SATANICPORNOCULTSHOP

Zap Meemees (SONORE, SON-22, CD 2005)

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By Christian Eder, NOISY NEIGHBOURS (Germany, 2006) Ugh (Electronik, Spinnen), Meu-meu (Maultrommel, Puppen), Lisa (Gesang, Rosa Feder Boa), *Es (Field recordings, indische Flo¨te) und Vinylman (Turntables) bilden das Quintett Satanicpornocultshop, das mit ?Zap Meemes“ bereits seinen 13. Release (!) seit 1998 vorlegt. Sie machen laut Info“surrealistic hip hop with a slightly perverse and grotesque touch” was zwar recht zutreffend ist, diesen Irrsinn aber doch noch sehr euphemistisch beschreibt. Vielmehr bekommt man hier gefrickelt-vertrackte Elektronik und Samplewahnsinn, der durchaus eine Na¨he zu Negativland aufweist, allgemein aber etwas zuga¨nglicher ist. Hier wird verwurstet was gerade so kommt. Gesamplet und gefrevelt wurde u. a. von Velvet Underground, Kylie Minogue, Sun Ra oder ?Blue Velvet“, was auch immer. Nichts ist sicher vor diesen respektlosen Soundakrobaten. Schwierig, kaum an einem Stu¨ck durchho¨rbar, aber genial gemacht. Wenn in Japan zu so etwas getanzt wird, dann will ich dort hin ziehen!

By Sasa Pavlovic, FILTER MAGAZINE (Macedonia, 2006) What a pleasure. To write about the most grotesque electronic japanese Miracle these years - Satanicpornocultshop (don't be afraid of the name). Amen. After their masterpiece of 2003 Anorexia Gas Balloon, cut-up collective from Osaka, Japan, realized their distinctive best of album - Zap Meemees, collection of singles, re-mix and compilation tracks. Did I say tracks? No, I meant songs.
How to describe the music of SPCS? Hmmm, this cultural artistic society - Ugh (electronics, tentacles), Meu-meu (jews-harp, puppets), Lisa (vocal, pink feather boa), *Es (field recording, indian pipe) and Vinylman (turntables, shirking) composes, so-called computer puzzle music, fusion of who-knows-how created electronics. Their japanese bogus electro tools and obscure rhytms constantly amuse your body (I'll not open debate about your intelect). Result : Zap Meemees, ultra fast and virtuos mantra'n'tune loaded in 70-minutes album and 19 songs.
This erective sonic bomb embracing sounds and points simply "spatters out" everywhere. Satire is obviously their beloved genre. In the crowd of samples they skillfully manipulate with all and everything. You want Kylie Minogue, you want Velvet Underground, you want Black Sabbath, you want John Lennon, you want Duran Duran, you want XTC... you have them all in one song. The album consists of numerous audio fragments combined with taste and contemplation. The matrix of the band is gramophone guru Ugh, man-sempler with sense for body music, Lisa sings, the others speed up the SPCS machine with surreal toys. The album upholds running from the music cliches at whichever price, and in this supposed nonsense context more lucid audio thrills Punusunuc, Error meu-meu, Wa bichimore? no, no, bi watchmore, Shoplifter @ wal-mart fundamentalist 59,054,087!!! and finally Jacob as ultimate dancing anthem function as the most wanted absurd parody. You would not find more weird and more daring collection of "songs" in the closest galaxies. The pickled gherkins and the cappucino is the endeared SPCS recipe.
The overdosed rhytms of Satanicpornocultshop are the event of the year. I sign personally. Have a good laugh, relax and treat yourself with one truly common surreal music trip.

Kakvo zadovolstvo. Da se pisuva za najgrotekstnoto elektronsko japonsko cudo(viste) godinive - Satanicpornocultshop (neka ne ve plasi imeto). Amin. Po nivniot masterpis od 2003-ta Anorexia Gas Balloon, cut-up kolektivot od Osaka, Japonija, go realizira svojot svoeviden best of album - Zap Meemees, kolekcija na singlovi, remiksi i kompilaciski traki. Rekov traki? Seedno.
Kako da ja opises mizikata na SPCS? Hmmm, ova kulturno umetnicko drustvo - Ugh (electronics, tentacles), Meu-meu (jews-harp, puppets), Lisa (vocal, pink feather boa), *Es (field recording, indian pipe) and Vinylman (turntables, shirking) sozdava, nareci komjuterska puzzle muzika, kolaz od koj-znae-kako sozdadena eletronika. Nivnite japonski nadri elektro alatki i opskurni ritmi postojano vi go skokotkaaat teloto (za umot ne otvoram rasprava). Rezultat: Zap Meemees, ultra brza i virtuozna mantra nabiena vo 70-minuten album i 19 pesni.
Ovaa erektivna sonicna bomba od zvuci i poenti prosto "prska" nasekade. Satirata im e ocevidno omilen zanr. Vo guzvata od semplovi vesto manipuliraat so se i sesto. Sakas Kajli Minog, sakas Velvet Underground, sakas Black Sabbath, sakas John Lennon, sakas Duran Duran, sakas XTC... gi imas vo edna pesna. Albumot sodrzi bezbroj audio fragmenti slozuvani so vkus i vnimanie. Matriksot na bendot e gramofonskiot guru Ugh, covek-sempler so karikaruralen sens za body muzika, Lisa pee, ostanatite ja zabrzuvaaat SPCS masinata so nadrealni igracki. Albumot protezira beganje od muzicki klisea po sekoja cena, a vo ovoj i vakviot naizgled nonsens kontekst poveketo lucidni audio zezalici Punusunuc, Error meu-meu, Wa bichimore? no, no, bi watchmore, Shoplifter @ wal-mart fundamentalist 59,054,087!!! i konecno Jacob kako ultimativna igraorna (dance) himna funkcioniraat kako najposakuvana apsurdna parodija. Pozakacena i podrska kolekcija od "pesni" tesko deka ke pronajdete vo pobliskive galaksii. Kiselite krastavicki i kapucinoto e omileniot SPCS recept.
Overdoziranite ritmi na Satanicpornocultshop se slucka na godinata. Potpisuvam. Nasmejte se, opustete i dozvolete si edno navistina obicno nadrealno muzicko patuvanje.

By Alan Harrison, GROOVES MAGAZINE (UK, 2006) Sonore seems to be rapidly becoming one of the most intrinsically daring electronic labels around, with these two releases acting as a neat primer of its boldly explorative, decidedly experimental modus operandi. The sixth album by Osaka collective Satanicpornocultshop, for example, is a mesmerising, art-damaged assemblage of what seems like billions of audio fragments sifted from the refuse of an increasingly dumb globe-mass culture, each contorted into fun, furiously elliptical sonic sculptures. Essentially a gathering of compilation tracks, singles and remixes from between 2002 and 2005, it hangs together with the deranged, self-reflexive, hyper-informatic logic of the quintet's previous effort "Anorexia Gas Balloon" (whose cover of Kylie Minogue's "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" is here subject to a nifty re-jig). The highlights are many and varied, but Satanicpornocultshop's ludicrously intricate, brain-frazzling attention to mangled composition lingers longer in the memory than any individual track. Appropriating some hitherto-unexplored strain of Fluxus breakcore or super-informatic, sample-gorged electro/hip-hop, the hyper-dense structures of Satanicpornocultshop are quite unlike anything else around.

By Susanna Bolle, RARE FREQUENCY (USA, 2005) Oh, the insanity! On 2003's Anorexia Gas Balloon, Japanese cut-up kings Satanicpornocultshop proved they could make some of the most over-the-top, sample-based collages this side of anywhere. With their follow-up release, Zap Meemes, this self-described surrealistic hip-hop collective offer up a hefty all-you-can-eat smorgasboard of remixes, singles, and compilation tracks, pulverizing, regurgitating, and reinterpreting everything from Kylie Minogue and the Velvet Underground to Duran Duran and Black Sabbath. Samples are mashed and familiar vocals are unnervingly reinacted by SPCS with their usual bravado, but at 70+ minutes the disc suffers from compilational bloat. Of course, there are some Himalayan peaks reached here. Certainly "Mutherfacker" finds the group in stellar quasi-scatalogical form and the final, hidden bonus track is Satanicpornocultshop overkill at its best, mixing John Lennon, Black Sabbath, XTC, Billy Joel, Elton John, "God Bless America," and countless other pop standbys into a wild 'n' wooly commentary on post-9/11 America [Sadly, because of profanity, I can play neither track on the radio]. In the end, however, while it dishes out some fantastically delectable sonic treats, taken as a whole Zap Meemes leaves you feeling overstuffed and undernourished. Take small bites.

