Featuring guest musicans (or sound carriers as Damo Suzuki prefers to
refer to his collaborators) from Rovo, Ruins and the legendary Hoppy
Kamiyama of God Mountain records and Optical*8, The Fire of Heaven at
the End of Universe was, as its subtitle indicates, recorded live at
Tokyo's UFO Club in March 2006. The recording quality is good, if very
live sounding and lacking in much warmth or room sound, and the five
improvised tracks gradually assemble themselves from a meandering
freeform opening as the group and Damo adjust to each other into some
hefty longer grooves which allow time for the music to breathe. Suzuki's
vocals are typically otherworldly - in that he sounds like he is beaming
in from a parallel universe, singing, vocalising, wandering in ways
which probably only make some kind of literal sense to himself, the
stream of consciousness tripping off the ensemble's chundering flow.

The set has an upbeat skronky feel to pieces like "The Crystal desert",
Yuji Katsui's violin scraping up what occasionally sounds more like
brass sounds than strings, while Kenji Sato's bass throbs as Tatsuya
Yoshida's drumkit rattles frentically. The tempo picks up a few beats as
the performance morphs into the urgent opening of "Moonlight Warrior"
before throttling back into an easier choppy passage. "The Last Night Of
The Sun" opens with a scat from Damo whch has decidedly Satchmo-like
qualities, his voice uncurling as the group join in, constructing a
number which weaves a slow slumbery funk which delays the propulsive
takeoff until the violin is good and ready to scatter itself on a field
of faded out delay.

"Dress Your Girl" pops back in after a swift edit, continuing the mostly
relaxed mood over half an hour of sometimes intense, infrequently
faltering workout, the drums building the solid foundation of a muscular
middle section which soon brings forward jerky rhythms circled by
brightly-sparked keyboard and bass interaction. The violin follows
along, but never quite locks in tightly to the sound until a good
balance is achieved as they zoom off towards a more satisfyingly uptempo
final section, the psychedelic impulse overtakes the noodling. The album
closes with the full-spectrum spasms of "Another Dirty Weekend", the jam
winding up in a powerhouse foray into space improv, Damo intoning
repetitive phrases as the band get into gear-shifted action, the violin
and synths flickering and wibbling while the motorik underpinnings
hammer out rhythms which shudder from forward-facing mania to switchback
returns until they brim over with what ultimately feels like a very
serious sort of musical energy. -Linus Tossio- www.freq.org.uk



As most of you old school Can followers are aware of, former frontman and vocalist Damo Suzuki has put out an awfully lot of live CD recordings, like this one. ' Fire of Heaven...' was recorded at a live gig on March 5, 2006 at the UFO Club in Tokyo. It's a good import title to seek out. Liked the opening track, the upbeat as well as improvised (seems to be anyway) "The Crystal Desert" as much as I did the other four cuts this disc has to offer. "Moonlight Warrior" is a long-winded Avant Garde piece that features some odd noise sampling, but the song gets better as it progresses. Thought that "The Last Night Of The Sun" had several blissful psychedelic moments, the lengthy 28-minute "Dress Your Girl" was a bit stagnating and "Another Dirty Weekend" employed a full throttled swirling psychedelic vibe to it. Very nicely done. Label describes this live CD as being trans-kraut psychedelic. Have to pretty much agree with that. Basically, if you dig past live Damo Suzuki releases, you should get plenty out of this disc just as I did. Line-up: Damo Suzuki - vocals, Hoppy Kamiyama - keyboards, Kenji Sato - bass, Yuji Katsui - violin and Tatsuya Yoshida - drums. A fine pick to add to your music collection. Disc gets better each time you play it. From Aural Innovations #38 (Jan 2008) Mike Reed



Niegdysiejszy wokalista krautrockowej legendy Can utrzymuje wysoką formę. Jego najnowszy album to wydawnictwo koncertowe, zarejestrowane 5 marca 2006 roku w tokijskim klubie UFO. Damo Suzuki dobrał sobie znakomity skład: Hoppy Kamiyama - klawisze, Yuji Katsui - skrzypce, Kenji Sato - bas, Tatsuya Yoshida - bębny. Ów kolektyw z Suzukim na wokalu wygenerował blisko 75-minutowy, transowy set. Psychodelia, elementy rocka progresywnego, jazz, elektronika, krautrock - takie oto elementy składają się na strukturę tej płyty. Całość ma wymiar psychodelicznego rytuału, w którym hybryda owych stylistyk materializuje się w kolejnych kawałkach. "The Fire Of." słucha się jak długiej transmisji - pogrążeni w hipnotycznym, transowym uniesieniu artyści nadają bez chwili wytchnienia. Robert Moczydłowski www.clubber.pl


