[Column] The deep structure of psychedelic guitar drawn by Seiichi Yamamoto and Delay

Column en Experimental Noise Psychedelic

02 Apr 2026

[Column] The deep structure of psychedelic guitar drawn by Seiichi Yamamoto and Delay

Who is Seiichi Yamamoto?

Text: mmr｜Theme: Delay distorts time, guitar paints space—Getting to the heart of Seiichi Yamamoto’s acoustic philosophy and psychedelics

Seiichi Yamamoto is a unique figure in the history of Japanese experimental music. Although he is a guitarist, he has also worked as a sound artist who deals with the process of the generation, sustainment, and disappearance of sound.

His expressions are diverse, including band, improvisation, film music, and solo works, but at their core is an exploration of the “temporality of sound.” In particular, delay-based sounds are a defining element of his music.

Seiichi Yamamoto’s music is based on the “back side of sound”.

Boredoms: Noise Limits and Transformations

Seiichi Yamamoto’s activities with Boredoms (1986–2001) were an important period in connecting Japanese underground music to the world.

Representative album

“Soul Discharge”
“Pop Tatari”
“Super æ”
“Vision Creation Newsun”

Initially known as destructive noise rock, it gradually shifted to a structure based on repetition and sustain. ““Vision Creation Newsun’’ reaches a higher level of perfection as trance-like sustained music.

Legendary Lives and Anecdotes

Volume and physicality

Due to its extreme volume and vibration, sound acts not only as an auditory sensation but also as a physical sensation.

Trance through repetition

Due to the long repetition, the sense of time becomes diluted and the audience is led into a trance state.

The boundary between control and collapse

Even the moment when feedback and noise reach their control limits becomes the core of the performance.

Boredoms live shows are the process of reaching a critical point in their sound.

Evaluation and impact overseas

The activities of Boredoms and Seiichi Yamamoto were highly praised in the experimental music/alternative music scene in Europe and America.

Characteristic evaluation

Noise structuring
Transsexuality due to repetition
Fusion of improvisation and construction

Vision Creation Newsun is also recognized as an important work in the psychedelic and drone context.

Acoustic impact

Seiichi Yamamoto’s sustained sound using delay has become a reference technique in the areas of drone and ambient as well.

Seiichi Yamamoto’s sound is evaluated not as a genre but as a sonic phenomenon.

Memories Wharf and Urban Psychedelia

At Omoide Hatoba, music that crosses genres is played.

Representative album

“Underwater JOE”
“Sukiyaki Western”

Music is generated within a situation.

Compass and sound margin

In the compass, we suppress the number of sounds and emphasize reverberation.

Representative album

“Gospel”
“Eternal Song”

The lack of sound creates a sense of depth in time.

ROVO and transformer structure

ROVO focuses on long-term repetitive structures.

Repetition is a structure that transforms consciousness.

Solo discography

*NOA (1998) *NOA2 (2001)

Crown of Fuzzy Groove (2002)
Nu Frequency (2003)
Riddle (2003) *Baptism (2004) *EVE (2005)
TOKYO LOOP original soundtrack (2006) *PLAYGROUND (2010)
PLAYGROUND Acoustic+ (2011)
Rhapsodia (2011)
Cover album 1st collection (2013) *LIGHTS (2013)
Falsetto (2014)
Nursery rhymes (2015)
cafe brain (2020) *selfy (2020)

The heart of “Crown of Fuzzy Groove”

2002”s ““Crown of Fuzzy Groove’’ is a work that crystallizes Seiichi Yamamoto”s acoustic philosophy.

Multilayering of time by delay

Sustainability through feedback
Fusion of noise and overtones

flowchart TD A[single note] --> B[delay] B --> C[feedback] C --> D[layers of sound] D --> E[lasting change]

Sounds exist not as phrases, but as phenomena that continue to overlap.

Origin and arrival in “Mantral”

The last song on the album, ““Mantral,’’ is not only a complete studio work, but it can also be understood more three-dimensionally by tracing its origins.

This song originally derives from a motif played during the Boredoms’ period, but it has never been released by Boredoms.

In other words, ““Mantral’’ can be said to be a reconstruction of the repetitive phrases and trance structure that were born in the Boredoms scene in his solo work.

