Phew (singer) explained

Phew
Background:	solo_singer
Birth Name:	Hiromi Moritani
Birth Date:	12 September 1959
Birth Place:	Osaka, Japan
Genre:	Electropunk Avant-garde Experimental
Occupation:	Singer, composer
Instrument:	Vocals, electronics, synthesizer
Years Active:	1978–present
Label:	Bereket Mute Records Pass Records Alida Mesh-Key Felicity
Associated Acts:	Aunt Sally Most Holger Czukay Jaki Liebezeit Conny Plank Alexander Hacke Chrislo Haas Hiroyuki Nagashima Ana da Silva
Website:	N/A

Phew is a Japanese singer and analogue electronics improviser working in the areas of experimental and avant-garde music.

Music career

Her career began as a member of post-punk group Aunt Sally, who released a self-titled album on Osaka’s Vanity Records in 1979.^[1]

After the break-up of Aunt Sally, she released the "Finale"/"Urahara" single produced by composer Ryuichi Sakamoto, followed by the Phew album recorded at Conny Plank's studio in Cologne, with Holger Czukay and Jaki Liebezeit.^[2] This was followed by a series of albums that included Our Likeness, recorded with Plank and Liebezeit, featuring Einstürzende Neubauten's Alexander Hacke and D.A.F/Liaisons Dangereuses's Chrislo Haas.^[3]

After 1995's Himitsu No Knife, she remained active in various groups, including the jam rock ensemble Novo Tono featuring Otomo Yoshihide, a collaboration with electronic musician Hiroyuki Nagashima called Big Picture, and the punk group Most with Boredoms guitarist Seiichi Yamamoto.^[4] In 2010, she returned to her solo career with the covers album Five Fingered Discount on her own Bereket label, featuring Jim O'Rourke.^[4]

From 2012 she began to work in electronic music and home recordings which gave rise to a prolific series of records, starting with 2015's A New World and continuing with 2017's Light Sleep and 2018's Voice Hardcore. In 2018 she also released Island, a collaboration with Raincoats' Ana da Silva.^[5]

By the time of 2021's New Decade, she was receiving widespread acclaim for her long career in experimental music.^[6]

Discography

Solo

• New Decade (LP/CD) Mute (2021)
• Voice Hardcore (LP) Mesh-Key (19 Jan 2018 in US)
• Voice Hardcore (CD) Bereket (1 Nov 2017 in Japan)
• Light Sleep (LP) Mesh-Key 2017
• A New World (CD) Felicity 2015
• Five Finger Discount (CD) Bereket 2010
• Himitsu no Knife (CD) Alida 1995^[7]
• Our Likeness (LP/CD) Mute 1992
• Songs (Maxi-Single) 1991
• View (LP/CD) 1987
• Phew(LP/CD) Pass Records 1981^[2]
• Finale c/w Urahara (Single) Pass Records 1980

Aunt Sally

• Self-titled (LP) Vanity Records 1979 - Reissued on Mesh-Key (2022)

Most

• Most. P-Vine, PCD-25010, 2003
• Most. P-Vine, PCD-5647, 2001
• Most. 2000.11.26. CD-R. 2001

With bands and projects

• Patience Soup with Jim O'Rourke and Oren Ambarchi (LP) Black Truffle 2019
• Island with Ana da Silva (LP) (28 September shouting out loud! 2018)
• Island with Ana da Silva (CD) only (5 September NEWWHERE MUSIC 2018)
• Project Undark Radium Girls 2011 with Erika Kobayashi (CD) Bereket 2012
• Morio Agata. Norimono Zukan. Bridge BRIDGE-078, 2007
• Morio Agata. Norimono Zukan. Vanity 0005, 1980
• Big Picture. Big Picture. Little More, LMCA-1002, 2001
• Big Picture. Big Picture. CD-R
• Blind Light. The Absence of Time. Alida, ALIDA-001, 1994
• Anton Fier. Dreamspeed/Blind Light 1992–1994. 2-CD set Tzadik, TZ 7609 2003
• Anton Fier. Dreamspeed. Avant, AVAN-009, 1993
• Novo Tono. Live. CD-R. 2001
• Novo Tono. Panorama Paradise. Alida/Creativeman, CMDD-00038, 1996
• Otomo Yoshihide's New Jazz Ensemble. Dreams. Tzadik, TZ 7238, 2002
• Otomo Yoshihide. Otomo Yoshihide Plays the Music of Takeo Yamashita. P-Vine, PCD-5804, 1999
• The Unknown Cases, and Phew. Koyasan. Fünfundvierzig, MCD 45122, 2001
• Phew and Seiichi Yamamoto. Shiawase no Sumika. Tokuma Japan Communications, TKCH-71454, 1998

Compilations

• Pass No Past. 2-CD set Pass/P-Vine, SSAP-004/5, 2005
• Improvised Music from Japan. 10-CD set. Improvised Music from Japan, IMJ-10CD, 2001
• Mottomo Otomo: Unlimited XIII. Trost, TR076, 2000
• Megabank Presents Tribute to New Wave. Megabank, MB-2.507CD, 1995
• Rebel Incorporated. 2-LP set, Wax, 17WXL-3001/3002; CD, Wax, 32WXD-101

External links

• Official
• Official Twitter
• Discogs
• 1995 interview

Notes and References

1. Web site: Pelly . Jenn . "New World" review . Pitchfork . 16 October 2022.
2. Web site: DeLorean: Phew - "Phew" (1981). 2021-12-01. Tiny Mix Tapes. en.
3. News: Pothast . Emily . New Day Rising . 16 October 2022 . The Wire . 460 . June 2022.
4. Web site: Phares . Heather . Phew Biography . AllMusic . 16 October 2022.
5. Web site: Geffen . Sasha . "Island" Review . . 16 October 2022.
6. Web site: Phares . Heather . "New Decade" Review . AllMusic . 16 October 2022.
7. Web site: 2019-05-01. "The thing I care the most about is tone"September 1995: An interview with Phew from G-Modern #9+ 3 album reviews - BLACK EDITIONS. 2021-12-01. https://web.archive.org/web/20190501131950/http://www.theblackeditions.com/thing-care-toneseptember-1995-interview-phew-g-modern-9-3-album-reviews/. 1 May 2019.