日本語 ｜ ENGLISH
Using turntable, guitar, electronics and so on, musician/composer Otomo Yoshihide continually pursues radical approaches to music in a variety of fields--from free jazz, free improvisation, noise and electronic music to movie soundtracks and pop. His wideranging work as the leader of bands such as ONJO, Invisible Songs, and FEN, and as a participant in numerous projects including Filament, Joy Heights, and Kahimi Karie's band, is highly praised inside and outside Japan.
In recent years Otomo has been collaborating with visual artists as well as artists and technicians in other genres. He has also been developing his own crossover projects, such as sound installations, in addition to his musical activities. Last year, at the exhibition Otomo Yoshihide/ENSEMBLES, held at the Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media (YCAM), several new works were produced simultaneously in different areas of the enormous building. Through Otomo's unique approach to forming ensembles with large numbers of people, along with the high quality of the works, the much-talkedabout exhibition presented possibilities for new types of musical/artistic productions-- possibilities that could not have emerged from previously existing art and music contexts alone.
"ENSEMBLES 09--Rest-ful Musical Devices" will be a sequel to last year's exhibition. Instead of a space intended for the display of artwork, such as an art center or museum, the exhibition will make use of various locations around the city--places where people go about their daily lives. In the creation of ensembles with people who possess new possibilities transcending the categories of "musician" and "artist," a gigantic ensemble will unfold as dynamic works and live performances relate to, erode, and sometimes oppose one another. The exhibition will expand even further Otomo's original concept, "The increasing pluralization of an 'ensemble' made up of many people." Paradoxically spotlighting the current situation of music and art in society, while departing from contemporary music and art that stands at a remove from reality, this will be a magnificent and radical experiment that begins with the fundamental questions of what creation and music are.
On the rooftop of an abandoned school in the heart of the city, in an empty building in Harajuku that serves as a haunt for young artists, or in the usual music club or backstreet gallery, a series of unforeseeable events will take shape and become a great wave, shaking people up both mentally and physically. Don't miss this uncanny exhibition.
EXHIBITION 1 “without records”
Otomo Yoshihide ＋ Yasutomo Aoyama ＋ Takayuki Ito/YCAM InterLab ＋ Masayoshi Takada ＋α
Date: 7.4(Sat)-8.9(Sun) 13:00-20:00
Place: Vacant (3-20-13 Jingumae Shibuya-ku, Tokyo/ 03-6459-2962)
Admission: ￥500 / ￥1,000(with DVD)←sold out
Organized by: NO IDEA, ENSEMBLES Committee
Supported by: Fostex Company, Shiseido Co., Ltd.
Cooperated by: Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media[YCAM]
Technical Supported by: YCAM InterLab
www.n0idea.com
| ■7.5(Sun) | Openig live [DJ Tranquilizer(Otomo Yoshihide+Aoyama Yasutomo), Norimizu Ameya, Makoto Hirabayashi, Takayuki Ito, Sachiko M, Yuko Mohri, Richi Owaki, Naruya Sugimoto, Yasuhiro Yoshigaki+Otomo Yoshihide] 20:00start adv￥2500/door￥3000 |
| ■8.2(Sun) | Talk battle for film「KIKOE」 Otomo Yoshihide×Chikara Iwai (film director)×Yoshio Otani 20:00start ￥1500(1drink) |
| ■8.9(Sun) | Closing live Otomo Yoshihide(g), Atsuhiro Ito(optrum),, Ami Yoshida(vo), Tatsuhisa Yamamoto(perc), Sachiko M(sinewaves), Yasutomo Aoyama(electronics) 18:30/19:00（The exhibition will close at 17:00.） adv￥2500/door￥3000 |
| booking：Vacant | |
