music rock climbing : Buffalo Daughter LEE BASFORD WRITER H34 35H GRAPHER YN PHOTO L ND A L AR THIS PAGE: G THIS PAGE: Originally connected with the upsurge of great new bands emerging from Tokyo’s Shibuya scene during the mid-nineties, the three members that make up Buffalo G-son in the early nineties, and enabled them to generate work at their own pace They wanted to create a Daughter have worked hard at pushing new forms of music that straddle multiple genres. They create huge sonic landscapes filled with everything that’s good in without having to rush due to costs. music, a sound emanating from what seems on the surface to be a standard three-piece band; it’s when you find that they also use their guitars with short-wave Collaborations and remixes are something that Buffalo Daughter are dedicated to. psychedelic feeling, but not radio, classic Moog synthesisers, a tb-303 and one of the most innovative DJs around that you realise where their distinctive sound comes from. They’ve created two remix albums with collaborators including U.N.K.L.E., Alec based on acid or other drugs, Empire, Money Mark, Cornelius and Stock, Housen and Walkman. They’ve also remixed a wide variety of other artists from around the globe such as Air, Underworld, more on a sports, athletic type suGar Yoshinaga, Yumiko Ohno and moOog Yamamoto signed to the Beastie Boys at this as a truly beneficial part of their development because they didn’t have to Luscious Jackson, Kahimi Karie and Shar Dara Par. For the initial release of their first of high. “As we were already record label, Grand Royal, after an introduction to Mike Diamond, the company’s worry about the singer becoming bored. It was much easier to play songs that remix album Socks, Drugs, and Rock and Roll, moOog continued the theme of President, by Jill and Kate of Luscious Jackson. (This was after they handed the girls involved long meandering instrumentals, in many ways the core of their sound. remixing by stepping down as designer and handing it over to one of his own high and toxic on high-tech one of their original CDs and a live video back in 1995 when Luscious Jackson were One of the band’s biggest influences is late seventies new wave – bands like Devo, favourite creators, Mike Mills. touring Japan.) The first release on Grand Royal was Captain Vapour Athletes in Talking Heads, Television and the Flying Lizards. They originally described their sound moOog Yamamoto was originally Buffalo Daughter’s designer, but somehow got computer world full of 1996, a remarkable collection of their previous Japanese domestic releases. The as ‘denshi rock’ (electronics rock) which evolved into New Rock, their second album. himself involved as their DJ. His mixing and personal styles, like his design, are slightly electromagnetic wave, we album is a true sonic pastiche, up there with Beck and the Beastie Boys. It displays The sound they produce is something that is constantly evolving, so it’s likely – left of centre. He’ll randomly put the needle on the record, but set the record itself at some of the wide-eyed excitement a child has, just wanting to try everything. The probable even – that the sound of the new album will be described as something a propped angle to distort the way it plays. He’s also known to incorporate bouncing didn’t need sugar cubes.” result is an amalgamation which blends and overlays a huge variety of samples, entirely new. needles and a mixture of scratching with shouting. In one of their live performances, analogue synth, surf guitar, hip hop and seventies funk into a style that cannot be New Rock was a definitive step forward for Buffalo Daughter, still providing an he jammed with suGar’s guitar with a guitar loop of his own. Design work is clearly defined. At the time of this release they were heavily in to Silver Apples and amalgamation of music from all eras and genres; however, it is a more accomplished something he’s done from the very beginning, even in the Havana Exotica days. The NEU!, pioneers of early avant-garde electronic music. The comparisons musically are piece of work than Captain Vapour Athletes. The whole journey is through an process always begins by trying to get inside the sounds and titles involved, then, self evident when you listen to them, but the creation of the music varies dramatically. exquisite landscape of sound. One minute it’s pulsating electronica with a nice acting on his imagination, he takes it to the computer. “I adopt about thirty percent glitches to follow through with, as they could become annoying. When Buffalo Daughter listened to this electronic music in the nineties, the whole breakbeat, while the next could be a funky metal number or an engrossing love song of these unexpected ideas,” moOog explains when talking about the unexpected The creative process for all members of the band is often influenced and inspired by social structure of the world was totally different to that in which the original music articulated through a vocoder. After listening to some of the more sprawling visuals you can get when designing on a computer. events of everyday life, such as people, movies and novels. The hardest thing to developed. They wanted to create a similar psychedelic feeling, but not based on instrumentally led tracks you can clearly understand why Link Wray is one of suGar’s This is also true when playing live. The band don’t simply try to recreate what they’ve create is some emotional attachment people can really feel and tap into. “You can put acid or other drugs, more on a sports, athletic type of high. “As we were already high all-time guitar heroes. (Link Wray is honoured with creating and developing what is put down in the studio; Grand Royal tags them as “the greatest live band in the musical tones on to a score sheet or you can input notes on a computer however and toxic on high-tech computer world full of electromagnetic wave, we didn’t need known as ‘the rumble’ – you may remember it from Pulp Fiction, the scene where world!” If you read any review of the band’s performance, it’s almost certain that you’ll you like, but its not good enough if you want music that attracts people,” suGar sugar cubes.” Vincent Vega shoots up – which helped a whole evolution of new guitar music.) be reading that it was one of the best you are likely to come across. They consider continues. “Some kind of emotion or something that brings imagination or memory Yumiko and suGar have been friends since high school and have played together in In the summer of 1999 the band started recording their new album at G-son studios themselves a traditional rock band that love to show their real ability on stage, and are necessary as well as a good melody or feeling.” While Buffalo Daughter don’t different bands ever since. The first significant band was Havana Exotica, heavily in LA (the place built by the Beastie Boys). They’ve been working on it since then in like Led Zeppelin and The Who before them, they’re redefining their own sounds in a expect the audience to share the same feelings and emotions as they do, they hope influenced by funk artists James Brown and P-Funk, together with an interesting mix Tokyo, and it’s finally complete, though they still haven’t decided on a title. They live arena. suGar says that it’s more natural for them to play live. They get a real that listeners will interpret them in their own way, which is why they don’t really like to of Frank Zappa, King Tubby and some early hip hop. They originally wanted to create began with over thirty newly recorded tracks that have been filtered down to about enjoyment out of the unpredictability and spontaneity that leads to experimentation explain too much of their music and lyrics. “From our very early experiences we could a name which would not categorise them as a particular type of band, but that didn’t fifteen, including some great collaborations and guest musicians from a world-wide without any editing. There are so many chances to pick up on; a noise created by the enjoy western music in our own way without an understanding of the lyrics or even really work out because there were people who actually thought they were some kind selection, consisting of Money Mark, John McEntire, Cibo Matto and Seagull audio wiring, over heating or a battery shorting. These can all add to great inspirational the song title because of our lack of English.” They don’t always feel it is necessary of Caribbean group. It was towards the end of Havana Exotica that Buffalo Daughter’s Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her. For this recording they’ve also been able to spend tangents, which can lead to some very beautiful sounds that could only be created to explain what the songs really mean; but it’s simply better for people to develop their sound really started to emerge. At the time they were listening to a lot of influential much more time in their own studio (built by Yumiko’s father), which has helped with accidentally. They try to do this to some extent while recording studio albums, own imagination. ❚ seventies analogue synth music. It was when the Havana Exotica singer left that the generation of new ideas in their work as they weren’t restricted to working in although they have to be careful.