Here is some breaking music news for those of you keen on the deep psychedelic madness of the Japanese underground: around May this spring, guitar legend Keiji Haino will be gracing Beijing with his mysterious presence. Haino will be performing at the 3 day X Nights Festival at Yugong Yishan, organized by Wangba Music.
When I lived in Tokyo for a short time in 2006, the locals would always describe Haino as “the most dangerous guitar player in Japan.” Even NHK, Japan’s national broadcaster, banned him from broadcast from 1973 to 2013; such has been the treatment Haino has endured for pretty much his entire career. He has since collaborated with the likes of Fred Frith, Faust, and Jim O’Rourke. So we are in for a distinguished and intentionally not very palatable treat.
Haino will possibly be performing with local madman Xiao He and Belgian troubadour Matthieu Ha. Stay tuned for more info regarding X Nights Festival, as it is still in the planning stages and many other amazing acts are rumored to be joining in.
Until Beijing receives the “dangerous” Haino and is never the same again, check out Haino’s videos below; please play at full volume for the desired effect.