KIKAGAKU MOYO: Back to Masana Temples
Japanese psychedelic pros, Kikagaku Moyo, are back in the UK and Europe this spring for another whirlwind stop on their relentless global mission. Dan Norton-Smith caught up with drummer, Go Kurasawa, on their last tour back in November which we’ve paired with a review of their latest album, ‘Masana Temples’.
Kikagaku Moyo: In Conversation
LB: Where's your favourite place to visit/play?
KM: We don't prefer one place or another. Even when we play a small city, it's a different and enjoyable vibe to playing in a bigger city. We especially like venues where they have a balcony and nice food!
How do you keep yourself busy during touring? Any unorthodox methods for spending the hours in between shows?
We play baseball, play video games, learn languages and listen to Tomo [Guitars/Vocals] talk.
Where do you get your clothes? You guys are always impeccably dressed!
We don't buy new clothes, we go to thrift stores when we tour in America. Also, we exchange clothes among us, so some clothes have been going around for years between us all.
Who do you think is making the best music out there currently?
We have no idea..! Please ask Pitchfork.
What would you say would be your biggest influence, either personally or collectively?
Can, Amon Düül, Fairport Convention, Faust, Six Organs of Admittance, Wooden Shjips… etc
Were there any particular bands or music that directly fed into the creation of Masana Temples?
Erasmo Carlos and lots of library music.
Was the actual recording process for Masana Temples any different from your previous records? Would you say that working with Bruno Pernadas brought a new level of sophistication or focus to your sound?
Yes, definitely. We and Bruno did some rehearsals and he added some changes to the songs, but we have a very similar approach which is to only do one or two takes for each song with very minimal editing.
Do you feel more creative freedom playing live, or when you're set loose in a studio setting?
Playing live because we can improvise in front of crowds with different atmospheres. Sometimes it’s a great vibe, sometimes it’s not, so it’s very challenging but also very free at the same time.
What's your favourite part of touring?
Being with friends all the time and experiencing different things. Also, meeting people from all over the world and feeling a connection through music is the best feeling ever… Trying random snacks at each gas station is fun too.
Is there anything particular about playing shows in the UK that feels special or different?
For us, London feels very special because we played more shows there than in Tokyo. We admire the history of rock in the UK and how deep it is. We have a very mixed crowd from young people to older record collectors, which we also really like.
Kikagaku Moyo: 'Masana Temples' album review
You are in the forest. You don’t know how you got here but you know it’s where you need to be. Sounds and sensations draw you to the glade - the setting where Kikagaku Moyo have set themselves. You sit. You're here. You look again.
They are floating and so are you...
The ever-inventive Wizards of Sound continue their odyssey into their unique psychedelic dreamscape.
The stoned sunshine funk of second track ‘Dripping Sun’ establishes the complexity of instrumentation and arrangement that pervades Masana Temples, contrasting throbbing hard grooves with ephemeral folk passages. Textures and thoughts weave in and out of each other, but rather than feeling ponderous these motifs are delivered with a tangible sense of consideration for both balance and craftsmanship.
Following on, Kikagaku showcase the breadth of their influences with sharp motorik rhythms taken to cosmic heights via haunting guitar feedback (and the odd wah pedal... or three). Personally the next track, ‘Majupose’, feels like the most perfect example of this, with its gorgeous slinking bass line, airy vocals, and relentless compound time snare stabs creating a pure sonic wonderland.
There are, however, times when Masana Temples does appear to be slightly trend-conforming - woozy synths and heavy chorusing effects conjure up echoes of DeMarco, Impala et al of 'Big Modern Psychedelia' (yawn), yet fortunately Kikagaku imbue every track with their own distinct individualism and personality that makes these small sonic similarities nothing more than that - touchstones from which Masana Temples undoubtedly draws from but never tries to derive from.
Indeed, the penultimate and characteristically Kikagaku ‘Gatherings’ firmly dispels all notions of conformism, with ‘Blanket Song’ concluding the album in a swathe of lysergic bliss (while also charmingly recalling 2016’s House In The Tall Grass and its similar album bookend ‘Cardigan Song’).
For their fourth full-length outing, the band sought out Portuguese jazz musician Bruno Pernadas both 'out of admiration for his music and in an intentional move to work with a producer who came from a wildly different background'. And, while Masana Temples displays no more explicit 'jazziness-ness' than their previous releases, Pernadas' influence I believe is broader, for Kikagaku Moyo have developed their wonderful textural sound with a greater clarity, dexterity and focus as yet unseen in their discography. The wild sensuous jams and acid-drenched freakouts so characteristic of the group feel incredibly lucid in their directness, granting Masana a refreshing sophistication. In turn, this further cements Kikagaku Moyo as not just another sitar-wielding, reverb-pedal cranking outfit but true masters of their craft, weaving pop-drenched harmonic sensibility with 70's proto-prog fun.
Catch KM at Electric Brixton on Sat 25th May! Get your tickets here ...