Test Tone

Test Tone vol. 48

The Dangers of Summer Heat

Get out of the sun and into the blistering darkness of the Noisy Hole. Fine loud music for fine loud people.
Featuring: Gagakirise, Muddy World, Zyc0s, Visual Manipulations By Rokapenis, DJ Evil Penguin

Open/Start 20:00

Test Tone Homepage

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

Artist info:

Gagakirise

Wheee—all the thump, bump and metal you would expect from a commercial jet in a nosedive, minus your fear of heights. Gagakirise play loud, fast and frantic improvisations with the intensity of Hella and the ballsy hair-fliging fun of Slayer. Since they formed in 2006, Sachio Yoshizawa (guitar) and Ryo Inoue (drums) have been using a pile of effects, an even bigger pile of amps, and a walloping live show to recreate something akin to a herd of wild elephants onstage. Better (and with less cages) than a day at the zoo.

Muddy World

Having already received the thumbs-up from New York luminary John Zorn with a release on his benchmark Tzadik label, and following an appearance at Austin's preeminent SXSW festival, Muddy World continue to move into fresh new territory, without any signs of slowing down. Their sound somehow manages to mesh tight rhythms and complex song structures with passages of guitar wizardry, played deftly in a style that seems to have descended from psychedelic gypsies. If you picture Battles hiring Gabor Szabo or Sir Richard Bishop for a one-off gig, you might be getting close.
An inspiring and original band that isn't afraid to take the next step forward.

Zyc0s

Zyc0s could be the bastard child of 70s lounge jazz, or perhaps a platter of 90s New York hip hop left out way too long in the sun. With a lunchbox of influences, the individual members throw decisive melodic intent against a cavalcade of rhythm, creating sumptuous textures that slip intermittently out of time. Zyc0s members Keigo Iwami (Oncenth Trio, okhp), Masatsugu Hattori (Ryusenkei Body) and Kohzo Komori are all masterful musicians that do their best to bring their experience and experimentation to the table in full force. And goodness gracious, it even grooves.

Rokapenis

Since 1999, visual artist Yohei Saito has been active with a bewildering array of video work, from his longstanding collaboration with dance group Baby Q, to handling big-screen visuals at the Metamorphose outdoor festival, to his mind-bending speed collages with grind-metal karaokeist Maruosa. Following last month's spectacular two-day extravaganza V.I.I.M, where he showcased his captivating new performance piece Tiger Tiger, Saito will once again be bringing his visual tempest to the big white walls of Super Deluxe.

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.