By Karel Kouba, FREEMUSIC (Czech Republic, 2005) Nevi´m zdali je to reakci´ na tradicemi sva´zanou japonskou spole?nost, ale pravdou je, ?e spousta extravagantni´ch, resp. extre´mni´ch kapel a interpret? pocha´zi´ pra´v? ze Zem? vycha´zeji´ci´ho slunce. Vzpome?me kup?i´kladu Merzbow, Melt Banana, OOIOO, Boredoms, hromadu power-violence / fastcore / grind spolk?, atd.
Co ?ekat od kapely, je? si da´ jme´no Satanicpornocultshop!? ?i´lene´ jme´no zna?i´ ?i´lenou hudbu. Bla´znovstvi´ ov?em m??e by´t do jiste´ mi´ry i osv??uji´ci´. Zejme´na ve sv?t? digita´lni´ dochvilnosti, pokory a nadpr?m?rne´ho pracovni´ho nasazeni´ bez na´roku na dovolenou. Kdy? na to nahli´?i´m touto optikou, vlastn? se tomu ani moc nedivi´m. Kdybych byl Japoncem, asi bych taky zalo?il n?jakou hodn? crazy kapelu.
Satanicpornocultshop ale neni´ jen vrtoch frustrovany´ch Japon?i´k?, ale p?edev?i´m skute?n? svobodny´ na´hled na sv?t hudby. T??ko kategorizovat, t??ko p?irovna´vat. Za´sadni´m slovem budi? experiment. Experiment v oku samplingove´ho hurika´nu. A? u? se jedna´ o experimentova´ni´ se zvukovy´mi kola´?emi, hip hopem ?i odkazem pop kultury se v?emi jeji´mi nezna´my´mi slastmi, ne?vary i nectnostmi. A to jsem uvedl jen vrcholek ledovce. Satanicpornocultshop jsou schopni smi´chat olej s vodou. A aby nez?stalo jen u pra´zdny´ch slov hned v u´vodni´ 59,054,087 podrobuji´ neli´tostne´mu skalpelu sou?asne´ elektroniky klasiku Blue Velvet. A pokra?ujme, vedle ?ady vlastni´ch skladeb se dostalo i na hodn? nekonformni´ verze skladeb od skute?n? rozmanite´ sm?sky um?lc? (Sun Ra, Kylie Minogue, Duran Duran nebo Velvet Underground).
V souvislosti se Satanicpornocultshop se ?asto mluvi´ o hip hopu. Souhlas, nutno v?ak bezpodmi´ne?n? p?ipojit p?i´vlastky experimenta´lni´, abstraktni´ surrealisticky´, dadaisticky´. Nejle´pe pochopi´te p?i poslechu druhe´ho tracku Jag Meemeee, pro m? jednoho z vrchol? kompilace, ktera´ mapuje sna?eni´ p?tice Japonc? mezi lety 2002 a 2005. P?ipome?me, ?e kosmopolitni´ ode´r doda´va´ francouzsky´ label Sonore, na n?m? elektro-kvintet (ktery´ ale u?i´va´ i ?ivy´ch na´stroj?) v posledni´ dob? vyda´va´.
Vra?me se v?ak je?t? k obsahu CD. Satanicpornocultshop jsou schopni jednu jedinou skladbu narvat doslova k prasknuti´ naprosto neuv??itelny´mi kombinacemi, usly?i´te zb?sily´ koktejl slo?eny´ z hip hopu, funku, jazzu, bhangry, breakcore, japonske´ lidovky, ... Octnete se na Bli´zke´m Vy´chod?, Orientu, za´padu, vy´chodu. Zaslechnete hlasy ?en i mu??, muezzina, Inda, Johnnyho Cashe, d?tske´ ?vatla´ni´ i ko?i?i´ m?ouka´ni´. V eskapa´d? roztodivny´ch melodii´ a ruch? si p?ipada´te jako ve zvukove´ bance. Kdyby kosmi?ti´ vy´zkumni´ci posi´lali do Vesmi´ru zhu?t?ny´ audio za´znam mati?ky Zem?, doporu?oval bych toto CD. Najdete na n?m skute?n? cokoli, na co si jen vzpomenete. Av?ak pozor, ta deska, i p?esto?e zni´ ko?i?kopejskovsky, se da´ poslouchat! Sice si p?ipada´te jako na horske´ dra´ze, ale fakt da´. Pokud mi nev??i´te, po?i?te si ji sami. Anebo si zajd?te na koncert, ktery´ prob?hne v ra´mci leto?ni´ho ro?ni´ku festivalu Alternativa (28. listopadu v Divadle Archa).

By Urbanspaceman, ULTRASONICA (Italy, 2005) Ultime battute dell'anno per quel che riguarda i concerti nella nostra tanto amata/odiata Torino. Musica90 nella solita location al Cafe` Procope, propone la performance dei Giapponesi SatanicPornoCultShop, quintetto di stravaganti musicisti dediti allo smembramento e riconnotazione di frammenti sonori estrapolati e/o saccheggiati da brani piu` o meno famosi. Insomma un Cut/Up di quelli che scorrono a velocita` vertiginose, quasi da nausea audiometrica. Lo spettacolo viene aperto da un teatrino delle ombre messo su dallo stesso VJ che poco piu` tardi animera` le percezioni visive legate al sound dei SPCS, ambient e rumori curati da *Es, fanno da commento sonoro ad un improbabile narrazione, una sorta di 'viaggio nel tempo' dove il protagonista si trova di volta in volta ad affrontare cretaure dall'ombra mostruosa.... riaccese le luci e messe da parte le figure di cartone, ecco che fanno capolino sul palco i SatanicPornoCultShop, Ugh, rapper e 'scratchatore' (con i vinili ovviamente!), con un passamontagna nero che gli nasconde il volto, Vinylman sempre ai piatti a fare dello scratch l'arma da taglio della situazione, *Es che per l'occasione indossa una maschera da tigre bianca e la splendida Lisa, dall'ottima voce. Il pubblico un po` freddino e seduto ben distante dal palco, osserva attentamente le movenze del gruppo che in prima battuta, lancia una sorta di Hip-Hop secco e ruvido, cantato da Ugh che quasi stenta a raggiungere la sua posizione senza far danni (probabilmente il passamontagna che porta non gli permette di vedere bene)! I brani migliori a mio giudizio, sono quelli che vedono 'protagonista' la voce di Lisa, canta in Inglese e Francese mescolando sulla linea melodica le due lingue piu` la sua nativa nipponica. Il concerto scorre, non si puo` dire che sia 'idilliaco' ma un gruppo che viene da cosi` lontano ha su di noi sempre un certo fascino che aiuta un po` a nascondere la ripetitivita` dei brani proposti, i Satanic azzardano anche una cover, momento forse piu` divertente e disteso della serata. Sulle note di I Was Made For Lovin You dei Kiss, cercano di coinvolgere un po` il pubblico che rimane perfettamente immobile come un cane da concorso. Ad un certo punto il VJ scende tra il pubblico ed offre a tutti un pezzo di crostata alle prugne, gesto al quanto insolito, forse utilizzato per spezzare la disarmonia e rompere il ghiaccio con il pubblico.. mah! Comunque gesto apprezzato dal sottoscritto. Complimenti buona la Crostata! Purtroppo come spesso accade, anche questo concerto rispetta la tendenza al minimale, ovvero tutto in poco tempo e cosi` dopo soli quaranta minuti, noi del pubblico ci troviamo con il nulla assoluto da fare... forse conscio della situazione Ugh tenta di rianimare la serata, portandosi dietro al solito Mac e inanellando una serie di campioni in battuta a creare una miscela 'minimal techno', probabilmente si aspettava una reazione diversa dal pubblico che, invece di ballare, piano piano abbandona la sala oppure rimane seduto. Insomma un finale un po' deludente.

By Massimo Ricci, TOUCHING EXTREMES (Italy, 2005) While I didn't appreciate Satanicpornocultshop's previous Sonore release "Anorexia gas balloon" too much, this time I'm positively surprised by the quality permeating most of this record - sort of a "best of" by this Japanese plunderphonic collective - as in several tracks they reach pure excellence. Trying to describe this music is next to impossible; the best way to listen to it is putting your headphone on and let your equilibrium get scrambled and stomped by a high-octane engine of perpetual change where found sounds, traditional material and pop music are shaken, edited and deformed like in a deranged radio station whose DJ has undergone some "Matrix"-like data overload treatment. Enjoy these cut-ups while stunned in front of your TV during action-packed series - I tried with "Dark Angel" and the effect was astonishing - and listen to the great conclusion, a ghost track with Elton John, Black Sabbath and John Lennon among the sampled guests. Skip the useless covers (Kylie Minogue, Duran Duran, Velvet Underground) and play fabulous stuff like "Jag Meemee" ten times instead.

By Roberto Michieletto, MUSIC CLUB (Italy, 2005) Anche i SatanicPornoCultShop (gia` sul nome ci sarebbe da scrivere un trattato...) stanno bene in quanto a stranezze assortite messe in atto, ma, a differenza della collega di etichetta e di Paese di provenienza (in entrambi i casi parliamo di Giappone), si sono prefissati il compito di giungere alla costruzione (per mezzo della distruzione e de-strutturazione, ma questo e` un altro paio di maniche...) di un impasto concettualmente coerente, pur se figlio della pura frammentazione. ‘Zap Meemees’ raccoglie tracce concepite tra il 2002 e il 2005 e prelevate da singoli, remix o compilation e ci mostra cio` di cui sono capaci i cinque nipponici. Alla fine della fiera compositiva arrivano dalle parti di un “electro noise hip hop minimal drum’n’bass oriented”, ma per farlo applicano le nobili teorie del plagiarismo, dal copia e incolla e del taglia e cuci, buttando nel calderone i Duran Duran piuttosto che Kylie Minogue, U2, Black Sabbath, Queen, George Bush (!!!) o Faith No More in un continuo gioco di campionamenti che si incastrano e si specchiano gli uni negli altri. La` dove la ragione incontra l’allucinazione troverete i SatanicPornoCultShop!

By Marco Paolucci, KATHODIK (Italy, 2005) Prendete un frullatore di quelli che solitamente si vendono in promozione da Lidel, compratelo con gli ultimi spiccioli del vostro portafoglio dopo aver tentato inutilmente di rubarlo. Portatevelo a casa e mandatelo al massimo cercando di ottene il punto di fusione dell’apparecchio inserendoci per la preparazione un pezzo di legno lavorato a mano. Filtrate il tutto e registratelo con un mangiacassette della prima generazione, di quelli che andavano scambiati con fonovaligie da 8 pollici se fosse mai esistito. Sedevi sul divano e riascoltate il tutto. Siete vicini a quello che il portatile ha fatto uscire dalle casse appena inserito questo cd. Un folle progetto di una comune di 5 elfi giapponesi chiamati Satanicpornocultshop e indicati: Ugh alle cianfrusaglie elettroniche e ai tentacoli spaziali, Meu-meu allo scacciapensieri e alle marionette, Lisa alla voce e al boa di stoffa rosa, Es alla pipa indiana e alle registrazioni sul campo di Marte e ultimo Vinylman ai piatti (da lavare) e allo scansafatiche (esiste?). Un ensemble cacofonico ma incredibilmente gradevole di ripescaggi house, vocalizzi glitch and pop e stonature a i limiti del buon gusto sonico che si alternano, si sovrappongono senza chiedere il permesso e saturano il paesaggio sonoro di chi era abituato a quiete e placidi note separate le une dalle altre. Un progetto che certamente rende omaggio al vate John Oswald e alla sua opera omnia ‘Plunderphonic’ (cercare immediatamente!), ai grandissimi Negativeland (anche questi e subito) e che ridicolizza il suono per il suono ma che riesce bene a non dire quello che tenta di dire, che crea un pathworck acustico ostico e diagnostico, ma ben riuscito e piacevolmente necessario per credere che ancora si puo` essere confusamente frivoli e piacevolmente inconcludenti. Euiva Euiva.