Mówiąc banalnie, jest to bardzo udany koncertowy album Damo Suzukiego, który w ostatnich latach zdawał się z niejakim trudem dźwigać na swych barkach brzemię "żywej legendy rock'n'rolla", "ikony undergroundu", "klasyka awangardy", etc., walcząc o wyzwolenie się z sideł genialnego, lecz po latach uciążliwego, krautrockowego modelu, wypracowanego wespół z Can. Minimalistyczny trans i ekstatyczne partie wokalne odciskają wciąż wyraźny ślad na muzycznej wizji Suzukiego, lecz w towarzystwie wyśmienitych japońskich improwizatorów, w składzie m.in. Hoppy Kamiyama i Tatsuya Yoshida, wokalista raz jeszcze zrywa się do lotu, melodeklamując, krzycząc, mamrocząc, szepcząc, jęcząc i zawodząc w ekspresji iście szamańskiej - dotykając samego rdzenia tej formy sztuki, jaką wciąż jeszcze potrafi okazać się rock'n'roll w swym najbardziej bezkompromisowym wydaniu. Wielka w tym zasługa muzyków akompaniujących, to bowiem za sprawą Yoshidy partie rytmiczne poszczególnych kompozycji uwalniają się od programowego minimalizmu Liebezeita, zmierzając w stronę surowej i oszczędnej, lecz poszukujących nowych form wyrazu, improwizacji. Nieobecność gitary, której miejsce zajmują w tym składzie skrzypce (Yuji Katsui), nadaje całości lekko dronowego posmaku, sprawiającego, że muzyka nie traci nic na intensywności, otwierając zarazem całkiem nieoczekiwane perspektywy brzmieniowe. Mamy tu więc ostatecznie dobry koncert, z muzyką, która wciąż żyje, wzbudza emocje i zapładnia wyobraźnię. Bez wątpienia ciekawszy od tego, utrwalonego na płycie 3 Dead People after the Performance, podczas którego fińscy muzycy ugięli się nieco pod ciężarem krautrockowej legendy. Dariusz Brzostek / GAZ-ETA


Damo Suzuki's openness to collaborating with musicians around the world brings a certain edge of uncertainty to his live shows: when it works, it enhances his mythic status, but it's a risk that doesn't always pay off. This album was captured at a Tokyo club in March 2006 and is undeniably one of the nights when the stars aligned and the energy flowed.

Damo's stamina in performance is a true tour de force. I'm certain I would've enjoyed the live show for this reason, but throughout the five substantial pieces on record, he hardly ever lets up and after a while I found myself wishing the band had a bit more breathing space.

They are: Hoppy Kamiyama on keyboards; Yuji Katsui, violin; Kenji Sato, bass; and Tatsuya Yoshida, drums. All players with their own substantial track records, on their own and in collaborations ranging from Gong and AMT to Bill Laswell, but here it is Damo's show all the way. At one point I was marvelling at the interplay between violin and drums and thinking that Jerry Goodman and Billy Cobham's playing in the Mahivishnu orchestra might've been a touchstone, but the moment didn't last too long before Mr Suzuki was back on the mic.

As a document of a live performance, this album is very good. The playing is fine indeed, the star of the show is clearly fired up, the recording is of a good standard and it's even neatly packaged. It's hard to avoid comparing anything new from Damo Suzuki to his groundbreaking work with Can, but I can't help feeling that this record doesn't really expand his art and, like many live albums, it's one for the existing fans rather than the music which will bring new listeners to the fold. 6/10 -- John Cavanagh (28 November, 2007) www.digitalisindustries.com



Discutere di Damo Suzuki e della sua proficua esperienza nei Can sembra maggiormente consigliabile ai giorni nostri, non tanto perche da quella preziosa militanza deriva gran parte della sua musica, quanto perche ci fornisce la dimensione (e la distanza) del suo impegno da tanta grossolana e decantata musica pseudo nazional-popolare.
Ecco, a ben guardare, si potrebbe dare risalto all'incidenza che la musica dei Can ha avuto nella formazione della kraut music, ma il discorso risulterebbe poco probante giacche il kraut ha recitato anch'esso un ruolo essenziale per la gestazione di molti dei lavori che ascoltiamo correntemente.
Ma Damo Suzuki, cinquantasette anni ben portati, e ormai un musicista che ha cessato di rivolgersi nostalgicamente al passato e di fare programmi a lunga scadenza.
Un po perche non ne ha voglia, un po perche e impossibilitato: la sola epoca che ha interesse a vivere con intensita e il presente, ieri e gia troppo tardi.
In fondo Damo Suzuki e l'ideatore di una filosofia personalissima, opposta a quella della cristallizzazione musicale: il Network. Ultimamente e diventato un giramondo, dedito alla pubblicazione delle esperienze live che registra in presa diretta con i musicisti che incoccia nel suo lungo percorso tra i continenti. Abbiamo gia parlato della sua performance con i Now.
Ora e la volta di questo bel disco per la etichetta polacca Vivo, intitolato The Fire of Heaven at the End of Universe, una registrazione live all'Ufo Club di Tokyo risalente al Cinque Marzo del passato 2006. In sostanza ci troviamo alla presenza di cinque 'movimenti' intrisi di psichedelia e suggestioni kraut, in collaborazione con Yuji Katsui al violino, Hoppy Kamiyama alle tastiere, Kenji Sato al basso e Tatsuya Yoshida alle percussioni.
A creare la 'drogata' atmosfera introduttiva e Hoppy Kamiyama; al suo interno si dipana il canto libero da vincoli di Damo Suzuki, scevro da sembianze definite ed in parte richiamante alcuni percorsi cari al leader dei Doors. Non e rock, nemmeno kraut ad essere precisi, a tratti confluisce nel blues, nel funk, a tratti sfiora il linguaggio declinato dal jazz ma non rimane mai intvischiato in nessuno dei generi menzionati.
Cosi appare naturale che Moonlight Warrior faccia confluire tutto il patrimonio analizzato e scandagliato con meticolosita da Damo Suzuki nel corso degli ultimi anni: sonorita della madre terra, frequenze vibranti e tanta improvvisazione vocale che evoca suggestioni stregonesche.
Invece The Last Night of the Sun e un cammino all'interno di un'avanguardia che e artistica a tutto tondo e musicale al contempo, sensazioni mai vissute ma risvegliate da qualche angolo dell'animo.
The Fire of Heaven at the End of Universe non c'entra con i Can, ma da loro non puo in nessun modo prescindere il Damo Suzuki rivolto al domani. www.artistsandbands.org  / Tutti


