HIKASHU

compiled by Nicholas D. Kent
email: ndkent "at" optonline.net

Last updated 03.4.3

(*) means I don't own this album and haven't listened to it.

(@) means I don't own this album but have listened to it.

thanks to Terry Green, Buggle

Makigami's Home Page (in English)

Some recent releases on the Tzadik label

 

Hikashu is a long running sort of avant garde pop performance ensemble started in the late 1970s. Koichi Makigami is the lead vocalist and writes most of the material. He said they were "Like a play pretending to be a band"

From a synth standpoint Makoto Inoue and Yasushi Yamashita played synths in the original line up (which sounds to me generally more synth-oriented than later lineups), they left in the early 80s and among other things formed a synth duo Inoyama Land. For quite a while Hikashu used an alternative English spelling, Hikasu, without the second "h".

(*) 1978 Spring Pre Hikashu (released 1999 on Transonic)

There isn't just a pre-first album (below) but this, a pre-pre first album! I don't know much about the details, presumably this was just before the band properly formed in 1978

1978

96.11.7 Toshiba cd: EMI TOCT-9683

I don't have the complete story on this album but as the date says, it was studio recorded in 1978 but it wound up not being released as far as I know until 1996.

The song selection is much the same as the self titled actual album debut (below) from 1980 but the playing order and the arangements are a bit earlier and I guess a little more raw. The CD release includes a 22 page booklet with interviews and a CD-ROM section including some vintage clips in Quicktime.

End of the 20th century

(*)79.10/00 Toshiba/EMI-Eastworld 7" EWR-20626

First major label single

Hikasu

80.02.05 Toshiba/EMI-Eastworld lp: EWS-81292, recent CD: TOCT-6979

Both catchy and a technopop classic! This would be their "proper" first album and definitely the first album to get a proper release. Many memorable songs. Includes a


The most recent CDs of this album are called HIKASU +2 cat# Toshiba/EMI-Eastworld TOCT-6979 presumably the "+2" means 2 bonus tracks were added to the original LP.

There was a 1987 2CD release coupling Hikasu and the following album Natsu (CT22-5086~7)

Natsu

(@) 80.07.21 Toshiba/EMI-Eastworld lp: EWS-81345

As sort of expected from the close date to the prior album, this one was Hikasu's other main technopop style album. The famous track on this one I woudl say is Pike , which has been covered several times by other bands.

While there is a Natsu +2 version of this album, it seems to have gone out of print by the time I started looking for it (TOCT-6980) so I've only caught a friend's copy

Pike

(*) 80.07.21Toshiba EMI-Eastworld 7" EWS-17025

I single out this single out because I understand the B side is the same song sung in English. I've not heard it yet

Uwasa no Jinrui

81.05.21Toshiba/EMI-Eastworld lp: EWS-91023 recent cd: TOCT-10048

This third album with a Keiichi Ohta cover sort of moves into a stranger musical world. As with most albums, Makagami writes almost all the songs and his voice is distinctive as always, Inoue and Yamashita still play synths but to me its somewhat more dramatic and mysterious.

(*) several albums follow, I haven't heard them and only have basic info

Hikashu Super (1981) a compilation
Watashi No Tanoshimi (1984)
Mizuni Nagashite (1984)
Sobadeyokereba (1985)
Nanimokamo Odore (1987) cassette only release

NINGEN NO KAO

1988 Panam/Nippon Crown cd:CRCP-168

This one I have. The cover art has a sort of painting of a red face. This one is somewhat reliant on Japanese lyrics with okay but not a standout arrangement but has enough solid melody/singing/song structure to keep me interested. Much less synth based than the earlier albums.

the title track was also released as a single backed with Tengoku Wo Nozokitai

(*) More albums I've not heard yet:

HIKASU Live (1989)
TEICHOUNA OMOTENASHI (1990)
Humming Soon (HANAUTAHAJIME 1991)
OGUS 02 (1993 anime soundtrack)

LONDON EYE & PARIS EYE (Atti No Me Kotti No Me )

1993 Tokuma CD TKCA-70165

This album was recorded in a Berlin studio probably during a European tour.The songs have the theatrics and strange turns as is expected with good fidelity. Perhaps more avant garde-isms than their 80s work but they also can be quite smooth. A 6 member band with a couple guests.

Kawatteru
Changing like Myxomycetes

96.12.21Toshiba EMI cd: TOCT9775

Myxomycetes seems to be pictured on the cover and is a fungus of some sort that Makigami felt was reminicent of Hikasu. This is an album of newly recorded previous songs with generally a more avant garde group of 7 Hikashu members and other guest musicians. One song was recorded with an orchestra in Slovakia. The lyrics and notes are translated into English in the booklet.

Musique Non Stop

A Tribute to Kraftwerk

98.9.23 Toshiba/EMI cd: TOCT-10455

A tribute album put together by Koichi Makigami of Hikashu. One could quibble- no YMO, the most impressive track, Buffalo Daughter's Autobahn is also the nearest to a re-creation, etc. Still its quite entertaining. Highlights that struck me are Makigami's strong vocals, Maywa Denki's electro mechanical not electronic sound, Makoto Inoue's traditional Japanese sounds (though sampled).

