Government Alpha is one of those names I read/heard as soon as I got into noise. Yet 15+ years later the only release I have by him is the split with Linekraft, (which I really dig), and a bunch of his tracks on various compilations.
With a discography as big as his is there any particularly good place to start? Does he have significantly different periods or styles to his sound, or has it been a slow evolution over the years? I've read a lot of critiques from when he went more "digital", but then I've liked a lot of his tracks from more recent comps I've heard... any help would be appreciated because I feel totally overwhelmed when I look at his discogs page. I'd love to hear what people like even if it's not the most "accomplished" or "cult" works.
The Alphaville LP from... 1999(?) is my favorite. Released in 500 copies on Segerhuva, so it's still easy to find and affordable. Classic ripping GA greatness. Looks good as well!
Pica Disk did a 4 CD box set of GA material from the 90s (mostly Xerxes tape material) that makes for a great overview. 500 copies made and still readily available in a few places.
https://www.discogs.com/Government-Alpha-%E8%A8%98%E6%86%B6%E3%81%AE%E8%A7%A3%E5%83%8F%E5%BA%A6-Resolution-Of-Remembrance-1992-1999/release/1920715
I'm a big fan of the 4 CD set on Pica Disc - really great overview of his early work. The Venomous Cumulous Cloud CD on Troniks is a great one as well and you can probably track it down for like $6.
I have enjoyed his output/collabs with Bastard Noise, the 7" with BN & Hiroshi Hasegawa is great. And there's great stuff on the Our Earth's Blood 4CD (he's all over that one) and a recent BN tour tape as well.
I have a few newer Government Alpha tapes on order from Scream and Writhe and a split (or collab) LP with Bastard Noise from Anthems of the Undesirable on order too so looks like a GA full end of 2018.
Quote from: Baglady on October 31, 2018, 06:05:40 PM
The Alphaville LP from... 1999(?) is my favorite. Released in 500 copies on Segerhuva, so it's still easy to find and affordable. Classic ripping GA greatness. Looks good as well!
I'm bias but it is really one of his best imho.
He is incredible live. Seen him twice and its always a treat. One of the best out.
Anyone own the early self released (pre-Xerxes) tapes from 93-94? I havent heard the Pica box that included a few tracks. Is Point de Caption anything like the S.Isabella disc with the same title? Were these early tapes in international circulation during the early years?
Obliteration split cd w/ Macronympha - one of the earliest noise releases i owned, this is totally killer. mandatory, unstoppable, violent, fast paced harsh noise mastered by roemer for extra layer of grime. Swaps places with some other classics at the very top of my all-time favorite harsh noise list.
along those lines "The Maternity Music" c60 which i think has since been re-released is essential GA
Alphaville LP, yep
"Sporatic Spectra" praised often as one of the loudest cd's ever produced, but should be also for its brick-splitting heavyness executed with surgical precision...it'll give you that harsh noise hit of crack head high for sure.
"Bloody Slumber Party" - just as good as "The Maternity Music" !!! pretty impossible to find though.
really can't go wrong with govt.alpha (though i have not followed much after the early 2000s - what i have hasn't shown a decrease in quality) but these will always stand out as the special ones to me. should be noted that i thoroughly enjoyed the 'Structural Contradiction" 3x-cs that got traded to me recently though...still at it, still a master.
to somewhat echo earlier responses - it is fucking impossible to even find mp3s of old GA/Xerxes so unless Yasutoshi is in the Pain Jerk camp of letting those sleeping dogs lie, someone needs to get another box like the Pica Disc one together. Personally I prefer re-isssue box sets to include the original work in its entirety so i have yet to pick up that set on Pica... skipping all over the place is a turn off to me... but I guess when there is no other way, I'll pull the trigger eventually.
I think also notable is, that the latest CD he did, was really good one! I think it lives up to expectations based on his best early works. There was some less interesting titles I didn't like so much, but then couple newer tapes and then the full length that came out last year - most definitely recommended!
I know my original post was 2.5 years ago but thanks everyone for the responses. I've picked up great GA releases based on these suggestions.
Quote from: collapsedhole on March 04, 2021, 10:39:21 AM
along those lines "The Maternity Music" c60 which i think has since been re-released is essential GA
Just received the IR re-issue of this one and it's a scorcher! I'm not a Mother Savage expert but the material sounds right at home with other releases I've heard. The kind of harsh noise that's so interesting and well executed an hour goes by much faster.
As for newer stuff, I think I reviewed
Structural Contradiction on Black Horizons last year or so. Again, I'm no GA expert but the wiggly and squirmy harsh noise really did it for me. Somehow futuristic in a weird way but also reminding of low budget kaiju films. The third tape in the set is a live tape and that one blast hard.
I have not listened to much of his releases, but I have really been enjoying the live videos of him that are on Youtube. I think his noise is really dynamic and gripping without entering into overpowering maximalism. I would love to be able to see him live in person one day.
Quote from: collapsedhole on March 04, 2021, 10:39:21 AM
to somewhat echo earlier responses - it is fucking impossible to even find mp3s of old GA/Xerxes so unless Yasutoshi is in the Pain Jerk camp of letting those sleeping dogs lie, someone needs to get another box like the Pica Disc one together. Personally I prefer re-isssue box sets to include the original work in its entirety so i have yet to pick up that set on Pica... skipping all over the place is a turn off to me... but I guess when there is no other way, I'll pull the trigger eventually.
