Les Rallizes Dénudés

Les Rallizes Dénudés (裸のラリーズ, Hadaka no Rariizu) were a Japanese rock band formed in 1967 at Kyoto's Doshisha University. They were initially active between 1967 and 1988, and then again briefly between 1993 and 1996 before permanently disbanding. The band's name comes from a corruption of French: valises dénudées (naked suitcases) (literal translation) which was derived from a fake French slang invented with the theatrical group Gendai Gekijo. The band's style is typified by simple, repetitious instrumental passages, shrieking, cacophonous guitar feedback and folk arrangement. Their discography is made up mostly of live bootlegs, soundboard archives and even a few rare aborted studio recording attempts as they have never officially released any of their own material, although there are archive releases on independent labels such as Univive, Rivista, Phoenix and Bamboo.[5]

Les Rallizes Dénudés
Les Rallizes Dénudés in 1974. Pictured (left to right): Mikio Nagata, Takashi Mizutani, Shunichiro Shoda, Takeshi Nakamura.
Background information
Also known as	裸のラリーズ
Origin	Japan
Genres	Psychedelic rock[1] noise rock[2]
Years active	1967–1988, 1993-1996
Associated acts	Fujio Yamaguchi, Taj Mahal Travellers, Acid Seven, Masato Minami, Arthur Doyle, Shizuka, Suishou no Fune[3]
Past members	Takashi Mizutani Takashi Kato Takashi Tada Moriaki Wakabayashi Takeda Kiyohiro Tsutomu Matsumoto Takeshi Nakamura Shunichiro Shoda Hiroshi Nar Fujio Yamaguchi Toshirou Mimaki Makoto Kubota Doronco Mikio Nagata Noma Yukimichi Maki Miura[4]

In 1970, original bassist Moriaki Wakabayashi assisted in the hijacking of Japan Airlines Flight 351 orchestrated by the Japanese Red Army.[5][6]

Very little is known about the band's frontman Takashi Mizutani, aside from his supposed ties to the Japanese Red Army and involvement early on in theater at Doshisha University. The last public appearances of Takashi Mizutani were two live performances in 1997 with jazz saxophonist Arthur Doyle and drummer Sabu Toyozumi. It is unknown what his current whereabouts are, or whether or not he is still alive.