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the liner notes' commentary (Hispañola - Japan CD)

Hispañola/liner

(English full translation)

PHILLIP BOA AND THE VOODOOCLUB
HISPANÕLA

The 1990s are said to be the era of Europe. I think that's certainly true. There is no doubt that EC integration, which is finally becoming a reality, will be a major pillar of this. Even if only in terms of economics, the bold attempt to go beyond the boundaries of what it had been as nations is a grand experiment for the future of humanity. Moreover, just as this reality was beginning to emerge, the storm that raged across Eastern Europe last year left a huge mark on human history.

The national system with Marxism as its holy book, which had been firmly maintained even after the war, collapsed, and the people search for a new system. That movement is still being felt today.

Under such circumstances, the situation in Germany is currently unfolding rapidly, and no one knows what will happen tomorrow. The news that the Berlin Wall had finally come down on November 10th last year sent a tremendous shock around the world.

There were whispers in West Berlin that no matter where you walked, you would run into the wall, the gaping hole that opened there quickly expanded. And even the issue of the unification of East and West Germany has now come up as a realistic theme. After all, when the world is changing so much, it's no time to say that music and society are unrelated. I think that artists who are unable to vividly reflect this trend in their music are the bigger problem.

So let's move on to Phillip Boa & The Voodooclub, whose new album will be released in Japan for the second time since last year. I don't think there is any other band that exists at the intersection of current Germany and Europe as much as they do.

It's true that Kraftwerk once had a huge influence around the world, and it still has many fans. German New Wave, represented by DAF, shocked Britain and other countries. Also, last year, the legendary group Can released a comeback album and attracted attention in Europe. West Berlin's leading band Einstürzende Neubauten continues to produce an exciting album and develops various projects. Unfortunately, however, it is also true that there is a strong impression that each group and artist is simply continuing to work in their own field.

When I see British veterans and new groups expanding their activities not only in their own country but also on the college charts in the US, I can't help but hope Phillip Boa & The Voodooclub to do something a little more worldwide. Of course, because they are the closest to that possibility.

In that sense, I think last year's "Hair" was a good opportunity. What was interesting was that they didn't change the ambitious world they had created up until that point simply to gain popularity, but instead introduced pop as a new experimental element. One of the manifestations of this was the appointment of producers Tony Visconti and Nigel Walker.

That album was well received in the UK and elsewhere, and in Italy a best-of version of the old albums was released. In their home country of Germany, their debut album "Philister", released on an independent label in 1985, was officially reissued by Polydor. And of course, the first Japanese release was big news for us. Phillip Boa's goal is to have his records released in as many countries as possible and receive proper reviews, rather than becoming hugely popular like Michael Jackson. He is definitely achieving it.

It is true that they have not yet reached the point where they are fully known by many people in Japan. However, this is not something to be pessimistic about; on the contrary, I think optimistically that there are infinite possibilities. Because, as I said at the beginning, there is almost no doubt that the next ten years will be the era of Europe. I hope that at the center of this will be musicians who have made ambitious attempts. Of course, there will be many people in Germany who will play such a role, but I am certain that Phillip Boa will be one of them.


Here, I will give a very brief profile for those who come into contact with this group for the first time. Formed in the summer of 1984, Phillip Boa teamed up with his girlfriend Pia Lund, who was studying classical piano, and started their activities based in Dortmund, a city near Düsseldorf.

By the way, Düsseldorf is the center of the country's modern industry, so much so that it is said to have the largest number of Japanese trading employees stationed here in Germany. Naturally, there are many high-tech industries and people related to them, and it cannot be overlooked from the perspective of cutting-edge music technology. Influenced by them, they established their own label, Constrictor, in Dortmund. And they recorded music, and released two albums.

Although the situation in Germany was not at all favorable for a group aiming for such a new musical field, they steadily increased their support, and the third album "Copperfield" was released by major label Polydor. Along with this, their activities that boldly expanded the boundaries of Germany became prominent.

The current members are Phillip Boa (vocals, guitar), Pia Lund (vocals, keyboards), and The Voodoo, who is in charge of percussion and general noise, and Der Rabe, who plays drums, are regular members. And guests participate depending on the song, it seems to be taking a flexible form.

Now, this new work "Hispanola" follows the well-received "Hair", and the album title is taken from Stevenson's novel "Treasure Island". It was released in its home country at the beginning of this year and has become a hit. The analog version over there was released as a modified two-disc set, with #1 to #12 being a full album, and #13 to #16 being included on only one side of the other record. Also, #16 is not included on the other CD, but it is included in this work (Japanese version). This is one of Marc Bolan (T. Rex)'s hits, so it goes without saying that it's one of the highlights of this new album.

As for the album as a whole, it can be said that it has a very similar mood to "Hair". In fact, what they have here is a natural extension of the world they worked on last time. The producers haven't changed much. Tony Visconti, who worked with David Bowie and T. Rex. Nigel Walker, who is known for his works with Japan and Kate Bush. Tony Taverner, who is famous for his works with The Jam and Motörhead. Joined to the last lineup was E.Roc, who can be said to be a disciple of Connie Plank, Germany's most famous producer.

As was the case with the previous album, if the producer had changed for each song, it would have been a disjointed album, but it's strange that there is a sense of unity on a large scale. I feel that it has a close connection with Phillip Boa, who is obsessed with his own label and works with an eye toward the entire German scene.

There is no comment from themselves as to why they are working with so many producers in this way. But perhaps it's because they enjoy the process and result of the fusion and chemical reaction between the sound aesthetics that each producer has built and continues to maintain and their own world.

For example, when I listen to the impressive sound production of song #2, which has a pop nuance that is rare for them, although it is not noticeable, it makes me think that it is Tony Visconti (personally, it is the best track of this work). #4, which has an aesthetic scent, is a style that is very typical of Nigel Walker.

Also, #6 which skillfully used three-dimensional percussion and noisy sounds, was produced by E.Roc, but I can't help feeling the tradition of Düsseldorf. If you listen to carefully, you'll realize that they don't just choose producers on a whim, but that they are carefully thinking about how to encounter their own sounds. This is a work where the fun lies in taking the time to unravel the world they have set up, rather than just listening to it and saying a lot.

If you do that, you will understand that #13 to #16 are deep parodies of rock music. "Boa Diddley" is, of course, a play on Bo Diddley. You can sense that they are trying to look at the contribution of his beats to rock and how it is developing from a different perspective. Of course, these interpretations may be just a backdoor reading. But just because it makes us think like that, this album is well worth enough.

It seems like they have no intention of changing their self-paced activities, but the attention to them is steadily increasing. For those who listen to this, they can understand without complaint that this is natural.

Shunichi Otaka
26 March 1990