We like Minamo over here, and Urban Guild is a lovely room.

■2/8(fri)-2/9(sat)
guild-minamo tour in Kansai-

day1:Kyoto
2013/02/08(fri)
at UrBANGUILD

act:minamo(12k/room40)/

ASUNA(ao to ao)+Sonir(Yuta Uozumi aka SjQ)
Té (Australia)/Cycle~ 440(Australia) and more

support:night cruising
—-
day2:Kobe
2013/02/09(sat)
at space eauuu

act:minamo(12k/room40)/
ASUNA(ao to ao)+Takahiro Yamamoto(ex.BusRatch)
Sonir(Yuta Uozumi aka SjQ) / Polar M / cogito

support:space eauuu

more info:TBA 

(via sukima inudustries: NEWS)

12k Japan Tour: Illuha  || Simon Scott || Taylor Deupree || Marcus Fischer in Kyoto.
New camera, trying to figure out it’s quirks  - the menu, settings and such are all in Japanese, recently searched and downloaded the English manual from the interwebs- so the shots aren’t that great, but still- it compensates nicely for next-to-zero light.
The first night was a proper concert, the second was an impromptu recording session where anyone from the previous evening was invited to come watch for free. While the first night was a genuine pleasure - each artist doing their drift, night two moved more naturally. The lack of a formal pay-at-the-door-here’s-the-bar-here’s-the-merch-table gig vibe made it looser, and the group improv displayed more crackle between the artists. The atmosphere was quieter- maybe only seven people in attendance- and being in Kinse, a warm and comfortable 200-year-old ryokan made it feel like a mellow party in someone’s living room.  I met some good people, the artists were friendly and approachable (always a plus), I bought some new music - Simon Scott’s Below Sea Level comes highly recommended- overall, a lovely two nights. 12k Japan Tour: Illuha  || Simon Scott || Taylor Deupree || Marcus Fischer in Kyoto.
New camera, trying to figure out it’s quirks  - the menu, settings and such are all in Japanese, recently searched and downloaded the English manual from the interwebs- so the shots aren’t that great, but still- it compensates nicely for next-to-zero light.
The first night was a proper concert, the second was an impromptu recording session where anyone from the previous evening was invited to come watch for free. While the first night was a genuine pleasure - each artist doing their drift, night two moved more naturally. The lack of a formal pay-at-the-door-here’s-the-bar-here’s-the-merch-table gig vibe made it looser, and the group improv displayed more crackle between the artists. The atmosphere was quieter- maybe only seven people in attendance- and being in Kinse, a warm and comfortable 200-year-old ryokan made it feel like a mellow party in someone’s living room.  I met some good people, the artists were friendly and approachable (always a plus), I bought some new music - Simon Scott’s Below Sea Level comes highly recommended- overall, a lovely two nights. 12k Japan Tour: Illuha  || Simon Scott || Taylor Deupree || Marcus Fischer in Kyoto.
New camera, trying to figure out it’s quirks  - the menu, settings and such are all in Japanese, recently searched and downloaded the English manual from the interwebs- so the shots aren’t that great, but still- it compensates nicely for next-to-zero light.
The first night was a proper concert, the second was an impromptu recording session where anyone from the previous evening was invited to come watch for free. While the first night was a genuine pleasure - each artist doing their drift, night two moved more naturally. The lack of a formal pay-at-the-door-here’s-the-bar-here’s-the-merch-table gig vibe made it looser, and the group improv displayed more crackle between the artists. The atmosphere was quieter- maybe only seven people in attendance- and being in Kinse, a warm and comfortable 200-year-old ryokan made it feel like a mellow party in someone’s living room.  I met some good people, the artists were friendly and approachable (always a plus), I bought some new music - Simon Scott’s Below Sea Level comes highly recommended- overall, a lovely two nights. 12k Japan Tour: Illuha  || Simon Scott || Taylor Deupree || Marcus Fischer in Kyoto.
New camera, trying to figure out it’s quirks  - the menu, settings and such are all in Japanese, recently searched and downloaded the English manual from the interwebs- so the shots aren’t that great, but still- it compensates nicely for next-to-zero light.
The first night was a proper concert, the second was an impromptu recording session where anyone from the previous evening was invited to come watch for free. While the first night was a genuine pleasure - each artist doing their drift, night two moved more naturally. The lack of a formal pay-at-the-door-here’s-the-bar-here’s-the-merch-table gig vibe made it looser, and the group improv displayed more crackle between the artists. The atmosphere was quieter- maybe only seven people in attendance- and being in Kinse, a warm and comfortable 200-year-old ryokan made it feel like a mellow party in someone’s living room.  I met some good people, the artists were friendly and approachable (always a plus), I bought some new music - Simon Scott’s Below Sea Level comes highly recommended- overall, a lovely two nights. 12k Japan Tour: Illuha  || Simon Scott || Taylor Deupree || Marcus Fischer in Kyoto.
