KK NULL

KAZUYUKI KISHINO

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KK NULL

(real name : KAZUYUKI KISHINO) was born in Tokyo, Japan. Composer, guitarist, singer, mastermind of ZENI GEVA and electronic wizard. One of the top names in Japanese noise music and in a larger context, one of the great cult artists in experimental music since the early 80's.

In 1981 KK NULL studied at Butoh dancer, Min Tanaka's "Mai-Juku" workshop and started his career by performing guitar improvisations in the clubs in Tokyo. He continued by collaborating with MERZBOW for two years, and joining the band YBO2 (with Masashi Kitamura, the chief editer of "Fool's Mate" magazine and Tatsuya Yoshida, the drummer of RUINS) and starting the improvised noise/rock trio ABSOLUT NULL PUNKT (with Seijiro Murayama, the original drummer of Keiji Haino's FUSHITSUSHA), and also GEVA2 (GEVA GEVA) with Tatsuya Yoshida (RUINS) and Eye Yamatsuka (BOREDOMS).

In 1985 he established his own label NUX ORGANIZATION to produce & release his own works and subsequently the bands such as MELT-BANANA and SPACE STREAKINGS. He also produced the series of "Dead Tech" (compilation albums by Japanese bands) which heralded Japanese alternative music boom internationally from the early 90's to date.

In the early 90's he gained world-wide recognition as the mastermind, guitarist and singer of the progressive hardcore trio ZENI GEVA with their extremely heavy sound, releasing five albums produced by STEVE ALBINI (two on Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles label) and a few more on other labels such as NEUROSIS's Neurot Recordings. Also ZENI GEVA recorded twice for JOHN PEEL SESSION on BBC, and immensely toured throughout Europe, USA, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, playing hundreds of concerts.

All the while, KK NULL has worked on his solo career and collaborated with other musical innovators such as Z'EV, CHRIS WATSON, KEIJI HAINO, SEIICHI YAMAMOTO, JON ROSE, MATMOS, FRED FRITH to name a few, and has been invited to perform at international festivals such as "Sonar" in Barcelona (Spain), "Radar" in Mexico City (Mexico), "International Sound Art Festival" in Mexico City (Mexico), "Sergey Kuryokhin International Festival (SKIF-6 & 8)" in St.Petersburg & Moscow (Russia), "Elevate" in Graz (Austria), "X-peripheria" in Budapest (Hungary), "Liquid Architecture" in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane (Australia), "Totally Huge New Music Festival" in Perth (Australia), "Avanto Helsinki Media Art Festival" in Helsinki (Finland), "All Tomorrow's Parties UK", "Roadburn" in Tilburg (Holland), "International Festival Musique Actuelle" in Victoriaville (Canada), "Electron" in Geneve (Switzerland), "Presences Électronique" in Paris (France) and more.

After playing the guitar as his main instrument for some twenty years, KK NULL has gradually moved towards a more electronic approach. In recent years he has concentrated his efforts on his solo & collaborative recordings, exploring the outer territories of electronica, creating intense clashing wave of noise, structured electro-acoustic ambience, broken down rhythmics, scattered pitch sculptures, droning isolationist material which could be described "cosmic noise maximal/minimalism".

Ongoing projects at present (2011) :

  • Audio/visual performance trio with Julien Ottavi (France) and Gisle Froysland (Norway)
  • Soundtrack for Japanese silent film "A page of madness [1926]"
  • Composing/performing @ Visiting Tarab project in Sharjah (UAE)
  • Dance theatre performance "Edging" with Guillaume Marie/TAZCORP (France)

Festivals :

