Afrirampo
Biography
Hailing from the western Japanese city of Osaka, Afrirampo are often considered representative of their hometown's manic, freewheeling approach to rock music, following on from bands like Boredoms and Acid Mothers Temple. The two female members, known only as Oni and Pikachu, formed the group in 2002 and quickly made a name for themselves among fans of lo-fi experimental rock with their combination of free-form garage punk and nonsensical call-and-response vocal utterances, and have collaborated with such luminaries of Japanese underground and noise music as Keiji Haino and Yoko Ono. Their first recordings were self-released CD-Rs, but they were quickly picked up by local indie label Gyuune Cassette, who put out the mini-album Afrirampo in summer 2004. Despite disappearing into the Cameroonian jungle to live with Pygmy tribespeople for part of the year, they secured their lightning-speed rise to prominence with U.S. and European tours with Lightning Bolt and Sonic Youth, respectively.
The group released three new albums in 2005, starting with Urusa in Japan on Sony's Ki/oon imprint, featuring mostly re-recordings of previously released tracks that showcased Afrirampo's manic side, which those who had experienced the band's live performances would find familiar.
Selected Discography
Kore Ga Mayaku Da
2005
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