K.K. Null - Biography
Tokyo-born guitarist, composer KK Null (born Kazukuki Kishino) is one of the undisputed heavyweights of Japanese noise. His vast discography easily exceeds one hundred releases, which puts him in some strange, outer ring of cosmic productivity that rivals that of the other Japanese demigod of deafening, gammy-ray bursts, Merzbow. Null also came along at just the right time. He gained international prominence and notoriety as the no-holds-barred (Null is a huge wrestling fan, f.y.i.) rock band, Zeni Geva. Zeni Geva was a ferocious blast of sound that was harder than hardcore, and in the mid 1980s, hardcore was already in precipitous and permanent decline, thanks to aesthetic inbreeding (“You gotta real purty mouth — 1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4…!”) and a general aversion to the sort of creativity that KK Null exuded. Zeni Geva was part post-punk, cybernetic apocalypse, part 22nd century heavy metal, and part guts-strewn, aural abattoir, with a few outsized, frantic dollops of weird Manga surrealism. The hardcore kids in the mosh pit were content to soak in homogeneous mediocrity, but Steve Albini and Jello Biafra picked up on it. After the riotous carnage of the former’s Big Black, being a fan of experimental rock was like being pinned down by enemy fire on Omaha Beach: the only direction to go was forward, and Zeni Geva showed the way. After ZG, Null would have license to go wherever he pleased, and he did just that, stomping through metal, electronics, white noise, free improvisation progressive rock, and whatever else caught his severe, unblinking gaze.
With a hundred albums floating through the time-space continuum, it’s a testimony to Null’s skill and versatility that a random sampling of a dozen slabs of vinyl or puny aluminum-coated discs can offer such deep and intriguing rewards. The aforementioned Zeni Geva is a decent place to start. Null shared duties with Mitsuru Tabata (subsequently of Acid Mothers Temple) and a revolving door of reasonably anonymous contributors. Many of the initial titles were released on Null’s own label, including: Vast Impotentz (1986 Nux Organization); How to Kill (1987 Nux Organization); Skullfuck Live (1987 Nux Organization); Live on Suicide (1989 Nux Organization); Maximum Love + Fuck (1989 Nux Organization); USA Live ’91 (1991 Nux Organization); Live in America (1993 Nux Organization); and Trans Europe Experience (1995 Nux Organization). The releases from Jello’s label include Desire for Agony (1993 Alternative Tentacles) and Freedom Bondage (1995 Alternative Tentacles). Of course, only the most clinically insane will be able to find all of these, but any several selections will provide a harrowing and perversely pleasurable ride.
Actually, KK Null’s vibrancy is such that even sophisticates who sniff at his rock belligerence may swoon at other offerings from his surprising dexterous and nuanced catalog. He’s teamed with a bewildering array of prominent artists, including Jim O’Rourke, Earth, Z’ev, John Zorn, Steve Albini, Henry Kaiser, Jon Rose, Fred Frith and more. His recent collaboration with fellow Japanese guitar hero and Fushitsusha founder Keiji Haino is indicative: Mamono (2009 Blossoming Noise) is an elegant intersection where beauty and violence collide and splinter, yielding exquisite shards of detail. Null is similarly intuitive with the experimental percussionist Z’ev (known best for his work with minimalista Glenn Branca). KK Null / Chris Watson / Z’ev Number One (2010 Touch) is a remarkable effort that demonstrates how far Null has traveled as a composer in the last several decades. His current interest is electronics, and within the breathing spaces of Number One, the provocative stances and postures of Butoh theatrics fuse with electro-acoustic detail and African influenced beats. It opens up vast vistas and breathtaking soundscapes, and suggests that the violence inherent in Null’s early work was, in its own way, just determined sonic optimism.