  • "All Tomorrow's Parties" 2002 | UK
  • "Avanto Helsinki Media Art Festival" 2003 | Helsinki, FINLAND
  • "Batofar cherche... Tokyo" 2001 | Paris, FRANCE
  • "Beyond Innocence" 1998 | Kobe, JAPAN
  • "Beyond Innocence" 2007 | Osaka, JAPAN
  • "Beyond Music and Sound" 1999 | Los Angeles, USA
  • "Electrofringe" 2008 | Newcastle, AUSTRALIA
  • "Electron" 2008 | Geneve, SWITZERLAND
  • "Elevate" 2009 | Graz, AUSTRIA
  • "Exiles" 2000 | Berlin, GERMANY
  • "Fringe" 1998 | AUSTRALIA
  • "Hea Uus Heli" 2005 | Tallinn, ESTONIA
  • "Heliosphere festival" 2011 | Tallinn, ESTONIA
  • "Hyperstrings" 1996 | Vienna, AUSTRIA
  • "Interferenz 06" 2006 | Linz, AUSTRIA
  • "International Festival Musique Actuelle" 2006 | Victoriaville, CANADA
  • "International Sound Art Festival" 2001 | Mexico City, MEXICO
  • "Liquid Architecture" 2010 | Sydney/Melbourne/Brisbane, AUSTRALIA
  • "Livid" 1997 | Brisbane, AUSTRALIA
  • "Long-Arms Festival" 2005 | Moscow, RUSSIA
  • "Nødutgang" 2008 | Bodø, NORWAY
  • "Open Frame" 2008 | Brisbane, AUSTRALIA
  • "Presences Électronique" 2008 | Paris, FRANCE
  • "Presences Électronique" 2009 | Paris, FRANCE
  • "Radar Festival" 2010 | Mexico City, MEXICO
  • "Roadburn" 2009 | Tilburg, HOLLAND
  • "Sergey Kuryokhin International Festival (SKIF-06)" 2002 | St.Petersburg/Moscow, RUSSIA
  • "Sergey Kuryokhin International Festival (SKIF-08)" 2004 | St.Petersburg/Moscow, RUSSIA
  • "Sergey Kuryokhin International Festival (SKIF-13)" 2009 | St.Petersburg, RUSSIA
  • "Sonar" 2001 | Barcelona, SPAIN
  • "Sounds Unusual" 2006 | Darwin, AUSTRALIA
  • "Supersonic" 2010 | Birmingham, UK
  • "Tallinn Music Week" 2011 | Tallinn, ESTONIA
  • "The 70 years Fylkingen Jibbolii" 2003 | Stockholm, SWEDEN
  • "Totally Huge New Music Festival" 2003 | Perth, AUSTRALIA
  • "Transmission" 2011 | Ravenna, ITALY
  • "Voice++" 2006 | Victoria, CANADA
  • "What Is Music?" 1998 | AUSTRALIA
  • "X-peripheria" 2002 | Budapest, HUGARY

... and more.

2011

October ... KK NULL Europe tour as the audio/visual trio with JULIEN OTTAVI and GISLE FRØYSLAND (8 concerts) in France and Norway, and KK NULL solo concerts in Berlin and Brussels.

August ... Online digital release starts on NUX ORGANIZATION. Release 3 x new albums by KK NULL ("Cryptozoon 1, 2, 3") at the same time.

April ... KK NULL Japan (Chugoku & Kyushyu region) tour.

March ... KK NULL Europe tour as the duo with JULIEN OTTAVI/THE NOISER (9 concerts, including "Transmission" festival in Ravenna, Italy), and as KK NULL solo @ "Tallinn Music Week" in Estonia.

February ... KK NULL Europe tour as the trio TERMINAL HZ (19 concerts, including "Heliosphere festival" in Tallinn, Estonia).

January ... ZENI GEVA Japan (Chugoku & Kyushyu region) tour.

2010

October ... ZENI GEVA UK tour including "Supersonic" festival in Birmingham. KK NULL UK & Europe tour including "Supersonic" festival in Birmingham and plus 10 concerts.

September ... ZENI GEVA tours in Australia. Also KK NULL plays in Melbourne and Sydney.

June-July ... KK NULL is invited to perform @ the festival "Liquid Architecture" in Australia (Brisbane, Sydney, Castlemaine, Melbourne, Hobart)

April ... ZENI GEVA 4 week Europe tour and KK NULL concerts in Spain.

