Otomo Yoshihide

One of if not the most adventurous of sound creators within the Tokyo music scene since the mid-eighties is Otomo Yoshihide, turntable and guitar player. From a melting and forging process of sound, he weaves entirely new worlds of explosive possibility from this mixture upon which he continues to expand.

Apart from solo work, his personally led projects include Ground Zero, which explores the construction of energy music based on improvisation; the colourful action painting-like Celluloid Machine Gun, described the “Hong Kong movie created from sound”, and the Double Unit Orchestra, which he conducts as if the two sections of musicians were two of his own turntables.

Among various support work, he has participated notably in Christian Marclay’s 100 turntables Orchestra, Mokigami Koichi’s transcendental-pop project, Peril with Australian drummer/sound artist Tony Buck, and is also known for collaborations with John Zorn, Fred Frith, Peter Br?tzman, Yamatsuka Eye, Chino Syuichi and David Moss. Added to this list should be his production work on numerous CD’s and concerts, his sound tracks for film and television, theatre and dance performances, and recently, even architecture. This artist knows no bounds to his versatility, imagination or energy.

Perhaps most important of this unique artist’s characteristics is his sharp focus upon his home ground of Asia. In contrast to other prominent Japanese creators, this is one musician who does not seek refuge in the West where the alternative music scene is much more developed and hence receives more sympathy. Underlying his work is the determination to spark light to the Asian scene and make it just as powerful as its Western counterpart in its own way. And, with the help of a few others like him, watch. He will do it.