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Melt-Banana is a Japanese
noise rock Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise music, noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimal music, minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, a ...
band that is known for playing extremely fast
noise rock Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise music, noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimal music, minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, a ...
mixed with
experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when ...
,
electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...
and pop-based song structures. Since forming in 1992 the band has released ten albums and toured worldwide extensively.


History

In 1991, while attending
Tokyo University of Foreign Studies , often referred to as TUFS, is a specialist research university in Fuchū, Tokyo, Japan. TUFS is primarily devoted to foreign language, international affairs and foreign studies. It also features an Asia-African institution. History The Uni ...
,
Yasuko Onuki Yasuko Onuki (often known simply as Yako, Yasuko or Yasuko O.) is the singer from Japanese band Melt-Banana Melt-Banana is a Japanese noise rock band that is known for playing extremely fast noise rock mixed with experimental, electronica an ...
started a band called Mizu and, after a short period rehearsing with another guitarist, recruited
Ichiro Agata is the guitarist for the Japanese noise rock band Melt-Banana. Agata is known particularly for his furious stage antics, jumping and constantly moving around, and exceedingly unique approach to playing the guitar which involves extended techni ...
to play guitar in the band.MELT-BANANA Band Page
Skingraftrecords.com. Retrieved on 19 September 2011.
Mizu's original drummer and bass player quit six months after Agata joined, leaving Yasuko to handle the bass and vocal duties until she found bassist Rika. They briefly performed shows around Tokyo without a drummer. Sudoh Toshiaki then joined as the new drummer in November 1992, and they changed their name to Melt-Banana. In May 1993, Melt-Banana played a show opening for
KK Null , known by his stage name KK Null, is a Japanese experimental multi-instrumentalist active since the early 1980s. He began as a guitarist but learned how to compose, sing, play drums, and create electronic music. He also studied Butoh dance at ...
of
Zeni Geva Zeni may refer to: * Zeni (letter), a letter of the Georgian alphabet * Zeni, Iran, a village in South Khorasan Province, Iran * Zeni Husmani (born 1990), Macedonian footballer * Zeni (surname), surname See also * Zenigata Heiji , usual ...
fame, who was impressed enough to immediately offer them a deal with his label, and would later introduce them to Mark Fischer of
Skin Graft Records Skin Graft Records (officially capitalized SKiN GRAFT Records) is an independent record label specializing in no wave and noise rock, originally based in Chicago, Illinois. The label is largely responsible for spawning "now wave" genre, an upda ...
and
Steve Albini Steve Albini (pronounced ; born July 22, 1962) is an American musician, record producer, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman and Flour, and is a member of Shellac. He is the founder, owner and principal en ...
. In 1996, ''sick Zip Everywhere'' was nominated for
MTV UK MTV is a British pay television channel focusing on reality TV and music programming operated by Paramount Networks UK & Australia. The channel launched as part of MTV Networks Europe localisation strategy in 1997. MTV UK (previously MTV UK & ...
's best video. In the same year the band completed their first European tour. In 1997, they created their own recording company,
A-Zap Melt-Banana is a Japanese noise rock band that is known for playing extremely fast noise rock mixed with experimental music, experimental, electronica and pop music, pop-based song structures. Since forming in 1992 the band has released ten albu ...
(formerly Iguana Coax), and re-issued most of their early albums. Around this time, drummer Sudoh Toshiaki quit. Oshima Watchman became the new official drummer in February 1998. The band recorded its first Peel Session in September 1999. Onuki thought John Peel look like ''
Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a Legend, legendary figure originating in Western Christianity, Western Christian culture who is said to Christmas gift-bringer, bring ...
'' and Agata since has imagined what his opinion of new songs would be. Peel described the session as "Simply one of the most extraordinary performances I have ever seen and ever heard ... just mesmerizing, absolutely astonishing." The broadcast exposed to band to new audiences in the United Kingdom and beyond. Watchman left the band in 2000, since then the band has had different drummers helping them on tours and in making albums. In 2007, Melt-Banana recorded the song "Hair-Cat (Cause the Wolf Is a Cat!)" for ''
Perfect Hair Forever ''Perfect Hair Forever'' is an American adult animated television series created by Mike Lazzo, Matt Harrigan, and Matt Maiellaro for Cartoon Network's late night programming block Adult Swim. The series revolves around a young boy named Gerald ...
'' on
Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (often abbreviated as CN) is an American cable television channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. It is a part of The Cartoon Network, Inc., a division that also has the broadcasting and production activities of Boomerang, Car ...
's
Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as
dult swim Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representati ...
and often abbreviated as s is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television Television channel, channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programme ...
lineup. The studio album ''
Fetch Fetch may refer to: Books * ''Fetch'', a 2012 book by Alan MacDonald and David Roberts * ''The Fetch'', a 2006 book by Chris Humphreys * ''The Fetch'', a 2009 book by Laura Whitcomb * ''The Fetch'', a 1991 book by Robert Holdstock * ''Fazbear ...
'', released September 2013, saw the band transition to a duo. The decision not to use a live drummer led on to the decision not to have a live bass player. Using a computer for the rhythm allowed more freedom in arrangement. Hamamoto's help was not needed for the new duo format. Additionally, throughout the band's career Agata and Yasuko had been the main songwriters. In late 2019, during an interview conducted on tour, with ''Louder'' magazine, the band stated they would record a new album.


