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HIKASHU

RIO/Avant-Prog • Japan


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Hikashu biography
A theatrical artist Koichi MAKIGAMI met Makoto INOUE in the art club of their junior high school in 1970 ... this could be the start of HIKASHU.

Koichi and Makoto joined a Japanese dramatic troupe Tokyo Kid Brothers and gave public performances in New York or London, but sadly broke up soon after the performance in London. Lumiere and Son, born as a London avantgarde theatrical company in those days and supported by Roger Waters or Henry Cow, appreciated their artistic talent and invited them as guests. Koichi and Makoto say they could get much impact in avantgarde stages of Lumiere and Son. In mid 1970s Koichi as a theatrical producer, and Makoto as a synthesizer musician, gained much experience ... especially upon a performance 'Collecting Net', on that stage Koichi, Makoto, and Yasushi YAMASHΙTA appeared.

HIKASHU were formed by Makoto, Yasushi, and Tadahiro WAKABAYASHI - a sitarist and the owner of Raoya, a live house in Kichijoji (Tokyo) - in 1978, featuring tabla or sitar, much influenced by music of India. On the other hand, Koichi sessioned with Masamichi MITAMA and Satoshi TOBE and formed a three-piece unit RU-INCHI (even currently sometimes appeared on stage as Koichi's another project). These two outfits met upon a performance named 'Yochu No Kiki' produced by Koichi, and at this moment HIKASHU were formally reborn as a five-piece band - Koichi MAKIGAMI (voices, bass, cornet, theremin etc.), Masamichi MITAMA (now Freeman MITA; guitars, sitar), Makoto INOUE (synthesizer, mellotron, keyboards), Satoshi TOBE (saxophone, guitar), and Yasushi YAMASHITA (rhythmbox, synthesizer, timpani).

For the first time HIKASHU appeared on stage of Raoya on August 29th, 1978. Haruo Chikada, a renowned radio DJ, got much interested in their samples and offered production for their albums. In October 1979 their debut single 'In The End Of 20th Century' was released via East World / Toshiba EMI (Japan). And they released the first album 'Hikashu' and the second 'Natsu (Summer)' successively in 1980. In those days they were considered as a techno-pop band and TV media took up their stuffs in some special articles or programmes, but since 1981, the third album 'Uwasa No Jinrui' released, they have showed more experimental colours in their music style, attitude, performances.

HIKASHU have been active as a band, performers, a theatrical creator, and a music producer for movies,TV programmes or CMs, and a pioneer of Japanese Underground Pop ...
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HIKASHU discography


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HIKASHU top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.00 | 2 ratings
Hikashu
1980
0.00 | 0 ratings
Natsu (Summer)
1980
0.00 | 0 ratings
Uwasa No Jinrui
1981
0.00 | 0 ratings
Watashi No Tanoshimi
1984
0.00 | 0 ratings
Mizu Ni Nagashite
1984
0.00 | 0 ratings
Ningen No Kao
1988
0.00 | 0 ratings
Teinei Na Omotenashi
1990
0.00 | 0 ratings
Hanauta Hajime (Humming Soon)
1991
0.00 | 0 ratings
Atchi No Me Kotchi No Me (Londoneye & Pariseye)
1993
5.00 | 1 ratings
Kawatteru: Changing like Myxomycetes
1996
0.00 | 0 ratings
Ten Ten
2006
0.00 | 0 ratings
Ikirukoto
2008
4.00 | 1 ratings
Ten Ten Ten
2009

HIKASHU Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

HIKASHU Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

HIKASHU Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

0.00 | 0 ratings
Hikashu History
2001

HIKASHU Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

HIKASHU Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Ten Ten Ten by HIKASHU album cover Studio Album, 2009
4.00 | 1 ratings

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Ten Ten Ten
Hikashu RIO/Avant-Prog

Review by Tapfret
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator / Retired Admin

