K K . N U L L
KK.NULL (real name : KAZUYUKI KISHINO) was born in Tokyo, Japan. Composer, guitarist, singer, mastermind of ZENI GEVA and electronic wizard. One of the top names in Japanese noise music and in a larger context, one of the great cult artists in experimental music since early 80's.In 1981 KK.NULL studied at Butoh dancer, Min Tanaka's "Mai-Juku" workshop and started his career by performing guitar improvisations in the clubs in Tokyo. He continued by... Read more K K . N U L L
KK.NULL (real name : KAZUYUKI KISHINO) was born in Tokyo, Japan. Composer, guitarist, singer, mastermind of ZENI GEVA and electronic wizard. One of the top names in Japanese noise music and in a larger context, one of the great cult artists in experimental music since early 80's.In 1981 KK.NULL studied at Butoh dancer, Min Tanaka's "Mai-Juku" workshop and started his career by performing guitar improvisations in the clubs in Tokyo. He continued by collaborating with MERZBOW for two years, and joining the band YBO2 (with Tatsuya Yoshida, drummer of RUINS) and starting the improvized noise/rock trio ABSOLUT NULL PUNKT (with Seijiro Murayama, the original drummer of Keiji Haino's FUSHITSUSHA). He gained wider notoriety as "guitar noise terrorist".In 1985 he established his own label NUX ORGANIZATION to produce & release his own works and subsequently the bands such as MELT-BANANA and SPACE STREAKINGS. He also produced the series of "Dead Tech" (compilation albums by Japanese bands) which heralded Japanese alternative music boom internationally from early 90's to date.In early 90's he gained world-wide recognition as the mastermind, guitarist and singer of the progressive hardcore trio ZENI GEVA with their extremely heavy sound, releasing five albums produced by STEVE ALBINI (two on Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles label) and a few more on other labels such as NEUROSIS's Neurot Recordings. Also ZENI GEVA recorded twice for JOHN PEEL SESSION on BBC, and immensely toured throughout Europe, USA, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, playing hundreds of concerts.All the while, KK.NULL has worked on his solo career and collaborated with other musical innovators such as Z'EV, CHRIS WATSON, DANIEL MENCHE, KEIJI HAINO, SEIICHI YAMAMOTO, JON ROSE, BILL HORIST, PHILIP SAMARTZIS, ALEXEI BORISOV, ZBIGNIEW KARKOWSKI, JAMES PLOTKIN, JIM O'ROURKE, FRED FRITH, JOHN ZORN to name a few, and has been invited to perform at international festivals such as "Sonar" in Barcelona (Spain), "Beyond Innocence" in Kobe (Japan), "Exiles" in Berlin (Germany), "International Sound Art Festival" in Mexico City (Mexico), "Sergey Kuryokhin International Festival (SKIF-6 & 8)" in St.Petersburg & Moscow (Russia), "X-peripheria" in Budapest (Hungary), "Totally Huge New Music Festival" in Perth (Australia), "Avanto Helsinki Media Art Festival" in Helsinki (Finland), "All Tomorrow's Parties UK" and more.After playing the guitar as his main instrument for some twenty years, KK.NULL has gradually moved towards a more electronic approach. In recent years he has concentrated his efforts on his solo & collaborative recordings, exploring the outer territories of electronica, creating intense clashing wave of noise, structured electro-acoustic ambience, broken down rhythmics, scattered pitch sculptures, droning isolationist material which could be described "cosmic noise maximal/minimalism".At present KK.NULL has more than 100 titles of recordings released (inc. solo, bands, collaboratiobns, compilations).
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[ - current projects - ]- XENOGLOSSIA with ALEXEI BORISOV (electronics)- duo with Z'EV (percussions) confirmed the UK tour in April 2006- trio with MARINO PLIAKAS (e-bass) and MICHAEL WERTMUELLER (drums)- ABSOLUT NULL PUNKT (ANP) with SEIJIRO MURAYAMA (drums)




1981:
. Prior to beginning his music career, NULL studies at Japanese Butoh dancer MIN TANAKA's "Mai-Juku" workshop. NULL starts to perform as an electric guitar improviser at clubs & galleries in Tokyo. .

1983:
. NULL collaborates with MERZBOW for two years and does many live performances and produces tons of cassette tapes.also joins HANATARASHI at one of their legendary live performance in Osaka. .

