-Per iniziare puoi raccontarci qualcosa dei nuovi brani e perche avete scelto il titolo “Ramadan”?
-Da un lato c’e il nostro interesse per la musica folk e tradizionale dell’Arabia, dei Balcani e dei Celti. Da un altro lato la canzone “Ramadan” e stata composta quando e scoppiata la guerra in Iraq e la nostra cantante Totoki ha composto dei versi per invocare la pace nel Medio Oriente. I suoi versi non sono un messaggio chiaro, ma vogliono suggerire dei sentimenti anti militaristi. ...read more

-Can you tell us about the songs from the new album and why did you choose the title “Ramadan”?
-One reason is that we have interest in folk/traditional musics of Arab, Balkan, Celts. And second reason is that the song “Ramadan” was made at the period of theIraq war, and our vocalist TOTOKI composed the verse praying peace of middle east. Her verse is not straigt message, but she suggested anti-war sentiment. ...read more

> Un raccolto locale di Tokyo, il Manda-La2, e stato teatro di questa particolare performance dal vivo, registrata nel Marzo del 2005, che ha visto come protagonisti i tre membri dei Quikion, ai quali si e unito per l’occasione, in qualita di ospite, il duo dei Lithuma Qnombus, composto da Kudoh Genta alle percussioni e Kajiyama Shu al basso. ...read more

> Die Tokioter Folkspezialisten Quikion haben bisher drei CDs veroffentlicht und legen nun eine DVD nach. Die Band wurde erst im Jahr 2003 gegrundet, die Viel- und Schnellarbeiter stehen trotzdem fur hohe Qualitat. Da ist viel Inspiration und Ausdruckswille, der sich in den eklektischen Songs illuster niederschlagt. Die Band unter der Fuhrung der Sangerin, Harmonium und Concertina spielenden Totoki Yukiko, die fast alle Songs und samtliche Texte geschrieben hat, ist instrumental handwerklich sensibilisiert fur ihre kristallklaren und hauchzarten Stucke. ...read more

> Quikion are one of my favourite Japanese bands, just because I feel that they are so very different to everything else that I have heard, and are very strong musically. Here they have been joined by Lithuma Qnombus to provide them with a rhythm section so there are two bands onstage, but that still only makes five of them. The bassist Kajiyama Shu is a real star as not only is he an incredible musician with a great touch on his fretless bass, but also he is the only person actually standing and he is really into the music. He may be stuck in the corner but he is moving around and provides the only action to be seen. Everyone else is seated, and lead singer Totoki Yukiko accompanies herself on either concertina or harmonium or provides percussion, while Sasaki Emi provides accordion, glockenspiel and percussion whilst Oguma Eiji provides both guitar and bouzouki. The line-up for this show is completed by percussionist Kudoh Genta. The gig appears to have taken place in a small club and the audience are sat very close to the stage, but they are appreciative - clapping nicely at the end of the song and being perfectly quiet during each performance. It is hard to describe their music, which is folky and ethnic and very different to what we would normally hear in the west, but I know that I like it. Excellent camerawork and good sound production makes this a good introduction to the band and their music.

> Trio japones altamente influenciado pela escola minimalista francesa, com farta utilizacao de acordeao, o Quikion apresenta este quarto trabalho que ganha lancamento tambem na Franca pela Gazul, selo da Musea especializado em RIO e afins. ...read more

> Prolusion. "Ramadan" is the second album by QUIKION from Japan. Their debut outing, "Hallelujah", was recorded in 1997, but was released only six years later and only in their motherland. ...
Analysis. Quikion performs a pleasantly amazing music, which has nothing to do with their native ethos in this kind of Art, even though the vocals are in Japanese. ...read more

> L’idea di ascoltare un gruppo giapponese che si dedica alla rilettura di temi musicali tradizionali, europei e non, puo quantomeno incuriosire. Quando tale rilettura viene operata attraverso l’utilizzo del giapponese per le parti cantate, la curiosita lascia spazio a dubbi e perplessita: puo avere effettivamente un senso reinterpretare in chiave nipponica, come in questo caso, una composizione di Kurt Weill? ...read more

> Ramadan is my first contact with Japanese Folk/World band Quikion.
They play some acoustic Folk with mostly Eastern European influences. Quikion use traditional instruments like harmonium, bouzouki, accordion... On most of the tracks vocals are done by Totoki Yukiko, who also plays many instruments. She has a very beautifull voice. Somewhat like a mellow version of Kate Bush. ...read more