[brackets indicate current or former bands these people were in]

  1. The Model - Hikashu
  2. Computer Love - Teruo Nakano [Long Vacation, P-MODEL]
  3. Autobahn - Buffalo Daughter
  4. Tanzmuzik - Yasushi Yamashita [Hikashu]
  5. Radioactivity - Hikashu
  6. Showroom Dummies - Melt Banana
  7. Atem / Harmonika - Kimitaka Matsumae [Space Ponch]
  8. Dentaku - Satoru Wono featuring Maywa Denki
  9. Sex Object - Zeni Geva
  10. Its More Fun to Compute - Takku Ishino [Denki Groove]
  11. Musique Non-Stop - Hajime Fukuma [P-MODEL]

  12. Europe Endless - Makoto Inoue [Hikashu]

     

The Radioactive Tribute To Kraftwerk

(*)2002 New Mantra (France) MAN5992

  1. The Robots - Senor Coconuts
  2. The Model - Hikashu
  3. Computer Love - Teruo Nakano
  4. Dentaku (Tsukuba Mix) - Satoru Wono featuring Maywa Denki
  5. Showroom Dummie - Senor Coconuts
  6. Taschenrechner - Dhiva
  7. Music Non Stop (RE M N S) - Hajime Fukuma
  8. Radio Activity - Hikashu
  9. Atem Harmonika - Kimitaka Matsumae
  10. Tour De France - Dhiva Vs Skibby
  11. Europe Endless - Makoto Inoue
  12. Its More Fun To Compute - Takkyu Ishino
  13. Trans Europa Express - Senor Coconuts
  14. Autobahn - Buffalo Daughter

 

This was re-released in France a couple years later. I've not heard exactly who was responsible for this version nor seen the CD booklet which I'm kind of curious about. It does seem the be mostly the same material as the all Japanese album with noisy acts like Zeni Geva and Melt Banana replaced by Senor Coconut (with a typo additional "s" among other possible typos on some track names) and some Scandanavian? acts I'm unfamiliar with. I guess Yamashita got bumped off too.

Hikasu History

2001 Tzadik (U.S.) TZ7235

Looking at it before listening this album appears to be a sort of best of greatest hits, reading the label the obi's english text its clear that this is a compilation of "private tapes, rare demos and exciting live recordings" which sums it up quite well. The 22 tracks date between 1977-1993. I guess the minor downside might be from a technopop viewpoint, all their well known songs are included, but to those who don't know the songs you aren't getting the original studio versions. Also no translations . The definite plus is most if not all of these recordings are out for the first time, and on a low priced well made U.S. release. Included are also some well engineered live radio performances so those certainly are very hi-fi.

Remix Album:

Hikasu Retrospective Remix

96.8.28 Toshiba/EMI cd: TOCT-9558

1. Rhetoric & Logic (Susumu Yokota)
2. model (Ken Ishii - so this track is a remix of a cover version!)
3. puyopuyo (yoshinori sunahara)
4. the song for the eyes (quadra)
5. yochu no kiki (fumiya tanaka)
6. a mysterious spell (yoshihiro sawasaki)
7. pike (takQ ishino)
8. dekigoto (kagami)
9. to icecrone (akio yamamoto)

Far better than many remixes, the Sunahara with a sort of sitar psychadelia twist is the standout.

Tribute Album:

(*) TRIBUTE TO HIKASU End of the 20th century (LABSICK RECORDS LAB-006) seems to have different bands including Makigami covering the song "At the End of the 20th Century" now that it was arguably that

 

Makigami, Koichi Solo:

I've not heard these yet:


(*) Minzoku No Saiten (1982)

(*) Koroshi No Blues (1992)


KUCHINOHA

(*) 1995 TZADIK (U.S) TZ7208

Seems to be solo voice with no electronoics or overdubs


Electric Eel

(*) 1998 TZADIK (U.S.)

this one is a jaw harp duet wiith Anton Bruhin

 

Inoyama Land is a band comprised of ex-Hikasu members Makoto Inoue and Yasushi Yamashita

INOYAMA LAND

Danzindan Pojidon

1983 Alfa/Yen Medium lp: YLR-22003, ALCA-9167

Hosono produced. Very ambient. Seemingly recorded with a speaker and a mic submerged in a fish tank! Don't expect anything fast moving. Not currently available on CD

albums I've not heard:

Inoyama Land (1997 on Transonic)
1984 Pithecanthropus [live, released1999 but presumably vintage recordings)

 

INOYAMALAND

Music for Myxomycetes

1998.08.5 Transonic TRS-25025

This is ambient synth music sometimes with simple melodies, pure sounds. It seems to be background music for an exhibit of closeup pictures fungus. There is also a suite Music for Ozone. One track is as early as 1977 and only 3 of the 11 are writing credited to both of the 2 members, most tracks seem to be one or the other. The earlier Hikasu album also with subject of Myxomycetes seems ironic - I assume they were both inspired by photographs? The duet did not participate on the Hikashu 1996 album.

Makoto Inoue

(*) I've not yet heard them but from 1983-1984 he did 3 synth cover volumes of the soundtracks to classic Toho Godzilla related films entitled Godzilla Legend (Godzilla Legend 2 and 3). As far as I can tell the 3rd one was only released as part of a boxed set of all 3 called Chronology.Then the first 2 were reissued as CDs and finally in a CD boxed set Godzilla Legend Box (1991) of all 3. They are no longer available. What seems to be very cool is guests include (not necessarily on all 3 volumes) Koichi Makagami, Koji Ueno, Hajime Tachibana and Jun Togawa(!!)

Also Pigumario (1985) Billed as Makoto Inoue & Hikasu Family, no further info

 

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