is an experimental musician, a turntablist, guitarist, film score composer, and avant-garde composer. He played in rock bands while at college, but turned to improvisation after discovering free jazz and free improvisation musicians like guitarist Derek Bailey, saxophonist Kaoru Abe and guitarist Masayuki Takayanagi (from whom he took lessons). Otomo studied at the Meiji University from 1979, where he studied ethnomusicology, concentrating on the Japanese pop music of World War II and the development of musical instruments during the Chinese Cultural Revolution. Samples of instruments and music from this period are found in several of his works. In 1981, Otomo began improvising in clubs (Jazu Kissa), performing on guitar and also using tapes and electronics. Ground Zero Otomo began to release records in the late 1980s and has been very prolific, working in a variety of styles and collaborating with a wide range of musicians. For much of the 19

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