By Francesco de Figueiredo, NEROZINE (Italy, 2005) ZAP MEEMEES e` uno di quei dischi in cui la pratica del cut and paste viene utilizzata in maniera totalizzante. E allora viene da se´ la questione: ha ancora senso oggi saccheggiare e ricomporre in una nuova forma elementi dell'industria musicale (piu` o meno) popolare? Questo modus mantiene tuttora la tensione necessaria in una pratica del genere? La faccenda e` decisamente complicata a mio modo di vedere, da una parte infatti si puo` ritenere il cut and paste 'atto' consapevole e in un certo senso politico, che giustifica la sua esistenza proprio per la chiara volonta` provocatoria e postmoderna; dall'altro invece lo si puo` considerare come una modalita` compositiva oramai costituita, in questo caso si perderebbe la relazione col sistema per entrare dentro la valutazione squisitamente musicale del bello-brutto, evitando con un saltone a pie` pari il pantano di riflessioni sostanzialmente funzionali. Ascoltando il lavoro dei giapponesi SATANICPORNOCULTSHOP ho avuto lo slancio di fare questo salto, di valutare il disco in questione sotto un profilo unicamente musicale. Questo di per se´ vuole gia` dire che le diciannove tracce hanno avuto la 'forza' di farmi superare le spine di una riflessione ampia e totalizzante, significa che la materia musicale ha ragione d'essere per la sua qualita`. Lo spirito d’assemblaggio mi ricorda per ironia Stock Hausen and Walkmen e People Like Us. Il taglio dei feticci pop (New Kids on The Block, Macy Gray, Napalm Death, James Brown) si ricuce in una sorta di hip hop grottesco e ludico, su cui i cinque di Osaka lavorano aggiungendo ritmiche elettroniche spezzate e vari strumenti-gadget tanto cari alla scena noise nipponica. Insomma non vi sto raccontando niente di nuovo, ma questo disco prodotto dalla francese Sonore regge, riesce a saltare giu` dal calderone degli inquisiti proprio perche´ forte della sua estetica, perche´ suonato bene, con groove e struttura. E allora supero l'empasse, mi libero dei pesi e rimango qui ad ascoltare. Arrivera` presto la sensazione di vuoto e noia? Per ora vi direi proprio di no…

By Nicola Catalano, RUMORE (Italy, 2005) Strano che John Zorn non abbia ancora notato e reclutato per la collana New Japan della sua Tzadik questi cinque pazzerelloni di Osaka. Intanto i nostri non se ne curano e licenziano per la Sonore una bella antologia di singoli, partecipazioni a compilation e remix nella quale buttano dentro proprio di tutto. Armati di giradischi, strumenti elettronici, field recordings, scacciapensieri, marionette e altro bric-a-brac assortito, Ugh, Meu-Meu e soci maneggiano spavaldamente easy listening e hip hop, drum'n'bass e danza del ventre, lounge e musica orientale, sommergendo con colate di lava plagiarista Johnny Cash e Velvet Underground, Kylie Minogue e John Lennon, Sun Ra e chi sa quant'altro non riusciamo a riconoscere. Spasso schizoide o sguaiato tormentone che sia, siamo convinti che l'ascolto di "Zap Meemees" equivalga al morso di una tarantola.

By Eric Serva, FRANCE MUSIQUE (France, 2005) Satanicpornocultshop est un collectif originaire d'Osaka qui pratique avec dexterite et humour l'art du collage musical. Intitule Zap Meemees, jeux de mot japonais sur les vers de terre que l'on coupe et qui se multipient, l'album oscille entre experimental et dancefloor. S'il reprend certains principes des structures sonores propres aux compositions electroniques experimentales, il ajoute avec malice des elements de musiques traditionnelles ou de variete. Zap Meemees est une compilation des meilleurs titres de Satanicpornocultshop mais aussi un clin d'oeil plus ou moins respecteux aux tubes d'artistes inattendus (Kylie Minogue, John Lennon, Napalm Death, Duran Duran, Lalo Schifrin, Billy Joel...). La qualite d'enregistrement et le soin constant apporte au mixage ajoutent une note supplementaire au plaisir d'ecoute de cet album dejante et seducteur.

By Karsten Zimalla, WESTZEIT (Germany, 2005) Es war im Ma¨rz 04, als ich schwer begeistert den verehrten Lesern die letzte Platte der kranken Japaner an's Herz legte. Nun erreichte mich aus Nippon ein neues Kleinod der netten Kollegen und auch auf "Zap Meemees" wird in bester Negativland'scher Radioterroristenmanier wieder alles gesamplet oder anderweitig verwurstet, was nicht rechtzeitig auf dem Baum ist. Satanicpornocultshop haben offenbar eine Sortieranlage fu¨r Pop/Mu¨ll konstruiert und zu ihrem Instrument erkoren. "Candy Says" ist da nur ein besonders prominentes Opfer, aber insbesondere im hidden track teilen noch etliche andere zwischen Nena und "Imagine" das Schicksal von Mr. Reed und geraten in die to¨nende Kaffemu¨hle. Also ich mag sowas.

By Rigo Dittman, BAD ALCHEMY (Germany, 2005) They did it again, Japans Sampledelicmonster SATANICPORNOCULTSHOP schlugen wieder zu mit Zap Meemees (SON-22), einer Sammlung von Singles, Remixes und Kompilationouttakes. Die fu¨nf Plunderphonic-Ninjas Ugh, Meu-meu, Lisa, *Es & Vinylman ziehen dabei erneut die ultimative Loony-Tune-Quersumme aus den Klangschredderattacken von John Oswald, Stock Hausen & Walkman und Kid606, aus Boredoms ultrakurzen Aufmerksamkeitsspannen und den derben V/Vm-Soundcomics. Mit enthalten sind ihre kannibalisch-perversen Verwurstungen von Kylie Minogues ?I Can‘t Get You Out Of My Head‘ im Muslimgauze-Mix sowie von Duran Durans ?Save A Prayer‘ und VUs ?Candy Says‘ im Flying-Lizards-Treatment, die schon beim Vorga¨ngeralbum Anorexia Gas Balloon heraus stachen. Dazu gibt es nun mit ?Mutherfacker‘ eine Version von Sun Ras ?Nuclear War‘ und sogar zwei von Bobby Vintons ?Blue Velvet‘. U¨berhaupt will die Band aus Osaka als global operierender Heuschreckenschwarm wahrgenommen werden, als Soundpiraten mit grenzenlosem Beta¨tigungstrieb. ?Shoplifter @ Wal-Mart, Fundamentalist 59,054,087!!!‘, das Stoff von Baiyon & Hans Fjellestad remixt, wird dabei zu einer Kurzformel ihrer satanischen Methode und ihres No-Copyright-No-Logo-Theaters: Eigentum verpflichtet zu Diebstahl, enteignet die Enteigner, vergesst Dada & Dekonstruktion - 59,054,087 Bush-Wa¨hler lassen sich an Absurdita¨t und Obszo¨nita¨t schwer u¨berbieten. Daher vielleicht dieses hysterische, an den Nerven sa¨gende Dahinschlingern mit dem David-Lynch-Blues als Ein- und Ausgang, diese Negativland‘sche Hauntologie, diese ?Imagine‘- und ?99 Luftballons‘-Utopie unter Uriah-Heap-Beschuss. Radio Satanicpornocultshop surft und zappt beim finalen ?59,054,087 (reprise)‘ - plus hidden-Track-Extension 13:55 - durchs Anything-goes-Land wie KLF on Speed. Oder ist das Ganze eine zeitgema¨sse Version von ?Macht kaputt, was euch kaputt macht‘?

