Congrats! New location decided! Kyoto’s delightfully offbeat live house “In’yo (Negapoji)” celebrates its 20th anniversary next year!

favorite_borderLast updated:2018/5/25

• Live Spot LugHirata Hiroyasu
  I’m Hiroyasu Hirata from Live Spot RAG. When I was 15, I was blown away by how cool music—especially rock—was, and I started playing guitar and formed a band. I’m from Kochi Prefecture, where there weren’t many live houses or concert venues, so there were few opportunities to experience live music. Back then, our sources of information were magazines, CDs, and even VHS tapes (!?). Still, I was captivated by the sparkle of music, and I spent my days enjoying guitar and music, mostly neglecting my studies. I moved to Kyoto for university and “graduated” from the light music club, so to speak (laugh). Until then, I mainly listened to Japanese rock and Western hard rock, but thanks to seniors and peers I learned there was so much more music in the world. Now I listen to anything that strikes me as good, regardless of genre. After graduating, I joined RAG. After about six years in the office and about ten years in the music studio, I now work at the long-established Live Spot RAG, which has been around for 39 years, mainly handling promotions. Being exposed to the “real music” performed by Japan’s top musicians and delivering it to our audience lets me feel the brilliance of music anew every day. I still play guitar and keep a band going casually, and in recent years I’ve even started singing—better late than never. I’ve fully become an old guy by now, but I hope we can continue to chase “what lies beyond the dreams I painted with music back then” together.

What kind of live music venue is Negapoji?

http://www.negaposi.net

The shop set up there in 1996.

I vividly remember how a fresh gust of wind swept through Kyoto’s indie scene when Mr. Yamazaki—who was the manager at Live Spot Rag at the time—launched a new live music venue.

The shop is located in the basement of the building; by the time you’ve gone down the entrance stairs, walked through the narrow hallway in front of the dressing rooms, and opened the shop’s door, you’re already steeped in an underground vibe that, like it or not, heightens the feeling that “something is going to happen.”

There are few so-called professional musicians among the performers; most are band members and artists from Kyoto’s local indie scene.

Among them, it seems that many performers are not pursuing trendy music or prioritizing instrumental and vocal virtuosity, but rather creating “good music that resonates with the heart.”

Personally, I feel that it’s a live music venue that follows in the tradition of Kyoto’s underground scene—like the shows at Seibu Auditorium and the Yoshida Dormitory dining hall.

An indispensable presence for the scene—one that cultivates local band members.

One of Negapoji’s features is that it’s a live house where you can enjoy “good music” along with “delicious drinks and food” at reasonable prices, and it also offers a wide selection of alcoholic beverages and izakaya-style dishes.

audience seating

http://www.negaposi.net

It’s by no means a large space—seated capacity is about 50 to 60—but when the performance heats up, the sense of unity with the audience is incredible.

Regular table-and-chair floor seating, counter seats, a—pardon the expression—quirky? sofa (booth) area, and best of all, a small tatami-mat seating section!

Tadg Tadg also has tatami seating, but this place has a special vibe—like the box seats at sumo—that oddly gets you hyped.

It might feel a bit intimidating for solo visitors or those who aren’t regulars to sit there, but if you grab a spot and strike up a lively conversation about music with the strangers you end up sharing a table with, you’ll probably find yourself enjoying the trip to Negapoji even more.

stage

http://www.negaposi.net

What first catches the eye is the many, many bottle corks embedded all over the wall behind the stage.

Could it be that it has the effect of acoustically diffusing the sound? And the store’s YAMAHA drum kit has a very deep bass drum, so normally the drums feel like they’re positioned quite far forward.

The drummer can stand out more (lol)!

The stage is almost flat, and the distance to the audience is very close, as is the distance to the FOH/PA booth.

When I’m performing, I feel as if every single move I make is being stared at by everyone there, which makes me pretty nervous—but on the flip side, it’s also an environment where it’s easier to hurl my passion at the audience directly.

We also have an upright piano, so singer-pianists are most welcome!

The central figure of the current negaposi

Goro (Mr. Yamazaki)

You’re the very person who launched Negapoji.

Active as “Hyogen Taro” and as the central figure of his lifelong band project “Wallas,” he’s still a fully active band member today.

