Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O., commonly shortened to Acid Mothers Temple or AMT, is a Japanese rock band, the core of which formed in 1995.[4] The band is led by guitarist Kawabata Makoto and early in their career featured many musicians and offshoot groups and collaborations, but by 2004 the line-up had coalesced with only a few core members and frequent guest vocalists.
The band has released albums frequently on a number of international record labels as well as the Acid Mothers Temple family record label, which was established in 1998 to document the activities of the whole collective.
History
Kawabata initially formed Acid Mothers Temple (originally "Acid Mother's Temple")[5] with the intention of creating "extreme trip music" by editing and dubbing previous recordings, being influenced by progressive rock, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and krautrock.[6] Kawabata, along with Koizumi Hajime, Suhara Keizo, and Cotton Casino formed the original Acid Mother's Temple lineup as a group; however, the first recordings released were Kawabata's own mixes and overdubs.[6] The soul collective released two self-titled tapes on their eponymous label in 1997 before dropping the apostrophe from their name. They soon released their first self-titled album (see Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O.).[5] The group began to tour overseas in 1998.[7]
The soul collective continued to tour and record, adding to the lineup drummer Ichiraku Yoshimitsu and guitarist Higashi Hiroshi. Several non-Acid Mothers shootoff bands formed, including Floating Flower, Nishinihon, and Tsurbami,[7] while The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. played at sold-out shows and festivals all over North America, Japan, and Europe in the 2000s (decade). In 2002, the soul collective released four albums and two EPs in a three-month span while touring the United States, the United Kingdom, and Ireland, including South by Southwest in Austin, being selected as one of the top three groups performing.[5]
Kawabata Makoto on stage with Acid Mothers Temple in London in 2005Acid Mothers Temple at Glastonbury Festival, 2019
Kawabata began his own solo offshoot, called Kawabata Makoto & the Mothers of Invasion, in an attempt to create music with a more jazz feel. In 2002, along with Tsuyama Atsushi and Ichiraku Yoshimitsu, the group released their only album under this name.[8]
In 2003, an incarnation of the soul collective called "Acid Mothers Temple mode HHH" was formed to tour Europe, consisting of Kawabata, Tsuyama, and Yoshida, a group who had played together as Seikazoku long before Acid Mothers Temple was formed.[6] The same year, a collaboration of Acid Mothers Temple and Gong called "Acid Mothers Gong" performed at the Royal Festival Hall in London.[5]
Soon after, in 2004, long-time vocalist and synthesizer player Cotton Casino left the group to concentrate on her own group and family while Acid Mothers Gong continued to tour. The group again released four albums in a three-month period, while another collaboration between Acid Mothers Temple and Afrirampo, Acid Mothers Afrirampo, released an album as well. Meanwhile, Acid Mothers Temple mode HHH renamed itself to Acid Mothers Temple SWR and released its own album.[5]
In 2005, to commemorate the tenth anniversary of Acid Mothers Temple, a new group called Acid Mothers Temple & the Cosmic Inferno was formed, starting their first European tour in June, and consisting of Kawabata, Higashi Hiroshi, Tabata Mitsuru, Okano Futoshi, and Shimura Koji and releasing several albums. Acid Mothers Temple SWR continued to tour as well. Acid Mothers Temple & the Incredible Strange Band was formed in 2006 by Tsuyama Akiko, Suhara Keizo, Aiko, Tsuyama Atsushi, and Kawabata Makoto. Kitagawa Hao joined The Cosmic Inferno as vocalist, though she left the soul collective after touring the United States in mid-2007. Tsuyama and Kawabata formed another offshoot in December 2006, Acid Gurus Temple, with Mani Neumeier of Guru Guru, which quickly changed its name to Acid Mothers Guru Guru.[5]
Acid Mothers Temple at the Pour House, Raleigh NC in October 2024
The soul collective has also hosted its own yearly festival in Japan, appropriately titled Acid Mothers Festival, since 2002, which has been attended by Yamazaki Maso of Masonna, Afrirampo, Yoshida Tatsuya, Mani Neumeier, Kuriyama Jun, Ohpia, and Seiichi Yamamoto of Boredoms.[5]
During their first Southamerican Tour in 2017 Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. met Argentine cult band Reynols. In Buenos Aires both groups went to a Studio to record together. In 2020 the album ACID MOTHERS REYNOLS "Vol.1" was released as LP by French label La Belle Brute and the same year the film "Acid Mothers Reynols: Live and Beyond" was presented documenting this historic meeting.
Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. traditionally tour Canada and the United States in the spring of every year, on a grueling schedule with very few days off, and continued this through 2019.[9] Somewhat less frequently, they tour Europe in the autumn.[10]
With regards to the often-confusing array of names for the different bands, Kawabata has explained:
Though we shall henceforth be Acid Mothers Temple & the Cosmic Inferno, the new group will also be known in short as Acid Mothers Temple and this will no doubt sow confusion in the minds of many. But the true manifestations of Acid Mothers Temple are many—Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O., Acid Mothers Temple & the Cosmic Inferno, Acid Mothers Temple SWR. The future may see yet other groups bearing similar names. But each and all of them will be true manifestations of Acid Mothers Temple.
One reviewer said of Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. concerts:
In a non-stop stream of thrilling noise, they segue from supercharged stomp-rock, through doomy choral chanting and frazzled go-go, to a thundering melee of atonal freakouts. Then on to a pulsating, echo-drenched disco-rock groove, which morphs into a motorik rhythm too rapid even for the autobahn, works itself into a squalling frenzy, breaks cover as a kind of galloping, syncopated, Underworld-with-rabies affair, and flows into a long, chiming trance number climaxing in a collective instrumental howl.
Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O is an album by the artists of the same name, released in 1997 by P.S.F. Records.
Have You Seen the Other Side of the Sky? is an album by Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O., released in 2006 by Ace Fu.
Crystal Rainbow Pyramid Under the Stars is an album by Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O., released in 2007 by Important Records. A vinyl tour LP also released by Important Records in 2007 under the shortened name Crystal Rainbow Pyramid containing the title track and a bonus track. The tour LP was limited to 1000 copies on splatter color vinyl.
Interstellar Guru and Zero is an album by Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O., released in 2009 by Homeopathic Records.
Are We Experimental? is an album by Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O., released in 2009 by Prophase Music.
Dark Side of the Black Moon: What Planet Are We On? is an album by Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O., released in 2009 by Important Records. The album was released on CD and LP. The LP release was limited to 100 copies on blue vinyl and 100 copies on clear vinyl.
Absolutely Freak Out is an album by the Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O., released in 2001. It is a double album, featuring four tracks on each disc.
Acid Motherly Love is an album by the Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O., released in 2007 by Riot Season. It is their first as the fixed 4-piece of Tsuyama Atsushi, Higashi Hiroshi, Shimura Koji and Kawabata Makoto.
Cometary Orbital Drive is an album by Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O., released in 2008 by Bam Balam Records. The Vinyl LP version is titled Episodes of Cometary Orbital Drive and contains a different mix, but does not contain the entire album. It was released by Bam Balam Records, a French label from Bordeaux.
Nam Myo Ho Ren Ge Kyo is an album by Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O., released in 2007 by Ace Fu Records.
In 0 to ∞ is an album by Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O., released in 2010 by Important Records. The album is a follow-up to their 2001 cover of Terry Riley's In C.
New Geocentric World of Acid Mothers Temple is an album by Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O., released in 2001 by Squealer Music.
The Penultimate Galactic Bordello Also the World You Made is an album by Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O., released in 2004 by Dirtier Promotions. The album spans four CDs in individual sleeves, all contained in one CD Box. Each disc contains only one song, with each song lasting approximately one hour.
Minstrel in the Galaxy is an album by Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O., released in 2004 by Riot Season. This was the first Acid Mothers Temple album not to feature Cotton Casino on vocals, instead featuring Afrirampo members, Oni & Pikacyu. The album title is a play on the name of the Jethro Tull album Minstrel in the Gallery.
Electric Heavyland is an album by Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O., released in 2002 by Alien8 Recordings.
Mantra of Love is an album by Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O., released in 2004 by Alien8 Recordings.
The Ripper at the Heaven's Gates of Dark is an album by Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. released by Riot Season in October 2011. The album is available on CD or as a limited edition double-LP, with artwork by Shigeno Sachiko.
IAO Chant From The Melting Paraiso Underground Freak Out is an album by Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. released by Riot Season in 2012. The album contains one piece, divided into two approximately 20-minute-long parts, based on the Gong song Master Builder. This marks the second time Acid Mothers Temple have covered Master Builder, again retitled as OM Riff, having previously covered it on IAO Chant From The Cosmic Inferno.
This is a discography of Japanese rock band Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O. and related projects.
Acid Mothers Temple have in their two-decade existence recorded far more head-melting music than any sane person would know what to do with.
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