Shogun Kunitoki

Bio

Shogun Kunitoki is a band from Helsinki, Finland, with a mission to help electronic music regress back to a more human state, the time of the tube organ and the ring modulator, the spring reverb and the test oscillator.

Shogun Kunitoki's debut album, Tasankokaiku, released by Fonal in early 2006 came out of nowhere and established the previously unknown band as one of the most original instrumental groups to have emerged after the post rock boom. Tasankokaiku's psychedelic mix of minimalist form and maximalist sound that draws equally from the academic avant-garde and the left-field rock canon from the 60s to the present day has won the group a small but fervent fanbase.

The roots of Shogun Kunitoki go back to the late 1990s. After a few years of creating hypnotic, churning drones with Commodore 64 computers the group grew frustrated by the restrictions of the 8-bit universe and started experimenting with more expressive sound sources. Slowly, Shogun Kunitoki moved away from computer-based music, and was eventually reborn as a real band with live instrumentation and a new, organic sound.

With Tasankokaiku, Shogun Kunitoki cemented their newfound sound that was immediately recognized by reviewers and music fans as a compelling cocktail of accessibility and ambitious aspirations where edgy 8-bit bleeps and soft-focus psychedelia shake hands on seven kaleidoscopic trips. The record received favourable reviews from such established publications and websites as Wire Magazine, PopMatters, Stylus Magazine, Exclaim!, Dusted Magazine, and Pitchforkmedia, where it was even tagged as 'recommended'.

Shogun Kunitoki's concerts, accompanied by entrancing Super 8 -projections, have been rare occasions, especially outside their native Finland. So far only a handful of club and festival audiences in Sweden(Fylkingen), Estonia(HUH), Russia(IKRA), Belgium(Klarafestival, Etoiles Polaires) and the Netherlands (Bazaar Curieux) have had the chance to witness the group's double-organ attack. The music, however, has traveled wider, thanks to the endorsement of numerous music blogs and underground radio DJs in the US and Europe and as far as Australia and Japan. At New York's WNYU Tasankokaiku even hit the number one position on the weekly chart.

With their second album, Vinonaamakasio released on Fonal Records in 2009, Shogun Kunitoki expand the boundaries of their self-created sonic universe with a wider array of sounds and rhythms. Where Tasankokaiku squeezed cosmic dust into fiery balls of molten lava with gravitational push and pull and followed the planets whirring through the void on looping trajectories, its yet untitled successor zooms in to explore the jagged shapes of exploding volcanoes, rolls with the moonlit waves through the cracks of sleeping, phosphorescent coral reefs and marches in step with the six-legged insect armies making their trails through the steaming jungle. Still, there is no mistaking the sound for any other band, because every atom of this newborn planet of sound has its origin in the seething psychedelic stew that flows under the surface and burns your feet if you let them stop moving.

News

16	Jan	2010 -	Mulberg from Vinonaamakasio is also included in A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble compilation CD that is released together with February 2010 issue of Mojo Magazine. As A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble Exploding In Your Mind: Volume 2 which also featured Shogun Kunitoki, this new one is also compiled by the Amorphous Androgynous. Don't be confused by the typo at the back cover spelling our name as Shogun Kinotichi.
15	Dec	2009 -	Shogun Kunitoki will be touring UK 5.-12. March 2010. Stay tuned. For UK booking, please contact NO-FI.
21	Sep	2009 -	Mulberg from Vinonaamakasio appears on compilation titled A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble Exploding In Your Mind: Volume 2 that is compiled by the Amorphous Androgynous and released by Platipus Records today.
01	May	2009 -	Shogun Kunitoki t-shirts are now available from Tasankokaiku Shop. Get your own as long that we have stock!
11	Mar	2009 -	Our second album, titled Vinonaamakasio, has been officially released by Fonal Records. It is available on CD, 12" picture vinyl and digital download/stream (iTunes, Spotify, etc...). The picture vinyl features two animations that can be viewed using a special Shogun Kunitoki Strobe Light. You may purchase the album straight from Shogun Kunitoki at Tasankokaiku Shop. Record is also available at Fonal shop and from distributors and shops worldwide.

