Ain Soph have always been one of the most highly regarded progressive rock bands from Japan. With album titles like
"Hat & Field" and "Ride On A Camel," it's easy to see
where their roots lie.

The band started in 1970 with the beginning of the progressive rock scene in Japan. The lineup was Yozox Yamamoto on guitars, Kikuo Fujikawa on keyboards, Masahiko Torigaki on bass, and Hiroshi Natori on drums. Calling themselves Tenchi Sozo (which means "the creation"), they played Canterbury-styled progressive rock and jazz-fusion. They recorded a demo over various live dates in the mid 1970s (later released as "Ride On A Camel"), but an official release was elusive.

In 1980, Fujikawa left the band and was replaced by Masey Hattori on keyboards. The band changed their name to Ain Soph (Without End) and finally released their first album, "A Story Of Mysterious Forest," which has since come to be considered a classic of the Japanese progressive scene.

Hattori left Ain Soph soon after to form the band 99.99. Unfortunately that brought things to a stop and for a number of years it seemed that Ain Soph were no more.

Then around 1986 Fujikawa rejoined Yozox and Torigaki along with drummer Taiqui Tomiie. With renewed energy they recorded and released their second record, "Hat & Field," which was more solidly in the Canterbury style than their first.

During the first half of the 1990s, Ain Soph were very active. They released two new studio albums, two archival releases of live material recorded between 1976-1978, and one archival release of live material recorded from 1986-1989.

But in 1995 the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake hit Kobe, the city where Ain Soph is based, and the band came to an end.
6000 people in Kobe were killed. Ain Soph lost everything - family members, homes, community, jobs, instruments, equipment and recorded tapes. The band members struggled to pick up the pieces and worked hard to rebuild their lives after the tragedy. Eventually their thoughts returned to making music.

In 2003 Ain Soph reunited and they played their first live show in many years - opening for ZAO in Osaka. Since then they have once again become very active. There have been three CD releases since 2004, and in 2007 Ain Soph played their first show outside of Japan at BajaProg.

ProgDay is honored to host Ain Soph's first live appearance in the United States. We're sure it will be a performance
to be remembered.

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Web:

http://ainsoph.jpn.org/archives.html

http://www.poseidon.jp/ainsoph/index.html

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MP3 Sample: "Variations On A Theme By Brian Smith"
from Marine Menagerie

MP3 Sample: "Ride On A Camel"
from Marine Menagerie

Check the MUSIC PLAYER PAGE
to hear music samples from other bands.

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Discography:

• A Story Of Mysterious Forest (LP 1980, CD 1993)
• Hat & Field (LP 1986, CD 1993)
• Marine Menagerie (CD 1991)
• Tenchi-Sozo: Ride On A Camel - Special Live
(Recorded 1976-1978) (CD 1991)
• Five Evolved From Nine (CD 1993)
• Mysterious Triangle - Speical Live Volume 2
(Recorded 1976-1978) (CD 1993)
• Quicksand - Special Live Volume 3
(Recorded 1986-1989) (CD 1994)
• Official Bootleg Volume One (CD 2004)
• Official Booleg Volume Two (CD 2006)
• Studio Live Tracks '80s And '05 (CD 2007)
also
• Various Artists:
70s West Japanese Rock Scene (CD 1991)

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