The possibly most casually brainmelting polyrhythmically progressive instrumental band of the planet has released a seventy-four minutes long live CD. So if you don't know what I'm talking about and they are not visiting a venue anywhere close to you in the foreseeable future - this might be the best way to start discovering Kukangendai!
空間現代 KUKANGENDAI - '25 Live (CD) (2026)
"'25 Live" has been recorded at a show in their hometown Kyoto in August of 2025, a couple of months before I witnessed the Japanese trio in Hamburg's Hafenklang - and it's just as gloriously offbeat and amazing as I remember it - only for even longer.
There's still hardly a fitting way to describe what Kukangendai are actually doing. They may often rediate relaxed vibes, but even then you can feel that their unique take on Progressive music is rooted in Punk. There's a certain joy in fucking with the listeners brain, as they try to comprehend how three guys can appearantly play two completely different songs at the same time, how they can sound so angular yet funky - and how the result centers so much around atmosphere and songwriting, even though these guys are basically showing off permanently by default.
There are dynamic shifts from the precalent coolness to Ambient, slices of controlled aggression or just sheer infectious danceability, even if you're not sure if what feels like four-on-the-floor isn't actually something metrically completely different.
Ultimately I can only repeat what I've written before as a conclusion of my live review:
Kukangendai are such an in the most literal sense radically Progressive and consistently crazy special band that questions about what and why would only give you an unnecessary headaches, so you better simply accept it as the wicked amzing shit it is.
The packaging isn't much - just a simple hardcover sleeve with the disc in aplastic wrapper inside -, but it has a nice artwork giving underground Jazz vibes - and the music is a 10/10 weird the fuck singularity. Pure Avantgarde awesomeness!
There's still hardly a fitting way to describe what Kukangendai are actually doing. They may often rediate relaxed vibes, but even then you can feel that their unique take on Progressive music is rooted in Punk. There's a certain joy in fucking with the listeners brain, as they try to comprehend how three guys can appearantly play two completely different songs at the same time, how they can sound so angular yet funky - and how the result centers so much around atmosphere and songwriting, even though these guys are basically showing off permanently by default.
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| Kukangendai live in Hamburg 2025 |
Ultimately I can only repeat what I've written before as a conclusion of my live review:
Kukangendai are such an in the most literal sense radically Progressive and consistently crazy special band that questions about what and why would only give you an unnecessary headaches, so you better simply accept it as the wicked amzing shit it is.
The packaging isn't much - just a simple hardcover sleeve with the disc in aplastic wrapper inside -, but it has a nice artwork giving underground Jazz vibes - and the music is a 10/10 weird the fuck singularity. Pure Avantgarde awesomeness!
