A haunted and strung out set of whispered vocals and submerged synths for music out of time from a legendary Japanese artist.Phew has been a glowing figure within obscured histories since the 1970s, when she fronted Aunt Sally in Osaka’s underground scene. As a part of the cult Kansai label Vanity Records, her visceral avant-garde post-punk experimented with the techniques of amplified sound, using the newly available audio equipment of Japan’s tech boom and grating against the bubbly sheen of its pop culture.Her explorations have spanned decades, involving collaborations with Ryuichi Sakamoto, Can and Einstürzende Neubauten. Since going on to work individually, her visions have been followed through with a genre-hopping string of experimental albums carried on till today, where she combines both software and hardware with prophetic vocals. Her latest album “New Decade” centers on the perception of time and comes across as bleak, deliberately restrained, its meditations cut through the real sentiments of our confusing years with the sincerity of a haiku. Especially amidst isolation and the uncertainties of modernity, we are reminded of the power of music as a ritual.
Reservation required at eventiMAO@fondazionetorinomusei.itTickets: 15 € full| 10 € reduced rate for students
