Haohio
Haohio was formed in March 1997 as a
female trio with Haco (vocalist and composer of Happiness Proof and After
Dinner), Sachiko M. (samplist of I.S.O. and Ground Zero), and
koto player Michiyo Yagi.
An Italian
friend of Haco was responsible for the funny sounding name. He had written the
word on one of his faxes. Thinking it was an Italian onomatopoeia, Haco decided to use haohio as the name of
their trio. Next time she met her friend she asked for the real meaning of the
word. He said that there’s no such Italian word, but he thought haohio
meant "Good Morning" ("Ohayo") in Japanese.
Speaking of the creative potential of cultural misunderstanding…
Since
Sachiko M. currently pursues a solo-carreer, Hoahio will perform at the City of
Women festival in a duo-version. Their work consists of half composed pieces,
and half improvisations, blending a mixture of genres (punk, minimalism,
ethnic, techno, pop, noise, ambient), resulting in an eccentric, Japanese
urban, avant-pop sound.
While Haco
sings and plays a wide variety of instruments (including the sampler, electric
mandolin, electronic percussion, moroccan drum, guitar and… a plastic cup),
Yagi Michiyo plays one of the most beautiful, theatrical and impressive (two
metres long) Japanese instruments: the koto. Yagi began playing this
traditional string-instrument at the age of six under Satomi Kurauchi. As a
graduate of Kazue Sawai’s Koto School she performs both classical and
contemporary music.
Haohio’s
first CD Happy Mail --a remix of live recordings-- was released on Otomo
Yoshihide’s Amoebic label. “Listening to the CD, you will hear,
juxtaposed against the overall lo-tech feel of the work, their keen sense of
fun and adventure in pursuing sound and constructing musical ideas”, a
connoisseur of the Tokyo indie scene commented.
In 1999,
Haohio went overseas for the first time to appear at the Actual Music festival
in Victoriaville (Canada); Musique Action in Nancy (France); and Music
Unlimited (Wels, Austria). Their performances were enthusiastically received by
both audience and critics. This year John Zorn released their second album Ohayo!
Haohio! in his NEW JAPAN series on the Tzadik label. On the liner-notes: “In
the tradition of the great Japanese girl groups Saboten, Shonen
Knife, Fukuko and Papaya Paranoia, Haohio is
simultaneously charming, mysterious and delightful”.
Haco: vocals, sampler, electric mandolin,
synthesizer bass, electronic percussion, Morrocan drum, plastic cup, guitar;
Yagi Michiyo: koto, voice.
Organised and financed by Mesto žensk/ City of Women
In cooperation with Cankarjev dom
Supported by The Japan Foundation
Thanks to: Mrs. Moronaga – Embassy of Japan (Vienna)