26	Mar	2009 -	IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT! If you have uploaded online (your blog, Flickr, Youtube etc.) any Shogun Kunitoki related material, whether it is reviews or critics, photos, videos etc. that you have took/made yourself, please drop us an email. We are always interested in linking to existing material from our site. We will link to all reviews (good,bad,whatever language) from our site if they reach certain quality as written text. Photos/videos are also welcome, we might be interested in using your photo as promo material! But in order to do the linking, we have to know that material is online. So please, let us know!
21	Mar	2009 -	Riddarholmen from Vinonaamakasio is included in The Wire Tapper #21 CD, that comes free with The Wire April 2009 issue 302.
04	Mar	2009 -	Shogun Kunitoki is artist of the week at Finnish MySpace. This means that all MySpace users can listen Vinonaamakasio from beginning to the end at our official MySpace site. Full album will stay online up to and including official release date March 11.
25	Feb	2009 -	Our second album, titled Vinonaamakasio, will be released on March 11 by Fonal Records. Vinonaamakasio will be available on CD and 12" picture vinyl. The picture vinyl features two animations that can be viewed using a special Shogun Kunitoki Strobe Light. We are now taking in pre-orders for the record at Tasankokaiku Shop.
29	Oct	2008 -	Tasankokaiku Shop is now open. At the moment we only have Tasankokaiku CD:s and pin badges but as the release of our second album, Vinonaamakasio, gets closer, we will soon have much more items to sell. You can enter the shop from the flashy banner on the right.
20	Oct	2008 -	Our next album titled Vinonaamakasio has been finished. The planned release date is February 2008. Vinonaamaksio will be released by Fonal Records and on CD and 12" picture vinyl. More details will be revealed later.
07	Dec	2007 -	Fonal Records has made a small pressing of Shogun Kunitoki -buttons. You can order them from Fonal Records online shop or from us at our concerts. Remember also that while waiting for the new Kunitoki album (which is in the post production stage at the moment), you can still order a copy of Tasankokaiku directly from the band from our own online shop. The price, including postage, is 13 euros.
28	May	2006 -	The second pressing of Tasankokaiku is now in stock. You can order a copy directly from the band at orders@shogunkunitoki.com. Check out the ordering info. The price, including postage, is 13/15 euros (Finland/Rest of the world). Tasankokaiku is also available through Fonal records and selected stores and distributors worldwide.
27	Aug	2006 -	Our tiny European tour which was intended to happen in 8.-19. September is cancelled due lack of interest except for concerts 14.-16. September in Benelux countries.
24	Jul	2006 -	Shogun Kunitoki is setting up a small tour in 8.-19. September. Rute goes through Sweden, Germany, Benelux-countries and possibly Denmark, Norway and France. There are some dates available (confirmed concerts can be found on the concerts section below) so if you are interested in booking the band, please send an email to booking@shogunkunitoki.com.
14	Apr	2006 -	The first pressing of Tasankokaiku is now sold out from Fonal. Thanks to everyone who bought it. The second pressing should be available by the end of May.
17	Mar	2006 -	The Fonal 10th anniversary promo compilation, Summer and Smiles of Finland, which features the track Montezuma from Tasankokaiku is now more or less out of print. The cd is no longer available through Fonal Records, but if you act fast, you might still be able to find a copy from one of the distributors and shops that carry Fonal releases.
13	Feb	2006 -	Our debut album, Tasankokaiku, is out now. Check out two full length sample tracks, Montezuma and Tropiikin Kuuma Huuma on Fonal Jukebox. The opening track from the album, Montezuma, is also included on the Fonal 10th anniversary promo compilation, Summer and Smiles of Finland, which was released today as well and comes FREE with the purhcase of any normal-priced cd from Fonal. The other artists featured on the cd are Es, Islaja, Kemialliset ystävät, Kiila, Paavoharju, Risto and TV-Resistori. Both cds are available directly from Fonal Records or from distributors and shops worldwide.