Style

Melt-Banana's music is typically described as noise rock, with roots in
punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
, grindcore,
electro-pop Electropop is a hybrid music genre combining elements of electronic and pop genres. Writer Hollin Jones has described it as a variant of synth-pop with heavy emphasis on its electronic sound. The genre was developed in the 1980s and saw a rev ...
and
electronic music Electronic music is a genre of music that employs electronic musical instruments, digital instruments, or circuitry-based music technology in its creation. It includes both music made using electronic and electromechanical means ( electroac ...
. The band has shied away from any classification, saying they "don't write music according to genre", and has described their music as "like a chimera". Melt-Banana has cited
The Sex Pistols ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
,
Einstürzende Neubauten (, 'Collapsing New Buildings') is a German experimental music group, formed in West Berlin in 1980. The group is currently composed of founding members Blixa Bargeld (lead vocals; guitar; keyboard) and N.U. Unruh ( custom-made instruments; p ...
,
Masonna , better known by his stage name Masonna, is a Japanese noise musician. He was born on November 16, 1966, in Miyazu, Kyoto, Japan. was started in 1987 in Osaka as Maso Yamazaki's noise project. The name is a combination of the Japanese words ...
,
Violent Onsen Geisha , also known by his stage names Violent Onsen Geisha and Hair Stylistics, is a Japanese musician, writer and actor. He was described by Allmusic as "one of those musical entities that defy categorization." He co-starred in Shinji Aoyama's 2005 fil ...
,
Aphex Twin Richard David James (born 18 August 1971), best known as Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born British musician, composer and DJ. He is known for his idiosyncratic work in electronic music, electronic styles such as techno, ambient music, ambient, and jun ...
and Atari Teenage Riot as influences, as well as the compilation album ''
No New York ''No New York'' is a compilation album released in 1978 by record label Antilles under the curation of producer Brian Eno. Although it only contained songs by four different artists, some consider it to be a definitive single album documenting Ne ...
''. Agata also gets inspiration from the feelings of excitement, triumph and peril he experiences when playing video games, and interpreting that musically. He believes that influences from outside music, including video games, help them see from fresh angles and keep them from writing "the same kind of music again and again". Games he has cited as an inspiration include ''
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 ''Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3'' is a 2001 skateboarding video game and the third installment in the '' Tony Hawk's'' series. It was developed by Neversoft and published by Activision under the Activision O2 label in 2001 for the PlayStation, Pl ...
'', ''
Ecco the Dolphin ''Ecco the Dolphin'' is a series of action-adventure video games developed by Appaloosa Interactive (previously known as Novotrade International) and published by Sega. They were originally developed for the Mega Drive/Genesis and Dreamcast video ...
'', ''
Demon's Souls is a 2009 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware for the PlayStation 3 under the supervision of Japan Studio. It was published in Japan by Sony Computer Entertainment in February, in North America by Atlus USA in October, and in PAL ...
'' and ''
Shadow of the Colossus ''Shadow of the Colossus'' is a 2005 action-adventure game developed by Japan Studio and Team Ico, and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. It takes place in a fantasy setting and follows Wander, a young man who ...
''. Onuki's distinctive vocal style has been described as "loud, piercing and unexpectedly authoritative". Asked about her influences, Onuki explained: "there is no tradition and no influence besides maybe
Lydia Lunch Lydia Lunch (born Lydia Anne Koch; June 2, 1959)Martin Charles Strong. ''The Great Indie Discography''. 2003, page 85 is an American singer, poet, writer, actress and self-empowerment speaker. Her career began during the 1970s New York City no ...
and the Teenage Jerks. She opened a new book for me. It was so unique and distinctive, you could tell by listening to the voice who is singing – that what I wanted to achieve with my own voice too." Although the band is Japanese, their lyrics are written in English. Onuki originally sung in Japanese, but quickly changed to English, believing that it was better suited to her style of singing. Because English is not her native language, Onuki often has to look words up in dictionaries, which also allows her to find words that sound interesting to her. In writing a song, Onuki typically starts with particular words and then works backwards, the content of which comes from what she "see and feel in erusual life". Agata is noted for his distinct style of guitar playing that involves heavy use of effects and pedals. The band is known for playing an "eclectic" selection of cover songs, both live and on studio recordings. Melt-Banana was inspired to do so after touring with
Mr. Bungle Mr. Bungle is an American experimental rock band formed in Eureka, California in 1985. Having gone through many incarnations throughout their career, the band is best known for music created during their most experimental era. During this time, ...
and seeing them perform several cover songs, and thinking it would be fun for both the audience and the band themselves. Songs that Melt-Banana has covered include " Surfin' U.S.A." (
The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American Rock music, rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian Wilson, Brian, Dennis Wilson, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and frie ...
), "
Neat Neat Neat "Neat Neat Neat" is the second single by English punk rock band the Damned, released on 18 February 1977 by Stiff Records, simultaneously with their debut studio album '' Damned Damned Damned''. The single was reissued in Stiff's ''Damned 4 P ...
" ( The Damned) and "
Paint It Black "Paint It Black" is a song recorded in 1966 by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. A product of the songwriting partnership of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, it is a raga rock song with Indian, Middle Eastern, and Eastern European in ...
" (
The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...
). In choosing the songs, Melt-Banana simply "play songs that
hey Hey or Hey! may refer to: Music * Hey (band), a Polish rock band Albums * ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014 * ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980 * ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title s ...
like."


