Oorutaichi: the future of music

[imomus]

Wonderful though some of the music I YouTubed yesterday was -- empathetic, memorable, well-crafted -- musically it was fairly backward-looking and grammatically conservative; this wasn't a selection that inspired much confidence in the idea of pop as an artform with a future. So today I thought I'd serve you up some fresh, future-facing talent and -- why not, it's been a while! -- some music emerging from the Japanese underground, stuff I find exciting and encouraging. I picked an Osaka-based "elfin wizard of digital fuckery" (thanks, Pitchfork!) who started making music in 1999 under the name of Oorutaichi.



To my surprise I discovered that several of the biographies of Oorutaichi say I've collaborated with him. He's "rubbed shoulders with Kenji Haino and Ruins, collaborated with oddball popsters Momus and Taku Hannoda, and been producing his solo take on pop since 1999," says CD Baby, while Macaroni Records assures its readers that he's "performed with domestic and international artists such as FREEFORM, MAURICE FULTON, MOMUS, KEIJI HAINO, RUINS, FUMIYA TANAKA." A bit of googling revealed that this flattering (but forgotten) "collaboration" was nothing more than a gig we played together in Kyoto on July 2nd 2003. And I actually missed Oorutaichi's set that night because some "kind" soul fed my girlfriend about seven tequilas and I found her sprawled unconscious on the floor of the toilet. She had to be taken to hospital in an ambulance.

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I would love to collaborate with Oorutaichi, though, because his music sounds new to me, now, the way Neu! and La Dusseldorf and Can and Faust probably sounded to David Bowie in 1977. Oorutaichi light-signals an eccentric but credible way pop music could get out of its tedious retro necro rut: by developing a new formal vocabulary which would make all comparisons with the past immaterial.



His first proper commercial album release, Drifting My Folklore, came out in November 2007. It reminds me of Yximalloo a bit, in the sense that it's one-man electronic ethnic music. I'm just about to write the CD booklet essay for Yximalloo's forthcoming Unpop album, and I definitely want to mention Oorutaichi, along with cohorts Shabushabu and Obakejaa. Once upon a time Yximalloo seemed very, very alone, but that's no longer the case -- which suggests to me that his time has come, or is coming soon.

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You can hear the whole of Oorutaichi's Drifting My Folklore album at Stumble Audio (though it's a site that goes down a lot). The most Yximallo-ish track is probably Beshaby. The sampling on Hamihadarigeri has a Cornelius-Fantasma or Holger Hiller feel. You can work out to Misen Gymnastics. Enjoy -- and remember, you may not be able to whistle this stuff in the bath (though it is covertly melodic), but it's a fantastic kosmische trip, an electronic guide, a harbinger, a sort of Virgil leading pop music into a place where it can stave off -- for several more decades -- its otherwise-imminent museumification. I may never collaborate with Oorutaichi, but I salute him. He's giving music a future.

1. Yori Yoyo
2. Beshaby
3. Chusan
4. Misen Gymnastics
5. Hamihadarigeri
6. Boo Shan Boo
7. Pan 1 Nonaki
8. Uiui-Mar-Chan
9. Jimaji
10. Bii!tan

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

There's another full OORUTAICHI track on last.fm - "Alone" is real extroversion HIGAN Vocal mix (http://www.lastfm.de/music/OORUTAICHI).

[drywbach.livejournal.com]

Music I mightn't have heard otherwise! It's engaging right away; in particular I like Hamihadarigeri and Jimaji on first listen.

[(Anonymous)]

Hello Nick,
I'm glad to know that you found Oorutaichi and liked him a lot.
He is one of my favorite artists too and so is his wife - YTAMO (http://www.myspace.com/ytamo) - who is also a musician and I've collaborated with her last year.

They are now doing a band called "Urichipangoon (http://www.akichirecords.com/what/discography/20080423/)" in 4 people which is getting popular in Japan since they've released a new album recently.
I love this band,too.
Enjoy the pv...

Midori H.

[imomus.livejournal.com]

That Ytamo music (http://www.myspace.com/ytamo) is really nice, thanks for the tip, Midori! Looking forward to seeing you in Berlin!

How do I get a hold of this stuff?

[hexconductionhour.blogspot.com (from livejournal.com)]

This post was sort of a revelation to me. I've been watching Obakejaa and Shabushabu and Oorutaichi videos all day. Just a couple questions: what's this genre called? And how can I get some Obakejaa albums here in the States? Thanks for the great music and blog!

looking forward to see midori h.

[rinusvanalebeek.livejournal.com]

midori hirano will perform 13th. of august at sowieso, weisestrasse 24 in berlin neukölln

she will share the evening with sufi-rockers nibble nibble kiss
and the inventor of dutch buttho dance o.d.a.l. who will play his set of neo-zentronics in a tent.

greetings from flodhavn,

rinus

P.S. Re: looking forward to see midori h.

[rinusvanalebeek.livejournal.com]

dutch buttho is only sideways releated to the original butoh,
hence the incorrect somehow butt and buttered spelling

Stumble Audio

[(Anonymous)]

Enjoyed this Nick, especially the second track 'Beshaby', however more exquisite than that was the discovery of the site Stumble Audio itself, obviously I had not stumbled upon it myself before. Perhaps I've been living a particularly dim lit cave for he last year but this is my find of the week so far.