New camera, trying to figure out it’s quirks  - the menu, settings and such are all in Japanese, recently searched and downloaded the English manual from the interwebs- so the shots aren’t that great, but still- it compensates nicely for next-to-zero light.
The first night was a proper concert, the second was an impromptu recording session where anyone from the previous evening was invited to come watch for free. While the first night was a genuine pleasure - each artist doing their drift, night two moved more naturally. The lack of a formal pay-at-the-door-here’s-the-bar-here’s-the-merch-table gig vibe made it looser, and the group improv displayed more crackle between the artists. The atmosphere was quieter- maybe only seven people in attendance- and being in Kinse, a warm and comfortable 200-year-old ryokan made it feel like a mellow party in someone’s living room.  I met some good people, the artists were friendly and approachable (always a plus), I bought some new music - Simon Scott’s Below Sea Level comes highly recommended- overall, a lovely two nights. 12k Japan Tour: Illuha  || Simon Scott || Taylor Deupree || Marcus Fischer in Kyoto.
New camera, trying to figure out it’s quirks  - the menu, settings and such are all in Japanese, recently searched and downloaded the English manual from the interwebs- so the shots aren’t that great, but still- it compensates nicely for next-to-zero light.
The first night was a proper concert, the second was an impromptu recording session where anyone from the previous evening was invited to come watch for free. While the first night was a genuine pleasure - each artist doing their drift, night two moved more naturally. The lack of a formal pay-at-the-door-here’s-the-bar-here’s-the-merch-table gig vibe made it looser, and the group improv displayed more crackle between the artists. The atmosphere was quieter- maybe only seven people in attendance- and being in Kinse, a warm and comfortable 200-year-old ryokan made it feel like a mellow party in someone’s living room.  I met some good people, the artists were friendly and approachable (always a plus), I bought some new music - Simon Scott’s Below Sea Level comes highly recommended- overall, a lovely two nights. 12k Japan Tour: Illuha  || Simon Scott || Taylor Deupree || Marcus Fischer in Kyoto.
New camera, trying to figure out it’s quirks  - the menu, settings and such are all in Japanese, recently searched and downloaded the English manual from the interwebs- so the shots aren’t that great, but still- it compensates nicely for next-to-zero light.
The first night was a proper concert, the second was an impromptu recording session where anyone from the previous evening was invited to come watch for free. While the first night was a genuine pleasure - each artist doing their drift, night two moved more naturally. The lack of a formal pay-at-the-door-here’s-the-bar-here’s-the-merch-table gig vibe made it looser, and the group improv displayed more crackle between the artists. The atmosphere was quieter- maybe only seven people in attendance- and being in Kinse, a warm and comfortable 200-year-old ryokan made it feel like a mellow party in someone’s living room.  I met some good people, the artists were friendly and approachable (always a plus), I bought some new music - Simon Scott’s Below Sea Level comes highly recommended- overall, a lovely two nights. 12k Japan Tour: Illuha  || Simon Scott || Taylor Deupree || Marcus Fischer in Kyoto.
New camera, trying to figure out it’s quirks  - the menu, settings and such are all in Japanese, recently searched and downloaded the English manual from the interwebs- so the shots aren’t that great, but still- it compensates nicely for next-to-zero light.
The first night was a proper concert, the second was an impromptu recording session where anyone from the previous evening was invited to come watch for free. While the first night was a genuine pleasure - each artist doing their drift, night two moved more naturally. The lack of a formal pay-at-the-door-here’s-the-bar-here’s-the-merch-table gig vibe made it looser, and the group improv displayed more crackle between the artists. The atmosphere was quieter- maybe only seven people in attendance- and being in Kinse, a warm and comfortable 200-year-old ryokan made it feel like a mellow party in someone’s living room.  I met some good people, the artists were friendly and approachable (always a plus), I bought some new music - Simon Scott’s Below Sea Level comes highly recommended- overall, a lovely two nights.

