Japanese Prog!

1. Tenjosajiki / Shintokumaru (including all the tracks of the album)
2. Heretic / Do Heretick
3. Shingetsu / Oni
4. Killing Time / Skip
5. Kirche /Schwartz Nacht

Here is my top 5

Muuuu  It's difficult. If I could do, I want to choose 50  or 100 . I can't write Cosmos Factory, Kalo, Fairy, Wha-ha-ha, Asturias .....

An interview with Shingo "Numero" UENO of Made in Japan Records by Raimo Eurasto, COLOSSUS-Magazine #16.

1) Would you please tell our readers something about yourself. Who are you and how did you get interested in progressive rock? Can you also tell us something about Made in Japan Records. How and when did it get started?

I'm "Numero Ueno", producer, illustrator and cover art creator of Ars Nova, Made in Japan Records and King Records. I'm also a monster creator for movies. I have produced over 100 albums of Japanese progressive rock between 1980 and 2001. So, in my teenage I studied Italian opera and oil-painting and surrealism. At my high school I met Yonin-Bayashi and I started to play keyboards as a professional and to arrange music like fusion and pop-music and I was influenced by Chick Corea and Tom Costa. When I was 20 I saw Banco del Mutuo Soccorso in Rome when I went for the first time to Italy. I liked the band more than British prog bands and I felt the music to fit well with my art feeling. When I went back to Japan I stopped playing music and started to look for excellent Japanese prog bands to produce. And I met Outer Limits as young musician in 1979. These were the most important things and a turning point for my musical life: seeing Banco and meeting with Outer Limits. I changed from keyboardist to producer and my music changed from Latin rhythms to progressive rock. I was managing Outer Limits, Kanzeon and Acqua Polis and I tried to contact major record companies but none of these were interested in progressive rock. That's why I established Made in Japan Records as independent label in 1980 for these bands.

2) Nowadays almost everybody has their own definition of progressive rock. What does progressive rock mean to you? What kind of progressive rock and music do you specially like? Can you give some examples of your favorites? Is there something that you don't like at all? How do you like the new "progressive" bands compared to the classics of the 70's?

I love many kinds of music. For example Chick Corea, Santana, Sonny Rollins, Allman Brothers Band, Ultravox, Tears for Fears, Lotus Eaters, Aster Piazzola, Schubert, Tchaikovsky, Banco, Yes etc. Not only progressive rock. Of course, I like 70's prog. It has fresh feelings and many experimental ideas. But not all music that I like is progressive rock. Nowadays many bands people call "progressive" are only copies from the 70's style and they have stopped progressing in their music. I'm also very interested in art, fantasy and European movies (David Cronenberg, Tim Burton, Peter Greenway, Jan Svankmajer, Terry Gilliam, etc.), surrealism-painting (Dali, Hundert Wasser, Remedios Varo, etc.), traditional art (Africa, Egypt, etc.). I'm interested in too many things! Progressive rock is only one form of art to me. Why do I like progressive rock? It's not simple music, it's mix-culture: classic, jazz, rock, pop, new wave, avant-garde and traditional music. You can also include cover art and album concept. So, I think most important thing is originality in composing the music and album concept. I love two composers Shushei Tsukamoto (Outer Limits, Vienna) and Keiko Kumagai (Ars Nova) on my label. They are great composers and original. I feel their music is "real" progressive rock like it used to be in the 70's.

3) Not so many people know much about Japanese progressive rock in the 70's and also later in the 80's and 90's. Could you tell our readers something about the progressive rock scene in Japan in the 70's and 80's ? How is the progressive scene in Japan nowadays? Are there many original progressive rock bands in Japan today? How about live concerts, are there many prog concerts and is there many people interested in this kind of music?

