Kato Hideki (born 1962 in

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region, the fourth-most populous city and third most populous urban area in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020. Located on the Pacific coast in central Honshu, it is the capital and the most po ...

, Japan; 加藤英樹, family name Kato) is a Japanese musician and composer. He was a seminal member of the Tokyo Noise music scene of the late 80s and early 90s, collaborating with Japanese experimental musicians such as

Otomo Yoshihide is a Japanese composer and multi-instrumentalist. He mainly plays guitar, turntables, and electronics. He first came to international prominence in the 1990s as the leader of the experimental rock group Ground Zero, and has since worked i ...

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, Makigami Koichi, and

Yamatsuka Eye (born , 13 February 1964) is a Japanese vocalist and visual artist, best known as a member of Boredoms and Naked City. He has changed his stage name three times, from Yamatsuka Eye, to Yamantaka Eye, to Yamataka Eye, and sometimes calls hims ...

. He led his own bands, Player Piano and Bass Army. He was a member of the original Ground Zero with Otomo and Uemura Masahiro. In 1992 Kato moved to

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where he still resides. Since relocating to New York, Kato has recorded and performed with John Zorn,

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, Billy Martin (percussionist),

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, Charlie Burnham, Karen Mantler, John King, Michael Schumacher, Chris Cochrane,

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and many others. His collaborations include Dying Ground, Billy Martin's Socket, Phase III, Italian DOC Remix, and the Crescent Moon Trio. He has an electronic duo with James Fei. In 1995 he formed

Death Ambient Death Ambient is an American experimental music, experimental and ambient music trio comprising Kato Hideki (bass guitar), Ikue Mori (drum machines), and Fred Frith (guitar). The group was formed by Hideki and Mori in 1995 and recorded three alb ...

with

Ikue Mori (born 17 December 1953), also known as Ikue Ile, is a drummer, electronic musician, composer, and graphic designer. Mori was awarded a "Genius grant" from the MacArthur Foundation in 2022. Biography Ikue Mori was born and raised in Japan. She ...

and Fred Frith and released three CDs on the

Tzadik Tzadik ( he, צַדִּיק , "righteous ne, also ''zadik'', ''ṣaddîq'' or ''sadiq''; pl. ''tzadikim'' ''ṣadiqim'') is a title in Judaism given to people considered righteous, such as biblical figures and later spiritual masters. The ...

label, including "Drunken Forest," in 2007. In 2004 he formed the trio Green Zone, with Otomo Yoshihide and Uemura Masahiro—the lineup of the original Ground Zero, but this time with Kato as leader. The band name comes from the 10 km² area in central Baghdad during the US-Iraq war. The pieces Kato wrote for this trio were inspired by the

US invasion of Iraq The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...

. His latest project is a rock'n'roll band, Plastic Spoon, for which he wrote music and lyrics, in addition to playing bass. Other members are Karen Mantler (vocals, harmonica), Doug Wieselman (guitar), and Shahzad Ismaily (drums). Kato's music has become more political since he emigrated to the US. His recent works focus on

pollution Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause adverse change. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the ...

and

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and income inequality. He describes his music as "documentary without pictures."

Recordings

*''Karada wa Oto o Dasu Mono'' /''Bass Army'' (Trigram) - Dual Bass trio with the original Ruins bassist & Ground Zero drummer *''Hope & Despair'' ( Extreme) - An acoustic CD with musicians in NYC and Japan *''Death Ambient'' (

, 1995) - The first Death Ambient CD with Ikue Mori & Fred Frith *''Sieves'' (

Improvised Music from Japan Improvised Music from Japan is a website and record label. The website was originally known as ''Japanese Free Improvisers''. As its name suggests, it concentrates on Japanese and Japan-based improvisers, particularly free improvisers. In Dece ...

, 1993) - Electro-Acoustic Duo with James Fei *''Turbulent Zone'' ( Music for Expanded Ears, 1998) - Solo Electric Bass CD, using Prime Number tuning *''Synaesthesia'' (Tzadik, 1999) - The second Death Ambient CD *''Green Zone'' ( doubtmusic, 2005) - The trio with the original Ground Zero crew *''Drunken Forest'' (Tzadik, 2007) - Third Death Ambient release, produced by Kato *''Byat'' (Callithump, 2008) - Second Green Zone release, produced by Kato, mastered by Kato and James Fei

External links

Kato Hideki official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hideki, Kato Japanese composers Japanese male composers Japanese male musicians Living people Musicians from Aichi Prefecture 1962 births Peril (band) members