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INDEX
INTERVIEWS
GUESTBOOK
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CABAL/
CHO JIN Records Interview 1998
Nowadays
it’s rare to see something original in the underground but CHO-Jin
records and distro really intrigued me as Jan, the maker of CHO-Jin,
uses a totally different concept compared to usual gore artworks...
He’s a lot in the stuffs coming from Japan and he sells some tapes
at a very cheap price (less than 3 US$...)and he also has got a
good band called CABAL, if you didn’t really like their split tape
With C.S.S.O (personally I like it...) forget everythings they have
done before and wait for their following Ep ‘coz this will be 100
times better with a great sound! So you can write to Jan who answer
the following interview to get the CHO-JIN distro mailorder(include
one stamp)...
NIHIL: You’re running a dist which is mostly about gore, grind, death and noise from Japan, why this? Are you selling this kind of stuff since a long time?
JAN: When I was younger, I listened to underground stuffs, but I was more traditional grind/death/HC. Then I heard about C.S.S.O, got their CD, and this was the start of CHO-JIN Distro. I got blasted by this release, I wanted more people to know about the japonese madness, I wanted to show that you can spread nippon releases and still keep cheap prices and D.I.Y attitude. I guess I’m selling this kind of stuff since 2 or 3 years.
NIHIL: Do you think Japonese bands have got a particular sound? Have they got a little something more that makes you love them?
JAN: Of course! I like jap bands because most of them are totally weird (FINAL EXIT, C.S.S.O, CUNT’N’BANANAZ, NYARLATHOTHEP...). There are also more traditional sounding bands (MASSGROUND and the whole emerging death scene). The only thing that lasts for the moment in Japan, is a good gore band. Since IMPREGNATE TRICHOMONAS split, there’s not much left (except VAMPIRIC MOTIVES).
NIHIL: How did you get the idea to run this distro with only japanese bands? Are you into japonese music and mangas?
JAN: I think my answer to question one still fits here. It’s true that japanimation/mangas interest me a lo. I liked their sick/perverse art even before I started CHO-JIN. They are so different compared to traditional comics, they are pure sickness. Support Go Nagai, Ken Ishikawa and all the others.
NIHIL: The mangas’ artwork is very original compared to the usual (but great) putrid artwork. Do you think it will entice the attention of peoples? It can also have a repulsive effect...
JAN: You’re
right, lots of people think japanimation is for kids, because in
our western countries, cartoons and comics are made mostly for children.
But that’s different in Japan. For example, if an US company would
put out a robot/mecha comic, they would only target on people under
12 years while a nippon release on the same subject would be for
people over 16, ‘cause the scenario is always deeper, there are
sex/gore scenes. But I think it can attract people too, because
there are things accepted in Japan that are totally rejected in
our countries. I mean these things are not accepted in real life,
but japanese authorities don’t give a fuck if there’s zoophile/pedophile
stuff in a comic.
I do not advocate such kind of sexual behaviours,
, but the fact is that Japan has the lowest rape/pedophile attacks
rate in the world because people are able to calm their pulsions
with perverse mangas. So yes, I think using japanimation can be
a good media, perhaps as good as normal putrid artworks.
NIHIL: You also play in a brutal death metal band called CABAL, give us the history of the band.
JAN: The story
goes something like this: we started 2 or 3 years ago, I guess,
and recorded our first songs. The line up already consisted of:
Olarg(bass), Bio-jcd(vocals) and me(guitar/voc). We have 2 drum
machines (RY-10 and DR-660). Those songs got on the GKP-001 tape
comp. Then we recorded songs for for the split tape with C.S.S.O.
(around january 1997). During summer 97 we recorded again for the
Panx CD comp and for thee Grind the faces of Rockstars 3. And now
we’ve recorded new songs for a 7Ep that will be out in march’98;
but we’re gonna record some more songs. Oh, and we also have 2 songs
on the grinding madness 2 7Ep comp, along with SQUASH BOWELS, SLOUGH,
LYMPHATIC PHLEGM ... I guess that’s it. We had to play at the Pornogore
festival in Paris but Olarg and LCD had exams in this period. Now
I live in Germany and Olarg and JCD still live in Toulouse/France,
so we do one rehearsal every 3 months. That sucks!
At the begining
we just wanted to be a goreband with lyrics about vegetarianism.
We’re all antispecist in the band, we’re all meat free and that’s
our main message: don’t eat animals, don’t use them as slaves, ‘cause
they have feelings too. You’re entitled to your own freedom, not
to take others away.
NIHIL: If you had to give a name to your music what would it be?
JAN: Our last songs could be defined with the words: Japanimated goregrind with brutal death riffing and some video games/INTESTINE BAALISM influenced solos. CABAL is irony.
NIHIL: What are your fave bands and influences?
JAN: My favorite bands are CARCASS (2 first albums), C.S.S.O, GENERAL SURGERY, INTESTINE BAALISM, IMPETIGO, DEAD, and they are my influences when I compose a song for CABAL. I also listen to totally different stuff like free/noise jazz, BLACK SABBATH, political/SXE hardcore...
NIHIL: You told me you were going to release an EP, don’t you think it’s a shame vynil is slowly dying? Only underground bands release Eps nowadays...
JAN: Yes, I plan to put an Ep, it’s only a project for the moment. I don’t think wynil is dying when I see MORTICIAN or DEAD INFECTION still appearing on 7Ep. But it sucks that Lps are so underrated , the covers are so big, it fits perfectly for a gore artwork. Perhaps Cds are more rentable and easy to use, but I still prefer vinyl releases.
NIHIL: Your new material is even better than the old stuffs! On the new song you’ve copied to me, a riff reminds a lot traditional japonese music and this is really really good and original! Will all the new songs have got some cool japonese riffs?
JAN: Thank you, it really warms up my heart when someone tells me something like this. Yes, the new CABAL songs have some ridiculous INTESTINE BAALISM like solos and also riffs influences but Sentaï series like Spielvan (Oh no! I remember this one!-Ed) or Chodenchi Bioman (Moitié homme moitié robot, il est le plus grand des héros, bioman, bioman, héros de l’univers...AAAARRRGH!-Ed). It’s cool you heard some traditional nippon music in our riffs, but I think no one in CABAL listens to something like that.
NIHIL: How would be a CABAL’s gig? You could disguise yourself with traditional japonese dresses and fight with swords...
JAN: Yes, that’s what we’ll be fucking doing! And if we kill each others with a nonregular swordswing, we’ll have to put an end to our own days with an Hara-Kiri. No, our gigs are more like a Jap action movie, with JCD doing sidekicks on me while Olarg throws fireballs and call some millenary demons.
NIHIL: that’s all! Have you got something to conclude this little interview?
JAN: Thanks a lot for this interview! It’s important that some underground fanzines still focus on small bands and not always CANNIBAL CORPSE (Godzzz-Ed). You’re doing a great job for the underground G. One thing I want to ad: we’re all individuals able to have influence on things, we can do very constructive works: put gigs, make a label, a distro, a band is much easier as it seem, so start to make your own thing and be a part of the scene. Don’t waste your time smokin’ blunts and drinkin’ booze because life is too short. Give your life a meaning and get politically involved, don’t let capitalist monsters guide you. Revolt! Go vegan!