> Avventurosi sostenitori del concetto di fusione fra generi diversi, cultori dell’esotico e dello stravagante, il trio nipponico dei Quikion, al quarto album in studio, hanno di fatto abbattuto le convenzionali barriere culturali e musicali per dar vita a un lavoro piuttosto inusuale di etno ? folk, una raccolta di ballate acustiche che coprono un vasto repertorio di tradizioni e stili provenienti da culture e paesi diversi. ...read more

> "Ramadan" ist bereits das dritte Album des japanischen Folk-Trios Quikion (wenn ich das erste und langst nicht mehr erhaltliche Mini-Album "Hallelujah! Early recordings" von 1997 zum 2000er Album "Yoru no Harp" rechnen darf).Und so wenig das Wort Ramadan zu Japan passt, so wenig ist die Musik von Quikion japanische Folklore. Einflusse in der Folksuppe sind eher in der Franzosischen Minimalist School zu finden, bei Pascal Comelade oder Klimperei. ...read more

> Questo e il terzo album dei Quikion che recensisco e ogni volta mi trovo a provare delle emozioni nuove e inaspettate. I Quikion sono un trio dedito alla world music, ma la loro attitudine ha un che di progressivo, ecco perche li troviamo accasati alla Poseidon che e specializzata appunto in questo genere. L’anima prog di questa ensamble risiede nel tentativo di interpretare delle melodie popolari e non ri riproporle nel loro tessuto originale. In questo senso si puo parlare di folk prog....read more

> Quikion (kee-kee-on) is a Japanese trio offering something quite different and unexpected musically. Their fourth release, Ramadan, is a joint release by Musea and Poseidon.
The band consists of Totoki Yukiko, Oguma Eiji and Sasaki Emi (two females and one male I believe) but don't start thinking of them as another Ars Nova because their music is more on the lines of acoustic folk. And no, the music is nothing like Steeleye Span, Eliza Carthy etc. ...read more

> I have been lucky enough to have heard two other Quikion albums, and this is very much in the same vein as the others. They have an unusual line-up, Yukiko Totoki (vocals, concertina, kantele, psaltery, glockenspiel, toys, percussions), Eiji Oguma (guitar, bouzouki, ukulele) and Emi Sasaki (accordion, glockenspiel, psaltery, bells, drums, percussions, vocal), which in turn gives their music quite an different sound. There aren’t many times I can listen to a piece of music which is basically acoustic guitar and accordion with gentle female vocals over the top and say that I really enjoy it. Like the others, this album really is a delight. I haven’t a clue what Yukiko is singing about as all of the lyrics are in Japanese but this just adds to the overall feel of what is going on, the feeling that this is something that is quite special. The album is extremely atmospheric, the impression almost that these three are sat around a fire in the evening just playing and performing for their own pleasure. This may only appeal to those who listen to folk, as there is certainly nothing violent or loud about it in anyway, but those who investigate this further will be richly rewarded.

> Die lyrischen Songs des japanischen Trios Quikion sind von so zarter Natur, dass sie schier zerbrechlich scheinen. Sanft dahin gehauchte Momentaufnahmen folkloristischer Natur. Der Klang ist klar und ausgewogen, die Interpretation perfekt, aber all das verblasst vor der Stille und Intimitat dieser fast schon kinderliedhaft naiven und verbluffend schonen Songs. Totoki Yukiko, Oguma Eiji und Sasaki Emi bedienen eine Menge Instrumente, vor allem setzen sich Akkordeon, Glockenspiel und Gitarre durch. Wichtigstes und beeindruckendstes Instrument ist die Stimme von Totoki Yukiko. Zumeist muss man bei japanischen Produktionen ein Ohr zudrucken, der Gesang sagt schon mal gewaltig an europaischen Nerven. ...read more

> Abbiamo incontrato i Quikion nel primo speciale dedicato al prog giapponese e ne abbiamo tessuto le lodi per quell'approccio semplice ed elegante, denso di poesia e di bellezza, che abbiamo ascoltato.
Yoru No Harp e la seconda release del gruppo e il primo vero album con dieci composizioni sublimi. Musica da meditazione, rilassamento e contemplazione, ma non si tratta di un atteggiamento passivo, anzi ci si immerge nelle note melodiose degli strumenti acustici e nel canto onirico della soave Yukiko. Un mix molto personale e intrigante che ci porta ad affrontare un viaggio nel cuore dei nostri sentimenti piu intimi....read more