By Ugo Torresi, NOOZ (Italy, 2005) Tagliando vermi e riassemblandoli in un differente ordine, non rimangono comunque vermi? Non potete immaginarvi quanto sono contento nel ricevere una nuova release dalla nipponica sonore records e per di piu` riguardante i Satanicpornocultshop, gia` trattati proprio in queste pagine qualche secolo fa. Si definiscono ‘surrealist hip hop with a slightly perverse and grotesque touch’ … come non dargli ragione! Il loro nuovo lavoro e` una raccolta di singoli remix e brani provenienti da compilation… dirmi entusiasta del disco e` poco…!!! purtroppo, pero`, questo fa parte di quella tipologia di album difficilissimi da reperire in italia ed altrettanto difficili da assimilare, se non si e` avvezzi a godere di architetture sonore devianti e psicotiche. Il disco e` un continuo miscelarsi di livelli sonori ed atmosfere, trattati con il tocco che li contraddistingue dal marasma sonico in circolazione negli ambiti avant. Il discorso che sta a monte dell’intero progetto dei satanic e` relativo alla produzione discografica mondiale: essi fanno nuova musica, mentre l’industria discografica ricicla vecchi idoli e produce copie di copie di copie usa e getta, il cui valore rimane finche´ non vengono dimenticati nel cassonetto delle cose il cui potenziale economico e` esaurito. I 5 di Osaka si tuffano nella spazzatura e rendono vita a suoni e situazioni dimenticate o non ben concepite… pescano da tutto e creano ibridi di creature sonore inquietanti, squartando i Depeche Mode su di una base jazz o manipolando ancora una volta Kilie Minogue, stavolta con basi arabe e nastri impazziti. Un disco che mi sento di consigliarvi, se finalmente vi siete stufati delle solite robe. Non spaventatevi se in cima alla recensione avete letto hip hop: il loro e` l’hip hop che forse verra` apprezzato tra 20 anni e non ha nulla a che vedere con quelle cazzate che siamo soliti sorbirci, la loro coscienza nell’arrangiamento e nella struttura dei brani e` fantastica, puro virtuosismo della composizione nell’ assemblaggio e nella follia da cui scaturisce il genio. Sono giunto ora alla conoscenza di un disco fantastico… il problema e` riuscire a comunicarvelo, spero che almeno qualcuno di voi vada alla sua ricerca… ma posso gia` dirvi sin d’ora che sara` difficile trovarlo… sappiate, pero`, che le cose che si fa fatica a conquistare sono sempre quelle che danno piu` soddisfazione. Nota dell’ultimo minuto: cercavo la foto fighissima dei satanic che vedete (spero qui di fianco), prima di mandare tutto in stampa …sguazzo per il loro blog e cosa scopro? Giovedi` 1 dicembre 2005 ore 22:30 presso il cafe` Procope Via Juvarra 15bis − Torino… inutile dire che ci saro` !!!

BOUNCE , TOWER RECORDS (Japan, 2005) フランス人と日本人から成る不可解コラージュ・ユニット。今作はこれまでに発表されたシングル盤、リミックス曲、未発表曲などをこれでもかというぐらい詰め込んだ編集盤になっています。もう、その音の情報量といったらすごいのなんの!　あらゆるジャンルの音楽がザッピングさながら入れ替わり立ち替わりでカットアップ!　それでも飽きさせないのは毒っ気たっぷりのポップ感とセンスある仕掛けの成せる技?　（村上 謙太郎）

DISK UNION (Japan, 2005) 日本発、ヒップ・ホップ経由スカム・コラージュ!!!! 97年から活動をする大阪のコラージュ・ユニット。フランスのSONOREから2作目となる今作は、2002年からのオムニバス、シングル、リミックスをまとめたもの。ヒップ・ホップをベースとしたコラージュ・サウンドは、一聴スカム的な毒々しさを感じますが、聴くほどに感じるクォリティーの高いサウンドには脱帽必死!!!!　ボビー・ヴィントンの「ブルー・ベルヴェット」（デヴィッド・リンチのアレね）をマテリアルにした‘59,054,087’(2004年)が素敵。

HMV (Japan, 2005) 高 らかに響け！そして笑え！エレクトロニカ・ポップ・ミュージック＆サンプリング・コラージュのダンサブルな気狂い遊戯！　関西圏を中心に暗躍する日本人3人とフランス人1名によるユニット・サタニックポルノカルトショップ。破天荒なサンプリング・コラージュを駆使した独自の世界観を構築し、ベルギー、フランス、アメリカなどで高い評価を受ける。今作は6枚目のフルアルバムで、連射されるエレクトロニカ・ブレイク/ブロークンビーツが高らかに鳴り響く、狂い咲く、絶対的確信犯＆愉快犯！

By Ar, BASEBOG (Italy, 2005) Satanicpornocultshop e` il nome di un oscura band norvegese dedita al black metal? Una nuova casa di produzione di film hard? No, questa volta siamo in Giappone e si tratta di un gruppo elettronico. Da Osaka i Satanicpornocultshop si occupano di elettronica d'avanguardia, di tagli e cuci, di frenquenze distorte, di saccheggio sonoro, di sperimentazioni allucinogene. Non mettono limiti alle possibilita`. A dispetto dell'introduzione tranquilla gia` dal secondo pezzo si capisce che il loro suono e` massiccio, compulsivo, schizofrenico e hard-core. Per la maggior parte del disco le atmosfere sono felici e fracassone, casse dritte in bella evidenza oppure sezioni di breaks infilano ritmiche jungle di vecchia scuola. Soprattutto sono senza pudore. Ascoltatevi la traccia numero nove e sarete travolti dalla versione acida di "Can't Get You Out Of My Head" di Kylie Minogue. La voce delicata della cantante Lisa e` anche meglio dell'originale e l'arrangiamento tendente al medio-orientale lascia senza parole. "Arabic Belly Dance Music" e` il titolo della verione proposta nel cd. Non e` facile starci dietro, chi potrebbe gustarsi una graziosa musica che sembra presa da un vecchio videogame, "Osui Nomasare", senza giocare al videogame. Attivi gia` dal 1998 con parecchi dischi all'attivo il gruppo possiede anche una piccola etichetta chiamata NuNuLAXNuLAN, immagino non ci sia bisogno di dire cosa produce.

By Tom Sekowski, GAS-ETA (Poland, 2005) While it's so damn easy to dismiss a band like Satanicpornocultshop purely based on the fact they're freak out sampling-crazed audio thieves. Nowadays, who isn't a thief though. Everyone is stealing material from whoever came before. I get a kick at how some in the industry call this borrowing, almost as if to make the practice more legitimate. On the other hand, I'd always had a deep admiration for what John Oswald did with his Plunderphonics project at the tail end of the 80's. His fuck-you cut'n'paste collage of Michael Jackson's 'Bad' was stupendously hilarious, as was his take on Metallica, Carly Simon, John Zorn, Elvis Presley and so many other popular artists. It was from this point that borrowing became truly an art form. Osaka-based septet, Satanicpornocultshop is deeply initiated in the art of lifting other people's material beyond the point of recognition. Their latest release 'Zap Meemees' features break-neck speed paste-collages that actually resemble a drum'n'bass project rather than something from the plunderphonic genre. Even more so than their predecessor 'Anorexia Gas Balloon', this time around the band is bent on making their brand of spaced-out, freak-out pieces work on the dance floor. More than a few times, I'd found myself bopping my head and moving my hips. Regardless of the sources of their sampled clips, they always end up sounding as if the pieces groove along to a beat of their own. Lots of turntable machinations, tons of electronics, drum machines, tapes, loops, real vocals [from almost every member of the band], toys and fun galore.'Mutherfacker' is a dandy little ditty that lifts the lyrics straight from Sun Ra's 'Nuclear War'. While Vina is reading the lyrics [apparently with a straight face], the rest of the band lays down a laid back, static heavy mix that digs directly at your ear drums. '59,054,087 (reprise)' gets my vote for the best smash-up cut'n'paste tune of the year. Its masterful mixing of Bobby Vinton's 'Blue Velvet' [which is nearly unrecognizable] is absolutely fabulous. But then, as an afterthought, the band adds a true chaotic machination of Rolling Stones 'Ruby Tuesday', various Black Sabbath tracks, John Lennon's 'Imagine', Simon & Garfunkel's 'Bridge Over Troubled Waters', Elton John's 'Rocket Man', Soundgarden's 'Black Hole Sun', XTC's 'Dear God', Van Halen's 'Jump' and countless others. There's a point at the tail end of this track where your ears can't keep up with the game of 'guess who they're lifting from now'. All hail the new kings of chaos!

By Tehanor, INFRATUNES (France, 2005) Les Japonais doivent de´sormais jeter leurs de´chets dans plus de quarante poubelles diffe´rentes. On n'ose imaginer les cas de conscience de`s qu'il s'agit de se de´barrasser d'un objet. Jetez un cd raye´ dans la mauvaise, et me^me le fait qu'il s'agisse du dernier Kylie Minogue ne vous sera gue`re d'un grand secours quand vous devrez affronter les reproches de votre voisine pour votre incivisme. Pourtant, tout e´tait indique´ dans le guide page 127. C'est la poubelle qui part a` la de´chetterie d'Osaka. La` ou` l'e´lectro se veut plus frivole et moins auste`re que celle de Tokyo. La` bas, ils sauront quoi en faire. On parle d'un collectif qui re´cupe´rerait tout ce qui lui tombe sous la main pour en faire de sages comptines pour enfants. Il pousserait l'art du recyclage a` un tel extre^me, qu'il lui arriverait parfois, dans un exce`s de ze`le, de recycler ses propres monticules de re´cupe´rations. On ressortirait bien pour l'occasion une me´taphore nipponne, mais la seule figure qui vient a` l'esprit est celle du serpent se mordant la queue (qui a` mon grand de´sarroi nous vient de la Gre`ce antique). Qu'importe ! L'ide´e est la` : le cycle de l'e´volution renferme´ sur lui me^me, le recycleur recycle´ par ses propres soins. Notre Kylie Minogue co^toie finalement la BO d'un film saoudien (sans nul doute parce qu'elle est arrive´e dans le me^me collecteur de de´chets). Et au Satanicpornocultshop, on s'amuse comme des gosses. Non contents de barbouiller les estampes de pastels gras, on de´coupe des morceaux de voix pour les recoller au gre`s des dissections sonores alambique´es, on bip, on scratchouille-bidouille, et on expe´rimente toute sorte de re´cupe´rations. Un pipo bollywoodien. Un vieux film qui fait du surplace de manie`re Hexstatic. Un electro voice-cute´ de manie`re Dat Politics. Un MC a` pile qui disjoncte d'une manie`re synthe´tique, pendant qu'un scratch imite le cri du tuning de radio soumis a` de brusques mouvements de doigt inde´cis. Tout un attirail de sonorite´s cartoon - le chbouing de ressort, les cuivres fanfarons, le klaxon un peu de´bile, sans oublier les fwouiiiiou rotatifs - vient apporter au tout une kidulterie non sans rappeler nos Gangpol Und Mit bordelais. Ceux-la` me^me qui rejoindront leurs colle`gues nippons pour impre´gner de leur sauce me´lodique tanto^t japonisante, tanto^t gameboyisante, deux morceaux des plus enjoue´s. On regrettera cependant quelques interludes ne posse´dant pas la cohe´rence samples/glitchs pre´sente sur le reste de l'album. Arythmies de bruits, sons de cloches dissonants ou scratchs psyche´de´liques figurant sur ceux-ci comme les ingre´dients indispensables a` parfaire un espe`ce de ste´re´otype pas vraiment tre´pidant de l'expe´rimentation e´lectro. Qu'a` cela ne tienne. Apre`s une auto-reprise, les Satanic bidule shop nous quittent sur une piste cache´e des plus folichonne : John Lennon pianotant sous cloche vient y co^toyer le ne´ome´tal de Korn ou Limp Bizkit dans un monumental travail de (de-)construction. Un recyclage re´cre´atif venant achever l'album dans un dernier e´lan de be^tises e´lectroniques.)

