It can be easy to get caught up in the main body of Fuji Rock, the Green and White Stages, the Red Marquee, etc. But don’t overlook Pyramid Garden, tucked quietly away from the big and brassy action. If you do, you could miss out on some of the festival’s most interesting acts, like newly added to the lineup but veterans of the Japanese avant-garde scene Asa-Chang and Junray.

Musically they are more of an experimental sonic collage project than a chart topping pop unit, using chopped and reconstructed syllables to fit their varied globally inspired rhythmic beats. But don’t let this lead you to believe they are more cerebral than visceral. They are perhaps best known for songs like 2001’s Hana, featuring their signature spliced phonemes turned to rhythm style matched to the beat of tabla player U-Zhaan. If this seems difficult to understand, follow the link and see for yourself.

While existing as a unit since 1997, the current three piece incarnation with Tomomi Oda on keys and multi-instrumentalist Yoshihiro Ushiro adding vocals, their recent work shows that Asa-Chang and Junray is nowhere near running out of creative steam.  They are Fuji Rock veterans if ever there were any, and will undoubtedly prove a fantastic chilled out set on Saturday at Pyramid Garden.

http://junray.com/