In 1994, British music writer Simon Reynolds was believed to have coined the term ‘post-rock’ in an issue of Mojo Magazine. According to Reynolds, the term described music “using rock instrumentation for non-rock purposes, using guitars as facilitators of timbre and textures rather than riffs and power chords.”
Twenty-three years later, the label seems to have fallen out of favor, especially among post-rock bands. Some say it has been used to cover such a wide range of styles that it has just simply lost its meaning. Others say the term carries a level of pretension, somewhat.
“I don’t think it’s necessary to limit yourself to a genre, but if I had to categorize, ‘instrumental, alternative and experimental’ would be it,” says Takaakira ‘Taka’ Goto when asked what he would rather call his music. The Tokyo-based guitarist and composer is one of the founding members of MONO, who released their ninth album in 2016. Formed in 1999, their plethora of studio releases and non-stop touring made MONO a household name in the post-rock circuit, whether they like the label or not.
Taka Goto/Behind the Shadow Drops (photo by Mitja Kobal)
Without the band behind him, Goto might actually escape the genre name-calling. His new solo venture, Behind the Shadow Drops, tinkers with ambient, trip-hop, industrial minimalism and modern classical. “I write music pretty much every day, but there are songs that are formed completely differently [from my work with] MONO – songs that are not the band’s sound,” he says. “There is some unreleased electronic music in my back catalogue of compositions. Behind the Shadow Drops was born from them.”
The previously unreleased music from Goto’s moments of solitary creativity finally saw the light of day in 2017. H a r m o n i c (album art pictured at top), mixed by legendary producer John McEntire (Tortoise, Yo La Tengo) features drum machines, noise loops and strings – worlds away from MONO’s wall of guitar and pounding drumkit. Will the guitar player trade in his six-string for a laptop and some knobs?
“Creating music that moves people, or music that takes them to a place where they have never thought of before has got nothing to do with the type of tools or instruments you use. The music that incorporates a lot of computer or electronic instruments can be some sort of ugly sample music that you have heard of before. I often feel bored by it,” he says. “With MONO, I try not to mimic what someone else has done, and I always try to create something new and original. I think that’s the most important thing.”
'Positive Shadow, Negative Light' from H a r m o n i c
This pursuit of originality explains Taka’s rejection of the ever-encompassing post-rock label. Xie Yugang of China’s biggest post-rock band Wang Wen, who will be joining Goto on his Behind the Shadow Drops China tour this month, would probably share his sentiment. Though in a place where rock music isn’t as widespread as say, Japan, musicians would rather be included than excluded.
Hailing from Dalian in China’s northeast, Xie recalls his hometown’s golden age of music. All three years of it.
“In the past couple of years, there’s a feeling that many young people left the city for the south because of the economic recession of China’s northeast,” says Xie. “In my opinion, the most active period of Dalian music scene was 2005-08; there were so many great bands in distinctive styles, but later on most bands disappeared. The few musicians that stayed in the city were quite talented, with a focus on the music itself. But there is a lack of planning in things like writing albums or shows.”
Xie Yugang
Ironically, remaining in Dalian was what gave birth to Xie’s first big musical endeavor outside of Wang Wen. His own solo album, titled Echo Library, is a collection of 11 songs written in the winter of 2016 at a music library of the same name run by his wife in Dalian. The ambient soundscapes on the record reflect a scenery of a deserted winter countryside, not unlike the style of sound icon Brian Eno.
“In the early days, I had a tape of Brian Eno, and I always put it in my Walkman and fell asleep with the music,” says Xie. “Of course, I didn’t know anything about atmospheric music at that time. I just thought it was hypnotic. Later, when I learned more about atmosphere and minimalist music, they didn’t help me sleep anymore.”
How about post-rock music?
“Style tags are designed to facilitate music classification and finding music,” he says. “But you will find that most great post-rock bands do not sound at all the same, except for the fact that they rarely have lyrics.”
Post-rock it is. Because ‘instrumental alternative experimental rock’ just doesn’t have quite the same ring to it.
Beijing: Oct 27, 9pm, RMB120 presale, RMB150 door. Yugong Yishan, see event listing.
Shanghai: Oct 28, 9pm, RMB120 presale, RMB150 door. Future House at Bandai Namco Shanghai Base, see event listing.
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