By Franq de Waard, VITAL WEEKLY (Netherlands, 2005) My introduction to Satanicpornocultshop was with 'Aneroxia Gas Balloon' (see Vital Weekly 409) and the follow-up 'Zap Meemees' is not exactly the new studio album, but rather a collection of singles, remixes and compilation tracks - not that in the meantime I came across any of those, so perhaps this collection is made for me. Satanicpornocultshop is a band of five people (Ugh aka Alan, Chola, Lisa Tani, DJ Siitake and *S) and collage is the main principle at work. They chop their way through their own music, made of electronics, breakbeats, vocals but also they plunder their way through popmusic. Kylie Minogue is again present, this with some arabic music playing, John Lennon gets a cover too. Crazy edits going on here, and this album is best enjoyed when listening to it as just one track, adding to the total mayhem of the release. Maybe a tiring sit through, this hectic, eclectic release, but one that surely puts a smile on, or two. I did work for me. For those who love Doormouse or Jason Forrest, with a cheesy poptwist.

By Ed, DE:BUG (Germany, 2005) Wicked, wicked! Und das ist nicht mal u¨bertrieben. Anders als die mittlerweile extrem langweilig gewordenen Negativeland oder der Held John Oswald, sammelin SPCS ihre Samples wirklich von u¨berall und unterschlagen nie das Fieseste und Bescheuerste. Aber auch Hip Hop spielt eine grosse Rolle, natu¨rich immer unerhort zaerschnitten und kaputt, aber nie so kaputt, als dass da am Schluss keine fertigen Taracks bei rauskommen wu¨rden. Klar sind die nie so fertig wie erhofft und gewu¨nscht, denn der Cut und das Collagieren ja schliesslich den Mittelpunkt des Schaffens, und nur dadurch kann sich jedes Fragment u¨berhaupt nur so ans nachste ketten.Zap Meemees schiebt sich locker in die Top 10 des Jahres. Ein dickes Abenteuer!

By Francois Couture, ALL MUSIC GUIDE (Canada, 2005) Satanicpornocultshop’s follow-up to Anorexia Gas Balloon, their powerful first Sonore release, is a rather disappointing collection of singles, remixes and compilation tracks that first appeared between 2002 and 2005. In pure SPCS fashion, the tracks are tightly segued to form an uninterrupted 70-minute album, but while this recipe produced a dizzying feeling of sensory overload on the previous album, here it simply becomes tiresome. Lisa, Ugh, Meu-Meu and *ES still have that mad creative spark that singled them out on the experimental hip-hop circuit, but Zap Meemees contains its share of so-so cuts, while some of the themes are too often reheated. Case in point: the lyrics to Duran Duran’s “Save a Prayer,” the source for one of the previous album’s highlights “Osui No Masare,” reappear here several times, sung, read or treated. Gangpol’s remix of that tune is quite entertaining (with a funny Nintendo-type melody added), but that’s just not enough. Noteworthy though is the “hidden” bonus track, a incredible medley of radio hits laced with comments on George W. Bush’s America. Other highlights include “59,054,087” -- a speedcore collage dominated by a Lisa’s rendition of the Bobby Vinton staple “Blue Velvet” -- and the frantic “Wa Bichimore? No, No Bi Watchmore...” Satanicpornocultshop’s deconstructions are still filled with humorous asides and wild twists, but this album showcases the crew in a more predictable groove. The brutal cuts and uncomfortable juxtapositions that previously stimulated the mind and confused the feet grow somewhat annoying on this long, very long release. They can do better and so can you. Leave this one to the completists. The album features guest appearances by Electric Cafe, Klanq Shaft, Gangpol und Mit, Baiyon and Alimylove.

By Guillaume Loiret, JIPANGO (France, 2005) Satanicpornocultshop. Les 5 d’Osaka e´taient de´ja` LA re´fe´rence en matie`re de collage musical, ils conservent leur titre avec le re´cent ‘Zap Meemees’. Histoire de montrer qu’une chanson n’est jamais de´finitive, Satanicpornocultshop s’amuse sur ce dernier opus a` proposer tous les traitements de choc possibles : reprises loufoques, remix improbables, versions demo ou jam session… ‘Zap Meemees’ est en fait une large compilation du travail de Satanicpornocultshop entre 2002 et 2005, ou` l’on croise autant la BO du ‘Blue Velvet’ de David Lynch, la midinette quarantenaire Kylie Minogue, le jazzman Sun Ra^ et toutes sortes d’autres sons aux origines pas tre`s catholiques. Un album de´finitivement inclassable et de´finitivement culte.

SATANICPORNOCULTSHOP

Anorexia Gas Balloon (SONORE, SON-21, CD 2003)

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By David Cotner, E/I Magazine (USA, 2005) A messy clump of covers here -The Velvet Underground's "Candy Says" and King Missile's "Detachable Penis"- from this Japanese collective of spastic nerfbags, along others paeans to Duran Duran, Lee Hazelwood & Nancy Sinatra, and Jan Svankmaier, chiefly. If America is the great melting pot of cultures then Japan is its colorful opposite number, occasionally but regularly giving the world sampling technology, karaoke, record players to stir those cultures as well as Reipuman, censored genitals and bukkake. While the pubicity touts Satanicpornocultshop as "surrealist hip-hop", it would be more correct to advertise the group as 500 channels with a beat, the sum total of the effects of listening to this album being one of multisubjectivalism, where the content of one television channel morphs seamlessly into the content of the next -think of the early channel-changing television sequences in Shaun of the Dead and you get the general gist. They're quite open about their sources and sampling, as evidenced by the liner notes and that the odd tickle one gets when hearing a familiar pop sound and has to filter it through countless modern remixes and cover versions. The unfortunate thing about credited samples is that it is often unclear if the group in question simply wants to share its record collection with you or that the Damoclean sword of legal action prompts them to smile and say "yes".

By Nooz, MUSIC CLUB (Italy, 2005) Non e` un gruppo di deathgrindultrabrutal metal come potresti immaginare dal titolo! Sono felice di presentare il nuovo prodotto della sempre piu` stimata (da me!) Sonore Records, un nuovo piccolo capolavoro che verra` snobbato dai piu` sotto l’etichetta di rumore. I Satanicpornocultshop, da Osaka, si occupano di elettronica d’avanguardia, saccheggiando a destra e manca da hip-hop, folklore giapponese, pop spudorato e quant’altro in un mix follemente geniale e completo, come per crearsi uno stile unico e personale. Stile alla cui base c’e` la deframmentazione di materiale sonoro prodotto da altri, o anche da se stessi, in altri periodi; composizione che parte dalla scomposizione di uno o piu` brani. Hanno parecchi dischi all’attivo, reperibili, ovviamente, solo nel mercato giapponese attraverso varie label specializzate in avant-garde. Il disco inizia con una componente ludica (la sorpresa dell’eccesso che piace tanto ai nipponici) non da poco: “anorexia gas baloon(candy says)” un brano softpop con voce femminile (cover di “candy says” dei Velvet Underground) una sorta di preludio alla tempesta di suoni che sta per arrivare, annunciata gia` dalla frase ‘i hate quiet places’… una presa in giro per l’ascoltatore che si aspetta un disco e ne scopre un altro, con cinque minuti di ritardo! Campionamenti e cover dalle sonorita` piu` improbabili unite insieme per un’unica causa a noi sconosciuta! Tra i vari saccheggi sonori scomposti vediamo commedie taiwanesi unite ai Napalm Death, poi scorrono i New Kids On The Block, Macy Gray, James Brown, Nancy Sinatra, i Duran Duran e tanti altri ancora. Tra le righe c’e` anche “Kilie Minogue”, cover geniale di “can’t get you out of my head”, della stessa autrice citata nel titolo… avantpop? Cover su cover (anche di se stessi!). Musica estrema per tanti, piacevole per alcuni, ma comunque singolare e piena di spunti… un ennesimo capolavoro da parte della Sonore. Per chi ha voglia di ricercare.

By Venus Fly Trapp, LOUD MAGAZINE (Japan, 2004) 在日フランス人のFranckが運営しているワールドワイドなインディペンデントレー ベルSONOREから、リリースされている大阪のグループのアルバム。意味不明な内容のカイリーミノーグや、ベルベットアンダーグラウンド、宇多田ヒカルなどの楽曲が散りばめられたカバーアルバムなのですが、全く原型はとどめておりません。もちろんそんなには、それぞれの原曲に対してのリスペクトも感じられないのですが、何か微 妙な愛はしっかりと見受けられます。オリジナル曲のブレイクビーツやクリック、エレクトロニカのビートは、Peter Principleにも通じる独特なオリエンタルなムード があり、完成度が高いと感じます。ちなみにカイリーの"Can't get you out of my head"のカバーバージョンは、私のレギュラー驚かせアイテムとして、活 させて頂 いております。公式サイトなどで購入出来るので、取り寄せて聴いてみてくださいな。

By Tom Sekowski, GAS-ETA (Poland, 2004) I've been to Paris once a long time ago and Sonore from what I remember is a record label that was once based in France which is why I think one has to move the whole operations east to Japan to find a band as fucked up as Satanicpornocultshop This is music for those who can't stand still and God only knows I can't sit still for a minute what with work and kids and all and this silly pop music blasting from my speakers now you'd think the end of the world was close at hand or my CD player is all messed up Hip-hop or splice-hop that's a better term Anorexia Gas Balloon is one messed up operation stealing from a variety of source I mean who steals from New Kids on the Block and then gets away with it Then again why the hell not It's all fair game nowadays It's all been said and done so you might enjoy yourself while you can Music is fun Music is here to entertain us and be intellectual at the same time Let's just steal from everyone and have fun doing it But who would want to steal from Duran Duran? Well, Satanicpornocultshop would Anorexia Gas Balloon is probably the first time I had fun listening to so much sampled source material in ages It's been a blast Can't wait for the next record from this outfit! Bring it on! I'm ready!

