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Ryoji Ikeda’s Japan Tour Kickoff: A Journey Beyond the Senses

2024.12.26

#MUSIC

The Opening Night of Ryoji Ikeda’s First National Tour

Ryoji Ikeda continues to push the boundaries of his art. From his bases in Paris and Kyoto, he has embraced various opportunities since the pandemic, including major solo exhibitions at the Aomori and Hirosaki Brick Warehouse Museums, performances at MUTEK.JP 2022 Edition 7, and the release of his reflective album ultratronics. These efforts have brought his innovative work to the Japanese public in diverse forms. Now, with the ultratronics Japan Tour, Ikeda will take his unique sound to five cities, joined by an exceptional lineup featuring VMO a.k.a Violent Magic Orchestra, ∈Y∋, goat, Hasegawa Hakushi, and Alva Noto. After several successful showcases of ultratronics in Japan and globally, the tour will bring this electrifying experience to life once again, beginning with a performance at KT Zepp Yokohama in Kanagawa.

Ryoji Ikeda
Born in 1966 in Gifu, Japan, Ryoji Ikeda is a globally recognized composer and artist based in Paris and Kyoto. Initially known for his electronic music compositions, he now explores art as an immersive experience, using a refined mix of sound, visuals, materials, physical phenomena, and mathematical concepts. His works, which include live performances and installations, envelop audiences in a sensory experience, pushing the boundaries of perception.

International Festival Regular, VMO a.k.a Violent Magic Orchestra, Opens the Show

First, VMO a.k.a Violent Magic Orchestra took the stage as the opening act. Known for their explosive live performances, they are one of the most acclaimed acts for their intense sound.

VMO a.k.a Violent Magic Orchestra is a collective combining various musical and visual talents. The lineup includes Pete Swanson (ex-Yellow Swans) on electronics, Extreme Precautions on mix, synths, and beats, Vampillia on instruments, kezzardrix handling live visuals, and three strobes creating an illusion of light and darkness. Their sound fuses techno, black metal, industrial, and noise, forming a powerful and immersive experience. The project is set in the fictional year 2099, presenting a century-end musical concept that feels like a collision of black metal meets Kraftwerk, or an Aphex Twin track overtaken by Burzum. Known for consuming a significant amount of power, VMO’s total energy consumption is 4500W (equivalent to 56 amplifiers).

On this night, the grand stage at KT Zepp Yokohama fully utilized the venue’s vastness and large screens, enhancing the three-dimensional sound characteristic of larger spaces, making the booming sound even sharper. The fusion of black metal, noise, and club music sounded almost more expansive in the usual smaller venues, which was intriguing. In other words, VMO’s typical stage presence, which is often more intense, interactive, and violent with the crowd, felt more refined and independent this time, presenting a level of perfection that seemed self-contained. While VMO frequently performs at major international festivals ranging from electronic to heavy music scenes, this stage performance made me wish to see them in such a setting more often in Japan. We may not have fully realized their true appeal yet—such was the impression left by their performance, where everything, even the rough edges, seemed to harmonize and come together as a cohesive work. What made this possible was undoubtedly the speculative nature of black metal itself, with its inherent qualities and the sonic intensity that supports its aesthetics.

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