(Aiding & Abetting no.257) An experimental duo improvising on banjo and assorted electronics. The sort of extreme mind trip that few on this planet can withstand. But hey, I like the stuff, and this album gave me plenty to think about--which is exactly why I listen to this kind of music. Let go of the conscious self and surf the dark energy. - Jon Worley

(Touching Extremes 10/17/2004) The odd coupling of banjo and electronics is the mould for some placid improvisations by this Japanese duo. In such a situation, no preconception is allowed about problems of "style" and after listening to these tracks, recorded live in 2004, I'm not left much the wiser about a definition. Let's just say that the banjo is approached with a koto-like technique of pluck and arpeggio, without caring too much about modulation or clean fingering; the electronics are constantly present, always shifting to fluttering repetitions and stoned textures. All this makes for several enjoyable segments in a music that, strangely enough, accompanied my activities as an almost relaxing background, even if you couldn't really say that it's "beautiful". - Massimo Ricci

(Vital Weekly no 431) Knot+Over is also a duo, of H. Konishi on banjo and T. Okazaki on electronics. It's of course easy to compare this with Nogami, but there are considerable differences. First of all, Knot+Over play four long tracks but, more important, through out these four tracks, the balance is well-kept between banjo on one hand and the electronics on the other. I think the electronics must be mainly understand as sound effects being applied to the produced banjo sounds, and not elaborate computer processings. Although I thought the ideas were quite nice, I also though that two tracks, say roughly the first half of this disc, was enough to please and the second half was a mere repetition of the same idea. - Frans de Waard

(Neozine) I think that I am listening to Improvised banjo noise-music. Yes, that’s what I’m hearing. OK, I guess that it had to be done, and I’m glad you get to hear about it here. There is electronic experimentation warbling, clicking, and swooshing over the unlikely picking in this ho-down from the twilight zone. You know, this is going to be one of those items that is a must have for the weirdies who must collect all things strange and unexplained. I can just see their satisfied smiles when their friends ask “what the hell is this?” I think that in time I could learn to sit down with this one and sort of explore further what is going on here, because the sound isn’t as irritating as one would first imagine, and the ideas (you must admit) is intriguing. Yea, its growing on me on only the first listen. Damn, I’m not sure if I wanted to like it that much! - C.H.C.

(Dead Angel 7/2005) More madness from Japan, this time courtesy of H. Konishi (banjo) and T. Okazaki (electronics), with four lengthy, improvised tracks recorded live at Sonic Brew on March 17, 2004. Konishi has a bizarre approach to banjo playing, to put it mildly, with plucked lines and occasional strumming that is countered by odd noises and electronic filth from his pal with the gadgets. Their interaction quite often gets intensely crazed, but there are moments as well (particularly in the introductions) where the sound is more sparse, more devoted to the banjo going plink-plink-plunk! while the electronic death waits, brooding, in the background. There are moments on the third track where Konishi starts whipping up a storm, demonstrating that he can actually play the thing instead of just making near-random plinking noises, but mostly he's about less-organized sounds. The four tracks share certain similarities, but branch out in different directions at times, mainly through the deployment of different kinds of electronic devices. Strange and perplexing, even for a PE release. - RKF

(Dream no. 6) Japanese duo of H. Konishi on banjo, and T. Okazaki employing electronics, presenting four extended excursions that feel very much like a call and response dialog. The banjo sounds like a banjo, though it gets successfully deconstructed and plucked sideways; while the electronics sound like chains dragged across a stack of glass bottles, or whirls like a lopsided flying saucer, or inserts random bursts of whirring cement mixer soliloquies as the banjo makes disturbed spider webs of note clusters. - George Parsons