The Gerogerigegege

The Gerogerigegege is a controversial Japanese noise/experimental band, founded in 1985 by [a472652]. After a 15-year long hiatus, during which Yamanouchi had entirely vanished from the public's view, the band released a new album [i][m=971870][/i] in 2016, and since then produced over 10 albums/EPs with archival and new material. The band's name is an onomatopoeia for vomiting and diarrhea: [b]Gero[/b] (vomiting) + [b]Geri[/b] (diarrhea) + non-lexical vocable [b]GeGeGe[/b].

While many Japanoise artists sought inspiration in fetish, pornography, BDSM (particularly bondage, 緊縛 [i]kinbaku[/i]) and similar concepts, Juntaro took his obsession with 千摺り [i]senzuri[/i] (male masturbation) to an unprecedented level, dedicating many aspects of Gerogerigegege's work to sexuality, gender identity, homoerotica, and etc. It revolved around [a577746] — Yamanouchi's muse and artistic partner, a much older exhibitionist and sex performer [a5328150] who he met at some random S&M club in Shinjuku.

By that point, JY already released '85 [i][r=1188525][/i] C-30 cassette via [a58248]'s mailorder [l16450], and had been rehearsing with drummer [a562362] and guitarist [a562363]. Now he started performing with Gero 30 at various sex/fetish clubs, and the Gerogerigegege's early 'concerts' were some of the most disturbing acts in the history of Japanese extreme music (alongside infamous [a=Hanatarash] demolitions). Built on [a=GG Allin]'s raw punk aesthetics, they featured little music: Gero 30 would masturbate on stage, moaning and groaning in the microphone, rolling in his own bodily fluids and feces. Three complete '87–91 [i]senzuri[/i] shows with crowd reactions can be found on [i][r=321948][/i] CD.

The Gerogerigegege published first non-DIY records in the next few years: surprisingly melodic songs on '88 [i][r=934147][/i] 7", and two LPs on a newly established [l30413] label: '87 [i][r=593284][/i], full of electroacoustic noises, and [i][m=23382][/i] — pornographic musique concreté preceded by Japan's anthem (released soon after Emperor Hirohito passed away in Jan '89). It wasn't until the '91 [i][r=750542][/i] CD that Gerogerigegege really started gaining admiration and cult following. Each of 75 tracks on this 35-min live session opens with a track title and '1-2-3-4' in broken English. Juntaro embraced this rock-n-roll shout from listening to live Ramones albums obsessively, and eventually coined the term [i]1-2-3-4 noisecore[/i] to describe Gerogerigegege's music. Further notable releases in this style include [i][m=23370][/i] 7" on [l=A.I.P.R.] and [i][m=23392][/i] 7'' on [l33563] in 1993 (with [a650783] on bass/electronics), and the true pinnacle of the 'genre' — '94 [i][r=750528][/i] — speedy noise/thrashcore with [a223249] on drums and [a=NP] on guitar & bass.

The year 1994 marked a shift towards more serious musical forms, showcasing Juntaro's ambitions as a composer: a quiet ambient [i][r=593229][/i] CD on [l12074] and [i][r=410148][/i] — collage of easy-listening with lowercase synth electronics, and [a=Takeshi Ohmura]'s sax. Two similar albums followed in 1999: [i][r=834441][/i] (a dynamic, refined, melodically rich ambient soundscape, perhaps the most sonically pleasing work under the Gerogerigegege's name), and [i][r=191398][/i] on [l12181], credited as 'final tribute' in the liner notes. (The last official release came two years later, though: [i][r=834449][/i] CD EP recorded in Apr 2001.)