Members

*
Yasuko Onuki Yasuko Onuki (often known simply as Yako, Yasuko or Yasuko O.) is the singer from Japanese band Melt-Banana Melt-Banana is a Japanese noise rock band that is known for playing extremely fast noise rock mixed with experimental, electronica an ...
vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...
*
Ichiro Agata is the guitarist for the Japanese noise rock band Melt-Banana. Agata is known particularly for his furious stage antics, jumping and constantly moving around, and exceedingly unique approach to playing the guitar which involves extended techni ...
guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
s,
effects Effect may refer to: * A result or change of something ** List of effects ** Cause and effect, an idiom describing causality Pharmacy and pharmacology * Drug effect, a change resulting from the administration of a drug ** Therapeutic effect, a ...


Former members


Bass

From 2013 onward the band does not have a bass player. * Rika Hamamoto (1992–2013)


Drums

Melt-Banana does not currently have an official drummer. From 2013 onward the band does not have a drummer when playing live. There have been two drummers who were official members; Sudoh Toshiaki and Oshima Watchma. A number of guest drummers have been used for studio recordings and live performances. *Sudoh Toshiaki (Machine and the Synergetic Nuts) (1992 to December 1997). Appears on '' Speak Squeak Creak'', '' Cactuses Come in Flocks'', and '' Scratch or Stitch''. *Kiku (ex-
Assfort Assfort is a Japanese hardcore punk band from Tokyo. Their musical style is fast and loud with angry, fast, undecipherable vocals. Their style follows in the vein of old school 1980's japanese hardcore punk music, such as The Stalin were a ...
) – guest live drummer, one show, early 1998. *Youichiro Natsume (ex-Multiplex, ex-Force) – guest studio drummer, early 1998. Appears on '' Charlie''. *Oshima Watchma ( Coaltar of the Deepers, ex-Satanic Hell Slaughter) (February 1998 to 2000). Toured, and appears on ''
MxBx 1998/13,000 Miles at Light Velocity ''MxBx 1998/13,000 Miles at Light Velocity'' is the first live album by Melt-Banana. The album is not a conventional "live" album: it was not recorded at a concert, but live in the studio specially for John Zorn's Tzadik Records during the band ...
'' and ''
Teeny Shiny ''Teeny Shiny'' is an album by Melt-Banana, released in 2000. It contains reworkings of two older songs. "First Contact to Planet Q" was previously recorded as "Sham Bazar", and "Warp, Back Spin" was previously recorded as "Crackhead Up or Down". ...
''. * Dave Witte (
Municipal Waste Municipal solid waste (MSW), commonly known as trash or garbage in the United States and rubbish in Britain, is a waste type consisting of everyday items that are discarded by the public. "Garbage" can also refer specifically to food waste, ...
, ex-
Discordance Axis Discordance Axis was an American grindcore band from East Brunswick, New Jersey. Biography Frontman Jon Chang stated on the history of the band: "Discordance Axis was a three piece grindcore band that started in NJ around 1992. The band st ...
) – guest touring drummer, US and Europe only, 2001 to 2005. *Obokata – guest live drummer, Japan only. *Masashi Sakata (324) – guest live drummer, Japan and ATP UK 2002. *Takiya Terada – guest live drummer in 2002, 2010–2012. *Eiji Uki (ex-
Acid Mothers Temple Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O., commonly shortened to Acid Mothers Temple or AMT, is a Japanese psychedelic rock band, the core of which formed in 1995. The band is led by guitarist Kawabata Makoto and early in their career feat ...
, ex-Monghang) – Guest live drummer, Japan and 2007 US tours and 2008 Europe tour. *Yasuhiro Inomata – guest live drummer in 2009.


