Originally released on LP through Jojo Hiroshige’s Alchemy Records in 1988, Hijokaidan’s No Paris / No Harm captures the vitriol and terror of the legendary noise group’s studio and live approaches. Recorded throughout 1987 and 1988 in both Tokyo and Paris, No Paris / No Harmconfronts you with Junko’s extreme vocal manipulations and the squealing crunch of Jojo’s electric guitar onslaught and Toshiji Mikawa’s electronics. Emerging from The Hijohkaidan Tapes (1986) and setting up what was to come with Modern (1989), No Paris / No Harm documents three essential Hijokaidan members in some of their most raw, unabashed excursions.
Opening the record, “Harlem” presents an intertwined merging of electric instruments and voice, all members cohesive in their abrasion. Junko’s voice embodies static, personifies distortion as it emits from a human form. “Vivre Sa Vie,” the middle chapter of No Paris / No Harm, takes a more subtle approach. Underneath the harsh noise, small gestures from Jojo and Mikawa bubble beneath the surface, threatening to burst out and obliterate the ear. As the track progresses, Junko’s voice takes on a similar role, her cries just submerged under the chaos. In the final track, “No Harm,” everything crashes to the fore, the most complete melding of Junko, Jojo, and Mikawa’s timbres up until that point on the record. Each member is almost indistinguishable as their noise reaches a climactic finish.
Fantastique reissues No Paris / No Harm for the first time on vinyl since 1988, true to the original pressing layout with a clean, loud remaster. Available in a limited edition of 400 black 180g vinyl copies with reverse board jackets in the USA/Europe, and with 100 purple copies in Japan only.
