LES RALLIZES DENUDES Vinyl & CDs

Review: Kyoto's Jittoku venue, a converted traditional storehouse which opened in 1973, hosted Les Rallizes Denudes on July 30, 1976 and now, with dust blown off and magnetic reels found miraculously preserved, the performance was only recently uncovered on cassette. Now we know: the band's 76 lineup paired founding members Takashi Mizutani and Takashi Nakamura with Hiroshi Nar (ex-Zunou Keisatsu) and drummer Sami, bringing sureshot hometown grit yet a fresh, unleavened energy. Carbon dating (we joke) indicates it was recorded on a Marantz deck, though the tape ends abruptly during 'The Last One'; producer Makoto Kubota still managed make it feel vital, a toothy, sudden anagnorisis. Beforehand, the setlist also has debut live dos of 'Dream Again Today,' 'Carnival,' and 'Saw the Night in Your Eyes,' plus a faster, fiercer take on 'Wilderness Of False Flowers.'

Review: Kyoto punks Les Rallizes Denudes denude us of our pretensions with this live recording, taped on July 30 during a brief stopover on route to the Sunset Carnival in Ishikawa. The psych-noise band's lineup at the time included founding members Takashi Mizutani and Takashi Nakamura, joined by Hiroshi Nar (ex-Zunou Keisatsu) on bass and Sami (aka Toshiro Mimaki) on drums. Captured on a Marantz cassette deck with internal mics, this is a raw recording of a power-psych show of force, and despite deleting album cut 'The Last One', it's been as sensitively restored as possible by Makoto Kubota. Jittoku 76 offers a notably different set from '77 Live, containing early versions of 'Dream Again Today' and 'Carnival', not to mention a bruising rework of 'Hibiscus Flower', dragging the track into heavier in-the-moment territory.

Review: Les Rallizes Denudes' live recording from Yaneura, September 1980, brings their raw, avant-garde sound into sharp focus. The CD format captures every detail of the distorted guitars, hypnotic basslines, and feedback-soaked atmospheres that defined their performances. Tracks such as 'Enter the Mirror' stretch into lengthy, chaotic soundscapes, blending haunting vocals with relentless, repetitive rhythms. The balance of noise and melody is uncompromising, creating a listening experience that feels as challenging as it is immersive. A rare opportunity to delve into the intensity of the band's live presence.

Review: Les Rallizes Denudes' Yaneura Oct 80 is an almost ritualistic performance that blends dark, nocturnal atmospheres with raw, passionate energy. The addition of guitarist Fujio Yamaguchi brought a bluesy edge, creating a dense, dissonant soundscape that feels both lethargic and hypnotic. This release marks a significant moment in the band's history, showcasing a unique lineup that left a lasting impact on fans. The tight rhythm section provides a solid foundation for the intense interplay between Mizutani and Fujio, resulting in a surreal and ethereal sonic experience. Makoto Kubota's meticulous mixing and mastering ensure that this performance is preserved in its raw, psychedelic glory, making the world of Les Rallizes Denudes an intriguing piece of Japanese music history.

Review: Temporal Drift drop the never-before-heard master tapes from Japanese cult legends Les Rallizes Denudes' legendary second comeback gig in 1993, after an unexpected slew of CD albums dropped in 1991. The band hadn't performed since the 80s, and came back for blood. Eyewitness accounts of the gig said that the abrasive squall of Takashi Mizutani and Katsuhiko Ishii's guitars that night had concertgoers pacing for the lobby to seek respite from the sonic furnace. After 30 years in storage, the multi-tracked recordings from the performance fell into the hands of former band member Makoto Kubota, who lovingly remastered them to give listeners a sense of the transcendental roar which The Rallizes unleashed that night. Highlights include the braindead rockabilly shuffle of 'Eternally now', and the steady, diesel-powered chug of 'Darkness Returns 2', which, like all other tracks on the album, is eventually pierced by the screeching peal of Mizutani's telecaster, which eats the whole mix up in true Rallizes style. A much mythologised live performance by a much mythologised band. Essential!

Review: Rare 1975 live and studio recordings by the Japanese psychedelic noise legends Les Rallizes Denudes. Five tracks' worth of sonic sacred geometry are spread across two reissued sides; lo-fi garage crunchouts, noise truncations and cathartic let-looses come in the form of 'Field Of Artificial Flowers' and 'Deeper Than The Night' on the A, while the B-side delivers two deeper, more whacked-out, increasingly insane outsider hells, 'Memory Is Distant' and 'Field Of Artificial Flowers' (a name used twice, in true Denudes fashion).

Review: Formed in 1967 at Kyoto's Doshisha University, Les Rallizes Denudes were pioneering in the same way as The Velvet Underground, but their music remained a cult concern through a lack of official releases and a spread of bootlegged recordings. Fronted by enigmatic singer Takashi Mizutani, they presented an untamed noise-rock approach before the genre existed, fusing furious blasts of intensity, psychedelia and free jazz with melodic, folk informed passages. On this reissue, we're taken back to their time playing at shortlived but seminal rock club OZ, which captures this incendiary, little known group as their musical might was growing.