were among the architects. In their productions they added layers of synthesizers on top of Simmons drums, shaping the sound of reggae to come as heard in Black Uhuru, Gregory Isaacs and Ini Kamoze. Their influence and radical reshaping of Jamaican music turned into collaborations with artists in other genres as well. Serge Gainsbourg, Grace Jones and Bob Dylan, among others

Inside the venue the curtains were shut. The stage was empty. In the middle of the floor, surrounded by cushions for people to sit, there was a set up that included a couple of mixing boards, a gong, lots of different types of drumsticks, brushes and mallets, a bow and, wrapped in an orange cloth, a zither. This modified autoharp hypnotic sound became the stuff of legends with the release of Days of Radiance , the third album in the Brian Eno ambient series. It infused psychedelia to the unobtrusive ambient concept, in what it’s probably the best album of the series. The mastermind of that one and many other recordings, Laraaji , visited Japan for a series of shows in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. This one, the first of those dates, was billed as Balearic Park, a night that gathered a number of fellow minded musicians and sound explorers. Walking into the venue we were welcomed by Chee Shimizu , who was setting up the mood for the evening behind the turntables. The mood was

You know that moment at a concert when, after the musicians walked onto stage, a short intro is played and suddenly there’s that music note that marks the start of the show. All of a sudden the crowd goes nuts, and you can hear “woos!” coming from different parts of the theater. We had that moment at this show, and that note was played by a harpsichord. The harpsichord was used in operas during the baroque era and a little bit beyond that, to accompany recitatives. Those sections between the big numbers, or arias, in which the singer deliver his or her lines in a half-sung, half-spoken way. From the musical perspective recitatives are insignificant compared to the importance of arias. They are used, paradoxically, to advance the plot, to tell the story. From a narrative point of view they are essential. These type of contradictions exist in the harpsichord itself. Once a symbol of opulence, it’s now as obsolete as it could possibly be. Oneohtrix Point Never embraces the

“Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated”. That’s what John Lydon said at the end of the last Sex Pistols show before walking out of the stage. That quote resonates to this day in many other contexts as a statement of intent from an ideological point of view (skepticism, nihilism, punk, etc.) But on this night it applied to its original environment: the rock show. It was my first time in over twenty years going to concerts that I saw a headliner playing a 40 minutes set. I knew something was off the minute I walked into the place and saw those overpriced t-shirts at the merch table. Then I went to grab a beer and was informed by an unusually rude bartender that this shitty venue charges ¥100 on top of the drink ticket everyone needs to buy at the door, first time I’ve ever seen that. But the scam was just starting. The first band was Violent Magic Orchestra, VMO. Their set started with images projected on the screen behind them telling the story of a group of aliens that

Reggae singing and crooning seem to be worlds apart. Crooning is associated with vibrato, slight variations of pitch used to accentuate phrases. While reggae relies more on tremolo, volume alterations. Putting technical aspects aside, the lone man backed by a full orchestra and the one with a roots four piece behind him don’t seem to have many things in common. But music is not an exact science. If Sid Vicious covered Sinatra and Johnny Cash covered Marley with excellent results (especially Cash), anything is game. I always thought that Ken Boothe embodied both worlds. I’ve seen pictures of him performing wearing a tuxedo and, as far as I know, the man never sported dreads. His songs, for the most part are about falling in and out of love. His biggest hit is a cover of the soft rock band Bread and he sings with a bravado not quite common in reggae  But make no mistake, Boothe is no softie, he’s a roots man to the core and once again proved it at the Tokyo stop of his tour.