Test Tone vol. 45

Night of the Electric Hungarian: A Tribute to Dan Meichel

Featuring: Ueno & Saya (tenniscoats) + Takahashi Ikuro, Kouta Masumoto + Keiichi Nakano (2UP) + Jin Harada (ROVO), Mir (from Switzerland), JULIETTA (visuals), Evil Penguin (DJ)



This month, we pay a very special tribute to Dan Meichel, a Canadian saxophonist who was scheduled to perform at Test Tone vol. 45, but who sadly cannot join us. Dan was midway though a Japan tour when he passed away suddenly at the age of 57. Please join us as we celebrate Dan's memory with raucous music and a festive spirit. In the words of Gary Bird: Long live the Electric Hungarian!
(Photo of Dan Meichel at Highti courtesy of Satomi Ito)

Test Tone Homepage
Cal Lyall and Yasufumi Suzuki Special Interview!! (JP only)

Artist info:

Ueno & Saya (Tenniscoats)+Takahashi Ikuro

Never content to be easily classified, Takashi Ueno and Saya of Tenniscoats are musical nomads par excellence, traveling between the sounds of folk, psychedelia and the avant-garde, including everything in-between.
Frequent tours and collaborations with a kaleidoscope of artists take them ever further into new terrain, and this session with protean drummer Ikuro Takahashi is no exception. Takahashi has left an indelible mark on the Tokyo psychedelic scene playing in a long list of legendary groups such as High Rise, Fushitsusha and Ché-SHIZU.
A momentous meeting indeed. Be sure to come early if you were hoping for a seat.

Ueno & Saya (Tenniscoats)
(Tenniscoats HP / MySpace)


Takahashi Ikuro
(Takahashi Ikuro HP / Takahashi Ikuro Blog)

Mir (from Switzerland)

Bringing an explosion of sound from the quaking heart of Europe, Mir plans to shake things up heavily in Japan. An infernal combination of Daniel Buess on drum skins and metal, Michi Zaugg on modified synthesizers and dense feedback clouds, and Pampiro on 'sensitive strings', there is a reason why they have become known on their native soil for utterly wild and intense performances.
Their music roars from beginning to end, with crescendos of spiraling electronics floating over the heavy and hypnotic rhythms, once described as evoking astronomical disasters and encounters with pandimensional beings.
Bring your double-layered spacesuit and/or fire-resistent riot gear.
(MySpace)

Kouta Masumoto + Jun Nemoto + Jin Harada + Keiichi Nakano

It might be hard to know what to expect from this exceptional meeting, but it certainly promises to melt some skulls out there in listener land.
Joining us from deep Kansai, guitarist, human beat-box and overall high-strung performer Kouta Masumoto will bash chops with Jun Nemoto (Z, Hununhum, RUN) on sax, Jin Destroy (aka Jin Harada from ROVO) on bass and/or didgeridoo and Keiichi Nakano (2UP, Motallica) on drums.
Guaranteed to put you on the edge of your seat, or with any hope, knock you right out of it and into the front stage scrum.

Kouta Masumoto
(Kouta Masumoto Blog / Smashing Mag Photos)

photo by tommy

Jun Nemoto (Sax-Ningen-Nemotojun)

Jin Harada (ROVO HP)


Keiichi Nakano (2UP: MySpace)

Julietta (visuals)

Using an array of visual sources, JULIETTA is a VJ unit coming from the joined forces of Yuki Ohta (aka De-R) and parhelion (aka JULIA).
Involved with everything from club music to the experimental, the unit puts together specially commissioned works, as well as improvising visuals in a live setting.
Using minimal creations from software, plus images jumping from their collection of 9 DVD players, JULIETTA has been much in demand in Tokyo for their decidedly unique yet supple imagery.
(MySpace)


About Test Tone...
Test Tone is a free monthly event that promotes varied and, we hope, interesting live music to a wider audience in Tokyo. We wanted to create an event that highlights the diversity of great music and visual art being made here and give more people an opportunity to see and hear it.

To make Test Tone as accessible as possible we wanted a central Tokyo space with a good sound system; a place where people would want to come and hang out, eat, drink and meet people. And listen to some live music that they may not otherwise get exposed to. As a further encouragement, we wanted to make the event free—not only for the audience, but for the performers too.

All this could easily have been an order too tall were it not for the exceptional people at Super Deluxe that made it all possible. Their enthusiasm for live music and visuals and faith in the event, allowing us complete creative freedom in booking artists, has allowed Test Tone to grow into something even broader in scope than we could have hoped for back in February 2005 when we proudly presented volume 1.

Our aim is to create a wider community. To further that, please get in touch if you are interested in playing, or want to be kept up to date with Test Tone events.

Finally, we'd like to say thanks to everyone that has been involved with Test Tone, especially all the artists that have made the events such a continuing success.