Good day Everybody!
We have a very beautiful spring day today, I’d like to share with you.
An anther thing I’d like to share is a documentary of my first China trip last October.
My new friend Zhao and Fabian attended me and caught in action through this trip, made this documentary.
Red Scarf, sound carrier band all 4 shows attend me on the stage and few other people attend us among them Shen who had key to this tour, first contact person, arranger of this wonderful tour.
I’d never seen even a second of this film.
I’m looking forward to it.
At the 2018 edition of Roadburn Festival – a congregation of all things obscure, heavy and experimental in Tilburg, the Netherlands – two generations of Japanese Krautrock genius took to the stage for a live collaboration that was just as hypnotic as it was inevitable. Those artists were Tokyo’s Minami Deutsch and the legendary ex-Can frontman Damo Suzuki. Thankfully we were able to get hold of the live recording straight from the mixing desk and will be pressing this sublime meeting-of-minds to vinyl.
Officially released on March 1st, to announce the Live At Roadburn EP we’re super excited to share ‘Part III’, the final of the release three parts. Clocking in at seven minutes, Minami Deutsch’s propulsive rhythm section and chugging guitars drive the track with a relentless gusto whilst Suzuki unleashes his demented drawl atop. Never letting loose for a second, the track builds and builds before erupting into a whirlwind of hypnotic chanting vocals and screeching guitar noise. It was only a matter of time until these guys collaborated and it just as mesmerising and powerful as you’d imagine. (From Fuzzclub.cm)
Minami Deutsch and Damo Suzuki – Live at Roadburn Festival Damo Suzuki – Vocals Kyotaro Miula – Guitar Taku Idemoto – Guitar Keita Ise – Bass Tatsuhiko Sugi – Drums
Recorded by Marcel van de Vondervoort and his team at Roadburn Festival 2018 Mixed by Kyotaro Miula Mastered by Kyotaro Miula and James Plotkin Artwork by Olya Dyer
I Am Damo Suzuki By Damo Suzuki and Paul Woods Published 28th March Omnibus Press Pre-order HERE
ISBN: 9781783059713 Book reading tour announced Live dates added
Damo Suzuki has been described as a ‘free music legend’ who first came to prominence as lead singer of the visionary German group Can. Published by Omnibus Press on March 28th, I Am Damo Suzuki by Damo Suzuki and Paul Woods tells Damo’s story from Japan to Germany and everything in between in Damo’s own words. Complemented by interviews with family, friends and collaborators, the book spans six decades of pop culture.
Damo Suzuki was born Kenji Suzuki in the outskirts of Tokyo in 1950. Leaving home one day after his 18th birthday to travel to Europe, Damo recently told Mojo magazine that his original plan was “to become a cartoonist, someone who draws comics”. Arriving in Sweden, he busked around Europe and earned money as a pavement artist, before settling in Munich in 1970 to appear in the musical Hair for 3 months. It was here that someone first recognised he had musical talent, and it was at the end of this time that he (by chance) met the members of Can, an event that set his life on a different trajectory.
Now a permanent resident of Cologne, whose business card reads ‘metaphysical transporter’, Damo explains his motivation to record his life now: “The main point of this whole book is my philosophy and dreams. My time here is becoming less and less. In a way I am strong. I survived major surgery, I’ve lived as a young adult in a foreign country (where) many times I wasn’t supported by any kind of institution, but I survived. I have found the strongest way to seek truth now.”
Co-written with author Paul Woods, whose previous titles include The Curious Life and Work of Scott Walker (Omnibus Press) and who regularly writes on subjects including pop culture and criminal history, I Am Damo Suzuki is an honest and often startling odyssey that tells the full tale of a musical enigma.
March Sunday 17th The Lexington London Tuesday 19th The Hare and Hounds,Birmingham Thursday 21st Jericho, Oxford Saturday 23rd St Mary’s Music Hall, Walthamstow, London Sunday 24th The Windmill, Brixton, London Friday 29th The Socialist Club, Dewsbury Saturday 30th The Continental, Preston
April Saturday 5th The Laugharne Weekend, Langharne, Wales
I inform you of Filmmaker Michelle Heighway launches crowdfunding campaign on indiegogo to complete documentary.
Please visit following link, support Michelle, please share this to your friends!
