Posted by: Necci – May 14, 2011

Longtime experimental and psychedelic musicians from Japan, Kawabata Makoto (Acid Mothers Temple) and Pikachu (Afrirampo, as well as past collaborations with Acid Mothers Temple) will be playing at Strange Matter at 10:00 PM on Sunday, May 15. As a member of Acid Mothers Temple, Kawabata Makoto is known for his wild hair and even wilder space-melting acid rock guitar. Before that, with heavy burners Mainliner, he created near-exaggerations of dripping psychedelia and the far out sounds of Krautrock. Pikachu previously played in the female duo Afrirampo, who were as much a catchy all girl garage punk as a psychotic Japanese noise rock experiment, and featured screams that recall their Osaka freakout brethren the Boredoms. Now together on this tour, the duo plays an expansive psychedelic sort of no wave. Pikachu quit the Acid Mothers/Afrirampo collaboration to study percussion in Africa, and the girl is all over the place on drums. Videos of recent vintage show Pikachu descending upon the crowd in a flurry of drumming and far out singing, while Kawabata Makoto steadily shreds long slabs of psychedelia, building up to exciting sweaty psych-punk climax. It'll be worth it to catch a couple of Japan’s established experimental rockers in a freeform duo--anyone who’s seen Acid Mothers Temple has an idea of how its going to go down.
WHAT: Kawabata & Pikachu duo at Strange Matter!
WHO: Kawabata Makoto & Pikachu, with Mugu Guymen, Caves Caverns, Head Molt, and Articulate Chewbecca
WHERE: Strange Matter (929 W. Grace St.)
WHEN: Sunday May 15, 10 PM
Check out a recent recording by the duo after the jump:
PIKACYU*MAKOTO 'Birth Star' by Riot Season Records
By J. Russell