Biography

Introduction

DJ Scotch Egg (born Shigeru Ishihara) is a Japanese producer of chiptune/gabber music based in Brighton, England.

Background

Shige started out making improvised noise music, performing under the name Shiez 2000, and later contributed to a few little known groups including Megadrive, Noony Banoony, and The Fighting Seizure Robots Busking Crew. After moving to Brighton from Tokyo, he founded Brighton's premier breakcore/noise music night Wrong Music with friends Ben Hudson (aka Ebola) and Matt (Roger Species). Henry Collins (Shitmat) took Shige under his wing, and convinced him to use his Game Boy to create gabber tracks. Shige claims that his music was not appreciated while studying music at university but pursued his musical direction anyway.

Sometime after the release of his debut album, KFC Core Shige got notice that his student visa had run out, and he was almost sent back to Japan. This led to the creation of the Save The Scotch Egg Site, which had a (now defunct) petition to keep Shige in the UK. After numerous signings from fans and friends (some from fellow breakcore/wrong music artists Shitmat, Mike Paradinas and Chevron) Shigeru was granted permission to stay in the UK.

As of 2006, he has released music on the Wrong Music label, Adaadat and is signed to Lightning Bolt's Load Records (he was apparently offered this after Lightning Bolt was impressed by his music). A new album entitled Scotch Hausen was released in Spring 2007.

Occasionally when playing live, DJ Scotch Egg runs around the stage with his loudspeaker or microphone screaming gibberish, shouting obscenities or something related to Kentucky Fried Chicken. He puts the microphone through a Boss MT-2 Metal Zone guitar distortion pedal, to create the heavily distorted vocal sound. He usually ends the show by throwing scotch eggs at the audience.

Notable contributions with other artists include Ove-Naxx, Hrvatski, Mike Paradinas, Duracell, Bong-Ra, The Pipettes and The Go! Team.

Shige has recorded improvised music collaboratively with Ashley Marlowe and Sam Dook under the moniker Same Things. Two tracks have so far been released through Junior Aspirin Records.

Shige's influences include Karlheinz Stockhausen, SKREAM, John Carpenter, Walter Karloss, Steve Reich, Moondog, John Cage and Speedfreaks amongst others. Many of the tracks on his Scotch Hausen album are inspired by one or more of these particular artists.

Discography

Demos

Shiez 2000 demos date unknown
Scotch Dub (2006, The Compliants Department)

Singles

"Scotch Chicken" 7" single, Wrong Music, 2005
"Scotch Vader" (featuring additional remixes by Ove-Naxx and Bong-Ra; Netherlands only) Kriss Records, 2006
"Scotch Bach" (features additional remixes by Aaron Spectre and Shitmat, unreleased.)
"Scotchy & Shitty - Rave Like A Headless Chicken" (split with Shitmat) 12" single, Wrong Music, 2008

Albums

KFC Core, Adaadat, 2005
???????????????????????? (Japanese only album, released on De-Fragment records title translates as "Encyclopedia Of Hardcore Chiptune") 2007
Scotch Hausen (Adaadat/Very Friendly/Wrong Music) 2007
Drumized ( Load Records, 2008)

Compilation appearances

'Yeah Man Thanks' (as Shiez 2000) on That's What I Call Wrong Music Volume 4 (Wrong Music, 2004)
'Scotch Forest' on Whatever (Wrong Music, 2005)
'Scotch Boy' on Remove Celebrity Centre (Junior Aspirin Records, 2006)
'Switched on Scotch Bach 10' on Etc (Wrong Music, 2006)
'Scotch Forrest' & 'Scotch Chicken' on OverKill (on Overkill, 2006)
'Scotch Grind' on NUCD#02 (on Numusic records, 2007)

Collaborations

'Untitled'(with Duracell) and a Live noise set at ICA with Hrvatski on Trade & Distribution Almanac Volume 3 (Adaadat, 2006)
'Youth Pixxel' (with Germlin) on Youth Pixel album (adaadat, 2006)
'Punchingcones' (with Toxic Lipstick and Kunt) appears on The Rebirth Of The Fool Volume 3 (Dualplover, 2006)
'Oodanhodoh Jya Massive Shoco-shocore (Ovnx And ScotchEgg Mashed U Shit)' (with Ove-Naxx) on Ove-Chan Dancehall
'Scotch Pine' with Pine Forest on [2].
'Brew' with Same Things on ASP 008 'Remove Celebrity Centre' CD compilation [3].
'Toothache' with Same Things on ASP 014 'Skill 7 Stamina 12[4] - Toilet[5] - Same Things' limited vinyl 12", 200 copies Junior Aspirin Records.