Ali ste si kdaj želeli, da bi prvi odkrili najboljši bend na svetu, in bi ta ostal vaša skrivnost?
Ko sem pred dvemi leti prvič za dlje časa odpotoval na Japonsko sem si kot velik fen japonske alternativne scene predvsem želel videti svoje najljubše bende in didžeje, kultne izvajalce, ki na domačem terenu gotovo igrajo pred hordami gorečih oboževalcev. V Tokiu sem res uspel videti vse svoje idole, hord navdušencev pa nikjer. Hitro sem spoznal, da bendi, ki so tako močno zaznamovali moj glasbeni razvoj doma povečini nastopajo pred manjšim občinstvom kot jaz v Sloveniji, za naklonjenost maloštevilčne publike pa se borijo z vojsko meni neznanih, a morda še boljših bendov. Odkril sem ultimativno insidersko sceno, kjer najbolj vznemirljivi bendi na svetu nastopajo takorekoč samo zate. Nihče ne ve za njih. Nikogar ne zanimajo. Ni se ti treba v prvi vrsti komolčkati z rajo, ki jih sploh ne šteka ampak jih poslušajo, ker se jih trenutno pač posluša. Pred odrom je prostora še preveč. Za Japonce so preveč vsakdanji, za tujce so preveč eksotični.
Še več, ti bendi so tako obskurdni, da le redkokdaj posnamejo cd ali video, celo na Youtubu težko najdeš kak omembe vreden posnetek. Za njih obstaja samo oder, samo trenutek. Ves čas sem se počutil, kot da si z malim številom fenov (ti so ponavadi prav tako tujci, ki so prišli na Japonsko z istimi vizijami kot jaz) delimo veliko skrivnost.
Nekateri bendi so s tem čisto zadovoljni, drugi se trudijo priti čim višje po hierarhični lestvici te male interne scene, tretji, najbolj pogumni pa jo poskušajo nekako preseči in priti dlje kot do obrobja Tokia. Kolegom glasbenikom po celem svetu je to verjetno znano.
Če sem čisto iskren, nisem odšel na Japonsko samo zato, da bi videl sceno, ampak tudi zato, da bi se sam preizkusil na njej. Verjetno spadam v tisto tretjo kategorijo glasbenikov, ki jih domača scena (pa naj bo še tako bogata) začne dušiti in pohlepno stegujejo roke po novih ušesih. In ni mi žal, da sem poskusil. Glasbeno življenje v novi državi mi je omogočilo nov začetek, ki ti ga dom nikoli ne dopusti. Lahko sem se ustvaril znova. In lahko sem nastopal skupaj s svojimi najljubšimi bendi na svetu. Kaj si človek še lahko zaželi?
Eden izmed bendov, ki mi je to omogočil, so bili Praha Depart. Poznal sem jih kot zelo cenjen bend iz tokijske underground scene in ko so me povabili na koncert v znameniti klub 20000V sem seveda z veseljem šel. Bili so neverjetni presežek tega kar sem pričakoval. Po njihovem koncertu sem popolnoma prevzet takoj stopil do njih z namenom, da jim povem kako so ravnokar odigrali enega najboljših koncertov kar sem jih videl v življenju. Pa so me prehiteli in mi dali vedeti, da jim je bil moj koncert v istem klubu kak mesec nazaj najboljši live nastop, kar so ga oni videli.
Od takrat naprej smo bili nepogrešljivi v prvih vrstah koncertov en drugega. Videl sem jih nastopati v vseh mogočih pogojih in vedno sem se po koncertih spraševal: "Zakaj za vraga niso slavni?"
Lepo je imeti svojo skrivnost, ampak kot vsi vemo, skrivnosti nimajo smisla, če drugi ne zvejo za njih.
Lahko si predstavljate kako sem se počutil, ko so mi predlagali, da bi šli na skupno evropsko turnejo. Končno! Odločili so se, da je prišel čas da dosežejo še kako uho izven Tokia, in upam da jim bom lahko pri tem vsaj malo pomagal. Zdaj lahko jaz doma širim dober glas o bendu, ki je o meni širil dober glas na Japonskem. In lahko uživam v njihovih koncertih in družbi.