— First review of this album —
4 stars Today I am sharing a selection that I was steered to by the only review that was submitted to Progarchives.com for any of the 14 albums by Hikashu listed on the site. That review is easily identifiable as 1 thing: very enthusiastic about the Hikashu album Kawatteru: Changing like Myxomycetes, clearly dubbing it a masterpiece. This obviously did not go unnoticed on my part. A handful of samples are available on that giant internet video service, and they were rather entertaining and/or intriguing. Thus my quest began and it is bound to be one with many trials and tribulations. It would appear that Hikashu albums are not readily available outside of Japan for prices that will potentially lead to divorce if the purchases are not somehow laundered or otherwise hidden through some other means of subterfuge. And so it is, the one reasonably attainable album at the time of this review is this 2009 release, Tententen, a release produced some 30 years after the ensemble's debut and 13 years after Kawatteru: Changing like Myxomycetes, the so vehemently endorsed selection previously mentioned.

Obviously this was not going to be a household name type listen that was going to happen without a little background research. My familiarity with Japanese progressive rock is more in the Zeuhl and less experimental side RIO/avant (yes, there is apparently such a thing). Hikashu, in respect to Tententen, lean way over into the experimental side. From what I have been able to gather, its roots were more in theater than music. The Wikipedia article on the ensemble labels vocalist Koichi Makigami's style as "pseudo-Kabuki". Which, since I don't have any real understanding of Kabuki, I should be fine since that isn't really what it is...or something. But what is readily understandable is Makigami has a very diverse, transcendent voice. From a very soft spoken-word, to Tom Waites- esque rasp, to cartoony characterizations, to chantic quavers, each phrase conveys that there is something very profound being communicated; even to those who do not understand the words.

The instruments are very broad in spectrum, from varying keyboard sounds, guitar, bass, bells, to juice harp; though in reading the site's lineup info, it appears many of these may be samples. It is clear that there are other samples within the recording. My second listen was on a short forrest hike, at the present time birds and other woodland critters are not that active, so I was pulling the headphones away to make sure what I was hearing was inside or outside the headphones. And with that revelation, so it is that particular environment is ideal for listening to Tententen. This is not "party music". A rhythmic groove is rare. Not to say absent, but rare. But despite that, this is a work that promotes presence. It promotes attention and does not seem to meander aimlessly. It is consciously constructive sound design. A unique quality in music so categorically experimental, most obviously in the vein of John Zorn.

I found enough interesting going on with Tententen that I am hooked and wish to explore further. Hopefully there will be a time in the future when more of there works are licensed in the West and they become more attainable. I would call this album essential for highly experimental RIO/Avant fans, particularly fans of the likes of Art Zoyd and John Zorn. And, of course, if you are sensitive to that sort of thing, probably avoid it. Of course, there is always that potential gateway album to that side of the music world. And Tententen is likely as good as any other in that regard. 4 stars.

 Kawatteru: Changing like Myxomycetes by HIKASHU album cover Studio Album, 1996
5.00 | 1 ratings

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Kawatteru: Changing like Myxomycetes
Hikashu RIO/Avant-Prog

Review by maranx

— First review of this album —
5 stars Hikashu is very cool i lisen to the hikshus every day 22-25 hours and i can say that definitely hikashu. This albuim i like then song "pike" it is very cool i like the song pike and too the fish pike. I have seen many pike fish in my life. I live ner a a lake wehere pikes live and the pikes are cool ..: i giCVVe this album 5. satars rating because i lke hikashus and the asre cool. Hikash i hukase hiski i think very mnany thingsa are cool, lik e H I K A S H U. Too ilike the sing "peek into heaven" cool saxamone thingamasong jig. also high lite is "chimaera" vry cool chill J A Z Z I E feelingkszxs. i would like to say athat this album is 5 star hikashustarfivealbum five five five hikashu. h i k a s h u s t a r f i v e ALBUm,
Thanks to DamoXt7942 for the artist addition.

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