They’re already booked, and this person must be the one behind Negapoji’s “Spirits.” They’re also a waterfall ironman.

Mr./Ms. Ezoe

Current booking manager.

They handle many bookings and are also active as a vocalist and guitarist in both Fateh*lia Band and Nagisa no Beethovens.

With a beautiful singing voice that belies his bearded appearance and a friendly personality that treats everyone without distinction, he continues to captivate Kyoto’s band scene.

Special Interview: Keisuke Ezoe (LIVE&SAKE Yin-Yang)

Shu-san

Current store manager.

Also active as an artist under the name “Emperor Medaka.”

I just realized that the main figures in the negative-positive discussion have a lot of hair (lol).

A handsome long-haired nice guy who is energetically leading the younger members.

The current lineup of Negaposi, centered around these three members, spans three different generations, and all of them are active band musicians—which, in the live house scene, could be considered a significant strength.

As a band member, I’m thrilled that we can engage a wide range of generations and share and empathize in real time with the performing artists from an on-the-ground perspective.

A unique booking-and-live style

While each live house has its own unique booking and live performance style, when it comes to what’s distinctive about Negapoji, the following two points would likely be highlighted first.

ChocolateFireball

A floor live show where the center of the audience area becomes the stage, and performers and spectators come together as one to get hyped!

As an audience member, you can see the performers’ side that you normally can’t—like behind the drum kit—and above all, the sound is so much closer!

As a performer, it’s a completely different view from usual; acoustically it might be demanding, but my motivation is at maximum—super high tension!

With Negapoji’s distinctive sense of scale and lighting, the floor’s atmosphere boils over into a subspace completely unlike the everyday.

Weekday No-Charge Day

A paradigm shift that completely overturns the current realities of running live music venues.

Not every weekday, but there are days when it operates with no cover charge.

It's especially appreciated by artists and bands who don't yet have strong drawing power but have something that really shines.

It’s an undertaking that simply isn’t possible without a genuine commitment to nurturing local artists. I know it’s challenging, but I hope it can serve as a guiding marker.

This year marks the 19th anniversary.

How was it?

I hope this conveys at least a little of the charm of the live music venue, Negapoji.

Negaposi is celebrating its 19th anniversary this year. Time flies—it may now be considered a mid-tier to long-established venue in the Kyoto live house scene.

Founder: It’s impossible to know whether this is the future Goro envisioned 19 years ago, but with supporters like Mr. Edazoe and Mr. Shuu, I believe we’ve now established a solid position.

20th anniversary milestone, and beyond

Next year marks the 20th anniversary.

Ahead of that milestone, major news was delivered to us.

This is a “What the heck?!” notice that the current Negapoji will be closing as of 2015.

The reason is said to be due to a noise issue.

Even though noise issues are an inextricable problem for live music venues that amplify sound electrically.

At this point in this matter, withdrawing can only be described as regrettable.

But, however.

Gorō-san, Ezoe-san, and Shū-san as well.

It seems they don’t intend to let Negapoji just become a legend.

A fresh start in a new place: the 20th year of Negapoji, and the new history we will write from here on.

They’re full of determination to keep weaving it together again.

As a musician living in Kyoto, I have high hopes, and if there’s anything I can do, I would be more than happy to help.

Congratulations! The relocation destination has been decided! Starting in 2016, 'Saiin Negapoji' is born!

And we’ve just received some wonderful news!!!

Finally! It seems the relocation destination for Negapoji has been decided!

The new location that everyone’s curious about is Saiin—well-known from the Saiin Music Festival and packed with music spots like live houses, rehearsal studios, and TSUTAYA. It’s truly a city of music!

It’s probably already widely known since the information has spread on Twitter and other platforms,

Congratulations!!!

What kind of music culture will Kyoto’s legendary live houses cultivate in Kyoto’s deep music districts, and what movements will they spark in the future?

Band members and music lovers all across Kyoto are paying close attention.

Welcoming the milestone 20th anniversary as a fresh new start could be called, in a sense, the best kind of restart, don’t you think?

The Negaposi DNA that has been chosen for inheritance—let’s look forward to the day it appears before us as the evolved “Saiin Negaposi”!

And let’s make the current Gosho-Minami Karasuma Marutamachi vibe as exciting as possible through the end of the year!!

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