When this all happened in real time back during the Lockdown it felt like a very real real event, it felt good to be watching it as it went out live, standing here watching it live from our bunker here in East London knowning others were doing the same all over the planet as we were all locked down and avoiding both Covid and the mess the Tories were making of it all – ORGAN THING: Koenji Hyakkei are happening live right now on line, direct from Japan… you could go and watch it all back for a while, they’ve taken the original live footage away now (which leaves our page from back them looking a little silly), and I guess today’s announcement explains why the footage from Youtube has been hidden, they’re about to release it, here’s a taste, the details are underneath

“Following the release of their album “Dhorimviskha” (one of Bandcamp Daily’s albums of the year) and during the height of the covid pandemic, Japan’s Koenjihyakkei played a rousing set to an empty Club Goodman and live-streamed their performance around the world. Now, vocalist / composer / drummer extraordinaire Tatsuya Yoshida has returned to the original recordings, and has meticulously mixed and mastered the concert for a 2025 release.  “Live at Club Goodman” delivers over 100 minutes of truly unclassifiable music that blends progressive rock, jazz fusion, symphonic rock and neoclassicism with the energy of hardcore punk, the volume of metal and the attitude of rock in opposition.
 
In the wake of the January 2025 reissue of Koenjihyakkei’s fourth album, The Quietus asked “Is Koenjihyakkei’s “Angherr Shisspa” the greatest Zeuhl album ever made?”  Author Warren Hatter concluded “Tatsuya Yoshida of Ruins’ lifelong love of Magma lead him to form the band Koenjihyakkei and their fourth album is the point at which he created something that eclipsed the work of his inspiration”. “Koenjihyakkei is Yoshida’s dream in technicolour. Where Ruins’ work bursted with excitement and experimentation – Yoshida now surrounds us with a glorious ecosystem of sound” (a piece Warren wrote after the release was brought to his attention via an Organ piece on the same release we’ll quietly point out)

“Live at Club Goodman” includes astounding performances culled from Koenjihyakkei’s career to date with selections from all five studio albums represented. The double CD edition adds an additional two tracks, including the live favorite “Classical Music Medley”. The premium 350gsm gatefold double LP edition is pressed on attractive “natural” colored vinyl and includes a collectible, double-sided “Footlong OBI” sporting a band photo triptych.

Previous Koenjihyakkei coverage on these pages

Find the all details you need via Bandcamp…