Explorations in the Extreme, On the Fringes of Music: 井内賢吾 (Kengo Iuchi)

At first, I was not too sure if I should talk about this project as part of this column. A singer-songwriter doing avant folk was not really on my bucket list when i thought about doing this column. But once you have listened to some of his songs you will understand why i decided to include it. Kengo Iuchi was only active for roughly four years, releasing his first record in 1994 and his last in 1998. Taking folk music to new extremes, the project's production was rawer then even that of some one man black metal bands. Using mostly just a guitar and some other unidentifiable noise sources, Kengo Iuchi created music that can only be described as frightening and deeply disturbing. 

鬱 (Utsu)

Take, for example the record 鬱 (Utsu), which has a Noh mask on the cover that seems to be staring at you from the dark, along with some flowers and two upside-down faces that grin as if they are in pain. The singer's voice sounding like that of a drunk madman inside in a snowstorm banging on his guitar. Unlike the the usual beauty of contemporary folk music, this is a man who tells you about the forgotten and dark folklore of the world.  A good comparison for this would be Atrax Morgue; while they work in different genres, I think what unites them is that they both make music that could be seen as too edgy or try hard, but they succeed through the pure authenticity of their music. This record lives from it's almost uncomfortable sense of authenticity, giving the feeling that you are witnessing a man break down in front of you. Many musicians have tried to portray a disturbed mind through their music usually through the means of careful composition. However, this record understands that, for this type of atmosphere to succeed, the performer must let loose in the most cathartic way possible and leave song structure and restraint behind. 

犬神と家畜 (Inugami to kachiku)

犬神と家畜 (Inugami to kachiku) takes 鬱 (Utsu)'s approach and adds another musician, Chie Mukai,  who contributes drums and vocals to the record. On the cover the band is bathed in red light and the distortion makes them as appear as though they are part of an ecstatic ritual. The record transports you from the snowy mountainside of  鬱 (Utsu) to a small room or perhaps a fireplace, where you bear witness to the manic spectacle of their performance. The addition of drums adds another element of chaos to the music, joining Kengo's freak-outs on the mic with high-intensity banging that disregards any rhythm. 

Kengo Iuchi only made music for a few short years, at least as far as released music goes, but he left behind an extraordinarily unique discography full of terrifying yet captivating music. It takes you to the depths of his psyche and spits you back out on the other side. If you're up for that ride, that is.

 

𝑺𝑬𝑬 𝒀𝑶𝑼 𝑺𝑷𝑨𝑪𝑬 𝑪𝑶𝑾𝑩𝑶𝒀...