Kato Hideki (born 1962 in

Nagoya is the largest city in the Chūbu region of Japan. It is the list of cities in Japan, fourth-most populous city in Japan, with a population of 2.3million in 2020, and the principal city of the Chūkyō metropolitan area, which is the List of ...

, Japan; 加藤英樹) is a Japanese musician and composer. He was a seminal member of the Tokyo

Noise music Noise music is a genre of music that is characterised by the expressive use of noise. This type of music tends to challenge the distinction that is made in conventional musical practices between musical and non-musical sound. Noise music include ...

scene of the late 80s and early 90s, collaborating with Japanese experimental musicians such as Otomo Yoshihide, Tatsuya Yoshida, Makigami Koichi, and Yamatsuka Eye. He led his own bands, Player Piano and Bass Army. He was a member of the original Ground Zero with Otomo and Uemura Masahiro. In 1992 Kato moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

where he still resides. Since relocating to New York, Kato has recorded and performed with

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Marc Ribot Marc Ribot (; born May 21, 1954) is an American guitarist and composer. His work has touched on many styles, including no wave, free jazz, Rock music, rock, and Cuban music. Ribot is also known for collaborating with other musicians, most notab ...

, Christian Marclay, Calvin Weston, Eyvind Kang, Billy Martin (percussionist), Nicolas Collins, Zeena Parkins, Charlie Burnham, Karen Mantler, John King, Michael Schumacher, Chris Cochrane, Brian Chase and many others. His collaborations include Dying Ground, Billy Martin's Socket, Phase III, Italian DOC Remix, and the Crescent Moon Trio. He has an electronic duo with

James Fei James Fei or Fei Cheng-ting (; born Taipei, Taiwan, 1974) is a contemporary classical music and electronic music composer and performer. He lives in the San Francisco Bay area. He plays the soprano saxophone, soprano, alto saxophone, alto, and ...

. In 1995 he formed Death Ambient with Ikue Mori and

Fred Frith Jeremy Webster "Fred" Frith (born 17 February 1949) is an English multi-instrumentalist, composer, and improviser. Probably best known for his guitar work, Frith first came to attention as a founding member of the English avant-rock group Henry ...

and released three CDs on the

Tzadik Tzadik ( ''ṣaddīq'' , "righteous ne; also ''zadik'' or ''sadiq''; pl. ''tzadikim'' ''ṣadīqīm'') is a title in Judaism given to people considered righteous, such as biblical figures and later spiritual masters. The root of the word ...

label, including "Drunken Forest," in 2007. In 2004 he formed the trio Green Zone, with Otomo Yoshihide and Uemura Masahiro—the lineup of the original Ground Zero, but this time with Kato as leader. The band name comes from the 10 km² area in central Baghdad during the US-Iraq war. The pieces Kato wrote for this trio were inspired by the US invasion of Iraq. His latest project is a rock'n'roll band, Plastic Spoon, for which he wrote music and lyrics, in addition to playing bass. Other members are Karen Mantler (vocals, harmonica), Doug Wieselman (guitar), and Shahzad Ismaily (drums). Kato's music has become more political since he emigrated to the US. His recent works focus on

pollution Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment that cause harm. Pollution can take the form of any substance (solid, liquid, or gas) or energy (such as radioactivity, heat, sound, or light). Pollutants, the component ...

and

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and income inequality. He describes his music as "documentary without pictures."

Recordings

*''Karada wa Oto o Dasu Mono'' /''Bass Army'' (Trigram) - Dual Bass trio with the original Ruins bassist & Ground Zero drummer *''Hope & Despair'' ( Extreme) - An acoustic CD with musicians in NYC and Japan *''Death Ambient'' (

, 1995) - The first Death Ambient CD with Ikue Mori & Fred Frith *''Sieves'' ( Improvised Music from Japan, 1993) - Electro-Acoustic Duo with James Fei *''Turbulent Zone'' ( Music for Expanded Ears, 1998) - Solo Electric Bass CD, using Prime Number tuning *''Synaesthesia'' (Tzadik, 1999) - The second Death Ambient CD *''Green Zone'' ( doubtmusic, 2005) - The trio with the original Ground Zero crew *''Drunken Forest'' (Tzadik, 2007) - Third Death Ambient release, produced by Kato *''Byat'' (Callithump, 2008) - Second Green Zone release, produced by Kato, mastered by Kato and James Fei

External links

Kato Hideki official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kato Hideki 1962 births Japanese composers Japanese male composers Japanese male musicians Living people Musicians from Aichi Prefecture Peril (band) members