> This is the 2001 release by Quikion, which is currently available from Music Term at http://www.musicterm.jp/ (the site can be viewed in English as well as Japanese). I have previously reviewed one of their albums which had been released by Poseidon but this is later music. Its style is extremely hard to define with a line-up that is unusual to say the least. The band is a trio with Totoki Yukiko (vocals, concertina, kantele), Oguma Eiji (guitar, bouzouki, ukulele) and Sasaki Emi (accordion, glockenspiel). It is an album that is reflective yet intense, dreamy yet passionate, modern yet timeless.
Totoki sings in a very clear voice which would make the words easy to understand if they weren’t in Japanese, but this just adds to the mystique of the album as a whole. In some ways she is closer to Kate Bush than Maddy Prior but some how the clarity of her voice against the harshness of the accordion works extremely well. This is not music that will appeal to a vat market but those who can enjoy melodic music that is out of the ordinary will find much on here to enjoy - which will make it worth the effort to try and get this from Japan. I enjoyed it immensely.

> Quando si parla di progressive giapponese si e sempre propensi a pensare a qualcosa di supersinfonico, con tastiere suonate a mille all'ora e virtuosismi continui, oppure a quella frangia di gruppi che puntano su una musica piu avanguardistica, orientata sul jazz-rock o sul RIO. Questi Quikion, invece, si distaccano da tutto cio, infarcendo la loro proposta di folk e di delicatezza con l'ampio utilizzo delle chitarre acustiche e della fisarmonica. ...read more

> This is a collection of the bands early unreleased recordings. I am unfamiliar with any other music by Quikion and my first reaction was that this album has an exceptional production quality (it sounds real good) - - not something to be expected from such a collection.
I am not sure if this is folk or world music at it's root, but certainly it is a progressive treatment of extentions of these styles. The use of concertina/accordian absolutely brings out a fascinating quality and the female vocals of Yukiko Totoki are delivered in the Japanese language. ...read more

> Recoleccion de algunas grabaciones pasadas de este extraordinario trio acustico japones. Creanme, hay que escucharlo para creerlo. Es una lastima que es tan solo media hora de musica si no me apresuraba a darle las famosas cinco notas que damos en Eufonia a los albumes perfectos. ...read more

> Prolusion. My knowledge of the creation of this Japanese group is quite poor. I only know that "Hallelujah!" is a collection of Quikion's earliest recordings never before released.
Synopsis. Above all, I must note that this album has an excellent full-fledged sound, which doesn't arouse any associations with what we usually expect from collections of unreleased tracks. ...read more

> It was never my intention to review this CD,but because we had a Poseidon special last time I decided to try out some of their new releases when we received a new package lately.This one immediately won me over -what a lovely CD!It's fairly short with only six songs and a playing time of just over half an hour,but as you may now by now, I have no problems with short playing times. What stands out from the first minute are the warm, female vocals,which sometimes remind me a bit of Kate Bush .Many people have problems with Japanese singers;I think they should try this one for starters!Another thing that stri es the ear is the dominant presence of accordion.Now,accordion usually ranks high in my list of most hated .instruments (along with didgeridoo and sitar),but when it's used in a good way it surely manages to please -a fine example of this we find here.Talking about instruments:when you take a look at the line- up,you may be surprised to see that the trio has a rather sparse set-up:Totoki Yukiko (vocals, concertina,rhythm machine),Sasaki Emi (accordion,Glockenspiel)and Oguma Eiji (guitars) with a bassist guesting on only one track.As we can expect from this,the music indeed is rather acoustic oriented and folky,while still sounding 'full '(i.e.you won 't miss the drums,bass and synth solos one minute).Count to that extremely fine melodies and arrangements and what we have is a highly pleasing album for more reflective moments.Recommended!
****(Carsten)

