Masahiko Ohno’s Solmania project begun in 1984 – initially a one-man outfit, Ohno was joined in the ‘90s by Katsumi Sugahara. Solmania don’t seem to have developed quite as much of a reputation, overseas at least, as figures like Merzbow and Masonna; it’s odd, considering the consistently high quality of Ohno’s recordings, and the compelling textural onslaught of Solmania’s noise. Then there’s Ohno’s home-made guitars – Solmania generally play using guitars he’s monstered from constituent parts, developing harp guitars, double-necked guitars, guitars with necks jutting out of each end, guitars with unexpected add-ons, guitars prepared with microphones, extraneous pick-ups, extra strings, bizarre controls, and so on. This living room clip, from Kingdom Of Noise, might not capture Solmania at full blast, but it’s great to catch Ohno playing in such an intimate environment, and unexpectedly hilarious to see his cat suddenly leap out of the frame when Ohno’s hand strikes the guitar for the first time.