I salute you sir!

maf

Pop obsolescence?

[(Anonymous)]

"... a sort of Virgil leading pop music into a place where it can stave off -- for several more decades -- its otherwise-imminent museumification."

Imminent, really? Have you previously explored this idea, Momus? In any case, I'd like to hear more.

-Alexei

Re: Pop obsolescence?

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Retro Necro (http://imomus.livejournal.com/255928.html)! The blog, the book, the film, the musical, and soon the museum!

[kumakouji.livejournal.com]

I think this guys stuff is fantastic, I'm a fan, but I have to disagree that he's breaking new ground.



This is a magazine called Beep - a Japanese videogame mag from the 80s. The reason I'm citing this particular magazine isn't just because the aesthetic is very similar, but because Beep used to include music with their magazines that's very similar to the stuff Okimi are releasing.

You can download some of Beep's remixes and music here (http://www.sound-test.org/search/games/Beep!%20Magazine)

[imomus.livejournal.com]

Well, those are nice mag covers and links, but I don't think Oorutaichi really sounds much like 80s computer game music. He's much more in the line of fake, cosmic, Shinto-influenced electronic ethnic music -- with family links to Boredoms, OOIOO and what I've called Matsuri-kei (http://imomus.livejournal.com/262573.html). It's a much more bohemian sound than that tight-assed, tinkling computer music.

[robinsonner.livejournal.com]

To mention Japan's Tin Drum would be too obvious wouldn't it? (and show my lack of depth in this field)
It did make me want to seek out my old Surf Champler's version of The James Bond Theme.
I want to rip this guy off - in some other field than music.

[kumakouji.livejournal.com]

In regards to the visuals, Oorutaichi is undeniably 80s retro.

In regards to his sounds, I'm not saying he's flagrantly videogamey eg. Crystal Castles (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8URy80OoptM&feature=related), its that a lot of what sets his music apart is structurally and stylistically very similar to many of the beep remixes:

random changes of rhythm (http://boomp3.com/listen/c0etoaete_4/namco-classic)
low tech samples (http://boomp3.com/listen/c0etunhzq_5/quartet-stage)
eccentric, odd beat patterns (http://boomp3.com/listen/c0eu5nwo2_x/death-adder)

(click link for streaming samples)

[kumakouji.livejournal.com]

I've just listened to the entire Drifting my Folklore album, and I take back what I said because I'm having problems pigeoning holeing him. I'd only listened to beshaby before, and a lot of his tracks differ substaintially from that one.

[imomus.livejournal.com]

An honest climbdown, gov'nor, I tip my plastic hat to you!

[robinsonner.livejournal.com]

Lovely but the Old Rugged Cross coming on after track one was a bit much for my psyche!

[drywbach.livejournal.com]

Strange, that. A lady called Andrea Esquivel came on after track 1 for me and started singing a c&w song about the Crucifixion. (I made a cup of tea and my psyche was fine after that!)

[imomus.livejournal.com]

That's the concept of Stumble Audio -- you stumble on unexpected audio. Everything that came up for me after the Oorutaichi tracks was so godawful that it made Drifting My Folklore shine even more.

[robinsonner.livejournal.com]

I could say something's afoot but that would be obvious.
Someone told me Michael Jackson is recording some Robert Burns song.
I typoed a reply too fast and said , "that's like Joe Meek recoding raveyards".

[drywbach.livejournal.com]

No typo -- you must have been channelling a message from Joe Meek himself!

Much as I like Robert Burns, I think I'd sooner listen to the graveyard tapes than MJ's take on Tam O'Shanter. Mind you, they could bring on the dancing zombies for that...

[deadbatteries.livejournal.com]

http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2007/03/hard_marchen_in.html

http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2007/03/hard_marchen_in.html

[pay-option07.livejournal.com]

Listened to Jimaji and it felt like Bollywood House music.

Re: http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2007/03/hard_marchen_in.html

[deadbatteries.livejournal.com]

excuse me

Re: http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2007/03/hard_marchen_in.html

[(Anonymous)]

beat making software (http://mybeatmakingsoftware.net)

[inquirehaeq.livejournal.com]

Oorutaichi began recording and performing in 1999, inspired by The Residents
miscs (http://abritersdo.info)

[(Anonymous)]

A great example of ‘Matsuri-kei’, thanks for the tip, Mr. Momus. I like the linguistic and historiographic concepts you've used to frame the music, as well.

Reply

[(Anonymous)]

Wow, really great songs!

http://www.brigitte-mode.com/silbermond

Oorutaichi and others live in Cologne/Germany

[(Anonymous)]

hi,

maybe readers are interested in

Oorutaichi and others live in Cologne/Germany
Nov 10th 2009, Stadtgarten

http://a-musik.blogspot.com/2009/10/outa-japan-tokyoosaka-discovery.html

plus a mix with a lot of tracks by Oorutaichi, Obakejaa, DJ Shabushabu, Doddodo, Illreme and others

http://soundcloud.com/entenpfuhl/westjapan-mix

thanks

f.d.