Releases

Mystical Strobe Lamp (for FR-62LP), FR-62SL Order Info

Vinonaamakasio CD/Picture LP Order

Vinonaamakasio
Mulberg
Riddarholmen
Fuzzabeth Crackleby
Holvikirkko
Corda
Svileto
Ratalintu
Nebulus

35 minutes

Fonal Records

FR-62/FR-62LP / FI-SSP-09-00001 - 00009

Release date 11/Mar/2009

Reviews

brilliantly psychedelic and mysterious - Small Town Romance

jos ei kaaosta, niin ainakin kaaoksen tuntua - Soundi (in Finnish)

vilde, psykedeliske understrømme - Undertoner (in Danish)

fortified maelstrom of melodic textures - Dusted Magazine

pedal-to-the-metal - The Silent Ballet

Orgelmeditation - Nordische Musik (in German)

a big analogue fuck you - cokemachineglow

own brand of chaotic psychedelia - undomondo

???????? - Monchicon! (in Japanese)

the band's Terminator 2 - The Needle Drop

infusing a catchy intensity - Aquarius Records

een psychedelisch sausje - mrbungle (in Dutch)

a bag of bricks to the head - Band of the week - The Silent Ballet

fizzes and chops - Shot by Both Sides

visceral psychedelia - Raven Sings the Blues

a love for the lo-fidelity naughtiness - Other Music

junnaamalla, pärskähtelemällä ja pulputtamalla - Desibeli.net (in Finnish)

all-organs-blazing double whammy - boomkat

kaikista retron kirouksista vapaana - Rumba 04/2009 (in Finnish)

Tasankokaiku CD Order

Montezuma
Leivonen
Tropiikin kuuma huuma
Daniel
Tulevaisuus - Menneisyys = 1
1918-1926
Piste

33 minutes

Fonal Records

FR-41 / FI-SSP-06-00006 - 00012

Release date 14/Feb/2006

Reviews

configuración minimalista y experimental - audiorama (in Spanish)

Science-Fiction im Gehrock - NONPOP spartenmagazin (in German)

Dárek Stevu Reichovi k sedmdesátinám - klusak.blog.respekt.cz (in Czech)

an added potency to inject some adrenaline - The Silent Ballet

a majestic, towering experience - stylus magazine

music that you usually hear at church services - music is worth it.

hey-day prog rock - Exlaim!

fly-on-the-wall-of-the-universe - Dusted Magazine

imaginativos patrones como por arte de magia - geedorah.com (in Spanish)

bubblar och sprudlar av energi och glï¿½dje - soundofmusic (in Swedish)

too cute and smug for my taste - Brainwashed

Switched On the Doors series - recommended - Pitchfork

Fonalin rosterin aatelia - Turun ylioppilaslehti (in Finnish)

a hugely engaging release - Incendiary Magazine

intricate constructions of electronica - PopMatters

Zeven lange tracks vol geluid - File Under (in Dutch)

seitsemän mainiota ääniseikkailua - Soundi (in Finnish)

den psykedeliske lydstorm - GAFFA.dk (in Danish)

Sonny Crocket in thick neon letters - foxy digitalis

This shit has got to be evil - Cokemachineglow.com

lego-ukkojen soittamaa Magyar Possea - Noise.fi (in Finnish)

De wollige elektronica - KindaMuzik (in Dutch)

very impressive debut album - Harmonium

warm world of fuzzy sound - record of the week - Aquarius Records

a fragile harmony with machinery - girlpants

kuin integraali lineaariavaruudessa - Desibeli.net (in Finnish)

way too human for Electronica - Other Music

Great damaged synth works - volcanic tongue

almost impossibly irresistible - album of the week - boomkat.com

hilpeä ja hyväntuulinen meininki - Shortcuts to Enlightenment (in Finnish)

A couple of our tracks can be found on compilations.

Mulberg appears on Mojo presents A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble Exploding in Your Mind, MOJO

Mulberg appears on A Monstrous Psychedelic Bubble Exploding in Your Mind: Volume 2, PLATCD191

Riddarholmen appears on Wire Tapper #21.

Montezuma appears on Summer and Smiles of Finland, FR-40.

Soul Root - Eight Miles High appears on Voima ja Notkeus, 4x7" box, Hinkstoona:001.