INTRO (Germany, 2004) Manche mo¨gen es Cartoon-Musik oder Irrsinn nennen, doch im Grunde handelt es sich bloss um Komprimierung − Musik fu¨r Menschen, denen kein Verkehrsmittel zu schnell und keine Information verdichtet genug sein kann. Die typische Nippon-Namensgebung ku¨ndigt es schon an: Satan alleine reicht nicht, nein, da mu¨ssen mindestens noch Porno und Cult hinzugefu¨gt werden, um selbst noch dem beha¨bigsten Rezipienten klar zu machen, dass hier die U¨bertreibung auf ganzer Linie regiert. Was noch relativ harmlos mit einer plastikhaften Kinderlied-Version von 〉Candy Says〈 (Velvet Underground) beginnt, ufert kurz darauf in Hardcore-Karaoke-Plunderphonics-Trash aus, bei dem der abgegriffene Vergleich vom am Radioknopf drehen nichts mehr taugt, weil keine Finger so schnell sind und kein Radio so viele Sender hat. Auf den 16 nur noch apostrophiert Songs nennbaren Stu¨cken bzw. Zeiteinheiten wird stilsicher von Crass bis Napalm Death, von Kylie Minogue bis King Missile geklaut (in Japan hatte man noch nie Probleme damit, so genannten Underground und Mainstream gleichwertig zu behandeln), um all das absichtlich stotternd zusammenzukitten. Ein paar Takte Country folgen auf Death Metal, gefolgt von Free Jazz und Motown-Soul. Aber nein, das hier ist kein Naked-City-Aufguss, sondern ins Groteske aufgebla¨hter Zitierwahn, der dank Atari-Sounds und zackigem Prince-Funk nicht einfach nur die Ohren qua¨lt, sondern auch die Socken qualmen la¨sst. Extrem, das schon, aber mit Gespu¨r fu¨r catchy pop tunes.

SPEX (Germany, 2004) Sex, laute Musik und obskurer Humor, Japan Style. Osakas Satanicpornocultshop ist ein schwer anarchistisches Kollektiv aus DJs, Aktionsku¨nstlern, Sa¨ngerInnen und Musikern mit lustigen Namen wie Alan Folklore oder DJ Shiitake. Es ist schon ziemlich einzigartig, wie sich dieses vielko¨pfige Kru¨melmonster mit Verve und Sinn fu¨r Absurdes durch die Musikgeschichte covert und Velvet Underground (aus ?tCandy says?s wurde mit leicht modifiziertem Text das Titelstu¨ck) mit einem Text des tschechischen Surrealisten Jan Svankmaier verschachtelt, Kylie Minogue neben Napalm Death und Lalo Schifrin stellt und nebenbei noch den Cyber-R&B einer Missy Elliott einer a¨hnlichen Radikalkur unterzieht, wie Scott Herren sie auf HipHop angewandt hat. Dass das mit billigem Bastardpop nichts zu tun hat, nie nervt und oft einfach scho¨ne Musik ist, liegt daran, dass sie, wenn es angebracht ist, auch zuru¨ckhaltend agieren ko¨nnen. Die Stu¨cke ko¨nnen klar und einfach sein, sehnsu¨chtig und schwelgerisch wie Tujiko Noriko − um einen im na¨chsten Moment wieder mit einer feingeschredderten Materiallawine u¨berrollen zu ko¨nnen.

By Karsten Zimalla, WESTZEIT (Germany, 2004) Whow - das ist wirklich abgefahren. Der Satz klingt wie aus einer US-Soap der 80er, trifft aber den Nagel auf die Nase, denn diese japanische Bande von Irren verwurstet in bester Negativland-Manier alles, was nicht schnell genug auf dem Baum ist. Man macht weder vor Kylie Minougue halt noch vor Duran Duran. Konsequenterweise covert man sich schliesslich selbst. Wenn sich Menschen DJ Siitake oder *S nennen, kann/muss man mit Unvorhersehbarem rechnen. Der Opener "Anorexia Gas Balloon (Candy Says)" (so 'ne Art halbakustische Japan-Lolita-Fassung des V.U.-Klassikers) wiegt noch in tru¨gerischer Sicherheit, doch dann beginnt der pure ElektroTrashSampleOverkill. Vielleicht tanzt man in Osaka zu sowas?!

By Claude Gouin, M-la-Music (France, 2004) "Ballon de gaz d'anorexie" : voici un album pluto^t embarrassant de prime abord. Quand on plonge dedans, on se retrouve dans un univers assez particulier voire absurde, le´ge`rement satirique avec une fantaisie pour la disco et la musique de bruit des anne´es 80. Puis, quand on e´coute attentivement on se rend compte que ce groupe japonais cultive un gou^t musical sans limite, pourtant toujours savoureux, et qu' il re´capitule brillamment, toutes les tendances musicales courantes avec beaucoup de modestie. Satanicpornocultshop respire les me´lodies d'Osaka, il puise dans le surre´alisme et le savoir-faire de nouvelle technologie. Le groupe distille une musique d'avant garde qui n'he´site pas a` s'impre´gner des reprises d'artistes varie´s tels que : The Velvet Underground, Kylie Minogue, Duran Duran, King Missile. Ce collectif existe aussi sous d'autres noms d'artistes comme Swedixh, Panic, Porno sous lesquels il a enregistre´ la grande "discothe`que du Ge´nocide". Apre`s avoir enregistre´ sur son propre label Nu nulax et Neiji ? Il sorte ce nouvel album sur le label re´fe´rence de la musique japonaise sonore. En espe´rant cet esprit groove, cultivant des saveurs musicales illimite´es, il trouve en Europe des oreilles et une renomme´e. C'est Franck Stofer qui lance le label Sonore en 1998. Un peu avant en 1996, il e´tait implique´ dans la sce`ne francaise bordelaise comme musicien et jouait dans un groupe expe´rimentale de hardcore. A cette e´poque, il rencontre la bande japonaise The Climax. Il devient rapidement un fan de leur musique qui e´tait pour lui, l'apoge´e de ce qu'il recherchait dans la musique expe´rimentale rock. Alors Il commence a` organiser des tourne´es pour ce groupe et leurs amis comprenant, Atsushi Tsuyama et Makoto Kawabata(Acid Mother Temple). Un jour, Yoshida Tatsuya lui demande de trouver un label europe´en pour sortir leur nouveau CD. Il lance alors son label Sonore, sans un sou en poche, ni expe´rience, mais une e´nergie e´norme. Plus tard, il voyage au Japon rencontre d'autres musiciens remarquables. Et de´couvre la nouvelle et passionnante musique venant du Japon. Ainsi, il plonge comple`tement dans la culture musicale japonaise, et s'installe a` Tokyo de´but 2003 apre`s 5 ans d'activite´ en France. Yuko Nexus6, Satoru Wono et Satanicpornocultshop. La liste est longue depuis. Nous voici a` nouveau avec les Satanicpornocultshop , cette tribu e´trange d'Osaka qui pratique le collage musical avec facilite´ mais qui demande qu'on tende l'oreille pour en capter toutes les subtilite´s. Adeptes du collage visuel et verbal, ils se´duiront tous les dingues de folles musiques satiriques.

By: Marc Urselli-Schaerer ChainDLK (USA, 2004) Japanese quintet (with friends) SataniPornoCultShop are probably the best asian counterpart to the western heros of the plagiarism movement, the sampling art community and cut'n'paste avantgarde/concrete music movment. In other words if you appreciate the mad multi-source collage experimentation by the like of Negativland, KLF, Le Forbici Di Manitu and so on, this is certainly your cup of tea (did I just say tea?). American Hip hop and pop, french romanticism, british drumn'n'bass, canadian electronics and of course loads of Japanese weirdness is packaged inside "Anorexia Gas Balloon", an album that, among other things, covers the Velvet Underground, Kylie Minogue, Duran Duran, Pat Metheny and more. The '80es meet the '90es and together they jump all the way to the future, where bits of frenetic noises clash with particles of music, bits of pop art and broken beats. The French musician/label person Frank Stofer put this out on his Sonore outlet, for the joy of all those who don't have Yens in their pocket but are constantly on the lookout for fresh and absurd audio weirdness. Now kick back and have your musical Chaji ceremony!

By TJ Norris, Igloo Magazine (USA, 2004) Hmmm. The cover is wildly graphic, the disc title and group name are outlandish (in a Superbowl half-time sorta way) but what is wrong with this total boomerang from a label who have formerly only released esoteric and at times mind-boggling sound craft? Satanicpornocultshop cover the Velvet Underground's "Candy Says", sample Eric Benet, New Kids on the Block, Duran Duran and Napalm Death - but does that mean its in an idiom that can be described, deciphered or enjoyed? And why mix in the High Llamas? OK, the kicker here may be the standout track called "Kylie Minogue (Cathy Dennis)" - infectious as an awkward cover can be. With an upcoming show of sound/art work about Kylie's body it may seem topical to those "in the know" but is this record something in comparison to V/VM, Negativland, People Like Us or other contemporary cut-up masters who tend to deal with more fringe references rather than the seemingly endless contempt for an overblown encyclopedia to the MTV 80s? Is this review only a bunch of questions? This is Pizzicato 5 meets Puffinstuff fluff, lite, plundermix whackyness. All she wants is......

