Pain Jerk, a one-man sound project founded by the Tokyo-based Kohei Gomi (1963–) at the beginning
of the 1990s, is one of the most esteemed names of the ultra-energetic second/third wave Japanese noise
music that was highly prominent in the 1990s. His music is a skilfully crafted, ecstatically mechanistic
electronic storm that irresistibly pulls the listener into its colour-saturated flow. Over the years,
Pain Jerk has released dozens of tapes (mostly on his own label AMP) and a sprinkling of more official
releases on vinyl and CD. One of them, his 1997 Gallon Gravy CD (Creativeman Disc) is one of the
milestones of the genre. During recent years, Pain Jerk has released new music at rather long intervals,
but has meanwhile kept performing in his home country on a regular basis. Pain Jerk gave his first
performance outside Japan in May 2007 at the No Fun Fest in New York. He is now also becoming more active
on the recording front: a number of new releases are expected shortly, and enthusiasts of the genre are
eagerly awaiting the retrospective CD-box compiled from his vast and increasingly rare tape releases.
Tommi Keränen
Avanto/Äänen Lumo Club in Kuudes linja on Friday, 16 November from 9 pm to 4 am
Pain Jerk
photo: Kohei Matsuki