> Questo mini album raccoglie in cinque tracce le prime registrazioni dei Quikion datate 1997, pi・un brano live del '95 con il bassista Shimizu Rei, per circa trenta minuti di musica dall'intensit・incredibile e fa seguito a due precedenti uscite che sono un mini CD Escargot Bianco (Kinakotake Records 1999) e l'album Yoru No Harp (Trinity Records 2001). Il gruppo ・composto dalla singer Totoky Yukiko che si occupa anche di uno strumento chiamato concertina (non chiedetemi cos'・, di loops e ritmiche, da Sasaki Emi all'accordion e da Oguma Eiji alla chitarra. La musica ・particolarmente atmosferica e sognante, densa di un'eleganza leggera e piacevole. Il primo brano "Halleluja!!" inizia con una delicata chitarra acustica su cui entra la dolce voce di Yukiko, poi il sound si arricchisce del suono di uno xilofono e di una sognante fisarmonica, l'effetto ・quanto mai suggestivo e risveglia echi di bellezza ancestrale, poi verso la fine il ritmo del brano si fa incalzante perdendo in poesia e acquistando in forza e vigore. "Voyage" inizia con un giro che, grazie alla fisarmonica, fa pensare alla campagna francese e ai suoi piccoli borghi dal sapore medioevale. "The Music Box" ・un episodio ancora pi・delicato e sognante dei precedenti, rara bellezza espressiva che porta a dimenticare qualsiasi cosa di simile che abbiamo ascoltato in precedenza. "Train Song" ha l'incedere di un brano medioevale, con una chitarra che si occupa delle parti ritmiche e la voce di Yukiko che ・un continuo crescendo. "Summer" ・un brano bellissimo e l'apporto del basso rende il sound pi・appagante e compiuto, per certi versi mi vengono in mente i Dead Can Dance e i nostri Ataraxia, gruppi ai quali avevo gi・pensato, ma che qui sono ancora pi・presenti, anche se ・possibile che i Quikion siano arrivati a risultati simili pur non avendo mai incontrato questi gruppi. La conclusiva "TV" ・un brano carico di una tristezza fredda e sconsolata, con il rumore del vento e della pioggia in sottofondo e la fisarmonica che tesse delle trame avvolgenti, poi il vento cessa e la tristezza lascia il posto alla serenit・ Questo disco ・molto soft, ma anche molto originale e indubbiamente merita di essere apprezzato.

> This is subtitled 'Early Recordings Of', and most of the songs come from 1997 with one from 1995 and I can see from their web site that while they do not list this album they do mention two much more recent releases on Trinity Records. With all of the information in Japanese it is best to concentrate on the music, which I have to admit to enjoying immensely. Not one of the more straightforward line ups with a female vocalist who also provides concertina and rhythm machine, one guy on accordion and glockenspiel and the other on guitar. With all of the vocals in Japanese this allows the mind just to wander along on the sound of the words instead of trying to gain the meaning from them and it is like sitting next to a gently babbling stream, while the light is dappled through the leaves of the trees. It is music that is restful yet evocative, very easy to listen to yet definitely not easy listening.
It may only be the sort of album that will appeal to those who enjoy whimsical folk with a difference but those who dare to try and get this album will be richly rewarded indeed. The web site does have an English version, which is very useful indeed and contains contacts for Hiroshi etc so visit www.musicterm.jp/poseidon for more details.

> Questo mini album raccoglie in cinque tracce le prime registrazioni dei Quikion datate 1997, piu un brano live del '95 con il bassista Shimizu Rei, per circa trenta minuti di musica dall'intensita incredibile e fa seguito a due precedenti uscite che sono un mini CD Escargot Bianco (Kinakotake Records 1999) e l'album Yoru No Harp (Trinity Records 2001). Il gruppo e composto dalla singer Totoky Yukiko che si occupa anche di uno strumento chiamato concertina (non chiedetemi cos'e), di loops e ritmiche, da Sasaki Emi all'accordion e da Oguma Eiji alla chitarra....read more

> Quikion ist eine japanische Folk/Progressive Band, die aus dem Songwriter - Umfeld kommt. Die sechs Stucke dieses Albums sind allesamt vollstandig akustisch eingespielt worden. Akustische Gitarre (Oguma Eiji), Akkordeon (Saski Emi) und einige weitere Instrumente, deren Klang nicht so ohne weiteres unterzubringen ist, entwerfen melancholische und sehr anmutige Songs. Der aus dem sonstigen oft schrecklichen japanischen Gesinge meilenweit herrausragende Gesang von Totoki Yukiko ist von besonderer Schonheit. Ihre klare, etwas an Kate Bush erinnernde Stimme klingt fur europaische Ohren angenehm und harmonisch....read more

> We continue with our peregrination into the current releases and re-releases from Japan that have found their way into the DPRP CD players. In this edition we encounter the delicate folk-like qualities to be found in Quikion (pronounced kee-kee-on), who offer us a rare and eclectic mixture of instruments and songs. These early offerings from the band combine acoustic and medieval instruments, with perhaps those not immediately associated with music from the Far East (or this maybe just a lack of knowledge on my behalf)....read more