Suzuki Junzo | Interview

Suzuki Junzo is a Japanese underground rock guitarist active in various of groups.

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“Life is just one long note”

What got you interested in music?

Suzuki Junzo: The sound of childhood’s TV animation. I was big fan of Ultraman series (especially Ultra Q, Ultra Seven), Kamen Rider and Godzilla at that time. This is very ordinal for children. I gradually realized that all the series I enjoyed are from sixties and seventies.

“When I started to use fuzz pedal, the Tokyo blues community kicked me out.”

Were you a member of any bands prior to the formation of Miminokoto?

I used to play harmonica and guitar in traditional Chicago blues tribute band. We played material from Junior Wells, Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters and the likes. Then the band became more influenced by Captain Beefheart and the sixties psych. When I started to use fuzz pedal, the Tokyo blues community (very small and very conservative) kicked me out. I gradually started listening to Syd Barrett, The Velvet Underground and Soft Machine. John Fahey blew my mind. I saw him live. Keiji Haino was supporting him. This was in 1999. It influenced me to start playing solo improvisational shows. Around that time I started playing with Ryuichi Nagakubo (C.C.C.C.) and Shigeki Morohashi (Bloom Dusters and Majutsu No Niwa).

“We are a band, but at the same time we are individuals.”

Can you elaborate the formation of Miminokoto and its concept?

It’s a project where songs don’t have much meaning. We allow each other to do what we want, but when lost, we can go back to the original song idea. We start with a basic song and end up with something completely different. We are a band but, at the same time we are individuals.

You worked on so many different projects (20 Guilders, Astral Traveling Unity, Nasca Car, Overhang Party).

20 Guilders is consisting of Mitsuru Tabata and I and we basically write songs and do arrangement together, and do too many overdubs in the studio. We are very big fans of classic UK and US rock, jazz and folk. Our idea is to make an album that would sound like those from the “golden age” of music.

When it comes to my solo career, I want to do stuff without limitation. Free improvisation, drones and cosmic kraut stuff. Songs with Ikuro Takahashi (Kousokuya, ex Fushitsusha, High Rise, LSD March and too many bands from Tokyo underground) and Richard Horner (owner of Black Snow Flakes Sound in Sapporo). It’s been over 15 years long collaboration. Recently 20 Guilders also worked with them in the studio.

I’m about to restart Astral Traveling Unity.

What are some of your albums and collaborations that you’re most proud of?

Everything! I’m really happy with Astral Traveling Unity and my album with Snakes Don’t Belong In Alaska. Jude have pulled my fuzz wah psych guitar side out!

And Fuji, improvised rock band with Bart De Paepe (boss of Sloow Tapes) and legendary Mik Quantius (Embryo). I’m totally psyched playing with them. Plunk’s Plan released ‘In Brussells’ early this year and it’s a very good document of our music.

Haramindarangure is a duo with Scott Verrastro, drummer for Kohoutek and Bardo Pond.

He also toured with me in the US from 2011-2014. We improvised and played freak noise rock/stoner drone with free jazz vibe. We toured Japan in 2019 and we have some live materials and are currently looking for a label to work with! I also enjoy jamming with The Cosmic Dead through the years. James and Omar are really nice guys and very good friends of mine. We already recorded some material and we’re hoping to release it in the near future.

How did collaborating with Snakes Don’t Belong in Alaska In Alaska come about?

Chris “Jude” Watson is the guy and my good friend. He supported every show I did in Newcastle. We talked about a possible collaboration and he mentioned he started a band. Cardinal Fuzz offered to release it. I was asked to play guitar.

I took one day off before Newcastle show, went to Soundroom studio and played for two and a half hours non-stop. Engineer MP Wood did a great work. I remember my guitar broke-up just before the recording! I borrowed Jude’s Jazz Master! We played a show together next day and it was a blast! Very sad that Jude quit the band. His new project is also amazing. I hope we will play together in the near future.

How important is improvisation for you? What would you say influenced you the most?

Beyond my words. Music is very important and my main purpose in life and life is just one long note like a stream.