March ... KK NULL is invited to perform at the festival "Radar" in Mexico City/Mexico and plus solo concert in Vancouver/Canada.

February ... ZENI GEVA mini tour in West Japan.

2009

November ... KK NULL's "Extropy" CD launch party in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and Kobe.

October ... KK NULL 3 week Europe tour including "Elevate" festival in Graz/Austria and artist residence @ Extrapool in Nijmegen/Holland for recording with Z'EV.

September ... ZENI GEVA (including member's solo sets KK NULL, RUINS alone, TABATA) mini tour in West Japan.

April ... ZENI GEVA 3 week Europe tour including "SKIF" (St.Petersburg/ Russia), "Roadburn/Beyond the Pale" (Tilburg/Holland) festivals.

March ... KK NULL is invited to perform at the festival "Presences Électronique (INA/GRM)" in Paris/France and plus solo concerts in Geneve, Lyon and Marseille.

2008

October ... NULL is invited to perform at "Open Frame" festival in Brisbane and at "Electrofringe" festival in Newcastle and plus one solo concert in Melbourne, Australia.

June ... NULL is invited to perform at "Nødutgang" festival in Bodo, Norway.

March ... NULL is invited to perform at "Electron" festival in Geneve, Switzerland and at festival "Presences Électronique" at Maison de Radio France, Salle Olivier Messiaen (INA/GRM) in Paris, France as the [Number One] trio with CHRIS WATSON & Z'EV.

2007

July ... NULL is invited to perform at "Festival Beyond Innocence (FBI)" in Osaka.

2006

October ... NULL tours in Europe playing 8 concerts in Dresden, Berlin, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Groningen, Rotterdam, Brussels. also invited to do a performance & talk at CCMCM (Centre for Computational Musicology and Computer Music), University of Limerick and at Art Centres in Dublin, Ireland.

June ...NULL is invited to perform at Festival "Sounds Unusual" in Darwin, Australia.

May ... NULL-PLIAKAS-WERTMUELLER TRIO is invited to perform at "Voice++" festival in Victoria BC, and at "International Festival Musique Actuelle" in Victoriaville, Canada, also play 2 concerts in Vancouver.

April ... Tours with Z'EV in UK playing 8 concerts and also in Budapest, Hungary & Paris, France.

March ... Tours in Australia, playing 7 concerts in Brisbane, Sydney, Wollongong, Wagga Wagga and Melbourne.

February ... NULL is invited to perform at "Interferenz 06" in Linz, Austria, and play duo with KAZUHISA UCHIHASHI in Vienna.

2005

September-October ... NULL teams up with MARINO PLIAKAS (e-bass / STEAMBOAT SWITZERLAND, PETER BROTZMANN TRIO, etc) and MICHAEL WERTMUELLER (drums / PETER BROTZMANN TRIO, WILLIAM PARKER TRIO, ALBOTH!, etc) and does several concerts (inc. "Long-Arms Festival") in Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg and Yaroslavl). And also NULL performs with ALEXEI BORISOV as XENOGLOSSIA in Moscow and Yaroslavl and solo performance at the festival "Hea Uus Heli" in Tallinn, Estonia.

2004

April ... The reunited ANP (KK NULL & SEIJIRO MURAYAMA) are invited to perform at "Sergey Kuryokhin International Festival (SKIF-8)" in St.Petersburg & Moscow, Russia and also play a few concerts in Europe (Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Norway, Finland). XENOGLOSSIA (KK NULL & ALEXEI BRISOV) makes their live debut in Moscow.

2003

March-April ... NULL is invited to attend "The 6th Totally Huge New Music Festival" in Perth doing concerts, DJ and workshops and also does several concerts in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. In November NULL is invited to perform at "The 4th Avanto Helsinki Media Art Festival" in Helsinki, Finland, and "The 70 years Fylkingen Jibbolii" in Stockholm, Sweden. also play a few concerts in Holland, Belgium, Austria, Swizterland and France.

