Damo Suzuki & Cuzo

Born Kenji Suzuki in Kobe, Japan on January 16, 1950, singer Damo Suzuki was best known for his short but influential stint as lead vocalist in German krautrock group Can in the early 1970s. Although born in Japan, he moved to Europe as a teenager and earned money busking in Sweden, Ireland, the UK, and West Germany. He was discovered busking in Munich by Can’s rhythm section – bassist Holger Czukay and drummer Jaki Liebezeit – shortly after the group’s American vocalist, Malcolm Mooney, had left the band. They invited Damo Suzuki to join the group in 1970 and his first recording with Can was a song that appeared on their 1970 album Soundtracks. With Damo Suzuki now their full-time vocalist, Can recorded a trio of albums that remain their most popular releases: Tago Mago (1971), Ege Bamyasi (1972), and Future Days (1973). Following the release of Future Days, he left Can, became a Jehovah’s Witness, and left the music business. Damo Suzuki returned in 1983 with his band Dunkelziffer and the album Colours and Soul, which was followed by In the Night (1984) and III (1986). Like Can, the music with his new group was improvisational and commonly classified as avant-garde or experimental. His future recordings and performances featured a constant change of musicians and he named this ever-evolving project Damo Suzuki’s Network. Rather than spending time rehearsing, he preferred to record live improvisational performances and much of his catalog consists of these live recordings taped in the studio and in concert. He began a ‘never ending tour’ that took him to many different countries to perform with many different musicians. Albums released during this period included V.E.R.N.I.S.S.A.G.E. (1998), P.R.O.M.I.S.E. (7CD box/1998), Odyssey (2000), Metaphysical Transfer (2001), Hollyaris (2005), 3 Dead People After the Performance (2005), Please Heat This Eventually (2007), Killer-Damo (2011), Start from Zero (2015), High School Pharmacy!!! (2021), and TBWNIS [Friday March 23rd, 2012] (2023). Diagnosed with colon cancer in 1983 and 2014, he finally succumbed to the disease on February 9, 2024, at the age of 74.