„Since 2014 director Michelle Heighway has been working on a feature film focusing on the life and career of former Can lead vocalist Damo Suzuki.
The film, called Energy, follows Suzuki as he confronts colon cancer and tries to continue to perform live with all of his shows now made up entirely of compositions improvised there and then.
Energy looks over Suzuki’s past career, as well as the present and future of his creative streak. It also offers a poignant look into Suzuki’s cancer treatment as he is cared for by his partner Elke Morsbach.
“The documentary is a wonderful story of hope,” says director Michelle Heighway. “It’s a personal portrait of the life and times of a nomad, poet and enigmatic singer on an incredible journey.”
Energy is now crowdfunding over on Indiegogo in order to raise money for its completion, with a planned release date of December next year.“
I didn’t see Holger for many years, we didn’t have relationship, so I didn’t know what he was actually doing.
Last time I heard about him was that he didn’t appear at Jaki’s funeral early this year , after while I heard Holger was sick that time. (Unfortunately, myself was also in hospital, not able to join Jaki’s funeral.) Even I didn’t know his wife U-she died a month before him.
If you’re at Network performance, creating time and space of the moment with ever changing local sound carriers and you’re into it and enjoy that energy and you keep smile. I say, if I didn’t meet Holger on that beautiful spring day in Munich 1970, I’m not able to bring you this experience of joy and share energy with you.
Holger is the person open my door to music activity. So, you know, everything begun on that day, Holger Czukay invited me to sing. (I still don’t know what moved him to stand up and come to me and asked if I can sing with Can on that day).
Holger is next to my mother, who gave me my life.
Holger gave me way to music life. If I didn’t meet him that day at that time and that place, I may became a politician, a comic painter or just I’m somewhere else.
Holger was workaholic.
He was first one to enter Inner Space Studio and last person to leave day after day. He was into wire, equipment and electric substance, eating sweet bread and drinking coffee, seemed to be no interest to get any other food, my picture in my brain is Holger in that form.
Sometimes he watched us (Irmin and me) during chess match looks very angry while he had problem with equipment. We’re concentrating next move. He was working if he doesn’t, he say some wits (near to philosophy) that often nobody’s able to understand.
Very first day, I was quite surprised from him was playing bass with white groove. I thought of Mickey Mouse, has four fingers, therefore he is bassist?
One day at beginning with Can, he came to me, I was enjoying Kölsch (domestic beer from Cologne) in local pub Plenum (A kind of institution, a pub early 70’s where Cologne artists and bands meet.)
He came with smiles on his face,
“Hey Damo, listen to this, it’s good British band!”
I took earphone and listen to it. British band?
“yeah, it’s not so bad….who is it?”
“It’s you..it’s our piece!”
It was “Mother Sky” on his face I found proud.
He was one, I guess in 90’s, somewhere on the street of Cologne I met him, he was saying “Can is the best band and there will be no band like us…also not in future….)
In fact as he was a hard worker, he was mostly with the band, take care about equipment, lay cables, even drove bus when we didn’t have roadies. Then, at Inner Space, preparations, recording, editing…..
He was action in person.
On that day in Munich he gave me “Monster Movies” and “Canaxis”
I liked both as at that time for me both were new, “something”. In “Boat-Woman-Song” I found fresh air and knew there’re many way to make music.
Holger was indeed a pioneer for sampling, electric, house music, techno, etc… He was doing all these very long time ever since even they didn’t have name.
Holger left us at age of 79.
U-she is beside him and Jaki’s grave is just few meter distance.
He was Inner Space, he choice his last moment in Inner Space.
It may right place…..space of creativity.
Jaki was without any doubt one of a most innovative musician. He didn’t like to categorise him as musician, instead he was saying with strong emphasis, he is a DRUMMER.
I had opportunities to have musical adventure with this wonderful restrain human being and drummer…… allowed me for two periods.
1970 – 1973 and 1986 – 1990.
First time I saw Jaki was in spring of 1970, on Leopold street, Munich. This story many heard many times, Holger stood up asked me to be a singer on that beautiful day. „Europe Cafe“ was an institution, hippies, world traveller, escape soldiers from Vietnam…the meeting point. Jaki sat there for his cup of coffee, hide his big tragic eyes behind reflex sunglasses.
