is the guitarist for the Japanese

noise rock Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise music, noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimal music, minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, a ...

band

Melt-Banana Melt-Banana is a Japanese noise rock band that is known for playing extremely fast noise rock and hardcore punk mixed with experimental, electronica and pop-based song structures. Since forming in 1992 the band has released ten albums and toure ...

. Agata is known particularly for his furious stage antics, jumping and constantly moving around, and exceedingly unique approach to playing the

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

which involves

extended technique In music, extended technique is unconventional, unorthodox, or non-traditional methods of singing or of playing musical instruments employed to obtain unusual sounds or timbres.Burtner, Matthew (2005).Making Noise: Extended Techniques after Exper ...

, heavy use of

effects pedals An effects unit, effects processor, or effects pedal is an electronic device that alters the sound of a musical instrument or other audio source through audio signal processing. Common effects include distortion (music), distortion/overdrive, ...

, and guitar slides resulting in sounds not easily attributed to the guitar. Agata is known for consistently wearing a

surgical mask A surgical mask, also known by other names such as a medical face mask or procedure mask, is a personal protective equipment used by healthcare professionals that serves as a mechanical barrier that interferes with direct airflow in and out of r ...

on stage during performances and in promotional photos, which has been attributed to a "blood condition" or a "bone disease" that can cause sudden nose bleeds, with the mask hiding the tissues used to stem the blood. He started wearing it in "1995 or 1996" when touring with

Mr. Bungle Mr. Bungle is an American experimental rock band formed in Eureka, California, in 1985. The band is known for its eclecticism, cycling through several musical genres, often within the course of a single song, including heavy metal, avant-garde ...

. However, he has also said that his condition is not a major concern any longer and that he wears it for fun. He has also released a solo guitar album, entitled '' Spike'', on

John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conducting, conductor, saxophonist, arrangement, arranger and record producer, producer who "deliberately resists category". His Avant-garde music, avant-garde and experimental music, ex ...

's Tzadik Records. Agata often gets inspiration for his guitar riffs from his experience playing video games: "If I get excited about a clever move I’ve made in the game then I might try to interpret that move musically. It’s hard to explain. But if I’m killing a lot of people in a game and there’s a quiet soundtrack to it I might then go to the studio and think of that game and make a noisy blast-beat song and add some quiet pretty sounds to it." Games he has cited as an inspiration include ''

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3 ''Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3'' is a 2001 skateboarding video game and the third installment in the ''Tony Hawk's'' series. It was published by Activision under the Activision O2 label in 2001 for the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, Game Boy Color and ...

'', '' Ecco the Dolphin'', ''

Demon's Souls is a 2009 action role-playing game developed by FromSoftware and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 3. It was released in Japan in February 2009, in North America by Atlus in October 2009, and in PAL territories by Na ...

'' and ''

Shadow of the Colossus ''Shadow of the Colossus'' is a 2005 action-adventure game developed and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation 2. It takes place in a fantasy setting and follows Wander, a young man who enters an isolated and abandoned r ...

''.

Discography

*'' Spike'' (2004)

References

External links

*
Agata's 1999 guitar rigAgata's 2005 guitar rig
Living people Japanese rock guitarists Japanese rock musicians Year of birth missing (living people) 20th-century Japanese guitarists 21st-century Japanese guitarists {{japan-musician-stub