The Janitor From Mars
hosted by R. Lim
[JFM Home][Playlists][Music][Kurihara][Links][Images]
2004 Marathon Headquarters
Welcome to the Janitor From Mars 2004 Marathon Headquarters at WFMU. If you aren't familiar with the station, the fund-raising process, or how the premium ties in with either, please visit the WFMU Marathon page and the DJ premium page to find out more.
This year, we are pleased to announce Twenty Years / One Second, the 2004 JFM premium CD. Picking up where last year's Stop the Clock left off, this year's premium expands its contemporary offerings to a full 68 minutes. As with the 2003 premium, the sheer diversity of today's Japanese underground is fully on display, with contributions that run the gamut from minimal improvisation to freaked-out jams and from guitar & laptop melancholia to good old-fashioned rock & roll.
Included below is a copy of the CD's liner notes.
- Peace Frog and His Familiar Footprints - "Blond Sun"
- Miminokoto - "Wasureta" (live at WFMU)
- Port Cuss - "Bind Our Love"
- Mond'rien - "5-6-7"
- Doodles - "Look at the Sandy Water"
- Hisato Higuchi - "ghost.ghosts"
- Ikuro Takahashi - "Drums Solo" (excerpt)
- Tetuzi Akiyama / Toshimaru Nakamura - live at WFMU (excerpt)
- Suzuki-Nagakubo-Morohashi - "te o furu you"
- Mandog - "The Curved Moon"
- (bonus track)
"'Blond Sun' is a track from a project structured around the didjeridu. It's quite a departure from the music I've been doing with L, my band for the past 15 years, but a direction that's very important to me and one I will continue to pursue. I play almost all the instruments on Peace Frog, with help from friends on several songs" - Hiroyuki Usui
This track is previously unreleased.
Contact Hiroyuki Usui via his website.
Back to the top
The year 2003 was a busy one for this Tokyo-based trio, whom you may remember from the 2003 Janitor From Mars premium. Not only did they release two albums, but they also embarked on a whirlwind tour of the United States. Somehow, they managed to find some time to stop by and record a live session at WFMU, from which this track is taken. The original version can be found on Miminokoto 2; the entire set is archived here.
Engineered by Gil Shuster.
Contact Miminokoto via the website for Kawaguchi's Purifiva label.
Back to the top
Himeji-based songwriter/guitarist Hiroshi Nar's profile has recently exploded, after more than thirty years of solo performance and stints with bands such as Les Rallizes Denudes and Zunou Keisatsu. Port Cuss is one his many extant groups, several of which are documented by the Hello Good-bye label on a series of 3" CD-Rs.
Taken from the Hoo Hoo Hoo CD-R on Yona Beat, 2003.
Contact Hiroshi Nar via Ken Tsukamoto's Hello Good-bye label.
Back to the top
Mond'rien was formed in 2000 by Hayato Nobuoka (formerly of Construction) to pursue his vision of minimalist-influenced rock music. Their various activities have included an outdoor rave, collaborations with theater groups and playing as part of the Damo Suzuki Network. So far, Mond'rien have released 3 CD-Rs.
This track is previously unreleased.
Contact Mond'rien via their website.
Back to the top
Although closely associated with LSD March and Miminokoto, the Tokyo duo of Akiko Terashima and Nao Shibata may have more in common with the underground music created by their Pacific Rim neighbors in New Zealand. This shambolic selection exemplifies their intuitive grasp of the roughened corners of pop music.
Taken from their self-titled CD-R, 2003.
Contact Doodles via their website.
Back to the top
Aichi-born Hisato Higuchi first embarked on his artistic travels as a puppeteer for a theater company. In 1999, he started creating music in his home studio and eventually released his debut CD in 2003. He has recently resumed performing in public and has completed a track for the Tokyo Flashback 5 compilation, to be released on PSF Records.
Taken from the She CD on Ghost Disc, 2003.
Contact Hisato Higuchi via his website.
Back to the top
Ikuro Takahashi has a storied career in the Japanese rock underground dating back to the late seventies. Currently the drummer for LSD March, his primary focus is a collaboration with dancer Yoko Muronoi, entitled Anoyo no dekigoto (An Occurence of the World Beyond). This track is an excerpt from a live studio performance.
Excerpted from the Drums Solo CD-R on Aura Obscura, 2003.
Contact Ikuro Takahashi via his website.
Back to the top
Tetuzi Akiyama (guitar) and Toshimaru Nakamura (no-input mixing board) are known individually for their masterful improvisations and collectively as the hosts of "Meeting at Off Site," a monthly concert series in Tokyo. This is an excerpt from a session at WFMU, perhaps their first public appearance as a duo. The full performance can be heard in archive.
Engineered by Gil Shuster.
This track is previously unreleased.
Contact Tetuzi Akiyama and Toshimaru Nakamura via their respective pages on the Improvised Music From Japan site.
Back to the top
Songwriter/guitarist Junzo Suzuki is prominent as the organizer of Plunk's Plan, a series of events at the Penguin House in Tokyo. He also performs solo, as well as in a trio with Ryuichi Nagakubo (C.C.C.C, Tangerine Dream Syndicate, etc) and Shigeki Morohashi (Uchu Engine, Plugged Ear).
Taken from the August.15.2002 CD-R on Plunk's Plan, 2003.
Contact Junzo Suzuki via his BBS.
Back to the top
Guitarist Keiichi Miyashita is another familiar face from last year, having graced us with his presence in the WFMU studios and contributed to the 2003 premium. While these appearances highlighted his solo abilities, his style of instant composing reaches peaks of psychedelic mayhem in a group context. This performance features his trio with Yasunori Kubo (drums) and Kikuko Nakajima (oscillator), and was recorded in early 2003.
This track is previously unreleased.
Contact Keiichi Miyashita via his website.
Back to the top
Acknowledgements
Compiled by R. Lim for The Janitor From Mars
Thanks to all of the listeners, the bands who contributed their work to this compilation and everyone who has supported this show.
Without whom: Keiichi Miyashita, Masami Kawaguchi, Yuri, Brian, Alan,
all of the staff and engineers at WFMU and of course, Zee
Please consider this CD-R as a small thank you for helping to allow WFMU to continue to operate.
[JFM Home][Playlists][Music][Kurihara][Links][Images]
[WFMU Home]
last modified: May 5, 2004