EXHIBITION 2 “Rest-ful Musical Devices”
Otomo Yoshihide ＋ Kanta Horio ＋ Atsuhiro Ito ＋ Yuko Mohri ＋ Sachiko M ＋ Tetsuya Umeda ＋ Fuyuki Yamakawa
| Date: | 10.10(Sat) – 11.3(tue) 17:30-21:00 |
| Place: | Former junior high school in Tokyo |
| Admission: | ￥500 (Free for elementary school children and under) |
| Organized by: | ENSEMBLES Committee |
| Supported by: | Ballad.Co.,Ltd., Fostex Company, Re-Tem Company, Shiseido Co., Ltd., JAPAN ARTS FUND |
■10.12(mon) Opening Live 16:00/16:30
■11.3(tue) Closing Live 16:00/16:30
EXHIBITION 3 “with records”
Otomo Yoshihide ＋ Mats Gustafsson + Mikito Ozeki
| Date: | 10.11(Sun)-11.8(Sun) Thu, Fri: 18:00 - 20:00 Sat, Sun, Holiday: 13:00 - 20:00 close on Mon - Wed |
| Place: | gallery45-8 (3-45-8 Kouenji-minami, Suginami-ku, Tokyo) |
| Organized by: | gallery45-8, ENSEMBLES Committee |
| CD Produced by: | doubtmusic |
| d.hatena.ne.jp/gallery458/ |
| RELATED EXHIBITION 1 | “Filament/4 speakers” “Sachiko M/I'm Here.. departures..” |
| Date: | 7.20(Mon)-8.17(Mon) Mon - Fri: 13:00 - 20:00 Sat, Sun, Holiday: 12:00 - 19:00 close on Wed |
| Place: | parabolica-bis (2-18-11 Yanagibashi Daito-ku, Tokyo/ +81 (3) 5835-1180） |
| Admission: | ￥500 |
| Organized by: | parabolica-bis (Curator: Yukari Fujimoto) |
| Supported by: | Ballad.Co.,Ltd. |
| www.yaso-peyotl.com |
| ■7.20(Mon) | Café Live “Sachiko M Solo/Yoshihide Otomo Guitar solo” 17:30/18:00（The exhibition will close at 17:00.） adv￥2000(1drink)/door￥2300(1drink) |
| ■7.26(Sun) | “Filament 8speakers” (Limited to 50 people) 18:30/19:00（The exhibition will close at 17:00.） adv￥2000(1drink)/door￥2300(1drink) |
| ■8.16(Sun) | Closing Concert 〜the guys whom I want to invite to the last festival〜 「Korosuke＆Kurumi＆Norimizu Ameya」, Atsuhiro Ito, utah kawasaki、Sachiko M、Otomo Yohihide 17:30/18:00（The exhibition will close at 17:00.) adv￥2000(1drink)/door￥2300(1drink) |
RELATED EXHIBITION 2 ENSEMBLES 09 “hands” -HIBIKI AU TE
Konchikusho Kanno ＋ Otomo Yoshihide ＋ Tadashi Kobayashi
| Date: | 9.1(Tue)-13(Sun) 11:00-18:00 closed on Monday |
| Place: | Gallery Terra (98-7 Enoki-cho Nijou-sagaru Teramachi-dori Chukyo-ku, Kyoto-city/ +81 (75) 257-1755) |
| Admission: | ￥500 |
| Supported by: | F.M.N.SOUND FACTORY, Fostex Company, shin-bi |
| ■ 9.6(Sun) | Otomo Yoshihide Live “hands” -with the film by Tadashi Kobayashi- 19:00start door￥3000 ※Free entry to the exhibition |
| LIVE 1 | ENSEMBLES 09 Special Concert “Otomo Yoshihide 50th Anniversary Live” |
8.1(Sat) ＠SuperDeluxe 18:00 / 19:00
1st set： Otomo Yoshihide Piano solo
2nd set： Yuheisha(Otomo Yoshihide, Jim O'Rourke, Seiichi Yamamoto, Sachiko M, Tetsuji Akiyama, and more)
SuperDeluxe
tel: +81 (3) 5412-0515
http://www.super-deluxe.com
(B1F, 3-1-25 Nishi-Azabu, Minatoku, Tokyo/ +81 (3) 5412-0515)
Admission: ￥3500(1drink) / door￥4000(1drink)
8.3(Mon) ＠Shinjuku PIT INN 19:30 / 20:00
| 1st set： | ULTRA MIRACLE BAND |
| Otomo Yoshihide(g), Naoko Eto(p), Kumiko Takara(marimba), Sachiko M(sinewaves), Ko Ishikawa(sho) Special Guests：Satoko Yokohama(perc), Asako Nakano(perc) |
|
| 2nd set： | Giulietta Machine |
| Naoko Eto(key), Makoto Otsu(g), Yusuke Nishimura(b), Nobuo Fujii(dr) | |
| 3rd set： | Giulietta Machine＋Phew(vo), Otomo Yoshihide(g), and more |
8.4(Tue) ＠Shinjuku PIT INN 19:30 / 20:00
Otomo Yoshihide Trio : Otomo Yoshihide(g), Hiroaki Mizutani(b), Yasuhiro Yoshigaki(dr)
8.5(Wed) ＠Shinjuku PIT INN 19:30 / 20:00
Otomo Yoshihide×Seiichi Yamamoto Duo : Yoshihide Otomo(g), Seiichi Yamamoto(g)
8.6(Thu) ＠Shinjuku PIT INN 19:30 / 20:00
ONJO(Otomo Yoshihide’s New Jazz Orchestra)
Otomo Yoshihide(g), kahimi karie(vo), Masahiko Okura(as, b-cl, tubes), Taisei Aoki(tb), Ko Ishikawa(sho), Sachiko M(sinewaves), Taku Unami(computer), Kumiko Takara(vib), Hiroaki Mizutani(b), Yasuhiro Yoshigaki(dr,tp）
