A landmark release in Japan’s experimental and free-jazz history.
Consume Red (1997) captures Ground Zero, led by internationally acclaimed composer / guitarist / turntablist Otomo Yoshihide, at the peak of their raw, unrestrained power. Otomo—known worldwide for the soundtrack of NHK drama “Amachan” and celebrated across Europe and the U.S.—delivers here one of his most intense and influential works.
Instead of a traditional multi-track album, this CD presents a single, 57-minute composition that unfolds with overwhelming slowness and tension. The structure is built around a sampled phrase of the Hojok (Korean horn) performed by Kim Seok-Chul, a master often referred to as a national treasure. Layer by layer, the sonic landscape expands:
• Otomo’s intermittent waves of noise
• Yumiko Tanaka’s electric shamisen textures
• Colliding guitars and swelling static
• A drum duo that enters only at the climactic peak—subtle at first, then unstoppable
The result is a monumental crescendo of sound collage, industrial feedback, ritualistic rhythm and controlled chaos—representing Ground Zero in full, explosive form before the shift into Otomo’s later minimal works.
If you collect Japanese experimental music, free-jazz, noise, or 90s avant-garde releases, this album is essential.
Specifications
A cult classic and a pivotal work in the evolution of Japanese experimental music—impossible to forget once heard.