1984:
. NULL joins noise/prog rock band YBO2. Releases one 7'EP & two LPs "Alienation" & "Taiyo no Ouji" on Trans Records (Japan). NULL starts improvised rock trio A.N.P. (Absolut Null Punkt) and releases "Killsonic Action" LP on Dossier Records(Germany). Also, NULL produces "Dead Tech" LP (compilation of Japanese alternative bands) which heralds to cause Japanese alternative music movement in western world. .

1985:
. NULL starts his independent label NUX ORGANIZATION and releases his 1st solo LP "Saishu Bushitsu" (Ultimate Material). This album is later reissued via USA magazine Forced Exposure. .

1987:
. NULL starts ZENI GEVA with ex-HANATARASHI drummer IKUO TAKETANI & guitarist MITSURU TABATA (ex-BOREDOMS, LENINGRAD BLUES MACHINE). .

1990:
. NULL tours in USA for the first time and meets JELLO BIAFRA (ex-DEAD KENNEDYS) who offers to release ZENI GEVA on his label Alternative Tentacles. In Tokyo NULL plays with JOHN ZORN & FRED FRITH. .

1991:
. ZENI GEVA records "Total Castration" in Chicago. This heralds the beginning of working with STEVE ALBINI. ZENI GEVA makes the live debut in USA (Chicago, Madison, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco) with support from MELVINS, NEUROSIS, PAIN TEENS. .

1992:
. ZENI GEVA & STEVE ALBINI record "Nai-Ha" in Tokyo. This album is subsequently selected as one of the best Japanese rock albums of the year (1992) by The Music Magazine. ZENI GEVA & ALBINI also play live together in Tokyo & Osaka. ZENI GEVA does their 2nd USA tour with support from CRASH WORSHIP, DAZZLING KILLMEN, etc. NULL plays live with JIM O'ROURKE in Chicago and releases "New Kind Of Water" CD (Charnel Music). .

1993:
. ZENI GEVA records "Desire For Agony" with ALBINI in Chicago before the 3rd USA tour. NULL organizes the first tour of SHELLAC in Japan and ZENI GEVA supports them. .

1994:
. NULL records YONA-KIT with JIM O'ROURKE, DARIN GRAY (ex-DAZZLING KILLMEN) & THYMME JONES (CHEER ACCIDENT) in Chicago with ALBINI and at the same time NULL produces MELT-BANANA's debut album "Speak Squeak Creak" on NUX ORGANIZATION. ZENI GEVA tours in Europe for the first time, playing more than 40 shows in Germany (inc. POP-KOMM), Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Holland (inc. VPRO), Belgium, Italy, France, Austria, Switzerland and England (inc. JOHN PEEL SESSION on BBC). NULL organizes the first tour of JIM O'ROURKE in Japan. .

1995:
. ZENI GEVA records "Freedom Bondage" in France before touring in France & Italy,and plays with SHELLAC in Chicago. ZENI GEVA tours in Australia and New Zealand for the first time. NULL plays also solo in Melbourne & Sydney. ZENI GEVA does the 2nd Europe tour of two months and plays at JOHN PEEL SESSION again. .

1996:
. ZENI GEVA tours in USA with BLAKE FLEMING (drummer from ex-DAZZLING KILLMEN), and also does radio session at WFMU & KFJC. NULL is invited to play at the festival "Hyperstrings" in Vienna, Austria. NULL starts experimental jazz/rock band TERMINAL HZ with DAVID BROWN & SEAN BAXTER in Melbourne, Australia. ZENI GEVA tours in USA again with new drummer MASATAKA FUJIKAKE and in Europe, playing in many countries for the first time including Norway, Poland, Czech, Slovenia, Croatia and Portugal. .

1997:
. NULL tours in Australia (Sydney, Melbourne, Tasmania) and records with TERMINAL HZ at RMIT (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology). ZENI GEVA does the 2nd Australia tour and plays at "Livid" festival in Brisbane. NULL supports MIKE PATTON (ex-FAITH NO MORE) at his Melbourne show. In Tokyo NULL plays as a part of noise orchestra MELTDOWN OF CONTROL organized by ZBIGNIEW KARKOWSKI (SENSORBAND). .

