Our good pal from Cleaner Records, Rachael Dadd, got in touch about 4 months ago, fresh from a trip to Japan.  She told us about someone she met over there – her pal Ichi – and gave us a copy of his CD, ‘mono’. Immediately, we had to book him for Homegame 2009 – and he was, for those that saw him perform, the highlight of the weekend.  See why by ordering his album!

From www.myspace.com/ichijapan

Ichi, from Nagoya in Japan, takes the notion of a one-man band to new limits -combining steel-drum with ping-pong balls, tape-loops with double bass and trumpet with bongos, all in the space of one short set. Somehow there’s an ancient, ritualistic feel to his performances, he’s like the misplaced leader of a tribe and perhaps he will be – it’s this kind of excellence and innovation which inspires a cult following. At the same time, his music is so playful and unusual, it gives you the feeling that you’re witnessing something entirely new. It’s fun, it’s danceable, it’s exciting. Ichi is also a 20-year long member of the Nagoya new-wave band Nohshinto, has toured extensively as a solo artist in Japan, and has played with Shugo Tokumaru & Asa-Chang and Junray.