Furthermore, this melody can also be heard on OOIOO’s album ““Mountain Book’’. Here, the same melodic fragments produced by Seiichi Yamamoto are developed in a different arrangement and context.

This fact is important.

The same melody and structure

Noise-like collective improvisation (Boredoms)
Female-led rhythm experiment (OOIOO)
Personal acoustic exploration (solo)

It appears while transforming in different environments.

In other words, ““Mantral’’ is not just a song, but the very core of the sound that continues to persist within Seiichi Yamamoto.

The true nature of grandeur

"”Mantral” from ““Crown of Fuzzy Groove” is presented as something close to its final form.

Here, the repeated melody is amplified countless times by delays, and the layers of sound gradually become larger. Sound loses its individual existence and transforms into a gigantic stream of sound.

At its core is a simple, repeated melody. This melody is multiplexed with a delay, and the sound gradually becomes thicker. Individual sounds lose their contours and transform into a continuous acoustic body.

The melody is preserved while dissolving
Rhythm is not explicit and persists
Space continues to expand

Rather than marking the rhythm, the drums function as the “axis that sustains the music.”

A pattern that repeats at regular intervals
Minimalistic blowing without excessive decoration
A core that does not disappear even though it is buried in layers of sound

This drum creates a gentle gravity rather than a chaotic proliferation of sounds.

While guitar delays stretch time horizontally, drums fix time vertically.

As a result, the sound “builds up” rather than simply spreading out.

Moreover, the minute fluctuations of the drums avoid a complete mechanical loop and give the repetitions an organic variation. This allows the listener to continue perceiving slight changes while staying within the same pattern.

Sound is amplified and layered, time is stretched out.

At the center of this is the drum, which serves as an unbreakable axis.

Due to this structure, ““Mantral’’ is not just a drone or repetitive music, but a gigantic flow of sound.

Grandeur is not the size of the sound, but the depth of time created by duration and structure, and this sense of scale is the essence of the ““grandeur’’ of this song.

This is not caused by the size of the organization, but by the spread of time.

The sound circulates endlessly, and the listener is taken inside.

"”Mantral’’ is not a single song, but a sonic structure that persists across different times and places.

Namba Bears and the soil of music

The Namba Bears are essential when talking about Seiichi Yamamoto’s activities.

This place is more than just a live music venue; it has functioned as an important birthplace for Japan’s underground music.

Management and philosophy

By being involved in the management, Seiichi Yamamoto is involved in music not only as a performer but also as an ““environment creator.’’

Here, free expression is allowed without being bound by genre or technique, and young musicians and experimental endeavors are born naturally.

Training and influencing the next generation

The Namba Bears are characterized by their development through the ““place itself’’ rather than a clear education system.

Openness that allows even unknown performers to perform
An atmosphere that allows improvisation and experimentation
Direct contact with domestic and international musicians

In this environment, many young people gain experience and form their own expressions.

What is important in this process is not to experience the ““completed sound,” but to experience the ““sound in progress.”

Just as Seiichi Yamamoto’s own music finds value in unfinishedness and continuity, this place also emphasizes process.

Sound feedback

Seiichi Yamamoto’s experience in such an environment is thought to have influenced his own sound.

By being exposed to a variety of performances and unorganized sounds on a daily basis, one’s sense of sound becomes more flexible and open. As a result, his sound is never fixed and constantly changing.

The act of nurturing the next generation not only influences others, but also creates a cycle in which the depth of one’s own sound continues to be updated.

Music is an individual’s expression, but at the same time, it is also a phenomenon that is nurtured by the place.

Conclusion: Psychedelic in the true sense of the word

Seiichi Yamamoto’s music does not consist solely of his individual talent.

The extreme acoustics of a wide variety of participating bands, the overseas reputation, and the management of the Namba Bears venue - these things interact with each other to continue updating the depth of the sound.

The work of nurturing the next generation is not a unidirectional influence. Being exposed to new sounds and immature expressions actually shakes up and updates one’s own sound.

Sound is not fixed. It keeps changing depending on the place and the person.

It is in this cycle that lies the essence of Seiichi Yamamoto’s psychedelic sound.