Move to Cologne few days later, first place I stayed in Cologne was Jaki’s artist commune with Gerd Dudeck, an excellent Saxophonist, Uwe, a camera man at WDR and Jaki’s girlfriend Christine at Domstrasse, few steps down from Cologne Central Station. Whenever I lived in city centre, Jaki often picked me up with his Beetle to Nürvenich Studio, for hanging around, session after session. He also likes to tinker many small things that time.
Jaki’s drumming sounded like German tank first I heard. Strong and unbeatable like General Field Marshal Erwin Rommel.
We had surely great time together that time, but I knew much more about this wonderful human being at middle of 80’s when he had a rehearsing room at Stollwerck, a former chocolate factory captured by artists and students at that period. He was there everyday, exercising drumming alone and with his young follower percussionists until almost sunrise.
Good ol’ 2nd half of 80’s with Jaki
Jaki was lived together with „rhythm“ like time is ticking.
Jaki was never shy to play with young unknown musicians, he never discussed about performance fee. His life is having tact and he’s just happy when he has opportunity to perform. It’s his life and his mission. He was born to be engrave time. This has never changed when I see him 10 years later, 20 years later… He is exercising minimum 8 hours a day. He had always young follower around him.
He was a star, but he was so near to people. It’s understandable, there’s many people admire Jaki around the world. Many of them don’t know Jaki personally just only from drumming, but, if they know Jaki near, they like him much more. He was not a machine, he was warm person. Surely during that period with him, Damo Suzuki Band, I had great time, creative and share free energy. Just pity he didn’t mean much for this period as this period is not in his history.
Then we quit different direction, never come closer again in musical field, but I was happy to hear old Jaki’s travelling with some young artist around the world.
Last time I saw him was few years back, he came to dinner not long before I got my illness. He seemed to be so happy and enjoyed my food, promised to visit me for a dinner again.
Jaki, your pass is very shock for many people, but I believe you had great life with amazing creative energy, enjoyed what you’d done. You will still alive in many people, especially all those follower percussionists. Your drum sound will never meet end as some of your follower percussionist will continue your path.
A couple of years, I didn’t perform in NYC, I met friends again, a night before I performed in Monkey Town, Brooklyn.
October 29 2007 was fantastic day. Seems to be I had one of most fantastic concert with members of Akron Family, Oneida and some other sound carriers. I don’t know who arranged “special guest” this fantastic artist Tony Conrad, honestly he made my day. I knew his name from my former girlfriend, she was good friend of Tony. I met Tony for first time and also this was last time. But, what he left me is enormous energy. The show was well visited when Tony open the event, mainly young filled audience sat on floor and really into music Tony created from very first tune, endless violin with a lots of energy which shakes whole universe. I was astonished also I was so happy to hear his act from upstairs of lovely Knitting Factory. For me it was enough to hear into Tony’s energy for 20 minutes, I wasn’t board, just so happy to experience his universe and happy to be within it, was endless wide, deep what I can say it was compact universe, more than music, it was energy pure which never let audience leave, it just fasten audience there, no chance to get anywhere.
Still, I left 20 minutes and went to dressing room, for such amazing act even no body was hanging around in backstage or anywhere else, all ears are at Tony’s incredible violin universe. I opened a bottle of Whisky that my friend gave me as a-well-come-back-in-NYC gift. You know I was more than good feeling from music comes from downstairs. I was alone in backstage room, but I felt not alone the music was caught me hug my body, I drink whisky as if I’m drinking water, Then I after I almost couldn’t remember anything, even I thought I didn’t went on stage, even I didn’t made concert. It took 2,3 days that I was sure I had concert with excellent sound carriers from NYC when I found mails in my mail box saying, “it was an amazing concert….” And many compliment. Then I felt good I was sure I’ve done show. Nobody was telling me I was too much drunken or similar words for embarrassing
It was really strange day that Tony opened the event. There is some happening you never forget in your life, occasionally it turns back. This day was one of such day. I met an amazing “universe” artist named Tony Conrad. It was very magical night. This universal artist left us on April 9th 2016. But, this day I met Tony and experienced his universe will stay in my memory forever. We lost true “universal” artist.
I inform you of Filmmaker Michelle Heighway launches crowdfunding campaign on indiegogo to complete documentary.
Please take a short notice:
A couple of years, I didn’t perform in NYC, I met friends again, a night before I performed in Monkey Town, Brooklyn.