By Guillaume Loiret, Jipango (France, 2004) Osaka, dans les anne´es ’90. Un musicien farfelu (Ugh) rencontre un autre musicien farfelu (Chola). Et la`, c’est le drame : ils de´cident de faire de la musique ensemble. Satanicpornocultshop est ne´. Apre`s 6 albums (sous cette appellation en tout cas, on sait que les bougres ont oeuvre´ sous d’autres noms) sortis sur leur label Nu NuLAX NuLAN, ils rejoignent Sonore et produisent le re´cent Anorexia Gas Balloon, avec Frank Stofer aux manettes. Un puzzle, un patchwork dadai¨ste et de´lirant qui combine e´lectro, rythmes hip-hop, samples divers. Mais pas dans plusieurs morceaux, non non. Chaque chanson est un assemblage de tendances musicales varie´es. ?s Lesson Ugh ?t par exemple, qui me´lange pas moins de 12 samples ; ?s Osui nomasare ?t qui reprend les paroles de ?s Save a prayer ?t de Duran-Duran, et ?s Dred mosque ?t qui reprend la me´lodie du me^me morceau. Satanicpornocultshop a la folie du copie´-colle´ et de la reprise : Velvet Underground, Kylie Minogue, Duran-Duran, poussant le vice jusqu’a` reprendre leurs propres morceaux, voire leurs propres reprises ! Le mot de la fin est pour Michel Henritzi, qui notait dans Revue et Corrige´e que ce disque ?s est a` l’image du Japon d’aujourd’hui, sature´ d’informations, de slogans publicitaires servant de support a` l’imaginaire ?t. Une sorte de ge´nial OGM musical.

By Andreas Stuhlmann, RealTokyo (Japan, 2004) Showered with praise from media around the globe and being on one of The Wire's compilations, this is probably the most famous of the (still) unknown Japanese bands. Following bizarre releases on their own label Nu NuLAX NuLAN, the five odd creatures around lovely Lisa Tani present with "Anorexia Gas Balloon" a box of explosives that will take them to new shores. Osaka-based Satanicpornocultshop paste together just about everything that has ever been on our record players, from VU via Duran Duran to Kylie Minogue, J-pop, hip hop, lounge, and so much more that a full list would fill this page. A luscious mix of freakish rhythms and sweet, girlish vocals, here's another example demonstrating Osakan flippancy in contrast to rather gloomy Tokyo style. The average listener may find the sonic terrorism a bit too much to handle at once, but listening in sips guarantees great fun. Watch out for live dates!!!

By Kris, L'Entrepot (Belgium, 2004) Ik moet u iets bekennen. Ik hou me in de muziek niet alleen bezig met de serieuze muziekvormen binnen de electronica of de gitaarwereld maar heb tevens een voorliefde voor platte pop. Janet Jackson of Justin Timberlake kunnen me soms aardig warm maken. Maar vanaf nu gaat mijn liefde enkel nog maar naar Satanicpornocultshop zij mixen immers op geniale wijze popmuziek met serieuzere vormen van muziek. En dat mixen mag je zeer letterlijk nemen. Microsamples van jaren tachtig popnummers worden schijnbaar op een willekeurige cut'n paste manier naast free-noise samples geplaatst. Maar dat willekeurige is zeker enkel maar schijnbaar, in feite vormen deze microsamples samen ingenieuze ritmes en melodiee¨n. ongeveer het trucje dat we reeds gehoord hebben bij Akufen of het Franse Hypo maar hier is het net op een iets anarchistischere manier aangepakt. Het nijgt ook allemaal ook vaak meer naar hip hop, maar dan wel met een geherinterpreteerde break beat. Op sommige nummers zou Dose One zeker weten wat te doen. Ook opvallend zijn de twee (duidelijke) covers. Candy Says van Lou Reed wordt op een geniale manier gecoverd. De te zwakke meisjestemmen werken zeer bevreemdend en geven het nummer een sprookjesachtig gevoel. Maar ook 'can't get you out of my head' van Kylie Minogue wordt op een knappe manier geherinterpreteerd. 'Anorexia Gas Balloon' is zeker de interessantste cd die ik lange tijd gehoord heb. Het geheel is misschien allemaal net iets te vermoeiend maar de twee covers vormen goede herkenningspunten en maken de cd toch luisterbaar. 'Anorexia Gas Balloon' krijgt voor mij door zijn radicaliteit de *****.

By Michel Henritzi, Revue & Corrigee (France, 2004) Version dance-floor de Xper-Xr, de Stockhausen & Walkman et de Peoples Like Us, boites a` rythmes rap, grooves funkadelic ou new-wave, ballades sirupeuses joue´es a` la guitare ou a` la bombarde : " Candy Says ", " Some Velvet Morning ", " Can't get you out of my head " de Kylie Minogue, Duran Duran ici clone´, fatras de samples et de voix remixe´es facon John Oswald, docteur Frankenstein en mister Phil Spector, riot gun en main et paillettes voltigeant autour des choeurs. Le kitsch comme esthe´tique de fin sie`cle, resuce´e ici au de´but de ce nouveau mille´naire, apre`s John Spencer se prenant pour Elvis et nous bernant. Vocaux suaves de Lisa (l'accent Candy des jeunes japonaises), se de´hanchant sur la comptine ve´ne´neuse de Lou Reed et autres kitscheries J-pop ou taiwanaises. Emboutissage de samples de Lalo Schifrin, de Raymond Scott, des 4mn 33 de John Cage, break beats et riffs plombe´s de Napalm Death, le corps de´construit de la pop surexpose´e jusqu'a` l'overdose du noiseadelic. Echo d'Hanatarash, combo histerico-trash de Yamantaka Eye. Mais qui se cache derrie`re SATANICPORNOCULTSHOP ? Misters Ugh & Chola, artificiers soniques d'Osaka. Chola portait de´ja` les valises de Costes et Xper-Xr quand il re´sidait encore en France, on ne sait pas grand-chose de plus. On apprend que Lee Hazelwood avait pique´ " Some Velvet Morning " a` Lydia Lunch et Rowland S.Howard, la musique du XXI e`me sie`cle ne serait qu'un vaste trafic d'organes. Disque a` l'image du Japon d'aujourd'hui, sature´ d'informations ou les slogans publicitaires servant de support a` l'imaginaire. Ce disque permet d'e´conomiser plusieurs MP3 bourre´ a` la gueule de tubes de´mode´s, en propose une version morbide et irre´ve´rencieuse. Si toute notre culture n'e´tait qu'un vaste clonage de marchandises frelate´es ? SATANICPORNOCULTSHOP pre´fe`re en rire.

By Matt Treyvaud, No Sword Music (Japan, 2004) The musical prankster is part of a tradition that stretches back centuries ("That damned Bach wrote his name into my fugue again!"), but sampling and collaging technology developments over the past few decades have democratised things to an extent matched only by physical comedy. Satanicpornocultshop come in at this end, juxtaposing hey-I-remember-tightrolling-my-jeans-to-that snatches of 80s pop with surprisingly hard-hitting beats, Taiwanese stand-up, exhortions to funk musicians, and so on. One of their biggest pranks, though, has to be the slow, doomed-out and absolutely straight cover of "Candy Says" that grudgingly inflates Anorexia Gas Balloon. The band goes on to cover everyone from UTADA Hikaru to Duran Duran, with varying degrees of fidelity and success. "Detachable P" (guess) seems kind of pointless without the narration -- which maybe is the point, but it's still questionable as a listening experience. "Kylie Minogue" (aka "Can't get you out of my head") is fairly straight, except the disco is haunted, and that works well. "Some velvet morning" alternates between a straight rendition of the original (over teetering strings) and a musique concretey counterweight. The songs that aren't covers also cover a lot of territory. "Watashi no shoumei-san", performed by Keito, daughter of Ugh (one of the core members) is successfully cute. Lesson Ugh mixes dozens of samples and ends up sounding like a more adventurous Dust Brothers instrumental. "Sugar sugar pervert's garden" is like Prefuse72 with stomping boots on. "Nogik" is floaty and ambient. Setting aside the quarter-hour (in total) of "Candy says" grind that bookends the disk, which you may love, hate or simply skip depending on your taste, Anorexia gas balloon's only real fault might be that it's too eclectic. Humans can get used to anything. After ten or twenty minutes of wildly diverse samples popping out when you least expect it, you start to get jaded. "Oh, yeah... a cheesy cover of 'Touch me'. I should have known." The "covers" theme does give the album some valuable sticktogether, but over an hour of relentless sonic channel-flicking is still tough to sit through. I'm sure they own live though.

By Ive Stevenheydens, Tijd Cuultur (Belgium, 2004) Het Japanse los-vaste collectief Satanicpornocultshop opereert op de grenzen van pop, sampling en improvisatorische muziek. Met onder meer stem, draaitafels, orgels, percussie, gitaren, cornet, piano, speelgoed en ettelijke gebruiksvoorwerpen werkt de groep uit Osaka frivole en kleurrijke composities uit die niet zelden een beproeving voor het uithoudingsvermogen van de luisteraar vormen. Hun recente, andermaal erg sterke 'Anorexia Gas Balloon' steunt voornamelijk op sampling en op covers. Dat maakt hun experimentele geluid betrekkelijk toegankelijk. De zangeres Lisa Tani opent met een onconventionele en hilarische versie van The Velvet Undergrounds 'Candy Says': op een trippelende beat wordt haar schattige, net niet valse falsetstem bijgestaan door een wiegend kinderkoor. Aan het einde van de plaat trakteert de band ons op een tweede versie van het nummer, een haast tien minuten durende orgie van clicks, scratches, verdraaide violen en ettelijke cartooneske geluiden waarin slechts een spaander van het origineel overblijft. Ook tracks van onder meer Duran Duran ('Save A Prayer'), King Missile ('Detachable Penis') en Kylie ('Can't Get You Out of My Head') krijgen eenzelfde, verbluffend creatieve behandeling. Satanicpornocultshop ontstijgt bovendien de goedkope persiflage: hun satirische, absurdistische versies ademen een grote liefde voor het origineel.