Would you like to comment your playing technique? 

I am not so called “guitarist”, so I don’t have much things to say about “guitar technique”. One thing I want to expose is the way I use delay.

Who are some of your personal favorite bands that you’ve had a chance to play with over the past few years?

The Cosmic Dead, Snakes Don’t Belong In Alaska, Fuji, Carlton Melton and Dire Wolves are my favorite bands in this period. I share the same bill with Carlton Melton at Hemlock Tavern, SF and with Dire Wolves in Oakland in 2012, I think. They are very impressive.

You have a ton of albums out. What album do you think is a good entry point into your discography?

Difficult question. My friend once told that 2015-16 was one of the peaks of my career. Three albums in 2016, ‘If I Die Before I Wake’, ‘Shark-Infested Custard’, ‘La Course du lievre a travers les champs’ are a good entry point, I think.

You’re also owner of Plunk’s Plan. Would you like to share the story behind the formation of your label and what are you currently working on as a label?

I used to organize monthly series gig “Plunk’s Plan” at Penguin House in Koenji. I used to play solo improvise show under the name of “Plunk”. The series had over 70 episodes. I changed it into a label. Plunk’s Plan Recordings is mainly for Miminokoto and my solo albums. Sometimes I support young musician from Japan, but on a very private scale and in small circle.

We are working on a new Miminokoto album ‘Mayoiga’. It will be released on vinyl in early 2021!

What are some future plans?

I recently started a new band “Mienakunaru” with Mike Vest (Bong, Lush Worker, Blown Out) and our brand new first album ‘Lost Bones of the Holy Butterfly’ will be released via Drone Rock Records. We are already working on our second album.

Then there’s electric guitar duo with my friend, Tetuzi Akiyama. The album will be released on Utech Records next year. Then there’s a new band with Bart De Paepe (Fuji/Sloow tapes) and Mitsuru Tabata (on bass!) finished recording/mixing! It will be released next year. There’s also my new solo album ready and I’m working on 20 Guilders’ third album.

How do you like the current ‘underground’ scene in Japan? What bands would you like to recommend?

Tokyo underground is almost dying. There’s no scene, there are only some people, like islands.

There are some bands from Osaka and Kobe area. Stuff like Kevin. They are very loud and play abstract, but still rock. Then there’s Oopnum which is based in Kobe. They remind me of some Boston late sixties psych heads like Ultimate Spinach. Then there’s Kyoto based Hiyorimi-Utsurobune. It’s a guitar-synth-drums floating fuzz psych outfit under the influence of Tangerine Dream. ‘Milema’ is Gifu-based female psych-rocker with the feeling of classic Tokyo underground, but as well as with some early Tracey Thorn moods like ‘Marine Girls’. I would also like to mention two guitarist on my label, Shunta Takeyari and Yuichi Ushioda. They keep playing and getting more deeper.

Let’s end this interview with some of your favourite albums. Have you found something new lately you would like to recommend to our readers?

Yeah! Now it’s autumn and it’s a great time for listening to British folk heads. I listen to Martin Carthy and Nic Jones LPs, Steeleye Span’s ‘Ten Man Mop’, June Tabor’s ‘Airs And Graces’ (Nic Jones on guitar) and some Dick Gaughan LPs. Don’t forget to pick Notting Hill Gate beatniks like Deviants, Pink Fairies, Third Ear Band, Edgar Broughton Band and the Groundhogs! Recently I scored ‘The Harry Smith B-Sides’ and it’s an amazing release. And of course I love many European cosmic composer/kraut headz. Among my very small circle of music friends (only few people), American percussionist Michael Ranta is always on top of the shelf. Very excited about his upcoming CD on Metaphon (Belgian label), out early next year!

And movies and books are also very important. I enjoy some South American authors and classic film noir.

Thank you for taking your time. Last word is yours.

My last words are words from my favourite Charles Willeford (The Shark-Infested Custar). I only read Japanese translated edition where he said “when you have the things to do, you do them right away or ignore them completely.” Suzuki Junzo

Klemen Breznikar

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