Makoto Kawabata

Makoto Kawabata is a Japanese experimental musician and guitarist best known as the driving force behind the legendary psychedelic collective Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. Since forming the band in the mid-’90s, Kawabata has become synonymous with mind-bending, genre-blurring sounds that fuse acid rock, drone, free improvisation, and cosmic folk. His solo work—like the recent releases *Mirage*, *Phenomena*, and *Spatial Roots*—showcases his mastery of wah-drenched guitar freakouts, hypnotic sitar spirals, and tape-manipulated chaos, often blurring the line between music and ritual. Whether conjuring lysergic jams with his band or exploring minimalist textures on his own, Kawabata remains a prolific shapeshifter in Japan’s underground music cosmos.