About Afrirampo

Afrirampo (あふりらんぽ) was a band from Osaka, Japan that was active from 2002 to 2010. They are Oni (guitar, vocals) and Pikachu (drums, vocals). Since forming in 2002 they have toured with Sonic Youth and Lightning Bolt, collaborated with Acid Mothers Temple and released several CDs on various labels. In 2005 they performed at All Tomorrow's Parties, the avant-garde music festival curated by Vincent Gallo, and joined performance artist Yoko Ono on stage for her closing piece. Afrirampo, like fellow Osakans Boredoms, are fond of free noise, improvisation and nonsensical call and response vocals. Unlike Boredoms however, they demonstrate an affection for catchy melodies, and during live performances often alternate between manic, distorted pop and extended, abstract, improvised noise pieces composed of looping fret noise, droning feedback, guttural barks and impromptu squealing. The period 2002-2005 saw Afrirampo's visibility within the ranks of contemporary noise rock increasing in a manner that Matthew Murphy of Pitchforkmedia.com described as "meteoric". This might be attributed to their powerful stage presence, and hyper-energized live performances which have generated considerable interest within the alternative music press. Early in June of 2010, Afirampo announced that they would be disbanding after their final show in Osaka on June 26th.