Acid Mothers Temple and the Paraiso U.F.O Interview: SXSW 2010

If any other group released four albums in one year, their output would be considered insanely prolific. However, for Japan's Acid Mothers Temple and the Paraiso U.F.O, such an outpouring of creativity is an average years worth of work. Since self-their self-titled debut album in 1997, the main offshoot of guitarist Kawabata Makoto's "soul collective" has released nearly three-dozen records, all of which combine '70s hard rock, electronic music and musique concrete. Makato recently spoke with Spinner about the band's "trip music" in advance of the band's appearance at SXSW.

Describe your sound.

The concept, in two words, is "trip music." Why is it called "trip music?" Because there were no words to properly describe this music. "Psychedelic music" is not same thing as trip music. As I see it, psychedelic rock is a type of rock music that evolved under the influence of the drug culture. For example, when I took acid when I was younger, I took my guitar just played the high E string -- by myself. Suddenly, I heard a beautiful drone sound in my head. Then I set up my recording system, and I recorded it for an hour. The next morning, I played the tape back, and then I just heard the pinking sound of the string. It wasn't the same. When I played it on acid, the sound became such a beautiful drone for me. But microphones and recorders don't take acid, so they can't add anything! So-called "psychedelic" music is like this. I learned that I should just play music that has the same effect on people as taking drugs does! Even if people don't take drugs, they can feel something. Trip music makes people trip to other stages of other worlds...only by using music! [laughs]



What is the meaning of the band name?

The band's name has no meaning. When we needed to put the name for the band together, I suddenly got some words from somewhere, like from telepathy. These words were "acid" "mothers" "temple", but also "melting" "paraiso" "underground" and "freak-out"


But name "Acid Mothers Temple and Paraiso U.F.O" evokes religious, psychedelic and metaphysical imagery.

We don't believe in any religions! We believe only in the possibility of our own minds.


How did your band form?

Just through fate or destiny! I just followed my fate and destiny.


What do you mean?

I'm really fatalistic, so I can wait for the time when band members will come and join the group. So, I'm still waiting for a new female singer after Cotton [Casino, synthesizer player/vocalist, who left the band in 2004]. I can wait until the time comes to see new members in the group! I think it's not important how people meet. It's not a special story, like when you meet your friends for the first time. It's not important how people meet, the important thing is what people can do with each other.


What are your influences?

I love [German electronic composer Karlheinz] Stockhausen's music very much at that time. I was really interested in that this [electronic] kind of music [was considered] music too! I'm influenced a lot by late 60s and early 70s classical rock, like Led Zepplin, Deep Purple, King Crimson, Emerson L&P, Yes, Soft Machine, Frank Zappa, Captain Beefheart, Pink Floyd, etc.. I also am influence by krautrock, European prog rock, and early new wave -- groups like This Heat, Pop Group and Gang of Four. And I love ABBA! I'm super big fan of them. They made, and played, so many totally perfect, beautiful pop songs. The most important thing of music for me is music that has beautiful melodies, even if it is experimental music in nature.


Do you feel the concept for the group could exist in a more individualistic society?

When I started my music in 1978, I was already individualistic in the Japanese underground music scene that was just born then. When I formed the Acid Mothers Temple in 1995, I was still individualistic in that same scene too! We have to be, no matter where we were. When we started touring overseas in 1998, I booked all the shows for it myself. We have a saying: "Don't trust anybody." It's important for business. Of course, we're working with a booking agency now, and we have a really good partnership with them. But we are always prepared to have to do the work by ourselves, too. We don't want to have any restrictions or regulations. So our slogan is, "Do whatever you want, don't do whatever you don't want." As a band, we would like to be independent from any systems, no matter where we are.


You mention on your web site that the collective has made you lose money, but has given you freedom and time.

Well, we're still poor. We haven't had any other jobs for a long time. We don't want to spend our time having boring jobs just to get money. We don't want to work so much with big companies, so we have to do everything ourselves. We're not good business. We're not professional about this business, so maybe we've lost some chances to be successful. But who cares? We can get money to be alive by playing our music. It's much better than working another job.


What's in your festival survival kit?

We don't need anything but our music! We're always ready to play, and we're always ready to blow the audience's minds by playing our music.


What do you hope people get out of your SXSW showcase?

We really hope for just one thing: That they can enjoy our music! What more do we need?



Jon Graef is a contributor from Seed.com. Learn how you can contribute here.