5:36 appears on Avanto 2001 cd.

Concerts

There are no upcoming events to name yet.

08	Dec	2012 -	VadelmaGaala, Sture21, Helsinki
09	Nov	2012 -	Nordic Sound Station, Eskilstuna
18	May	2012 -	Psychotropic Caravan Club, Lepakkomies, Helsinki
08	Oct	2011 -	Keroxen, Santa Cruz de Tenerife
29	Jan	2011 -	Nasti Club, Madrid /w Rockettothesky
28	Jan	2011 -	Tanned Tin, Teatre Principal, Castellón de la Plana /w Thurston Moore, Rockettothesky, ...
27	Jan	2011 -	La lata de bombillas, Zaragoza /w Rockettothesky
10	Dec	2010 -	Trans Musicales, Rennes
23	Oct	2010 -	NOTCH10 Festival, Village North N6, Beijing
20	Oct	2010 -	Yugong Yishan, Beijing /w Jacob Sikker Remin
18	Oct	2010 -	Expo 2010 Shanghai, Finnish Pavilion Kirnu, Shanghai
16	Oct	2010 -	NOTCH10 festival, Mao Livehouse, Shanghai /w Islaja, Lau Nau, Antti Tolvi
15	Oct	2010 -	NOTCH10 Festival, Tu Space, Guangzhou /w Islaja, Lau Nau
02	Oct	2010 -	Fritz's Corner, Debaser, Stockholm /w Kriget
09	Sep	2010 -	YK, Helsinki
15	Jul	2010 -	Lieveilmiö, Dynamo, Turku
04	Jun	2010 -	Kumu öö, Kumu, Tallin
22	May	2010 -	Spot Festival, Aarhus
12	Mar	2010 -	AV Festival, The Sage Gateshead, Newcastle /w Kiila, Alasdair Roberts and band
08	Mar	2010 -	Cafe OTO, London
09	Jan	2010 -	Ptarmigan, Helsinki /w Tomutonttu, C Spencer Yeh, Les Manures
09	Dec	2009 -	TOKYO's Funeral X C.U.N.T., Kuudes Linja, Helsinki /w Risto (Soolo)
14	Nov	2009 -	Susiklubi, Andorra, Helsinki /w Sen kuinka kertoisin, Masalin & Muut, Ville Ahonen yhtye
10	Oct	2009 -	PHONO 09, Odense offentlige slagtehuse, Odense
09	Oct	2009 -	Inkonst, Malmö /w This is head
09	May	2009 -	Daydream Nation, Strand, Stockholm /w Laakso
08	May	2009 -	Galleri ORO, Göteborg
07	May	2009 -	Koloni / Pustervik, Göteborg /w Es, Tomutonttu
28	Apr	2009 -	Tavastia, Helsinki /w Grails
25	Apr	2009 -	SKIF Festival, Modern Art Center, Saint-Petersburg /w Deerhoof, Moremoney, Baaba
03	Apr	2009 -	Pixelache, Dubrovnik, Helsinki
12	Dec	2008 -	Iltamat kujalla, KokoTeatteri, Helsinki /w Kuupuu, Vuk
18	Oct	2008 -	Actzal, Moscow /w Lau Nau
21	May	2008 -	100% Finlande, La Flèche d'Or, Paris /w Regina, Pets on Prozac
13	May	2008 -	Kuudes linja, Helsinki /w Atlas Sounds
03	May	2008 -	Vastik Disko, Polymer, Tallin /w Regina, tba
26	Jan	2008 -	Boring as Fuck, Kantis, Helsinki
14	Dec	2007 -	Etoiles Polaires, Vooruit, Ghent /w Pekko Käppi, Uumen, Kuusumun Profeetta
25	Nov	2007 -	Itsenäisyysyö, IKRA, Moscow /w Eleanoora Rosenholm, Ville Leinonen, Don Johnson Big Band, Pooma
19	Oct	2007 -	Musiikki & Media, Yo-Talo, Tampere /w Eleanoora Rosenholm, Kemialliset ystävät, Islaja
