Artists

mono

Biography

In describing mono, Tzadik Records sums up the band's neo-psychedelic sound quite nicely:

mono is a young instrumental band from Tokyo combining elements of minimalism, psychedelia and trance rock to create a distinctive and powerful new sound via John Fahey, Sonic Youth and the Grateful Dead.

Austere and intense � their music is simple, beautiful and incredibly direct. Sheets of sound, lyricism, wailing guitars and pounding rhythms evolve slowly, morphing into a ritual of noise and ecstasy.

mono formed in February 2000, and in the years since, the band has toured internationally, traveling across the U.S. and playing such festivals as SXSW in Austin, Texas, Popkomm in Frankfurt, German and Fomoz Fest in Taiwan.

The quartet released its 2000 debut, Hey You EP, on its own label, Forty-Four Records. In 2001, John Zorn's Tzadik label released the band's first full-length album, Under the Pipal Tree. 2002 saw the release of One Step More And You Die on Universal-distributed Musicmine Records, while Arena Rock Recordings plans to release the album worldwide in April 2003.

Takaakira also performs as a solo artist under the moniker Left and with guitarist Midoriyama as DSCO. Members of the band also appear on Suneo Hair's Suneo Style.

Members

Takaakira Goto: guitar
Tamaki: bass
Yasunori Takada: drums
Yoda: guitar