Jutok Kaneko

Jutok Kaneko (金子寿徳) (1958 – 24 January 2007) was a Japanese guitarist and vocalist, and is best known for his work with Tokyo underground psychedelic rock group Kousokuya (光束夜), who specialised in rock-based soundscapes characterised by the feeling of infinite space, desolate emotion and imminent chaos.

History

Kaneko was born in the city of Maebashi in Gunma prefecture in 1958. He started studying guitar around 1972, and in 1975 he formed a group called Kokugaiso (黒涯槍) with Masayuki Noguchi (野口雅之). The group specialized in multi-media performance, blending poetry with music, art and dance. After moving to Tokyo, Kaneko continued to work perform using the Kokugaiso name. Concurrently, he formed a rock group called Kousokuya in 1978, with Mick (vocals), Hiroshi Yokoyama (synthesizer), and Toshiko Watanabe (drums). The group played their first gig at the Tokyo underground venue Minor in 1979, and became one of the central groups in the improv-noise-rock scene associated with that venue, alongside musicians like Keiji Haino and Tori Kudo (of Maher Shalal Hash Baz).