Znienacka wskoczył Damo Suzuki w centrum popkultury. Jego głos zsamplował na nowym albumie Kanye West. Mowa o numerze "Drunk and Hot Girls", gdzie pojawia się motyw z pionierów krautrocka Can. A to właśnie Suzuki był na przełomie lat 60. i 70. wokalistą niemieckiego zespołu. Nagrane wówczas żelazne klasyki rockowej awangardy niedawno wznowiono. Ale mało kto interesuje się dalszymi losami Damo. A ten nie przestał śpiewać. Koncertowe nagrania jego najnowszej, japońskiej grupy opublikowała polska wytwórnia Vivo. Wracamy do psychodelicznych jamów w duchu lat 70. Kosmiczne świergoty klawiszy, przeszywające dźwięki skrzypiec i gęsty, nerwowy rytm o transowym zacięciu. Wszystko to jest oprawą dla opętańczych wokaliz Suzukiego, który wystrzeliwuje słowa nie wolniej niż raper, ale w jakimś mantrowym zapamiętaniu. Oryginalne i niepokojące. Rafał Księżyk  / Machina


Damo Suzuki, classe 1950, e uno di quegli uomini che hanno smesso di pensare al passato o di pianificare il futuro. Non ne ha il tempo, e allora vive il presente, l'unica dimensione che vale di essere vissuta, e lascia ricordi e ombre confuse agli altri. Magari piu giovani di lui nel corpo. Parlare della sua militanza nei Can credo sia superfluo - soprattutto perché e vero, quello e un capitolo passato - anche se servirebbe a sottolineare come sia stato importante per tutto quello che ascoltiamo adesso, teatrini di bieca musica nazional popolare a parte, dio ce ne scampi. Certo, una parentesi fondamentale per il kraut, ma e pur vero che il kraut e stato a sua volta fondamentale per tanti di quei dischi che abbiamo nella collezione che se ne perde il conto. E poi Damo ha creato il Network, ovvero la sua concezione personale di non-band: lui gira il mondo, ha un sacco di amici e ci suona insieme nella citta in cui si viene a trovare, un metodo piu che efficace per non annoiarsi e per far si che almeno una volta la parola network voglia dire quello per cui e stata creata. "The Fire of Heaven at the End of Universe" e la registrazione live all'Ufo Club di cinque elegie a cavallo tra echi kraut e debordanti onde psichedeliche, questa volta in compagnia di Hoppy Kamiyama alle tastiere, Yuji Katsui al violino, Kenji Sato al basso e Tatsuya Yoshida alla batteria. E' proprio Hoppy ad aprire le danze lisergiche su cui stagliare il canto libero di Damo, privo di forma e risonante di una eco morrisoniana spogliata dalla sua struttura rock, e subito cio che era kraut diventa indefinibile, perde connotati, scivola in ogni angolo, lambisce il blues come il jazz ma non ne assorbe mai la completa identita. "Moonlight Warrior" vive del cosmo spirituale che Damo ha esplorato/strutturato in questi anni, un oceano di vibrazioni solari ed aritmie terrigene, e pulsa di un approccio improvvisato che permette al suono di riappropriarsi della sua dimensione genuinamente sciamanica, e ancora in "The Last Night of the Sun" si cade nelle spirali di un'avanguardia che ha occhi per ieri, l'oggi e il domani. Un flusso continuo di pulsioni incontrollate eppure comuni a tutti. Il voto, vi chiederete. Perché certo "The Fire of Heaven at the End of the Universe" non e "Tago Mago". Ma Tago Mago ce lo abbiamo tutti, e questo, invece, non ancora. rating: 4.5/5 www.ultrasonica.it