Almost 25 years after it first exploded in the face of moviegoers, Shinya Tsukamoto’s cyberpunk mindfuck, ‘Tetsuo: The Iron Man’ still continues to attract new fans unto its jittery cult. Tsukamoto is undoubtedly one of the most idiosyncratic filmmakers out there, even in the already gonzo world of Japanese cyberpunk cinema. ‘Tetsuo: The Iron Man’ is a film that is experienced more than passively watched. It is forged of scrap metal salvaged from a junkyard future where life is the marriage of man and machine, sex and death. In another sense, it is also a visceral, feature length industrial music video. And for this, we have Chu Ishikawa to thank.
Ishikawa’s score for ‘Tetsuo: The Iron Man’ is a stunning example of late-80s Industrial music and a perfect fit for Tsukamoto’s twisted imagery. It pummels, scrapes, screeches and tears through the speakers. Often beginning as abstract soundscapes that flirt with Japanese noise music, rhythmic clatter inevitably rises out of the sonic detritus. The animalistic beats, themselves made of metal, drive the point home, intensifying the horror of the film.
Please enjoy this selection of tracks from Chu Ishikawa’s score for Shinya Tsukamoto’s, ‘Tetsuo: The Iron Man’, and if you haven’t already done so, seek out this seminal, one of a kind film.
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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxvzqwgoQb4&feature=related&w=540]
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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zQ5DdrO0OQ0&feature=related&w=540]
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1 comment
Haze (2005) | MONDO EXPLOITO says:
Aug 31, 2012
[…] noise to soft electronic drones. (For a taste of Ishikawa’s music from Testuo: The Iron Man, check out this post by Matt.) Ishikawa’s music complements the mood of each scene, whether it be peaceful moments between […]