ASKA TEMPLE

ASKA TEMPLE is a re-discovery of music past in many ways.

In the early days Eurock was inspired by the explosion of rock experimentalism coming out of continental Europe, the mutated strains of  US and Anglo psychedelic/ progressive innovations.

Time passed, the world turned, and the mode of the music changed with the advent of technology, development of the “multi-market”, and a generation shift. To an incredible extent the spirit of creativity has been diminished.

Upon first hearing the Japanese “band” ASKA TEMPLE (the group moniker for the music of one Muneharu Yuuba, aka, John Ubel), I was stunned that something could flash me back so strongly to the sound and fury of pure creativity that I had heard in early “krautrock”. It was extreme, improvised and filled with pure cosmic energy. Further exploration of the large catalog of releases by the “band” on the NICHTS Records label increased my interest. I found the music, creative approach and artistic presentation embodied in the whole “concept” fascinating.

In addition to ASKA TEMPLE, Ubel plays in a Japanese Scum rock band named PRISONER NO. 6 that explores the outer edges of "rock 'n' roll". His talent for musical creation is vast.

I subsequently made contact with him. This interview and label rundown attempts to offer a glimpse into the mythos - story and music - of ASKA TEMPLE. For historical perspective I've done a capsule review run down of the 22 titles released on the label to go along with this interview, trying my best to convey the spirit and make valid comparison to the early German pioneers. All CDs are now sadly OUT OF PRINT!

A~

John Ubel INTERVIEW

Q: At what age did you first listen to music?
A: At about 4 years old, I liked to sing for fun the Beatles song YELLOW SUBMARINE in Japanese.

Q: Do you remember who your favorite band was in the early days?
A: The Bay City Rollers

Q: What was the first instrument you played/ at what age?
A: A guitar, the Les Paul, JEFF BECK model, made in Japan. I earned the money for by it delivering newspapers at 11 years old.

Q: When did you form your first band?
A: At 13 years old with some school friends.

Q: What was the name of your first band, and what kind of music did you play?
A: The first band was called PARANOID. We played hard rock in the style of Rainbow, Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Van Halen

Q: Who were the musicians that influenced you?
A: Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, Manuel Gottsching, and Peter Hammill

Q: The music of ASKA TEMPLE seems very much influenced by some of the early “krautrock” musicians. What were your favorite German bands?
A: Since I was in my teens I liked German rock. I like the Deutsch language. I especially liked the band Novalis. In the summer when I was 15 years old (now I’m 37 years old), I listened to Tangerine Dream and Klaus Schulze. I then began meditating, and felt like I got in touch with my spiritual side, became like a ghost in some way.

Q: Your music does seem to have a very cosmic and spiritual side to it. Do you have those sorts of ideas in your mind when you make it?
A: MY music started as a reaction against school and society, kind of like the PUNKS. But I wanted to make more psychic music. I made the album DEATH BOOK when I was 17 years old. The theme was about KOUYA-SAN. This mountain is the holy place of WAKAYAMA. When a man dies, his spirit travels to the Holy Mountain

I remembered when I was in my mother's body, and what I thought about before birth. I wanted to make the sounds of The Land of DEATH, or the eternal darkness. I overdubbed 200 times a KORG MS-20. I did it during the full moon. I wanted to approach the state of NICHTS (meaning nothingness in the lore of Japanese MU). This was similar to KITAROU NISHIDA, a Japanese philosopher who says the SUBJECT and OBJECT makes a circle, and the center point becomes NICHTS (“Nothing”), which is the name I gave my record label. My overdub was going on and on, until it lost its center point. I wanted to create more and more abstraction. It was a battle of boy against the material and spirit. I think purity of spirit occurs during the struggle against the material.

The DEATH BOOK recording was the base point musically for me. I had never done a recording like that.

ASKA TEMPLE means dead civilization, and the remaining old graves and ruins, a Land of DEATH; the people in this land are ghosts. There were many battles in this small land in ancient times. And I live everyday in this land with the ghosts.

When I play it looks insane, playing mad sounds on guitar and synthesizer, but I must play these sounds, because I feel the ghosts make me do it.

Q: Do you hope that people experience a certain state of consciousness or feeling when listening to your music?
A: It's OK to listen to my music casually, but I hope my music encourages deeper listening to help someone find themselves through the music.

Q: Your releases have “cosmic” art work, again like the early German bands. Some are actually recorded live in concert; do you also record in your own studio, or a professional studio?
A: All of my recordings are made in a home studio except of course the tracks recorded LIVE. Then with my 21^st album, ST. MARIA, SHE EXTENDS HER HANDS, I recorded it in an outside studio.

Q: Do you envision your productions as some form of fusion - art plus music = conceptual work?
A: The art work is by MOMAX. He was a film director. The ART and MUSIC is really an organic creation that is ASKA TEMPLE. In reality, there really is such a temple in Asuka village, in Japan

Q: Ultimately do you want to be more successful in the commercial pop music realm or do you prefer simply to make music because you love it?
A: I don't want to think only of success commercially. That's only about money. I simply want to make the music that comes out of my inner self when I play. I love myself. My music is instrumental to loving myself and the world. I don't want hate in the world anymore.