[Les Rallizes Dénudés] Rediscovering Psychedelic Mystique at Jittoku ’76

There’s J.D. Salinger, there’s Thomas Pynchon, and then there’s Takashi Mizutani, founder, singer, and guitarist of Japanese psychedelic rock giants Les Rallizes Dénudés. Like Salinger’s withdrawal and Pynchon’s deliberate anonymity, Mizutani brings the tradition of literary reclusiveness into music, shaping the band’s singular allure—a mystery not unlike the silent impact of Marco Polo in Italo Calvino’s “Invisible Cities”.

For years, devoted record collectors obsessed over the band’s scarce recordings, driven by a Baudelairean urge to chase the unknown. In 2021, digital releases by The Last One Musique and Temporal Drift finally opened the vault, sharing Les Rallizes Dénudés’s clandestine treasure with the world via Bandcamp. Yet, like Jandek’s eventual appearance from obscurity, Mizutani’s myth lingers, refusing to be fully illuminated.

Temporal Drift’s recent live releases comprise a sonic chronicle, each performance colored by acoustics, equipment, and atmosphere. As with the Grateful Dead’s tape-trading devotees, Dénudés’s slim but fervently detailed live catalog has fostered a committed community. The latest entry, Jittoku ’76, is a vivid slice of this legacy.

This 1976 show at Kyoto’s Club Jittoku unites Takashi Mizutani (vocals/guitar), Takashi Nakamura (guitar), veteran drummer Sami (Toshiro Mimaki), and bassist Hiroshi Nar from Datetenryu. Both Sami and Nar were stalwarts of Japan’s psychedelic scene, having performed at the influential OZ club. Here, the rhythm section is unleashed, exploring funk and blues-infused foundations. On “Wilderness of False Flowers,” the locked groove and swirling bass offer Dénudés’s own answer to Can’s “Mother Sky”. “White Awakening” finds Mizutani delicately channeling the spirit of a gentle Velvet Underground ballad. “Flame of Ice” stretches into a hypnotic 14 minutes, the bass steady and meditative, the guitars veering from mesmerizing to obliterating—echoing the strange beauty found in annihilation.

“The Night, Assassin’s Night” surprises with its restraint, skipping the usual feedback-driven chaos. In contrast, the premiere of “Saw The Night In Your Eyes” surges with flanged guitar flourishes and prowling bass lines, reminiscent of literary anti-heroes treading uncertain ground. “Hibiscus Flower Otherwise Dying Satisfied” rocks with the vigor of James Gang or Grand Funk Railroad, its electric guitar tone raw and transcendent—truly radical for 1976. The closing “Enter The Mirror” unravels with a mid-song breakdown that mirrors Jean Cocteau’s surreal transitions, as bass and drums lock in and the guitars emit clouds of psychedelic haze.

Strip away the myths and shadows, and Les Rallizes Dénudés’s music itself—timeless, unvarnished, and breathtaking—is what remains. ✪