Pravzaprav jim ne morem ponuditi kaj dosti več, kot so oni meni...dobrodošli pri nas, nimamo veliko publike, je pa publika, ki šteka. Toplo vabljeni na koncert v Menzo pri Koritu v četrtek in MC Pekarno v soboto!
Praha Depart/N'toko Europe Tour 2011:
20.10.četrtek-Menza Ljubljana, Slovenija
22.10. sobota-MC Pekarna Maribor, Slovenija
23.10. nedelja-Le Kraspek-Lyon, Francija with Zero Absolu
27.10. četrtek-Moog-Barcelona, Španija with Bardo Pond
28.10. petek-La Boite Madrid, Španija with Bardo Pond
29.10. sobota-Matadero Ekintzak Azkoitia, Guipuzkoa, Španija
5.11.sobota--De onderbroek-Nijmegen, Nizozemska
6.11.nedelja-Musikbunker-Aachen, Nemčija
Have you ever wanted to be the first person to discover a really cool band, and keep it a secret?
When I first came to Japan as a fan of the alternative scene, the first thing I imagined doing was seeing all my favorite bands playing in front of legions of crazy fans, a sight I'll never see in Europe. Well, I did get to see the bands, but where are the legions of fanatic fans I imagined? What I discovered was that most of the bands that influenced me so much over the years play to an even smaller audience than I do, competing with dozens of other amazing bands I've never heard of for a tiny audience. It's the ultimate insider scene with the most exiting bands around playing just for you. You don't have to elbow your way to the front row through an audience of hipsters who don't really get them but listen to the band because they're "a thing" at the moment. Nobody cares about them. They're too weird for Japanese people and too, well...weird for foreigners also.
And what's more, these bands get so obscure that they often don't record any albums or videos, you can't even find a decent live clip on Youtube. All they see is the stage and play for the moment. No wonder you often get the feeling at Tokyo gigs as if you and the other few audience members (who are usually white guys that came to Japan for the same reason as you) are sharing some kind of secret.
Some of these bands are quite satisfied with the situation, some of them try desperately to climb up the indie social ladder, while others try to somehow escape the traps of the scene and become more than a secret. I suppose musicians everywhere are like that.
To be honest, I didn't just come to Tokyo to observe the scene, but to also test my skills in a new environment that inspires me. I guess you could say that I come from the third group of musicians, the greedy ones that quickly start feeling trapped in their local scene (no matter how awesome that scene is). And I'm glad I made the move to Japan, it helped me to re-create myself and get a new start, a privelage your home never allows you. And of course I got to play with my favorite bands, so what else could a person ask for?
One of the bands that helped me a lot on the way are Praha Depart. We met through mutual friends and they invited me to their gig in 20000V. After the gig I enthusiastically ran to tell them that they just played one of the most amazing gigs I've ever seen, but they surprised me by saying that they felt the same way after seeing my show. Since then we've been in the front rows at most of each other's concerts, and I've seen them play in every situation imaginable. The one thought I always get durning their show is "Why the hell aren't these guys famous?"
It's nice to have a secret, but lets face it, secrets are no fun if they don't get shared around.
You can imagine how exited I was when they suggested that we go on a European tour together. They decided to make a step outside of their comfort zone and see what their music can do elsewhere in the world. I hope I can help a bit, spread the good word about them around just like they did for me in Tokyo. Well, actually I can't do much, can I? Welcome to the tiny shitty venues of Europe...we don't have a lot of fans either, but the ones that we have really get it.
Praha Depart/N'toko Europe Tour 2011:
20.10.Menza Ljubljana, Slovenia
22.10.MC Pekarna Maribor, Slovenia
23.10. Le Kraspek-Lyon, France with Zero Absolu
27.10. Moog-Barcelona, Spain with Bardo Pond
28.10. La Boite Madrid, Spain with Bardo Pond
29.10.Matadero Ekintzak Azkoitia, Spain Guipuzkoa
5.11.De onderbroek-Nijmegen, Netherlands
6.11.Musikbunker-Aachen, Germany
No comments:
Post a Comment