CD Review of "X Fade" and "Broken Symmetry" (Paul Stump, The Wire, January 1997)
Reviewing bands with obvious influences can be a problem. There are
all sorts of notions like individual identity to handle, plus the
question of whether or not we are all simply blotting-papers of
things heard in the past. Can we learn to revise the scripts we have
learnt, etc?
Let's face it: if things are are always like other things, they lose
their own shape, their own form. Except, maybe, when the manifold
influences are as diverse as they are here: then the questions become
different again, and Radio Osaka spend two hours on these two
compelling discs trying to provide answers.
It's difficult to know where to start with this otherwise unknown Swiss (!) outfit; they definitely breath the atmosphere of a post-rock planet but filter it through some pretty odd apparatus. From the opening of "Words Disguise Reality", the declamatory frontman becomes Peter Hammill (although he later changes his mind and puts his Lizard King head on). The Van der Graaf echoes are blasted into the fore again when mad saxman Tommy Meier is let loose in the music.
The looping, delay-heavy magic-carpet of space-funk ("She is Sleeping")
recalls anyone from Popul Vuh to Labradford, and "Alphaville"'s roadworks
riffs see a fight break out between King Crimson's Fripp and Megadeth's
Dave Mustaine. Some of those riffs can grate (cf the long, climatic "Memories")
and the trancy astronomies can pall ("Skysoaring"), but all is never lost with
a drummer like Andi Brugger around, who provides not only snare-shot brutality
of sound but genuine subversion of all manner of rock, HipHop and fusion metres
in his rowdy wake.
The emphasis on deranged dance rhythms comes into its own on the companion disc,
Broken Symmetry , which claims to be a collection of loops, samples
and remixes from X Fade . In the somewhat antediluvian mix (of a kind
quite popular on Fourth and Broadway records ten years ago) it's hard to work
out exactly where the material is derived from and it's only DJ Crazee Bo's "Something
for the Radio" which freshens up proceedings. Taken together or separately,
however, these represent a stunning achievement; Prog with attitude.
Pressrelease "Radio Osaka" (Hanspeter K�nzler, London 1993)
A life in the provinces can be a fertile breeding ground for fresh ideas. The more idiosyncratic the more promising. Unfettered by a sense of debt or duty towards the
fashion dictate of a metropole they can flourish free from the pressures of the centralised music industry. Finally, they are mature enough to confront, surprise and
convince the �outside world�. For instance Switzerland: Here, The Young Gods and Yello are a typical case in point.
The Z�rich based Radio Osaka are an extraordinary assemblage of musical minds. Andi Czech began to astound his friends with powerful parodies of the Blues and
Leonard Cohen, just when everyone else discovered Punk - even in Z�rich. Eventually, Andi fetched up in City Vibes, a now legendary outfit that managed to combine
punky attitude with bouncy pop tunes, including a terrific should-have-been-a-hit called �Madaga Ska�. City Vibes were the first Swiss band who were fans of the
Ramones AND included an accordion in the line-up (now absolutely indispensable for bands who value their street credibility in Lucerne). Being rather lazy and shy,
Cily Vibes failed to fulfill their potential. They turned into Krawallband (recording a film soundtrack), then Konsumboom (another soundtrack resulted).
During all this time, however, Andi Czech also worked on the apparently foolhardy idea to give artistic expression to his love for the works of Tim Buckley. About
Buckley (he died in 1975 of a drugs overdose) the American joumalist Lee Underwood wrote: �Buckley did for the human voice what Miles Davis did for the trumpet...�
Amazingly, Andi's dream came to pass:
In 1987 the album �Comebuckley� was released. lt contained six re-interpretations of songs by Tim Buckley which Andi sang with a voice strong and flexible enough to
do them justice, but in a style all of bis own. The album was praised very highly by all who heard and reviewed it, but distribution problems prevented wider
recognition.
For several years afterwards, Andi gigged only very sporadically, usually presenting a varying range of Buckley songs. In 1992, however, Radio Osaka was formed as a
vehicle for the songs Andi now wrote with guitarist Stephan Thelen.
Stephan Thelen played guitar, violin and piano from his primary school days. As a fourteen-year old he joined his first rock band, whence he drifted towards the more
esoteric branches of modern music making, embodied in Switzerland by the label and record shop �RecRec'�
(RecRec was closely connected to London�s Recommended Records). Between 1986 and 1990 Stephan took part in several of Robert Fripp�s �Guitar Craft�
workshops. Apart from his involvement with
Radio Osaka Stephan - a fan of Bela Bartok - is leader and guitarist of Dolphin Ethics, a group that plays chamber music and string quartets.
Radio Osaka is completed by Tommy Meier (sax and bass clarinet), Christian Kuntner (bass) an Fredi Fl�kiger (drums). In the early 80s Meier was a member of Brom
as well as Whaam, outfits playing what they called �Punk Jazz�. He then started Bar'n'Bop whose music he slyly describes as �background and bar music�. Later on he
played on �Comebuckley� and joined the Federlosband - a group that accompanies Circus Federlos (an �alternative� circus very popular
in Switzerland as well as Nigeria and Zimbabwe). Christian Kuntner is a veteran of innumerable Jazz and Rock groups, including the John Tchicai Gromp,- at present
he is also a member of Brom, Fahrt Art Trio, Kadash, Tobende Ordnung and Federlos. Fredi Fl�kiger is particularly well-known within the Free Jazz community (very
lively in Switzerland). He has played with many notable groups, including Brom, Kadash, Tobende Ordnung and Federlosband.
Together, Radio Osaka produce a blend of rock music which is thoroughly their own. It is dominated by Andy Czech's singing - stronger than ever - and Stephan
Thelen's guitar, which at times reminds of Fripp circa �Discipline�. They can totally rely on a rhythm section revelling in tight yet powerful groove patterns informed by
the sense of dynamics of Jazz. Sax and bass clarinet add further depth to a texture which carries echoes from as far afield as Slapp Happy and Talking Heads, Free Jazz,
Tim Buckley, King Crimson, PIL, Nick Cave, Moonshake.. However, these are but echoes and should not be seen as blueprints. Radio Osaka sound like nothing else.