Keiji Haino

Sorcerer supreme of the avant-garde of legendary status. Born in 1952, Keiji Haino initially devoted himself to theatrical forms, inspired by the writings of Antoine Artaud, until discovering The Doors and their song When the Music's Over. In 1970, at the age of 18, he became the vocalist of the avant-garde rock band Lost Aaraaf; his wide recognition came with the avant-rock trio Fushitsusha in the 1990s. Haino uses a wide range of forms - he is best known for his intuitive guitar playing, exploring the extremes of his voice and using the hurdy-gurdy - but the focal point is always his idiosyncratic language, which regardless of form remains constant: uncompromisingly intense and engaging. As Phil Freeman wrote of him, when Keiji Haino enters a room, he brings with him darkness and the ambient volume seems to drop by five decibels. He is a prolific artist - he has collaborated with a piece of the pantheon of the avant-garde, including Peter Brötzmann, Derek Bailey, Tatsuya Yoshida, Pan Sonic, Venetian Snares, Jim O'Rourke and Oren Ambarchi. He was banned from performing on Japanese public television from 1973 to 2013.