SAICOBAB
Parergon: Japanese Art of the 1980s and 1990s
Presented by Blum & Poe and Black Editions
Zebulon, Los Angeles
Saturday, May 4, 2019
SAICOBAB is the Japanese band of vocalist YoshimiO (Boredoms, OOIOO), with Yoshida Daikiti on sitar, and Motoyuki "Hama" Hamamoto on percussion, gamelan. SAICOBAB masterfully blends traditional Indian music with melodies and unexpected rhythms using unorthodox instrumentation to create utterly distinct modern ragas. SAICO means "the most ancient," and "BAB" stands for "baby" in Japanese. SAB SE PURANI means "the most ancient baby girl" in Hindi. The work reflects the deep connections made musically between traditional Indian and Japanese music and spiritual practices, rhythmically, numerically, and mathematically. SAICOBAB's deep understanding of traditions enables them to transform ancient cultural practices into contemporary creative expressions.