The Squid's Ear Magazine


Miimo: miimo 2 (Amorfon)

Miimo are a Japanese dub & electronica group consisting of Yoshio Machida, Norihide Saji and Tatsu, whose tracks have appeared in documentaries and TV spots throughout Japan.
 

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product information:

Personnel:



Tatsuya Yoshida-bass instrument, computer, sampler

Norihide Saji-drums, computer, laptop, sampler

Yoshio Machida-steel pan, electronics, computer, sampler


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UPC: 4562144186034

Label: Amorfon
Catalog ID: miimo2-2009
Squidco Product Code: 12637

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2009
Country: Japan
Packaging: Plastic Snap Case

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

"Miimo are a Japanese dub & electronica group consisting of Yoshio Machida, Norihide Saji and Tatsu, most prolific in Japan as a bassist in the fields of ska reggae and J-pop. Miimo's album release too (also entitled Miimo) is already becoming considerably well known with the tracks on the album appearing in documentaries and TV spots throughout Japanese television channels. Tuning into the first track alone leaves no doubt as to why this music would be so marketable. "Me Gusta Naranja" for example exemplifies the even mix of dub, bass and a reggae vibe from Yoshio"s steel pan while the electronica side gives a light and fluffy pace, ideally optimistic in sound but short on complexity, just the kind of music marketable for non-diegetic sound in documentary/ TV sequences. "Dub No.5" continues in similar vein, weaving dub & electronica to produce an even helping of both, the steel pan orchestrated more effectively here by simply adding an echo, all the elements combining once more to create another chilled and passive track. "Cold Skin" adds an engaging jazz element within the mix via an ephemeral yet striking saxophone solo that slowly melds with the rest of the ambience of the track, creating a new and lively dimension to a composition designed for tranquillity. "First" meanwhile opens with an electronica composition reminiscent of the sound of dripping water, this serene opener adds greatly to the overall effectiveness of the track, developing, when combined with more dubtronica and steel pan audio tapestry, a sound manufactured and designed for soothing contemplation. One of those albums ideal for post mash-up evenings, Miimo's release may not be the most exciting thing out there but as a genre piece it stands out via the steel pan/ reggae influence as well as for any westerners who may simply wish to pick up the release to get an idea of what Japanese dub sounds like (though on an ethnological level it is influenced far less from Japanese culture and far more from a mixture of Detroit and The Caribbean). All in all an interesting underground release ideal for passive listening."-Michael Byrne


Artist Biographies

"Tatsu Aoki is a prolific artist, composer, musician, educator and a consummate bassist and Shamisen Lute player. Based in Chicago, Aoki works in a wide range of musical genres, ranging from traditional Japanese music, jazz, experimental and creative music.

Aoki was born in 1957 in Tokyo, Japan into an artisan family called TOYOAKI MOTO, traditionally categorized as OKIYA, meaning a booking and training agent for Geisha ladies in downtown Tokyo's designated area. While the economy and social environment forced many of those traditional artisan family business to close down in the 60's , Aoki was luckily able to receive some of the important essence of traditional Tokyo Geisha cultural training and studies at age 4, and became a part of the performing crew in early childhood. After his grand mother passed away, he had kept the Tokyo music training until early teen, and shifted his musical focus to American pop music and experimental music. Since his biological father was a movie producer at Shin Toho Studio, he had also began working in small gage films and started to produce experimental films.Aoki was active performer during the early 70's in the mist of Tokyo Underground Arts movement. Became a member of Japanese Experimental Music ensemble, GINTENKAI presenting mixture of traditional music and new western music. After coming to U.S. in 1977, Aoki studied experimental filmmaking at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He is currently an adjunct Full Professor at the Film, Video and New Media Department, and teaches film production and history courses. During the late 80's, Aoki has become a leading advocate for Chicago's Asian American community and one of Chicago's most in-demand musicians on both contrabass, taiko (Japanese drums) and shamisen (Japanese lute). Working in film and music.

Under those environments of his childhood, Aoki has inherited historical and traditional essence of Tokyo Entertainment district's musical concepts, basics and value of flexible creations and applications. With the fall of these special districts in the late 60's and early 70's, the Tokyo's regional Entertainment musical concepts also disappears and as many other art form did, Tokyo Geisha music had institutionalized.

For Aoki, one of the most important goal is to preserve the original essence of fluidity and flexibility and perform rawness of REAL sound. He has adopted this idea to newer works as well.

To this date, Aoki has produced and appears in more than 90 recording projects and over 30 experimental films and working internationally. He is one of the most recorded artists in Chicago music scene. Among many of recordings, he has worked with musical masters and legends and produced remarkable duets works with bassist, Malachi Favors, multi instrumentalists such as Roscoe Mitchell, Don Moye and world renowned Pipa virtuoso, Wu Man and another Chicago legend, late Fred Anderson.

