Skin Graft Records – Et Cetera – Melt-Banana, Pre, Strangulated Beatoffs, Ufo Or Die, Zeni Geva
Aside from bands mentioned in previous threads, there’s also a number of bands on Skin Graft that were omitted since they produced a relatively small amount of material for the label. They are Melt-Banana (Japan), Pre (UK), Ufo Or Die (Japan) and Zeni-Geva (Japan). Since their inception in the early 90s, Melt-Banana releases countless singles, splits and albums on such labels as Nux Organization, Chocolate Monk, Slap A Ham and HG Fact. Much of their music is nearly unlistenable at times, with speedy guitar lines and shrieking/hysterical vocals (courtesy of lead singer Yasuko Onuki) serving as a foundation of their work. However, thanks to their intense live shows and overall notoriety they became known outside of Japan. According to Skin Graft bio, UK-based Pre were “Born in a basement” and they are “based in London”. Their debut full-length “Epic Fits” came out on SG in 2007, but they also released many singles on other labels, including Blood Of The Drash, Lovepump United and Merok. Strangulated Beatoffs is/was one of the offshoots of Drunks With Guns, which included ex-DWG members Fritz Noble and Stan Seitrich (one of their records also featured an appearance by Mike DeLeon, also of DWG). If DWG were known as pranksters/terrorists, then it goes double for SB – they did a 7″ whose main theme was music/persona of Michael Jackson and much of the artwork on their albums and song titles demonstrate the special sense of humor that this band possess. Ufo Or Die was mid 90s off-shoot of Japanese band Boredoms, which included Yoshimmi P-We (OOIOO), Yamatsuka Eye (Naked City, Hanatarash) and Katsumi (Omoide Hatoba). They released few EPs and one full-length called “Cassettetape Superstar” in 1996 (it was also reissued in 2000). Zeni Geva is a veteran Japanese rock band, which was around since the early 80s and is still going strong in the new millenium. The band worked with renowned producer Steve Albini (Rapeman, Big Black, Shellac) and one of its members is guitarist K.K. Null (Kazuyuki Kishino), who is a prolific solo artist in his own right.
Arguably, Ruins are one of the best-known Japanese bands around and their longevity is just one of the reasons - they started out in the 80s and were active until 2008, when Ruins turned into Ruins Alone, solo project of the founding member Tatsuya Yoshida. Musically, they blend prog rock,…
Yona-Kit was a one-off collaboration between members of American band Brise-Glace (Jim O'Rourke, Darin Gray and Thymme Jones) and Japanese guitarist KK Null. They released one self-titled album, which came out on Skin Graft in 1995 and was produced by Steve Albini (Big Black, Rapeman, Shellac).They also contributed few compilation…