LES RALLIZES DÉNUDÉS

Les Rallizes Dénudés were a seminal Japanese rock band formed at Kyoto’s Doshisha University in 1967. Their name is a corruption of the French words valises dénudées, lit. ‘naked suitcases’ - and this is the least weird thing about them. Les Rallizes is a rare band where there exist more rumors and speculation about the group than confirmed fact.

Also going by the name 裸のラリーズ (hadaka no rarīzu), an easier to say alternative for Japanese fans, the group formed in a melting pot of radical left wing thought, nihilism and rejection of the West & Japanese tradition. Their sound is characterized by simple, droning passages, discordant feedback and shrieking. In much the same way as the Velvet Underground, they gained a cult following through their live shows and provocative subject matter. A large majority of the groups’ discography consists only of live bootlegs as they never officially released any of their own material.

Frontman Takashi Mizutani played a large part in the formation of the band’s mysterious aura. Born in 1948, died in 2019 and a member of the Japanese Red Army – almost nothing else is known about him. Even his death wasn’t known publicly until 2021 when former associates mentioned it online.

Also contributing to the band’s anti-establishment appeal was Moriaki Wakabayashi, the bassist. Wakabayashi was one of the orchestrators of the Red Army’s hijacking of a JAL flight in 1970. During what became known as the Yodogo Incident, Wakabayashi and others drew katanas and demanded the plane be re-routed to Cuba, hoping to receive training by communist militant groups. Upon learning that the plane did not hold anywhere near enough fuel for this, they released hostages in Fukuoka before continuing to North Korea to be granted asylum. This event largely signaled the death of the group as Mizutani and others became a target for investigation and the mysterious frontman withdrew further.

For anyone interested in exploring early Japanese noise rock, understanding a major influence on Japan’s modern shoegaze and psychedelic revival or just experiencing one of the most enigmatic groups of all time – Les Rallizes is an absolute must.