Touring and collaborations

The band have carried out lengthy US and UK tours yearly and smaller Japanese tours (the reason for this, according to them, is that travelling in Japan is quite expensive). Melt-Banana have worked with a diverse range of artists, including
Merzbow is a Japanese noise project started in 1979 by , best known for a style of harsh, confrontational noise. Since 1980, Akita has released over 400 recordings and has collaborated with various artists. The name Merzbow comes from the German dada ...
,
John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conductor, saxophonist, arranger and producer who "deliberately resists category". Zorn's avant-garde and experimental approaches to composition and improvisation are inclusive of jaz ...
, Agathe Max,
Mike Patton Michael Allan Patton (born January 27, 1968) is an American singer, producer, film composer and voice actor, best known as the lead vocalist of the alternative metal band Faith No More. Noted for his vocal proficiency, diverse singing techni ...
, and
Discordance Axis Discordance Axis was an American grindcore band from East Brunswick, New Jersey. Biography Frontman Jon Chang stated on the history of the band: "Discordance Axis was a three piece grindcore band that started in NJ around 1992. The band st ...
. Melt-Banana has toured as an opening act with high-profile bands such as: * Jim O'Rourke and
Zeni Geva Zeni may refer to: * Zeni (letter), a letter of the Georgian alphabet * Zeni, Iran, a village in South Khorasan Province, Iran * Zeni Husmani (born 1990), Macedonian footballer * Zeni (surname), surname See also * Zenigata Heiji , usual ...
(1994, Japan) *
Mr. Bungle Mr. Bungle is an American experimental rock band formed in Eureka, California in 1985. Having gone through many incarnations throughout their career, the band is best known for music created during their most experimental era. During this time, ...
(1995, US) *
Melvins Melvins (sometimes The Melvins) are an American rock band formed in 1983 in Montesano, Washington. Their early work was key to the development of both grunge and sludge metal. Initially, they performed as a trio but later also sometimes appeare ...
(1999, Japan and US) *
Fantômas Fantômas () is a fictional character created by French writers Marcel Allain (1885–1969) and Pierre Souvestre (1874–1914). One of the most popular characters in the history of French crime fiction, Fantômas was created in 1911 and appear ...
(2004, US) *
Tool A tool is an object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many animals use simple tools, only human beings, whose use of stone tools dates ba ...
(2007, US) *
Metal Machine Trio Metal Machine Trio was a group founded in 2008 by Lou Reed, Ulrich Krieger and Sarth Calhoun. The group played free improvised music, touching on various genres from free rock, free jazz, minimal music, noise music, electronica, to ambient mu ...
(2010, Australia) * Napalm Death and
Melvins Melvins (sometimes The Melvins) are an American rock band formed in 1983 in Montesano, Washington. Their early work was key to the development of both grunge and sludge metal. Initially, they performed as a trio but later also sometimes appeare ...
(2016, US)


Discography

Studio albums * '' Speak Squeak Creak'' (1994) * '' Cactuses Come in Flocks'' (1994) * '' Scratch or Stitch'' (1995) * '' Charlie'' (1998) * ''
Teeny Shiny ''Teeny Shiny'' is an album by Melt-Banana, released in 2000. It contains reworkings of two older songs. "First Contact to Planet Q" was previously recorded as "Sham Bazar", and "Warp, Back Spin" was previously recorded as "Crackhead Up or Down". ...
'' (2000) * ''
Cell-Scape ''Cell-Scape'' is the fifth album by Melt-Banana. It features electronic elements and marks a musical shift to a more accessible, hi-fi sound. ''Cell-Scape'' also features some of the longest songs written by Melt-Banana, including "Shield for ...
'' (2003) * ''
Bambi's Dilemma ''Bambi's Dilemma'' is the sixth studio album by Melt-Banana, released on April 24, 2007. It was released on CD and vinyl. The album's title came from an incident which happened when vocalist Yasuko was driving the band's touring van in the US an ...
'' (2007) * ''
Fetch Fetch may refer to: Books * ''Fetch'', a 2012 book by Alan MacDonald and David Roberts * ''The Fetch'', a 2006 book by Chris Humphreys * ''The Fetch'', a 2009 book by Laura Whitcomb * ''The Fetch'', a 1991 book by Robert Holdstock * ''Fazbear ...
'' (2013)


References


External links


Official website

Melt-Banana
on Myspace * {{Authority control Japanese experimental rock groups Japanese noise rock groups Japanese hardcore punk groups Little Mafia Records artists Musical groups established in 1992 Tzadik Records artists Musical groups from Tokyo