Shinjuku PIT INN
http://www.pit-inn.com
（B1F, 2-12-4 Shinjuku Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo /+81 (3) 3354-2024）
| Admission: | 8.3(Mon) adv￥3500(1drink)/door￥4000(1drink) 8.4(Tue)/8.5(Wed) adv￥3000(1drink)/door￥3500(1drink) 8.6(Thu) adv￥4000(1drink)/door￥4500(1drink) |
| inquiry： | callithump tel： +81 (3) 3316-7376 info [at] callithump.info http://www.callithump.info |
| LIVE 2 | ENSEMBLES 09 Special Concert “The premiere performance of ONJO acoustic version” |
| Cast: | ONJO(Otomo Yoshihide New Jazz Orchestra) |
| Guest: | Tetsuya Umeda |
| Date: | 10.3(Sat) 18:00/19:00 |
| Place: | Kyoto Art Center |
| Admission: | adv￥3,800/ door￥4,300 |
| Book Ticket: | p-hour [at] leto.eonet.ne.jp |
| Organized by: | P-hour and Kyoto Art Center |
| More information: | www.kac.or.jp |
| LIVE 3 | ENSEMBLES 09 Special Concert (Co-held with Asian Meeting Festival) |
| Cast: | Otomo Yoshihide(FEN) Zai Kuning(Singapore) Yan Jun, Yuen(Beijing/FEN) Yuen Chee Wai(Singapore/FEN) Ryu Hankil(Seoul/FEN) DJ Sniff (Amsterdam) Atsuhiro Ito Ami Yoshida Utah Kawasaki Sachiko M Katsura Yamauchi Yuko Mohri Katsura Yamamoto Etsuko Yakushimaru/Seiichi Nagai/Shuichi Manabe/Kensuke Nishiura (SOUTAISEIRIRON) OLAibi/AYA(OOIOO) Yoshimitsu Ichiraku(Dora Video)〈23th〉 Fuyuki Yamakawa〈23th〉 Shinichi MIyakewo〈23th〉 Ko Ishikawa〈25th〉 Masayoshi Takada〈lighting〉 Yoshiaki Kondo〈sound system〉 |
| Date: | 10.23(Fri)18:00/19:00 10.24(Sat)17:00/18:00 10.25(Sun)15:00/16:00 |
| Place: | Asahi Art Square |
| Admission: | adv￥3,500/ door￥4,000 / 3 days pass￥9,000(prior booking essential) |
| Book Ticket: | www.p3.org/form/index.html |
| Organized by: | Asahi Art Square |
| Live management by: | Callithump |
| Supported by: | ASAHI BREWERIES, LTD., Ballad.Co.,Ltd., Foxtex Company |
| More information: | www.p3.org/aas/091023/index.html |
| LIVE 4 | ENSEMBLES 09 Special Concert “ENSEMBLES Parade” |
| Date: | 11.8(Sun) |
| Place: | “ENSEMBLES parade” City central of Mito and Art Tower Mito (13:00-14:30) “Solo by Yoshihide Otomo & Portable Galaxy Orchestra” PARK IS 4F (18:00-20:00) |
| Ticket: | “Solo by Yoshihide Otomo & Portable Galaxy Orchestra” adv¥1,500(1drink)/door¥2,000(1drink) |
| Organized by: | MeToo Promotion Room, Mito Arts Foundation, The Mito Chamber of Commerce and Industry |
| More information: | www.artmetoo.jp/ensembles metoo.typepad.jp/ensembles |
| LIVE 5 | ENSEMBLES 09 Special Concert “Ogaki Fling Orchestra” |
| Date: | mid-November |
| Place: | from the shopping mall in Ogaki city to the rooftop of buildings and castle tower around the city |
| Organized by: | Asbow!!project |
| Supported by: | Agency for cultural affairs, IAMAS, IAMASOS, Machizukuri, Digital Archive Japan Alliance(DAJA) |
| More information: | asobow.org |
"KIKOE"(2009)
The documentary film of Otomo Yoshihide,「KIKOE」directed by Chikara Iwai will be shown at EUROSPACE, Shibuya from July 25th.
www.kikoe-otomo.com
『ENSEMBLES』(Getsuyosha）
￥2,100(tentative price)
The exhibition catalogue of YCAM is to be published in early October.
getsuyosha.jp
There's music that directly shakes the eardrums. There are listening devices that leave almost no air, much less space, between speakers and eardrums. I'm referring to the small music players and earphones that everyone uses these days. In our daily lives, we're surrounded by this kind of music and musical equipment. This music does away with the space that naturally surrounds us; it goes directly, comfortably, into our ears. But it isn't the kind of thing I wanted to create when I started making music. This fundamental issue led to the idea that was the nucleus of ENSEMBLES, a large-scale exhibition held in 2008 at YCAM in Yamaguchi.
