HISTORY - JACK OR JIVE'S PATH -

1989 JACK OR JIVE was formed by Chako and Makoto Hattori.

1990 First cassette tape "EXPATRIATION" was announced. (46 minutes,9 songs) This tape was sold on commission at an import record shop in Osaka. We made a performance in local club, as a memorial of release of first cassette tape, but we got no reaction from the audience. They didn't accept us. Along with that, our tape was sent to the German DOM label, one of the trader of the import record shop in Osaka. We got a message from DOM that they wanted to release our album as the first release of the  new DOM ELCHLANG label. DOM label offered to create the album from the cassette tape. The cassete tape's recording was so bad, so we told them that we want to make a new recording and make them into an album. This year, we had a first opportunity to be introduced in Germany. In May, we performed a guerilla live near a tea shop in Arashiyama, Kyoto. The sounds were almost fading in the wind because of lack of equipment, we enjoyed the eyes of people looking at us.

  1991 Presented 1st CD "PRAYER". The album included eight songs, and was recorded simply by analogue synthesizer and couple of noise generators. We prepared for the 2nd album this year, starting a new recording. Invited by the local band friends, we performed only one live this year.

1992 Presented 7 inch single "(DURA) 2 DU".   Visited Germany in May. JACK OR JIVE performed as the preliminary of THE LEGENDARY PINK DOTS. CHAKO went down by poisoned food, but got well the day before the live. Through this poisoning event, we met with Christoph Heeman. A band "Seclusion" was organized with him. The recording was made just before JACK OR JIVE returned to Japan. In December, 2nd CD "MUJYO" was presented. The album included nine songs, creating an analogue like atmosphere with a digital synthesizer.

1993 In June, recording made by "Seclusion" was published from a Swiss label as "YUKI GA FURU". This album became a topic among the musicians. This year, a proposition was made to make a two different types of albums, one with a heavy songs and another with a pop like songs. JACK OR JIVE LIGHTS was organized and began recording.

1994 In January, "KAGURA" live performance was made in Kyoto Otherside. All vocals were improvised that day, but they were so good that we decided to create a live album of "KAGURA". Live album "KAGURA -LIVE IN KYOTO-" was released in April. Visited Germany in May to film a video clip for the JACK OR JIVE Lights MAXI-CD "A PICTURE OF DANCER". It was filmed for two days, early in the morning until late in the night. Few days after, we performed a solo live concert in the underground hall of Museum of Aachen. Gallery tickets were all sold out and the live was a great success. In July JACK OR JIVE Lights MAXI-CD "A PICTURE OF DANCER" was released. In November JACK OR JIVE Lights CD "A SOLO EXHIBITION" was released. We had many questions from over seas asking that if we changed entirely to POP music. We denied them strongly. Started recording of CHAKO's solo album.

1995 In January, Hanshin-Awaji earthquake struck. The studio we used often in Nishinomiya, outside the Kobe city, was destroyed. It was when we were scheduling the solo album's mixing that the tragedy shocked us. Through this year, we were badly depressed. Just after the earthquake, we had a talk with Peter Greenaway. From summer, we were to be on charge of producing the music for Yuuzen artist Inoue Seizo's act "TENGOKURAKU". In November, our house and studio was completed. Started recording of "KENKA"(DEVOTED FLOWERS"). In December, "TENGOKURAKU" was performed and CHAKO sung on the stage. The stage was created by Mr. Inoue's congenial friends from various fields, and was interesting in visual aspect.

1996 In February, Chako's solo album "ebb&flow" was released. The album was made upon an personal image which keeps impressing me. This year, we were also busy with the recording of "KENKA" , which was filled with a color of sorrow.

  1997 In January, 4th CD "KENAKA"(DEVOTED FLOWERS) was released. We had some trouble communicating with the label since the release of this album. A French label PRIKOSNOVENIE proposed us that they want to release our album from their label. Through this year we were undecided which label to work with. This year, Chako visited Christoph's house. Though no recording was made, we talked over about the next album, "Seclusion".

