Sunday 5 April 2015, 8pm
Debut OTO show for Japanese guitarist and songwriter Hisato Higuchi, whose from dreamy fuzz-drenched hazes and lo-fi distorted tones, to clear-as-a-bell folk melodies, whilst always creating an ethereal levity all their own.
“Tokyo-based musician Hisato Higuchi assembles pedaling shapes of wraithlike guitar; blasted, genderless vocals; and thin films of digital electronics and fuzz. On guitar he plays blues as oratonical as Loren Mazzacane Connors, moving from chords that sing like guts of pianos through slouched single notes, propping up song forms as nod-out beautiful as anything conceived by Kendra Smith and David Roback.” – The WIRE
Support comes from guitarist Jon Collin, who crafts acoustic string improvs of great abstraction, clanger and depth, recalling a certain vibe that Loren Connors once called his own, although there's no aping here.
“Higuchi’s compositions are centered around electric guitar and soft vocal flourishes that take shape with ease. (…) The guitar work is highly textural and minimal, and the tonal shifts from track to track give an indication of Haguchi’s attention to detail. The playing here is some sort of washed-out, sustained blues that is always spacious and never hurried.” – Digitalis Recordings
Jon Collin makes music, sound and art using stringed instruments, long tones, found objects, field recordings, anxiety and friction. His recorded practice is based around interactions with the world through recordings made in non-studio locations. He has released records on e.g. Discreet Music (Sweden), Feeding Tube Records (USA) and DDS (UK). His collaborative work includes three LPs with Demdike Stare, releases of live collaborations with Bill Nace and Sarah Hughes, and an upcoming trio record with Troth on A Colourful Storm (Australia). He runs the record label Early Music and ran the tape label project Winebox Press.
