Boo Jian Wen Jeremy
Miles Davis and George Gershwin, 2 late and great jazz icons could be railing in their graves at the thought of their precious genre being associated with the gutter speak of hip hop in even the naming of Japanese band SOIL & “PIMP” SESSIONS.
Then again, you could say that hip hop is derivative of jazz, and anything that gets a young crowd so hyped up must be a good thing.
What’s certain is your mind doesn’t get a chance to ponder this as their music assails you from the speakers on your way to the Heineken Music Club, part of the Mosaic Music Festival. As you go past the door, you feel the intensity of the bass agitating your insides through the ground.
It’s probably why they call frontman Shacho, the “agitator”. As you edge closer tentatively, wondering if this is really jazz, he yells, “WE CALL THIS DEATH JAZZ!” into the microphone, answering your unvoiced question.
Before a group of moshing fans, the 6 grown men of SOIL & “PIMP” SESSIONS are unleashing crazy energy waves in wild abandon, jumping and lurching their hips to the music.
Yes, aside from coining the term “death jazz”, SOIL & “PIMP” SESSIONS has another unique element in their music – the agitator. Shacho’s role is to control, manipulate and drive his audience crazy. It’s also probably the most important role, because it’s an element that summarises the cause of the band’s existence – to eradicate recorded music put out by DJs by putting life and “live” performances back into the music scene, creating this frenzy in the crowd that can’t be replicated in a studio recording.
Like many Japanese entertainers, SOIL & “PIMP” SESSIONS seem to do this effortlessly. In fact, Sancho doesn’t do much. Dressed in his signature ensemble of a white shirt and black suit jacket, he does very little on stage. He makes the odd gesture, screams sporadically into the microphone, mouths a lot of words and prances around.
Yet, it’s this simplicity that makes his actions so remarkable. With a flick of his hand, the crowd explodes into a fresh round of enthusiastic cheers; a unifying surge of hysteria envelops the audience when he screeches into the microphone with a loudhailer. Even the shyest of people were caught self-consciously shuffling their feet and almost swinging their arms in the air.
Perhaps it’s because it’s not just the work of Sancho, but the atmosphere the band creates with their combined and coordinated efforts of delirium. Instruments are smashed and abused; members were seen helping Midorin, the drummer, by pounding the drums and cymbals to the beat, with their bare hands, while double bass player Atika Goldman wowed the crowd by striking the strings of his instrument with a drumstick.
Brandishing his saxophone, Motoharu dashed onto a stack of amp speakers, sending everyone into corybantic fits of madness, with Josei sustaining it with his frantic session with his keyboard. On the other hand, Tabu Zombie conquers some of the spotlight by brutally rocking his body, and blasting violently with his trumpet, his face sweaty and grimacing.
Audience participation seems to be an integral part of their performance, once again emphasising the “live” element. In their final song, audiences were urged to shout “Soil!” in unison to the chorus. Unhappy with the initial hesitant shouts, Sancho brought the audience into an impromptu rehearsal of sorts.
However, you may not want to mistake SOIL & “PIMP” SESSIONS presentations for mere talentless showmanship. The improvisation and solo performances of Midorin and Josei revealed the sweet fruits of their painful practices.
“Just showmanship? That’s rubbish! Tell anyone who said that to watch Tabu play his trumpet!” Andrea, a member of the audience, exclaims indignantly. Earlier, she was seen dancing and moshing, despite wearing 4-inch heels.
“I can identify with their music, especially when their music really reflects the more aggressive side of me,” she explains.
It’s 10 pm and SOIL AND “PIMP” SESSIONS is revving the crowd up with energy shots. The Heineken Music Club in Esplanade is expansive, with little furniture and copious amounts of beer.
Perfect, you note as you enter the room, feeling the music rush through your blood.
Photo Courtesy of The Esplanade Co. Ltd
Related Mosaic Music Festival articles:
Mosaic Music Festival: The Preview