Tuesday 3 December 2019, 7.30pm
“This is dream pop from another realm entirely” – The Skinny on Yama Warashi
Yama Warashi is the vision of Yoshino Shigihara, a Japanese musician and visual artist. Inspired by Japanese folk dance, free jazz and tribal African music, and heavily saturated in psychedelia, Yama Warashi’s songs are lyrically outlandish and charming, melodically addictive and mythical; the name translates from Shigihara’s native tongue as “small childlike mountain spirit”.
Enriched by the kaleidoscopic influence of Japanese folk dance, free jazz, African music and psychedelia, Shigihara illustrates the ever-evolving qualities of Yama Warashi on her new mini album ‘At My Mother’s Piano’, crafting exquisite, improvisational solo piano works interlaced with vivid field recordings, inspired by a trip back to her family home in Japan in 2024.
A divine band of Freak musicians summoned by an Ainu in disguise create a new surreal and hypnotic music full of strange exotic beauty, with tales of ancient spirits and enchanted Earth, mixing traditional Japanese music and Shinto sounds, Eleki style guitars, pulsing rhythms and modern psychedelia. With Kina Suttsu, Space explorer from the Jyomon world (voice, sax, guitar) Phil MFU (guitar, synth) E-da Kazuhisa (drums) Susumu Mukai (bass)
https://navu-nv.jimdosite.com/
Ruth Goller’s ‘Skylla’ shines a long-awaited light on one of the most important musicians to have driven and revolutionised the UK jazz and improv scenes over the last 16 years. The bassist, vocalist, composer, environmentalist and now solo artist, draws inspiration from deep within to create a stunningly original and beautiful piece of work.
‘Skylla’ takes inspirations from Bulgarian folk song, via free jazz, 'Joyce', and the Italian Alps from where Ruth hails - with bewitching compositions featuring bass guitar harmonics in different tuning systems sparkling underneath other-worldly polyphonic songs.
"It's eerily compelling, fearlessly personal music, lying somewhere between O Superman-era Laurie Anderson and a crunching, boldy-retuned Derek Bailey-esque reinvention of the bass guitar." John Fordham, The Guardian
"It's kinda like a cross between Derek Bailey and Arthur Russell, and it's just really really beautiful" Zakia Sewell, BBC 6 Music
"We're gonna inhale, we're gonna exhale, and we're gonna step into the sunshine" Jamz Supernova, BBC 6 Music
“Very close, intimate sound.. so close and so tactile that you can feel the music stroking you on the shoulder” Corey Mwamba, BBC Radio 3