By Jason Ferguson, Orlando Weekly (USA, 2004) Despite the ominous name and the Japa-noise context, this Osaka group provides some surprisingly pleasant -- even fun -- listening. The five core members have been working together for several years, under several different names, but "Anorexia Gas Balloon" is the first work they've done to receive any decent level of distribution. And though certainly not mainstream by any stretch of the imagination, the wit and cockeyed optimism that permeates the disc is a refreshing change from the spazzo-violence that Osaka's music scene is best known for. Cut-and-paste beats, girly-girl vocals, touches of lusciousness and bits of sonic freakery come together to create a sound that's both warm and a bit creepy. Oh, and when you hear what they do with cover versions of "Candy Says," "Some Velvet Morning," "Detachable Penis" and others, it all makes a little more sense. (Cautionary note: the images of chicks with dicks -- as in multiple penises -- on the inlay art of the disc may well spoil any hot Asian fantasies some of you boys may hold ... or it might enhance 'em. What do I know?)

By Rigobert Dittmann, Bad Alchemy (Germany, 2004) Stofers na¨chster Schatzfund, SATANICPORNOCULTSHOP, ist eine seit 1998 aktive Merkwu¨rdigkeit aus Osaka, jener Stadt, der man in Japan, im Kontrast zum nu¨chternen, du¨steren Tokyo, Frivolita¨t und Quirligkeit nachsagt. Im Kern ist dieser wieder mal a¨usserst japanische Vorstoss ins Unerwartete ein Quartett von Multiinstrumentalisten, Ugh aka Alan Folklore, Chola, DJ Siitake & *S, das das hingehauchte Stimmchen von Lisa Tani in surreale, noisadelische Bizarrerien bettet, generiert mit Electronics, Turntables, Toys, Sampling und Percussion. Nach einer Reihe von Releases auf dem eigenen Nu NuLAX nuLAN-Label ("Baltimore 1972", 1999, "Nirvana or Lunch?", 1999, "Belle Excentrique", 2000, "Ugh Yoing", 2002 und, als Swedish*Panic* Porno, "Genocidal Discotheque", 2000), ist Anorexia Gas Balloon (SON-21), parallel zu ihrem Auftauchen auf dem aktuellen 'Wire Tapper', der Sprung aus dem ferno¨stlichen Obskurita¨tsschatten. Dabei hilft natu¨rlich, dass sich die Cultshops ungeniert in plunderphonischen Ramschla¨den bedienen und mehr noch, dass sie mit fliegenkonvertierten Coverversionen von 'Candy Says' (Velvet Underground), 'Detachable Penis' (King Missile), 'Some Velvet Morning' (Lee Hazelwood), 'Can't Get You Out Of My Head' (Kylie Minogue) und 'Save A Prayer' (Duran Duran) aufwarten. Steht beim kindlich-naiven 'Candy'-Auftakt und dem 'Kylie'-Lalala noch der Lolitaeffekt im Mittelpunkt, zeigt 'Detachable P' exemplarisch den absurdistischen Modus Operandi der Cyberpop-Terroristen. Samples von Schifrin, einem taiwanesischen Comedian, Crass, Napalm Death und Meat Shit verschwinden in einem Cut'n'Paste-Ha¨cksler und werden als spastisch zuckende Drum'n'Bass-Weirdness wieder ausgespuckt. Als ob ein Saboteurstrupp von Wild-Style-Turntablisten, besonders gut bestu¨ckt mit Easy Listening-Schmalz und Nippon-Pop-Perlen, mit Anything-Goes-Sto¨rsendern in die normale Popwelt hineinfunken ko¨nnte. Songs beginnen zu stottern, leiden unter Datenfrass, U¨berreichweiten, Bandsalat, Zitat-Syndrom, Collagenzwang. Vielleicht nehmen die Japaner, so wie ihre Shops la¨ngst die elektronischen Gimmicks der na¨chsten Generation feil bieten, aber einfach nur die Zukunft von Pop als Instantkonsumismus vorweg. Fu¨r jede gewu¨nschte Stimmung, jede Situation, diagnostiziert und serviert eine Mega-Pop-Suchmaschine der Wunschmaschine den perfekten Sound, den idealen Song, den pulsgenauen Groove, synthetisiert aus den U¨berkapazita¨ten des Angebots, gema¨ss den Gesetzen der Simultanita¨t.

By Frans De Waard, Vital Weekly (The Netherlands, 2004) With a name such as Satanicpornocultshop you know you can't be wrong. This Japanese band with members such Ugh aka Alan, Chola, Lisa Tani, DJ Siitake and *S playing this wide variety of electronic gadgets are all about poking fun of popmusic, especially hip hop, lounge, electro and other, more cheesy influences. They consumed it all, as the cover indicates all the samples used and what the various members do per track. There is even a cover Kylie Minogue's 'Can't Get You Out Of My Head' or with the same easyness they play 'Candy Says' by The Velvet Underground: what did I say? These boys and girls have consumed it all and even consumed there own music in various covers. One could wonder if the cheesyness of the release (over seventy minutes!) is maybe a bit long or that it would stand for a very long time as a landmark in history, but if Too Many DJs is your thing, you might want to shop at Satanicpornocultshop too.

By Peter Wullen, Urban Mag (Belgium, 2004) De cd 'Anorexia Gas Balloon' van de Japanse cultband Satanicpornocultshop kwam pas in de nadagen van het oorlogsjaar 2003 naar ons toe gevlogen vanuit Osaka, maar werd door ons al meteen uitgeroepen tot cd van het jaar. Kernleden Alan Folkroe, Chola, Lisa Tani, Dj Siitake, *S plus nog enkele anderen tonen de weg en gooien bijna achteloos een experimentele e´n toegankelijke cd in onze richting, die tegelijk sinister, delirisch, erotisch, spitant, hilarisch en ongelooflijk grappig klinkt. Ze bezorgden ons meteen bijna spontaan een lachstuip met hun niet-aflatend sonisch sample-bombardement. 'Anorexia Gas Balloon' bevat een mix van alle onmogelijke en mogelijke stijlinvloeden uit het Oosten en het Westen. Echt te veel om op te noemen! De cut-and-paste esthetiek die het vijftal toepast op de nieuwe, krankjoreme versies van 'Candy Says' (Velvet Underground), 'Detachable Penis' (King Missile), 'Some Velvet Morning' (Lee Hazelwood), 'Can't Get You Out Of My Head' (Kylie Minogue), 'Save A Prayer' (Duran Duran) sluit naadloos aan bij het sublieme artwork van Ugh, Chola en Greg Zo. Undercurrents in pop, heet dat… Een bijgedachte: nooit vermoed dat 'Can't Get You Out Of My Head' van oppertrien Kylie Minogue zo'n donkere humor en zo'n diepe en veelgelaagde inhoud bevatte. In de potten-en-pannen-versie van het Japanse ensemble krijgt het nummer er zowaar een paar zeer donkere en verontrustende dimensies bij. 'There's a dark secret in me', fluistert Lisa Tani als een would be vrouwelijke serial killer, die als een vrouwelijk roofdier op het punt staat om je de vreselijkste folteringen te doen ondergaan. Ontdekking van de maand!

By Nick Sylvester, Pitchforkmedia, (USA, 2003) Included on The Wire's most recent Wire Tapper compilation, "Anorexia Gas Balloon (Reprise)" pits gentle female vocals against a jittery mish-mash of moody violins, rapid-fire drum-n-bass, and an electronic sound palette that seems straight out of Weilheim, Germany. Clouddead and Enduser enthusiasts will hardly find the track jarring, but here, Osaka, Japan-based quartet Satanicpornocultshop aspire not just to mindbombs and sonic terrorism. Indeed, the focus of the song is how unfazed the vocals are amidst this fantastically schizophrenic background-- and not only how unfazed, but how beautifully innocent her voice sounds, as if intravenously fed Huxleyian soma. The pharmakon courses through her, at once deluding her but protecting her heart from the unspeakable outrage around her, to such an ironic extent that at one point she sings, "I hate quiet places." It's a cheap dirty trick, of course (especially given that every lyric here is swiped from the Velvet Underground's "Candy Says"), but she doesn't know or seem to care-- that's enough motivation for listeners to indulge similarly.

By Suzannah Tartan, The Japan Times (Japan, 2003) Osaka's Satanicpornocultshop has been described as a hip-hop band due to their cut-and-paste aesthetic, but one wonders if even that famously elastic genre has enough room to accommodate the absolutely gleeful musical abandon that surfaces on their sixth album, "Anorexia Gas Balloon." The first cut, a haunting cover of the Velvet Underground's "Candy Says," is a cinematic drone with hazy vocals and a haunting children's chorus. Its quiet gentleness, however, is a ruse. On the second track, stuttering beats kick in over samples of hardcore bands, Taiwanese film soundtracks and electronic noise coalescing into barely contained chaos. Allegedly a cover of King Missile's "Detachable Penis," the only remnant of the song is the flat voice chanting the title like a punch-line. It is, luckily, a tremendously amusing joke, and the rest of the album follows the same pattern. The other cuts are also "covers" (sometimes even covers of covers, as in the case of Lydia Lunch's version of Lee Hazelwood's "Some Velvet Morning), but in reality they are more dismemberments with bits of songs and rhythms pasted together into freakishly groovy musical Frankensteins. Hip-hop? Why not?