18	Aug	2007 -	Flow Festival /w Quiet Village, hannulelauri, Luomo, Jori Hulkkonen, ASS (Andreas Söderström Solo), et al.
11	Aug	2007 -	Tavastia /w Martin Rev
26	Jun	2007 -	redrum, Helsinki /w Islaja
19	May	2007 -	Se on OK, Porin taidemuseo, Pori
21	Apr	2007 -	Jyrock, Ilokivi, Jyväskylä /w Risto, Athletic Arms, Marissa Nadler, Agent M, Felix Zenger, Tuomas Toivonen, Kaukolampi, Puranen, Nykänen
07	Dec	2006 -	Myymälä² / If Society Vaguelly Unsettling Daydream Before Christmas Party, Kuudes linja, Helsinki /w Tuomas Toivonen
16	Sep	2006 -	Bazar Curieux, Now & Wow, Rotterdam /w Peaches and Herms, Stijn, Cansei de Ser Sexy, TicToc, Liars, Bat for Lashes, Pink Mountaintops
15	Sep	2006 -	Gog Bot, Atak, Enschede
14	Sep	2006 -	Klarafestival, Festivalboat/Kaai, Brussels
06	Sep	2006 -	Potlatch & Robot Rock!, Semifinal, Helsinki /w Sunburned Hand of the Man, Tomutonttu, Hot Rod
26	Aug	2006 -	Wäiski, Helsinki /w The Radians
05	Aug	2006 -	Uuden musiikin festivaali, Päiväkoti, Turku /w Risto, Tv-resistori
17	Jun	2006 -	Läs, Kuudes linja, Helsinki /w Joose Keskitalo
13	Apr	2006 -	Vallaton Klubi, Taidehallin klubi, Helsinki
31	Mar	2006 -	Dynamo, Turku w/ Mr Velcro Fastener
02	Dec	2005 -	Là-bas, Kaapeli, Helsinki w/ Cloama, Sadkarma, Rene Kita / Ibrahim Terzic, Nosfe, Kuu-maa
25	Nov	2005 -	Ravintola Kirja, Helsinki w/ Es, Markku Lahtelan Sirkus
13	Nov	2005 -	Mental Alaska, Telakka, Tampere w/ Islaja, Ben Reynolds
29	Oct	2005 -	Cityside & Countryside, Kortteliravintola Kerttu, Turku
07	Oct	2005 -	Hea Uus Heli, Von Krahli Teatri Baar, Tallin w/ Funckarma, Kriipis Tulo, Antoine Verhaverbeke & Richard Widerberg, Tencu
08	Jun	2005 -	Factory, Helsinki w/ The Radians
23	Apr	2005 -	Pixelvärk, Fylkingen, Stockholm w/ Differnet, Johan Skugge
12	Feb	2005 -	Koti-ilta, Siamintie, Helsinki w/ Joose Keskitalo, Kuokkavieraat
14	Jan	2005 -	Potlatch, Oranssi, Helsinki w/ Radiopuhelimet, Aïr, Harry Hunks, et al.
14	May	2004 -	Non Repetat, Forum Box, Helsinki w/ Es, Janne Martinkauppi
03	Apr	2004 -	Pixelache, Gloria, Helsinki w/ Farben, Visiomat inc., Silmu
27	Mar	2004 -	AMA, Kipsari, Helsinki
21	Jan	2004 -	Fonal Fest, YO-talo, Tampere w/ Kiila, Magyar Posse
22	Oct	2003 -	Tulipesä, Kirjakahvila, Turku
08	Aug	2003 -	Boring as Fuck, Kipsari, Helsinki w/ Vuk
22	May	2003 -	Myymälä², Helsinki w/ Avarus, Kukkiva Poliisi
08	Dec	2001 -	Potlatch, Oranssi, Helsinki w/ Audionom, Seamonster¹
09	Nov	2001 -	Avanto, Gloria, Helsinki w/ Keuhkot, Op:l Bastards, Es
21	Jan	2001 -	Potlatch, Oranssi, Helsinki w/ Es
01	Sep	1999 -	Kaukana väijyy ystäviä, Oranssi, Helsinki w/ Office Building, Aïr, et al.