Japanese progressive rock generations are classified in 5 steps. First step was 1969-1975 and that was the dawn of Japanese progressive rock. Hiro Yanagida, Flied Egg, Yonin-Bayashi, Cosmos Factory, Far East Family Band etc. were the first (in Tokyo area) to start progressive rock in Japan and they were influenced by Pink Floyd, Uriah Heep, Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple. They didn't have so much progressive rock spirit and soon they changed to play other kind of music. Second step was 1976-1980 and that was newborn real progressive rock. It was great and visionary golden age, I think. I felt regret that many of the bands could not record any album. Specially, in Tokyo area Bikyoran, Shingetsu, Mandrake, Mahoujin, Green, Quaser, Surre More, Moon Child etc. were influenced by King Crimson, ELP, UK, Genesis and PFM. It's real progressive rock sounds unlike before this. But all of them could not get a deal with major labels. So third step was my generation. I started my label "Made in Japan Records" in 1980. In 1977-80 Japanese progressive rock scene was underground. But many great bands (Mandrake, Shingetsu, Bikyoran, Mahoujin, Green, Kenso, Outer Limits, Surre More, Green etc.) formed by influence of European rock. I released the first Made in Japan record (joint album with Outer Limits and Kanzeon) in 1981 for 300 copies only. But it couldn't sell more than 100 copies because Japanese progressive fans are interested in European bands only. Japanese fans yearn for European rock too much. And after some time many bands had to split up or change their music because the audience was so small. I stopped the label and management and I worked in record shops for reformation of progressive fans' prejudice to Japanese bands between 1981-85. In 1984 many new bands (Pageant, Mugen, Starless, Gerard, Teru's Symphonia etc.) from Kansai area (Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe) formed and grew up by influence from commercial success of Novela and Outer Limits reformed, too. Tokyo scene and Kansai scene are very different in music, culture, language and conditions. The bands in Tokyo scene were influenced by European rock and fusion. Mostly they sang in English and played long instrumental parts. For example, Bikyoran, Outer Limits, Mandrake, Green, Kenso and Ars Nova were influenced by King Crimson, UK, ELP or fusion. They released their debut albums by themselves on independent labels because major labels were not interested in them. Their sound was too much instrumental and maniac. They played in a small live venue called Silver Elephant only. The place was a progressive rock speciality. They grew up underground. But the bands from Kansai scene were influenced by Novela, hard rock, Queen and Genesis. Mostly they sang in Japanese and they tried to be rock stars influenced by the success of Novela. King Records released their recordings. Mr. Nakafuji (Monolith label) and I arranged the first progressive rock festival "Progressive's battle live" as Kansai vs Tokyo in May 1985. Line-up was: Kansai/ Pageant, Mugen, Bellaphon and Tokyo/Outer Limits, Negasphere, Ataraxia. I changed my occupation from small shop to big shop "Edison" for big funds and distribution and I released "Misty Moon" by Outer Limits in September 1985. And four big venues (Eggman: Tokyo, Vivire: Yokohama, Ell: Nagoya and Chandy Hall: Osaka) arranged the biggest festival "Progressive circuit" lasting two weeks. It was joined by over 30 bands and supported by King Records, Edison and other big shops. These two big festivals are the most important things for the Japanese prog scene and the scene grew up and many bands released their debut album between 1985-87 and that was the golden age. So, it was a good timing for sale to release "Misty Moon". The album was at the top of the independent charts and sold over 5000 copies. In 1986 I released debut album of Osaka's Pageant "La mosaique de la Reverie" and it sold the same as "Misty Moon". These two albums sold more than the releases of King Records and my label's position on Japanese progressive rock scene was at the top. The fourth step was 1987-88 and it was a turning point. Because many young bands (Deja-Vu, Social Tension, Vermilion Sands, Ataraxia, August, Providence etc.) grew up influenced by European rock but many leading bands (Gerard, Sofia, Starless, Pale Acute Moon, Negasphere etc.) split up or many principal members left the band. I planned to form new leading bands from the members of these bands and so Vienna was formed by my commission. Vienna's debut album was released by King Records in1988 with big expectations and big promotion. The album was a good sale for a Japanese prog release (about 8000 copies). But they could not keep the formation. R. Nishida left the band and they split up in 1989. Why did all leading bands split up until 1989? They became famous and they could have their records released on major labels. But they could not get much money for living. All of them worked on other jobs and they started to get old as musicians. They had to get money to marry and have families. So they stopped playing progressive rock except of a few musicians who really loved prog. And young bands could not work without the leading bands. Still more, King Records stopped releasing progressive rock and Edison became bankrupted because of their investments in 1991. Fifth step: Japanese progressive rock scene was becoming very small soon. And I had to restart Made in Japan Records by myself and I was looking for new bands. I met Ars Nova in 1991. All other prog bands were influenced much by old Japanese bands as Novela, Gerard, Pageant etc. and they lost their real prog spirit except Ars Nova. Some time old big bands reformed (Novela, Scheherazade, Vienna, Outer Limits etc:) but they did not have the power and spirit they used to have before. So, Ars Nova's album sales were successful (about 3000 - 4000 copies). But other bands could not do this. Nowadays many progressive rock shops can make good sales of progressive rock CDs at least in Tokyo. Of course I get good sales of Ars Nova CDs also. But all progressive rock fans become old now and they buy only CDs, they don't come to live gigs. So, Ars Nova and I are trying to book gigs in USA and Europe for new audience.

4) How do you see the future of the progressive scene? Will the new bands only be taking influences of the big names of the 70's or is there going to be some new and original stuff released also?

-I think all bands in Japan or internationally sound too much influenced by the big names of the 70's. I think that they must change or "progress" the sound, style and fashion in the future. Progressive rock should have an exciting spirit like before. Ars Nova and I will want to grow up the sound and mix other music with it and show up on live performances forever!

Is there anything else of importance or interesting information that you would like to tell to our readers?

I have some information of new plans. I will produce Akira Ifukube's tribute album. He is a composer of famous Japanese monster films' music (Godzilla etc.) This album will be arranged by S. Tsukamoto and Keiko Kumagai and released by King Records next year. Ars Nova's next album after "Android Domina" will be released next year with many foreign guests musicians. The concept is monster Science and Fiction like "Alien".

We thank you for answering these questions and we welcome you and Ars Nova to Finland in the summer.

i love when people assume that you don't have an open mind, makes you feel good

Gerard Live Uden Holland 1998