2002

April ... ZENI GEVA is invited to play at the "All Tomorrow's Parties U.K." and also play a few shows in Switzerland, France and Belgium. in May NULL is invited to play at the "Sergey Kuryokhin International Festival (SKIF-6)" in St.Petersburg & Moscow, Russia and the "X-Peripheria" festival in Budapest, Hungary. And also plays a few shows in Austria, Croatia, Bosnia/Herzegovina and Slovenia.

2001

NULL tours in Japan with PHILIP SAMARTZIS and starts a unit with MASONNA called ULTIMATE SPACE MACHINE NULLSONIC. Also starts trance drum'n noise unit MONSTER DVD with MITSURU TABATA (ZENI GEVA) & YASUTOSHI YOSHIDA (GOVERNMENT ALPHA). NULL is invited to perform at "Sonar" festival in Barcelona, Spain in June and at "International Sound Art Festival" in Mexico City, Mexico in July. MONSTER DVD is invited to play at the festival "Batofar cherche... Tokyo" in Paris in November, and also plays 15 shows in Austria, Germany, Holland, Belgium, France and Switzerland. NULL does solo sets as well.

2000

NULL contributes music for "Grinding the Wind", an exhibition of kinetic sculpture at Rider University (USA), curated by JAMES DICKINSON. NULL starts several collaborative recordings with such as JON ROSE, PHILIP SAMARTZIS. ZENI GEVA supports the first Japan Tour of NEUROSIS and NULL organizes the first Japan Tour of EMIL BEAULIEAU (Ron Lessard) and ZIPPER SPY from RRRecords, USA. ZENI GEVA records its new album "10,000 Light Years" in Chicago by Steve Albini, and does a live radio session at KFJC and live show with NEUROSIS at the Great American Hall in SF. NULL tours in Europe with JON ROSE, playing 8 shows (inc. "The Exiles" festival in Berlin, playing with such as KEITH ROWE, TONY BUCK, KATO HIDEKI, ANNE LA BERGE, ROBYN SCHULKOWSKY) in Germany, Holland, Belgium & France.

1999

NULL is invited to play at "Beyond Music and Sound" festival in Los Angeles and opening for the artspace DEADTECH in Chicago, and tours in USA playing 20 shows, with support by DAMIAN CATERA (CONDEMEK). NULL & SEIICHI YAMAMOTO form guitar/techno unit ONTOKO and releases the 1st CD from Ummo Records (Japan).

1998

ZENI GEVA records KRAFTWERK's "Sex Object" for a tribute album to KRAFTWERK "Muisque Non Stop" on Toshiba EMI (Japan). NULL starts several collaborations with such as ZBIGNIEW KARKOWSKI, SEIICHI YAMAMOTO (BOREDOMS), DAVID BROWN and KEIJI HAINO. Also, NULL starts to play drums in his new band GUGAN with MITSURU TABATA. NULL tours in Australia playing 15 shows (inc. "What Is Music?" & "Fringe" festivals) and collaborates with ANDREW GARTON, MATTHEW THOMAS, GREG KINGSTON. Also, NULL supports SONIC YOUTH in Melbourne & Adelaide. NULL is invited to play at "Beyond Innocence" festival in Kobe.

1997

NULL tours in Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, Tasmania) and records with TERMINAL HZ at RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology). ZENI GEVA does the 2nd Australia tour and plays at "Livid" festival in Brisbane. NULL supports MIKE PATTON (ex-FAITH NO MORE) at his Melbourne show. In Tokyo NULL plays as a part of noise orchestra MELTDOWN OF CONTROL organized by ZBIGNIEW KARKOWSKI (SENSORBAND).