1998 We released a MAXI-CD "TIDAL CURRENT" from PRIKOSNOVENIE. We participated in PRIKOSNOVENIE omnibus album "IRIS" with three songs. In October, we performed a solo live in Munster, Germany. Though we were only staying for 6 days in Germany, CHAKO caught cold. Christoph told CHAKO to cancel the live, but CHAKO didn't hear the advice. She got into a trance like state and got rid of the fever by the day of live concert.

1999 5th CD "THE EARTH" was released. "MUJYO" was reissued from PRIKOSNOVENIE. The play script for the opera was ready, so we started composing. By the summer, it got busy going to Shiga prefecture for the briefing of the opera. In October, performed a solo live concert in Aachen and Hanau, Germany. In Aachen, old Jazz club was selected, and quiet club in downtown, in Hanau. Fanatic fans rushed to the concert, and after the live, Chako was busy signing the CD jacket for them. During the stay in Germany, we also recoreded the song for the second album of the unit "Seclusion" with Christopher Heeman. (release is not planned yet). In December 15th, The opera "LEGEND OF BIWAKO" was performed in Shiga Prefectural Arts Theatre Biwako Grand Hall. The theater was great, and over 1400 audiences gathered. It was interesting that we got both praise and censure about our music. Some opera singers said to us that no such unit like us can be found in the classic music society. Some other people called our music as a healing music. The original writer and also the general director, opera singer Yamamoto Noriko was not able to perform on the stage because of disease, but she was very glad of the success of the opera. December 24th, "PRAYER" was reissued from PRIKOSNOVENIE.

2000 In February, we made a performance at the one-man show of Inoue Seizo in KOBE Fashion museum Orbis hall. The BGM for the one-man show was made for this very day. We started mastering the opera "Legend of Biwako". Making of 10 inch record "GYAKKO" was started for the first issue of new label WHITE RABBIT. At the same time, recording of 6thCD "KISMET" was started. In December 2nd, last live concert in 20th century was performed in Himeji Beta in collaboration with VJ unit Optical Sisters. Collaboration with VJ was very interesting, and the audiences were impressed. In Decemner Lp Opera "Legend of Biwako" from lowlife and 10 inch record "GYAKKO" was released.

2001 February We got together with VJ group Optical Sisters at Frankfurt airport, and performed two live performances in Germany. In 8th of February, at the old castle located near NUREMBERG, and in 10th, at the space which was formerly a restaurant, in the WIESBADEN railway station. In this tour, we had a eventful time, meeting a fan from France, and reuniting with the German magazine publishers after a while, though we didn't have enough time. We didn't think much about the weight of Optical Sister's equipment, and it lead to the overweight problem at the airport, getting them into trouble. We really appreciate the swift decision of the Optical Sisters. There were many happenings in the live, but it was a really valuable experience. In May, plan of making a collaboration with GOR emerged. In the same month, collaboration with LYS emerged too, and finally in end of June, both of the collaborations were included in "BELLADONNE2", a omnibus from PRIKOSNOVENIE. Total of three songs were released

2002 We did single LIVE with "ZEITGEIST" of Taiwan on March 23. Foreign countries were first Asian LIVE. The lecture meeting of Mr. tamura noboru who was the special make-up artist was held in theater X in Tokyo on May 26, we do LIVE as a guest performance. We started the collaboration production with band GOR in Italy. Moreover, I edit a new recording etc. We participated in FORMOZ FESTIVAL which had been done for eight days September in Taiwan. We released collaboration album "Soleil" of GOR+JACK ORJIVE at the end of December from PRIKOSNOVENIE. Moreover, we released 7th CD "TOWARS THE EVENT HORIZON" from WHITE RABBIT RECORDS.

2003 We visited musician ALIO DIE house in Italy for two days from February 10. And recorded the collaboration album tune in his studio. We did LIVE by "SCHICK&SCHON" which existed in Mainz in Germany on February 14. We offered one to interview and appendix CD of a Spanish magazine. We begin the edit of the album "LIFE" in April. We did LIVE in the cattle depot artist village in Hong Kong on December 6.