Kulara - Fragmental Remembrance, A Switch Of Resurrection, And My Hearing Vanished
Gatefold 2xLP - LP1 Translucent White & LP2 Dark Red - Japanese & English Lyric Spread - 250 Copies - ON HAND AND READY TO SHIP!
In 2001, French hardcore label Molaire Industries said of the Japanese band and their then-upcoming compilation, "Kulara is a collective of 5 musicians who play innovative, complex and progressive music, sometimes ambient and experimental, but most often energetic, tinged with screamed Emo, Jazz-rock, and Math-Rock imbued with noise. Kulara is a roller coaster for the ears, a record for those who are not afraid of dangerous journeys." They also said, "we are looking for a label that might be interested in releasing the vinyl version of this record..." Fragmental Remembrance, which compiles 1999's 5 Pieces Songs and 2001's A Naked Landscape, had its initial CD release delayed until early 2002; its vinyl release never materialized until 2024. Energy Crow Records is proud to be fulfilling a 20+ year-old wish, remastering the material for vinyl and making it available digitally for the first time!
A history of Kulara, as told by Never Shown Records' Naoki Ando
Note: Originally written in Japanese and translated into English by Naoki himself, he asked specifically the translation not be altered at all regardless of how well it reads in English.
Souls emit light, and that light gives birth to new souls, beginning to shimmer with fresh hues.Like a simultaneous global uprising of the people, the latter half of the 20th century was aglow with the fervor of hardcore punk music. As the tension of the Cold War and the frenzy of the 80s drew to a close, ushering in an era of void, resonances and collisions occurred worldwide. Each region, reflecting its unique circumstances, reached a critical point where light assumed new colors. It was a historical pivot, a birthplace of cutting-edge influence. In the late 90s, this transformative moment found its presence here in Japan.
Delving into history reveals where I live as a truly peculiar place. From ancient times, it has unreservedly absorbed and integrated cultures from mainland China, the Netherlands, and Spain. These influences, interpreted uniquely, have been added to the original mix, elevating them into something distinctively its own. Sometimes these transformations were bizarre, extreme, or utterly mondo but such occurrences seem to have been repeated throughout history in this land of the Far East.
Thus, pioneers like GISM, GAUZE, Deathside, and LIP CREAM began to emit dazzling brilliance, building a unique stature within a small network circuit that started to erode the world.
Amidst the nihilism presented by Grunge music, the chemical reactions with different cultures like death metal and hip hop, and the commercial success of hardcore punk, expressions began to proliferate infinitely. It was then that three young individuals embarked on a modest adventure. Fundamentalism against mainstream hardcore punk emerged as an antithesis, and its wave reached Japan too. A new stir started to beat in the Far East, resonating with the world's movements.
The beginning wasn't even a show in a venue. It was in a show in a small studio, where passionate shouts and intense noises spilled out among sparse audiences. New enthusiasm and awkward conversations took the first step into an unseen landscape. I quickly befriended them and suggested releasing a record.
It was the perfect time for documenting them, except for one miscalculation. They were not merely following in the footsteps of predecessors like Finger Print or Born Against but were going far beyond. My initial plan was to release their session as a double 7 inches, but that plan faded. Their musical tale shouldn’t have been interrupted by flipping a plastic disc.
The shock of their new session in an old building in Ueno made the decision. It was a time of trial and error for "5 pieces song", a fortunate two hours of intense tension piercing the ears. An unseen scenery of sound that I never experienced. I couldn’t help getting excited to spread the music that we never heard to the world.
Just as imagined, the 1999 session, captured in "5 pieces song" resonated shockingly with Japan's underground music scene. It spread as a masterpiece, not just in Japan but around the world.
The following album,"Naked Landscape", featured a new drummer, produced two songs that , amidst the chaos, proceeded with conviction toward an ending that no one could have imagined. Its artful packaging raised the profound issue of "more than music".
They were not just anyone; they were an inhabitant in a world no one else could approach. Welcoming a keyboardist and expanding to a six-member band, their exploratory spirit elevated them to boundless heights. Yet, with the dawn of the 21st century, they ceased their journey.
Every story has its end. It comes suddenly, and unexpectedly. They halted their collective journey at their zenith, each to continue their own narrative.
Over 20 years have passed since those days, now fond memories. But with time, I've become certain: those times were our "Revolution Summer". Not a movement echoing from Washington D.C., nor the European Hardcore Renaissance or the Socialist Hardcore Movement in the 90's. It was a precious summer with our context, filled with enduring memories. A response from Japan to the global underground hardcore scene of the '90s. I believe, that was a Revolution Summer in Japan, our Revolution Summer that came 10 years later.
Glancing at the world in motion, we sought different values. We sought new sounds, we sought new expressions, we sought new activities, and we sought new dances. We sought a space of freedom and love that only we could make.
And that summer will end someday. Ascending high, only to scatter and part at the peak. Reality, where we can't always pursue the fun, and destinations they can't share. Crossroads inevitably widen their distance. Only the bitterness lingers. This was the end of our summer.
The passage of time isn't a bad thing. It's gratifying to see the crystallized moments we shared together now clothe themselves in new meanings. The end of summer had a meaning. It's only after an immense passage of time that its significance becomes clear. Our traces become guideposts for new adventurers, birthing new light. I believe that's why this plastic fell into the world.
To the one holding this: Someday, your end will come, emitting light. Someday, you'll experience moments like these, cursing the world. So, I hope, a day will come when you reminisce about your throb, embracing everything that happened.
Surrounded by copy paper,a plastic, a cutter knife, glue, canvas scraps, silkscreen, and macintosh, days spent exhilarated about the future with unceasing sound. In an era before the internet, believing in connections and solidarity with strangers, hoping our actions held some meaning. And thus, we became your light.
May your passionate pursuit, uniquely yours, become someone else's light one day. Hopefully, you too will have a day to look back on your throb.
Let it shine brothers and sisters.
Naoki Ando
Never Shown Face
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Kulara History timeline
1996 team up Kimura:dr Murase:vo/ba Nakagawa:gt
1997 1st demo "97 fallen leaves" self released
1998 2nd demo "98 in summer" self released
Kimura:dr Murase:vo Nakagawa:gt Takaya:ba Tanaka:gt
compilation cassette "DENY THE REPORT 2" (Too Circle Records)
1999 1st album "5 pieces songs"(Never Shown Face)
2000 Murase:vo Nakagawa:gt Takaya:ba Tanaka:gt Tsukamoto:dr
2001 2nd album "naked landscape" (Mitsu)
2002 European releases(album combo) "Fragmental Remembrance, A Switch Of Resurrection, And My Hearing Vanished" (Molaire Industries)
Murase:vo Nakagawa:gt Takaya:ba Tanaka:gt Kimura:dr Tada:Key
2003 deceased
2007 discgraphy CD #1997-2001hue...#
Fragmental Remembrance Tracklist:
1. Two Suns Day
2. Your Own Gain
3. Fate
4. Machine And Me
5. Human Pattern
6. Brown Knife
7. The Belt Of Sleep Freeze