1996

ZENI GEVA tours in USA with BLAKE FLEMING (drummer from ex-DAZZLING KILLMEN), and also does radio session at WFMU & KFJC. NULL is invited to play at the festival "Hyperstrings" in Vienna, Austria. NULL starts experimental jazz/rock band TERMINAL HZ with DAVID BROWN & SEAN BAXTER in Melbourne, Australia. ZENI GEVA tours in USA again with new drummer MASATAKA FUJIKAKE and in Europe, playing in many countries for the first time including Norway, Poland, Czech, Slovenia, Croatia and Portugal.

1995

ZENI GEVA records "Freedom Bondage" in France before touring in France & Italy,and plays with SHELLAC in Chicago. ZENI GEVA tours in Australia and New Zealand for the first time. NULL plays also solo in Melbourne & Sydney. ZENI GEVA does the 2nd Europe tour of two months and plays at JOHN PEEL SESSION again.

1994

NULL records YONA-KIT with JIM O'ROURKE, DARIN GRAY (ex-DAZZLING KILLMEN) & THYMME JONES (CHEER ACCIDENT) in Chicago with ALBINI and at the same time NULL produces MELT-BANANA's debut album "Speak Squeak Creak" on NUX ORGANIZATION. ZENI GEVA tours in Europe for the first time, playing more than 40 shows in Germany (inc. POP-KOMM), Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Holland (inc. VPRO), Belgium, Italy, France, Austria, Switzerland and England (inc. JOHN PEEL SESSION on BBC). NULL organizes the first tour of JIM O'ROURKE in Japan.

1993

ZENI GEVA records "Desire For Agony" with ALBINI in Chicago before the 3rd USA tour. NULL organizes the first tour of SHELLAC in Japan and ZENI GEVA supports them.

1992

ZENI GEVA & STEVE ALBINI record "Nai-Ha" in Tokyo. This album is subsequently selected as one of the best Japanese rock albums of the year (1992) by The Music Magazine. ZENI GEVA & ALBINI also play live together in Tokyo & Osaka. ZENI GEVA does their 2nd USA tour with support from CRASH WORSHIP, DAZZLING KILLMEN, etc. NULL plays live with JIM O'ROURKE in Chicago and releases "New Kind Of Water" CD (Charnel Music).

1991

ZENI GEVA records "Total Castration" in Chicago. This heralds the beginning of working with STEVE ALBINI. ZENI GEVA makes the live debut in USA (Chicago, Madison, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco) with support from MELVINS, NEUROSIS, PAIN TEENS.

1990

NULL tours in USA for the first time and meets JELLO BIAFRA (ex-DEAD KENNEDYS) who offers to release ZENI GEVA on his label Alternative Tentacles. In Tokyo NULL plays with JOHN ZORN & FRED FRITH.

1988

NULL starts GEVA2 (GEVA GEVA) with TATSUYA YOSHIDA (RUINS) and EYE YAMATSUKA (BOREDOMS).

1987

NULL starts ZENI GEVA with ex-HANATARASHI drummer IKUO TAKETANI & guitarist MITSURU TABATA (ex-BOREDOMS, LENINGRAD BLUES MACHINE).

1985

NULL starts his independent label NUX ORGANIZATION and releases his 1st solo LP "Saishu Bushitsu (Ultimate Material)" . This album is later reissued via USA magazine Forced Exposure.

1984

NULL joins noise/prog rock band YBO2. Releases one 7'EP "Dogla Magla" & two LPs "Alienation" & "Taiyo no Ouji" on Trans Records (Japan). NULL starts improvised rock trio A.N.P. (ABSOLUT NULL PUNKT) and releases "Killsonic Action" LP on Dossier Records(Germany). Also, NULL produces "Dead Tech" LP (compilation of Japanese alternative bands) which heralds to cause Japanese alternative music movement in western world.

1983

NULL collaborates with MERZBOW for two years and does many live performances and produces tons of cassette tapes. Also joins HANATARASHI at one of their legendary live performance in Osaka.

1981

Prior to beginning his music career, NULL studies at Japanese Butoh dancer MIN TANAKA's "Mai-Juku" workshop. NULL starts to perform as an electric guitar improviser at clubs & galleries in Tokyo.

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