Hijōkaidan

Founded in Osaka in 1979 by guitarist Jojo Hiroshige, Hijōkaidan (非常階段, meaning emergency staircase) began as a performance art group whose anarchic shows involved destruction of equipment, food being thrown, and general institutional provocation. The lineup has ranged from two members to as many as fourteen; regular collaborators include Hiroshige's wife Junko and Toshiji Mikawa of Incapacitants. Over time the group refined its approach into a dense, focused wall of noise. Hiroshige founded the Osaka label Alchemy Records in 1984 to release their work alongside that of Hanatarash, Masonna, Incapacitants, Merzbow, and the Nihilist Spasm Band.