[Column] Rubber O Cement and the underground structure of San Francisco experimental music

Column en Avant-Garde Experimental Noise

17 Apr 2026

[Column] Rubber O Cement and the underground structure of San Francisco experimental music

What is Rubber O Cement?

Text: mmr｜Theme: The intersection of collective improvisation and DIY spirit in San Francisco underground music

In San Francisco’s underground music scene, ““Rubber O Cement’’ is known as a band that cannot be categorized into a clear genre. Without a fixed organization or style, he has worked with approaches that turn improvisation, noise, performance, video, and even the space itself into works.

Their characteristic is that they are more of a “variable project” than a band. The participating members are fluid, with different artists and performers being involved each time, although the event centers around a specific central figure. This structure is closely related to the art collective culture in San Francisco since the 1970s.

Musically, his work eschews clear melodies and rhythms and moves toward reconstructing the auditory experience itself by combining feedback, fragmented samples, field recordings, and electronic noise.

Rubber O Cement functions not as a “work” but as a framework for creating a “situation”.

Connection to the San Francisco underground scene

To understand Rubber O Cement, we cannot ignore the cultural background of the city of San Francisco. Since the counterculture of the 1960s, this city has always had a fertile ground for accepting expressions that deviate from the mainstream.

Especially from the 1980s to the 1990s, a unique scene was formed at the intersection of noise, industrial, improvisational music, and performance art. During this period, events in warehouse spaces, galleries, and informal venues increased, and environments that differed from traditional live music venues played an important role.

Rubber O Cement focuses on activities in these “non-institutional spaces” and develops events that integrate music, visuals, and physical expression. The structure is such that the audience is not just a receiver, but is involved as part of the space.

Their activities were established in the “gaps” of the city.

Musical approach and structure

Rubber O Cement”s sound may seem chaotic at first glance, but it”s actually based on a few clear principles.

First, improvisation is central. The predetermined structure is kept to a minimum, and the development changes depending on the acoustics of the venue and the reactions of the participants. This is different from jazz improvisation, and is more radical in that it does not assume a shared tonality or rhythm.

Next, the selection of sound materials is important. All sound sources are treated equally, including electronic devices, tapes, metal objects, and environmental sounds. This blurs the line between music and noise.

Furthermore, there is a strong awareness of spatiality. Sounds are not simply arranged in time, but arranged. The position, reverberation, and movement of the speakers become part of the work.

graph TD A[improvisational nature] --> D[performance] B[Diverse sound materials] --> D C[spatial configuration] --> D D --> E[music as an experience]

Rubber O Cement’s music is a series of “arrangements” rather than “performances.”

DIY spirit and production environment

Another important aspect of Rubber O Cement is its DIY spirit. Rather than relying on commercial studios or large-scale equipment, they have modified their own equipment and built their own unique production environment.

This attitude resonates with post-punk DIY culture, but it’s not just anti-commercialism. Rather, it appears as a technological quest to control sound itself.

The recording method is also different from traditional album production, focusing on live recording and on-site recording. There is a strong tendency to keep editing to a minimum and leave the sounds of the events as they are.

flowchart LR A[Homemade equipment] --> B[live recording] B --> C[minimal edit] C --> D[Works as documents]

The production process itself functions as part of the work.

Performance and physicality

Rubber O Cement’s activities are not limited to music, but have strong aspects as performance art. The movement of the performer, the distance from the audience, and the use of space are all important factors.

Visual elements are often introduced, with video projection, lighting, and object placement linked to sound. This allows the audience to experience the entire environment rather than just hearing the sound.

It also assumes that performance is not reproducible. Even with the same setup, the results will not be the same. This irreversibility is at the core of their expression.

Uniqueness is what defines the value of their work.

Chronology

Main trends of Rubber O Cement

timeline title Rubber O Cementと周辺シーン 1980 : サンフランシスコ地下シーンの拡張 1990 : 即興・ノイズ系コレクティブの増加 1995 : Rubber O Cement活動開始 2000 : 空間パフォーマンスの強化 2010 : 映像・マルチメディア要素の拡張 2020 : アーカイブ的再評価

Their activities are in sync with changes in the overall scene.

Comparison with contemporaries

While Rubber O Cement shares similarities with the noise and improvisational music of its era, it differs in several ways.

While many noise artists work under individual names, they place emphasis on a collective nature. It is also distinctive in that it focuses on the situation and structure rather than the intensity of the sound itself.

Furthermore, it has strong relationships with galleries and art spaces, and has become an entity that straddles the boundaries between the music scene and the art scene.

Rubber O Cement functions more as a connection point than a genre.

Contemporary significance

Today, improvised music and noise are being reinvented in a digital environment, but Rubber O Cement’s approach remains relevant. In particular, expressions that include space and the body have a value that is difficult to replace online.

Furthermore, the variable composition of members and non-fixed work formats are highly compatible with modern collaboration culture. Their models serve as a reference point for artists who work on a project basis.

Rubber O Cement presents a structure that can be updated even in the current representation environment.

Conclusion

Rubber O Cement is not just an experimental music band, but a “methodology” born out of San Francisco’s underground culture. At its core are improvisation, spatiality, groupness, and a DIY spirit.

Their activities question the very definition of music, blurring the boundaries between work and experience, performance and environment. The result is an event that is unrepeatable yet deeply memorable.

Such practices continue to present values that differ from commercial success. And that is the source of the underground scene’s staying power.