Using Taiko drumming as a signature, Aoki's solo bass performances project BASSE LIVE and recordings are known for one of the most innovative approaches to the instrument internationally.

Aoki's one of the most important ensemble works, ROOTED: Origins of Now, a 50 minute 4 movement suite, was performed at the Chicago Jazz Festival in September 2001. Because of this work, the Chicago Tribute recognized Tatsu Aoki as "Chicagoans of the Year.", one of the group of Chicagoans who has contributed to the vitality and culture of Chicago by the Chicago Tribune or the City. The Chicago Tribune stated that Rooted had "come into its own as an eloquent, often dramatic merger of ancient Japanese music and experimental American jazz." JAZZIZ, magazine, recognized Aoki one of one of many artists who has changed jazz since 1980." For his contribution to Chicago area arts, Asian American Institute has given Mile Stone Award in 2007, and Japan America Society of Chicago has given Cultural Achievement Award for his cultural activities in arts in Chicago land in 2010. He is also a recipient of 2010 3Arts Artist Award.

As an Executive Director of AIRMW, Aoki has initiated and managed several programs to advance the understanding of Asian American culture and community through the arts, including the Annual Chicago Asian American Jazz Festival and the Tsukasa Taiko Legacy arts residency project. His work as an artist and educator in the cultural arts and as a leader in the Asian American community address as well as define the issues facing the community, including the need for quality artistic programs that reflect the Asian American experience."

-Tatsu Aoki Website (http://www.tatsuaoki.com/biography.html)
3/13/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Yoshio Machida (町田 良夫 Yoshio Machida?, born 1967 in Japan) is an experimental musician, a steelpanist, composer, and visual artist.

A member of ASCAP, Machida studied minimal art, music and film at the Tama Art University under Kuniharu Akiyama, Yoshiaki Touno, Sakumi Hagiwara and Kishio Suga. In the 1990s, Machida worked for an international cooperation in Asia and Africa.

Machida's first album Hypernatural (1999) had been featured with Brian Eno and Oval (band) on David Toop's article about Generative music. In 2001, Machida started to play improvised music by Steelpan with computer program Max/MSP. Machida has been invited to perform in ISEA2004, Sónar Tokyo, MaerzMusik and other venues. In 2004, Machida founded an experimental music label Amorfon. In 2007, Machida formed an electric Dub band miimo with tatsu and Norihide Saji. Machida also organized "Japan-Macedonia exchange art exhibition" and some workshops for children.

As a visual artist, Machida has produced Photobatik like Photogram technique using photographic paper. Photograms are produced by partial exposure and development of the entire photosensitive surface. Photobatik is "whole exposure and partial development." Machida has expanded his technique to overexposure of the photographic paper followed by only fixing the image, resulting in a pink image."

-Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoshio_Machida)
3/13/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.


Track Listing:



1. U Boy 3:16

2. Monkey Dub 3:54

3. Small Venus 3:55

4. To The Universe 4:09

5. Dub1218 4:37

6. Taxidermia 4:45

7. Fibo 4:03

8. Amazon Lily 4:17

9. Sora Ni Tsuretette 4:18

10. Happy Birthday 4:28

11. Prenzlauer Berg 3:49 A.M. 5:52

Related Categories of Interest:


Rock and Related
Electro-Acoustic
Electronica

Search for other titles on the label:
Amorfon.


Recommended & Related Releases:
Other Recommended Releases:
Queijo, Jorge / Hiroki Chiba / Yoshio Machida
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Live recordings of the trio of Yoshio Machida on steelpans and gamelan, Hiroki Chiba on double bass and electronics, and Jorge Queijo on drums & percussion, performing live at Foxhole and Apollo in Tokyo, 2015, free improvisation with Eastern attitudes and European propulsion.
Baby Rap
Voice Performance By Babies
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Amorfon continues their exploration of the "voice" of babies, started with "Kindermusik: Improvised Music by Babies" and expanded here as 14 babies are recorded in a single take, expressing themselves before the learning of language, volume, timbre and speech intervals.
Miimo
Miimo 5
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The alternative dub steelpan trio of Yoshio Machida (steeldrums, voice, percussion, electronics), Tatus (bass, voice & electronics) and Norihide Saji (drums, laptop & electronics) for 10 tracks of embraceable tunes including a cover of Miles Davis "All Blues".
Miimo
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Using bass, drums, steelpan, electronics and programming, the trio of Tatsu, Norihide Saji and Amorfon label leader Yoshio Machida create a "pulse dub" album of polyrhythms and phase, producing warm, complex and embraceable music that includes a cover of Bjork's "Hyperballad".
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