12k Japan Tour: Illuha  || Simon Scott || Taylor Deupree || Marcus Fischer in Kyoto.

New camera, trying to figure out it’s quirks  - the menu, settings and such are all in Japanese, recently searched and downloaded the English manual from the interwebs- so the shots aren’t that great, but still- it compensates nicely for next-to-zero light.

The first night was a proper concert, the second was an impromptu recording session where anyone from the previous evening was invited to come watch for free. While the first night was a genuine pleasure - each artist doing their drift, night two moved more naturally. The lack of a formal pay-at-the-door-here’s-the-bar-here’s-the-merch-table gig vibe made it looser, and the group improv displayed more crackle between the artists. The atmosphere was quieter- maybe only seven people in attendance- and being in Kinse, a warm and comfortable 200-year-old ryokan made it feel like a mellow party in someone’s living room.  I met some good people, the artists were friendly and approachable (always a plus), I bought some new music - Simon Scott’s Below Sea Level comes highly recommended- overall, a lovely two nights.

Simon Scott - _Sealevel.7

Simon Scott’s set was one of the highlights of Sunday’s 12k show in Kyoto.

Last night: Crys Cole, Jim O’Rourke & Oren Ambarchi at Urban Guild, Kyoto. Last night: Crys Cole, Jim O’Rourke & Oren Ambarchi at Urban Guild, Kyoto.

Last night: Crys Cole, Jim O’Rourke & Oren Ambarchi at Urban Guild, Kyoto.

Raster Noton 15th Anniversary Japan Tour.Club Metro, Kyoto.
Pics = kinda meh, but whaddya want from a little Sony Cybershot? Raster Noton 15th Anniversary Japan Tour.Club Metro, Kyoto.
Pics = kinda meh, but whaddya want from a little Sony Cybershot? Raster Noton 15th Anniversary Japan Tour.Club Metro, Kyoto.
Pics = kinda meh, but whaddya want from a little Sony Cybershot? Raster Noton 15th Anniversary Japan Tour.Club Metro, Kyoto.
Pics = kinda meh, but whaddya want from a little Sony Cybershot?

Raster Noton 15th Anniversary Japan Tour.
Club Metro, Kyoto.

Pics = kinda meh, but whaddya want from a little Sony Cybershot?

\\Hoooo boy, I. Am. Wiped.
8am Japan time. Been up for 24 hours, but worth it. Just got back from Raster-Noton show in Kyoto…. Metro is a great little club, and haven’t been to Kyoto for a while. Lovely city.

 In short: AGF= interesting textures and snippets of speech, but a little too self-consciously performance-arty and poetic. Still pleasant to experience bodily on a huge soundsystem.  Conversely, French language/sound poet Anne-James Chaton’s set was intense: reading strings of data from world events in monotone baritone in time with concussive clusters of sampled voice. His latest album, Evenements 09 is shortlisted for the “Best of 2011” list….  Vladislav Delay= a little disappointing. Always great for home listening (Huone is a perennial fave), but his ambient textural drift seemed unfocussed. While not a fan of his recorded output beyond his collabo with Noriko Tujiko, in the live setting, Aoki Takamasa was delightfully funky. Alva Noto delivered by doing Alva Noto- my first time seeing him and it was absolutely compelling.  Good rock’nroll.  And Byetone crushed it. Surprised? Not at all.  Fan? Me? Not at all.

The highlight of the night was also the most surprising, where as a finale before the DJ’s started (at 5am!) Noto and Byetone broke from their press-kit roles as serious, cerebral and austere artists and in lieu of an encore, threw down an impromptu DJ set, messily weaving grime, dubstep, straight-up house, that Michael Jackson/Residents mashup, into James Brown and into 80s territory with Madonna, Joy Division and Visage.  It was a full-on drunken dance party with the pair chainsmoking, doing shots and clowning on stage with the crowd responding in kind. There’s video of that to come, and it was the most fun I’ve had in a long while. 

Best show of the year.