The life-changing fascination with music that came over me in my teens was rooted in the discovery that new and unfamiliar sounds could cause a reaction among a large number of people gathered in one place. All of the music I loved--free jazz, free improvisation, noise, alternative--had this kind of effect. The fascination was not only with the music itself, but also with the feeling of total unity that came from the aura and power of the space and the gravitational pull existing among the people who were there. I wanted to get away from the kind of music that leaves no distance between sound source and eardrums; I wanted to bring back space and noise. I wondered what would happen if I tried to make music not just for individual listening, but music that emerged as it passed through the ears, hands and bodies of many people. This is how ENSEMBLES got started.
It might sound impressive if I wrote something like, "In 2009, ENSEMBLES will take this idea out into the streets." But the fact is that to go out into the streets nowadays is to dive into rough economic waters. We musicians can't live on dreams alone--it isn't that easy. All the same, we will go out, into real-life spaces, running up against a variety of noises, getting a lot of people involved--including, maybe, you. We'll go out and, with the help of many people, create musical "devices" that defy labels--neither exhibitions nor live performances, but a little bit of both. They'll take various forms--actual devices, unseen mechanisms that produce music, project plans and so on--and be open to various interpretations.
They can be held anywhere--in a building vacated as a result of the recession, in an abandoned school, in a live music club or cafe run by friends, in a little back-street gallery.
ENSEMBLES aims to create a variety of musical devices in all sorts of places. As a manifesto it would normally sound better to say, "We are creating this." But the subject here, ENSEMBLES, doesn't mean "us" or "everyone," and it certainly isn't my intention to use the word in a symbolic way. What's important here is individuals. A new ensemble created from an aggregate of individuals--artists, musicians, technical experts, planners, management staff--will be the driving force behind the works. The reason I made the title ENSEMBLES (plural) rather than ENSEMBLE is that I had an image of this sort of aggregate and of a number of works with various implications intertwining and developing in a multilayered fashion--not as a single event, but plurally and integrally--sometimes happening simultaneously, sometimes unfolding at a relaxed pace, sometimes leading to inconsistency and contradiction.
This time, the other key word I'm introducing is "rest." (In the Japanese title I use the word for a musical rest.) I mean rest as in an adult's way of dealing with the stresses of the real world, or the feelings of a child who holds his breath during a game of hide-and-seek, or a useless weapon that can't kill anyone. I mean rest that creates a place that anyone can enter, anyone can escape to; rest that makes possible a wealth of sounds or rest that can turn noisy 1 reality into silence; and most of all, rest that gives us space to say, "Stop a minute!" It's my hope that, along with ENSEMBLES, the myriad meanings of the "rest" that dwells in music will go far beyond the current boundaries of music heard only through two-channel headphones, and resound in real-life, noise-filled space.
And so I recklessly announce the start of round 2 of ENSEMBLES. The title is "ENSEMBLES 09--Rest-ful Musical Devices."
For now, the idea is that between July and October, in a variety of venues, we'll present a wide range of new and previously existing works, performances, etc.--from very small to medium-sized events and from nearly individual creations to works involving many people-- that unfold semi-improvisationally at times, guerrilla-style at others. The plan itself is not fixed; my intention is to develop something that will adapt flexibly to each situation, something that could not be realized in an established art museum or concert hall. What's more, based on the results this time, I'm hoping to continue ENSEMBLES next year, the year after that, and into the future. It will be a challenge, but I'm sure it will be interesting.
So I hope you're all looking forward to seeing what happens. I'm probably looking forward to it more than anyone.
Otomo Yoshihide
April 18, 2009
Translated by Cathy Fishman
ENSEMBLES Committee Office（Nakashima、Fukuda、Sakaguchi）
E-mail：info [at] ensembles.jp
URL：http://ensembles.jp
Organized by: ENSEMBLES Committee
Supported by: ASYL, Ballad.Co.,Ltd., BOW, Callithump, commandN, Fostex Company, NO IDEA, Re-Tem Company, Shiseido Co., Ltd., Yamaguchi Center for Arts and Media[YCAM]
Technical Supported by: YCAM InterLab