Ive been keeping track of old GA on discogs for years. This past year or two aside, its been really easy to find old GA at normal prices. Plenty of them have remained unsold for years at resonable prices.
You like both old and post-00 GA, but somehow still ask for a box of early stuff? He has 150+ releases to choose from...There are only around 5 old releases that are hard to get (pre-Xerxes omitted). Two less now after last years cds.
I dont see a need for a box of the pre-Xerxes titles i mentioned. I asked out of curiosity and a description of what they sound like.
This aside. Sometimes i think people into this stuff are the same drooling for celebrity nudes to be leaked from some hacked phone. To tick one more box in their list of masturbation objects.
For people where meaning, passion, curiosity and imagination is at best a memory of childhood. In its place a need for having heard everything, but
listening and
experiencing nothing.
Personally i kind of like that there are plenty of old tapes from favorites of mine that i will never hear. The story and my imagination around what they sound like often beats reality. And i like thinking about what they sound like and how i would feel about them.
Been listening to Government Alpha / SCUM "swamp attack" CD several times. When GA played in Finland, I was thinking that would be great to hear more yelling / screaming / shouting in his releases and with this CD, it has more of that! Two Japanese acts together on this, perfect blend. Lazer-noise, stutter loops, top-max-distortion, many things I don't always rate among desired elements of noise, but with some projects it just works. And this collaboration is among very best GA collabs.
Government Alpha "Apophenia" CD again more listening and its is not far from material above. I think I wrote in another topic about listening to this CD, comparing it with some late 90's works and coming into conclusion that new stuff has more punch and more energy. If you are looking for something "new", this ain't it, but if you are looking for more good electronic harsh noise fireworks, it delivers!
I'm extremely excited to finally see him perform live at Summer Scum. I've only ever heard good things about his live performances, and from show reports this year, he is still very much on top of his game.
One of the longest-serving and most consistent artists in noise. Would love to read an interview with him and find out what has kept him passionate and motivated for so long.
Has he done many interviews?
Quote from: Fistfuck Masonanie on April 26, 2025, 04:11:55 PMHas he done many interviews?
From 1999: https://www.angelfire.com/mi/sinkhole/intmsbrgovt.html
From 2005: http://tinrp.free.fr/empty/pages/interviews/interview%20files/govalpha.html
From 2012: http://africanpaper.com/2012/01/28/like-hunting-in-the-wild-interview-with-yasutoshi-yoshida-aka-government-alpha/
From 2017: https://m.soundcloud.com/user-577776576/interview-with-yasutoshi-yoshida
And interviews on paper from 2024: The Vital Organ #2 (about his gear) and Special Interests #16 (about his collages).
Quote from: DBL on April 26, 2025, 06:37:56 PMQuote from: Fistfuck Masonanie on April 26, 2025, 04:11:55 PMHas he done many interviews?
From 1999: https://www.angelfire.com/mi/sinkhole/intmsbrgovt.html
From 2005: http://tinrp.free.fr/empty/pages/interviews/interview%20files/govalpha.html
From 2012: http://africanpaper.com/2012/01/28/like-hunting-in-the-wild-interview-with-yasutoshi-yoshida-aka-government-alpha/
From 2017: https://m.soundcloud.com/user-577776576/interview-with-yasutoshi-yoshida
And interviews on paper from 2024: The Vital Organ #2 (about his gear) and Special Interests #16 (about his collages).
These are great!
The 1999 interview with Koji is short but has some funny moments. I wonder what kind of food Yasutoshi was making, and which releases those sounds ended up on.
Quotewhat's the strangest thing you've ever used for making sounds?
sometimes using keychain (makes jangling motion), toaster, blender.
do you actually make food while recording?
sometimes, yes. all improvisation.
Really enjoyed this bit from the African Paper as well. Seems like he struggled to grasp harsh noise at first and was fixated on the elements of industrial until he saw Incapacitants live and it all clicked:
QuoteWhen I listened to Harsh Noise from groups like Hijokaidan and Incapacitants on CD for the first time, I couldn't understand it. For a while, I kept to record more industrial and experimental tracks without harshnoise elements. You can listen them on a 4 cd box set that we released on Pica Disk. A few years later, I had the chance to see an Incapacitants show, and it had a huge impact on me. It was a very powerful show and by no means negative, and after that experience I intended to make much stronger music than before. It should actually be the strongest noise than them, and so I tried to make harshnoise.
I first thought that Harshnoise was just noise and it might be quite easy way to create it. I completely underestimated harshnoise. It was, however, very hard to find my own way into it, and maybe it took three or four years to complete something like a typical Government Alpha style. Now I can say, if i could make harshnoise easily, I would probably quit making it. So, I'm still looking for the way to harshnoise, and maybe it takes forever.
Quote from: Fistfuck Masonanie on April 26, 2025, 04:11:55 PMHas he done many interviews?
I interviewed him for Untitled a couple of years ago. We did the interview by email but he was an incredibly pleasant and gracious subject.
I'll echo the Swamp Attack CD is great (Scum are also a great project) and the Xerxes 6 CD box set is a really great retrospective