1998:
. ZENI GEVA records KRAFTWERK's "Sex Object" for a tribute album to KRAFTWERK "Muisque Non Stop" on Toshiba EMI (Japan). NULL starts several collaborations with such as ZBIGNIEW KARKOWSKI, SEIICHI YAMAMOTO (BOREDOMS), DAVID BROWN and KEIJI HAINO. Also, NULL starts to play drums in his new band GUGAN with MITSURU TABATA. NULL tours in Australia playing 15 shows (inc. "What Is Music?" & "Fringe" festivals) and collaborates with ANDREW GARTON, MATTHEW THOMAS, GREG KINGSTON. Also, NULL supports SONIC YOUTH in Melbourne & Adelaide. NULL is invited to play at "Beyond Innocence" festival in Kobe. .

1999:
. NULL is invited to play at "Beyond Music and Sound" festival in Los Angeles and opening for the artspace "Deadtech" in Chicago,and tours in USA playing 20 shows, with support by DAMIAN CATERA (CONDEMEK). NULL & SEIICHI YAMAMOTO form "guitar/techno" unit "ONTOKO" and releases the 1st CD from Ummo Records (Japan). .

2000:
. NULL contributes music for "Grinding the Wind", an exhibition of kinetic sculpture at Rider University (USA), curated by JAMES DICKINSON. NULL starts several collaborative recordings with such as JON ROSE, PHILIP SAMARTZIS. ZENI GEVA supports the first Japan Tour of NEUROSIS and NULL organizes the first Japan Tour of EMIL BEAULIEAU (Ron Lessard) and ZIPPER SPY from RRRecords, USA. ZENI GEVA records its new album "10,000 LIGHT YEARS" in Chicago by Steve Albini, and does a live radio session at KFJC and live show with NEUROSIS at the Great American Hall in SF. NULL tours in Europe with JON ROSE, playing 8 shows (inc. "the Exiles" festival in Berlin, playing with such as KEITH ROWE, TONY BUCK, KATO HIDEKI, ANNE LA BERGE, ROBYN SCHULKOWSKY) in Germany, Holland, Belgium & France. .

2001:
. NULL tours in Japan with PHILIP SAMARTZIS and starts a unit with MASONNA called "ULTIMATE SPACE MACHINE NULLSONIC" . also starts "trance drum'n noise" unit MONSTER DVD with MITSURU TABATA (ZENI GEVA) & YASUTOSHI YOSHIDA (GOVERNMENT ALPHA). NULL is invited to perform at "Sonar" festival in Barcelona, Spain in June and at "International Sound Art Festival" in Mexico City, Mexico in July. MONSTER DVD is invited to play at the festival "Batofar cherche... Tokyo" in Paris in November, and also plays 15 shows in Austria, Germany, Holland, Belgium, France and Switzerland. KK.NULL does solo sets as well. .

2002:
In April : ZENI GEVA is invited to play at the "All Tomorrow's Parties U.K." and also play a few shows in Switzerland, France and Belgium. in May NULL is invited to play at the "Sergey Kuryokhin International Festival (SKIF-6)" in St.Petersburg & Moscow, Russia and the "X-Peripheria" festival in Budapest, Hungary. and also plays a few shows in Austria, Croatia, Bosnia/Herzegovina and Slovenia. .

2003:
. In March-April : NULL is invited to attend "The 6th Totally Huge New Music Festival" in Perth doing concerts, DJ and workshops and also does several concerts in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. In November NULL is invited to perform at "The 4th Avanto Helsinki Media Art Festival" in Helsinki, Finland, and "The 70 years Fylkingen Jibbolii" in Stockholm, Sweden. also play a few concerts in Holland, Belgium, Austria, Swizterland and France. .

2004:
. In April : the reunited ANP (KK.NULL & SEIJIRO MURAYAMA) are invited to perform at "Sergey Kuryokhin International Festival (SKIF-8)" in St.Petersburg & Moscow, Russia and also play a few concerts in Europe (Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France, Belgium, Holland, Denmark, Norway, Finland). XENOGLOSSIA (KK.NULL & ALEXEI BRISOV) makes their live debut in Moscow. .

2005:
. In September-October KK.NULL teams up with MARINO PLIAKAS (e-bass / STEAMBOAT SWITZERLAND) and MICHAEL WERTMUELLER (drums / ALBOTH!, WILLIAM PARKER TRIO) and does several concerts (inc. "Long-Arms Festival") in Russia (Moscow, St. Petersburg and Yaroslavl). And also KK.NULL performs with ALEXEI BORISOV as XENOGLOSSIA in Moscow and Yaroslavl and solo performance at the festival "Hea Uus Heli" in Tallin, Estonia. . Show less