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Music of the Week – G-Schmitt – No. 6

Hello again! I have a new music proposal for you, my dear readers with enough patience to wait for new updates…

Today, we’ll explore G-Schmitt, one of the most original and seminal post-punk groups from Japan. They were active in the second half of the ’80s, fronted and guided by the mysterious Syoko, a very charming singer, I like to think her as the Winona Rider of the Japanese post punk, with an obsessive and introspective vein as a constant in their music.

What strikes me the most while listening to their creations, is the incredible diversity of influences and the originality in them, without being dispersive. At the contrary, their music and aesthetic is very coherent, and consist in hypnotic, atmospheric recollections, a phantasmagoria of times gone by and wild dreams and obsessions. They alternate sweetness and harshness in a very natural and flowing way, coherent to the overall character of Japanese culture, with a very strong, and subtle, passion, masked on the surface by the fragmented guitars and cold synths.

After disbanding, Syoko, the true mastermind of the band and the only permanent member, recorded a solo EP and one LP before disappearing into obscurity in 1992. Where has she been since then? Nobody seems to know! If you do, please drop a line or write a comment.

Here is the first track of their second EP, no.6 (a clear reference to Chanel no.5) for your listening pleasure…