Shinji Masuko (The Boredoms/DMBQ)

Event information

Solo set from Shinji Masuko, guitarist with The Boredoms and founder of leegendary Japanese psych band DMBQ. His exceptional EP 'Woven Music' was released on Brah Records (Helmed by Kid Millions of Oneida and distributed by Secretly Canadian) in 2010.

SHINJI MASUKO

Categories cannot contain Shinji Masuko. He's the founder of DMBQ - one of Japan's greatest modern psychedelic bands, a respected music and comic reviewer, an astonishing guitarist and a master guitar builder. He's also been a member of the Boredoms since 2004, having designed and built their notorious seven neck guitar (the Sevena) while acting as the band's principle guitarist.

The idea for 'Woven Music', Masuko's first solo work, was born during preparations for a series of Boredoms concerts in 2009 when Shinji played Kid Millions (of Oneida and Brah Records) some backing tracks he'd created for the Boredoms' current concert piece - Boadrum. For a short section of the live performance an incredible mass of multi-tracked droning guitars is mixed into the pounding chaos of the 9 person, multi-drummer ensemble. Shiji played Millions this unadorned recording while they were between rehearsals at Shinji's home in Osaka and Kid was astounded, convinced that this music needed to be heard on its own.

Masuko thus inspired, spent the next year carefully crafting these pieces into stand alone works. Woven Music for Blue Steppe is a mass of mostly acoustic instruments while Woven Music for Silver Ocean explores the sound of a throng of electric guitars.

In the last twenty-plus years Masuko has created an astounding body of work with DMBQ and the Boredoms – but he's never released music of such singular beauty and depth. These are meditative, swirling pieces which suggest the resonances of their titles: grand and eternal natural vistas. These are immersive works and completely singular in their scope – Brah is proud to present these unheard compositions to a broader audience.