fusion

Hideki Mitsumori (光森英毅): 彩 Colours (1990)

2019/03/08

I’m at a loss what to classify the late, great Hideki Mitsumori’s 彩 Colours as. It’s obviously heavily indebted to world music and to all sorts of ethno-music flavors but it’s completely digital with no acoustic instrument in sight. Much like Apsaras, the previous band he led, keyboardist Hideki Mitsumori trades in Japanese New Age…
Do’ah: World Dance (1988)

2019/03/05

A call to worship, that’s what do’a, the original Arabic-Persian name for New Age group Do’ah means. World Dance by Do’ah slots into that imperfect crevice where good ideas fall prey to bad ones (due to appearing over earnestness) look for one false move to write off the whole shebang written as unnecessary/dated. If you’ve…
Mekong Zoo: Minimal Dance (1995)

2019/02/26

Let’s do things recursively. Mekong Zoo’s Minimal Dance is exactly as its written — dance music with minimal gestures. Minimal Dance is the unlikely collaboration between two quietly pioneering Japanese female musicians and another intriguing one from England. A hybrid mix of world music, jazz, ambient, neoclassical, and burgeoning techno, it’s piece together all these…
Jang Pil-Soon (장필순): Suddenly/In My Little Heart (어느새 / 내작은 가슴속에) (1989)

2019/02/15

Heretofore, I bear witness that someone is going to come along and school me on my knowledge of K-Pop (and possibly Jang Pil-Soon herself). Therefore, whatever I’m going to write about Jang Pil-Soon’s 어느새 / 내작은 가슴속에 (which roughly translates to Suddenly/In My Little Heart) might require a huge asterisk beside it. It’s with romance…
Criola (クリオラ): Winter Songbook (1992)

2018/12/21

I have a confession to make: I didn’t quite “get” Criola’s Winter Songbook, for a long time. Looking back, though, this season, I’ve been blessed with many things in life and one of them has been running this blog. Never have I been so inspired, influenced, and devoted to maintain this running conversation with people…
Windsor Riley: The Move Of Life (1988)

2018/11/13

“Endlessly moving, always alive” no better words can describe this album than Windsor Riley’s own. There’s no way around it, The Move Of Life sounds lame on paper. A late ‘80s release, on another nameless record label, trying to peddle harmless instrumental music that would be at home on the Weather Channel or your local dentist…
Michiko Akao: Yokobue (1983)

2018/10/26

I’m afraid people might get the wrong impression when they listen to the opening track from Michiko Akao’s Yokobue. What’s there to say about “般若波羅蜜多 – Prajna Paramita”? Manning the iconic transverse flute of Japan, the yokobue, Michiko creates a dark jazz funk piece that somehow manages to mix a vocoder in, in a way…
Milky Way: Quarter Diary (1989)

2018/10/19

Oh, the joys and pains of promoting private press records. First of all, a huge debt of gratitude is extended to one Discogs record collector (mvns) who kindly shared with me this beyond interesting release by Japanese band (or solo act, hard to tell, at times), Milky Way Band. Released in 1989, through infinitely small…
Mix: 14. Otoño de Nuevo – Argentinian Fusion From the ’80s and ’90s. (Guest Mix by Chris J. Morris)

2018/09/28

Guest Mix by Chris J. Morris Editor’s Note: For those who’ve ventured to the FOND/SOUND Facebook group our guest for today’s mix, Chris J. Morris, has been tearing up the board with fascinating share, upon fascinating share, much of it from his personal collection. Showing a deep knowledge of Latin experimentalism, and so much more, I…
Marica: Jellyfish 海月 (1987)

2018/09/21

When Yasuaki Shimizu’s Mariah split up their story appeared to end there. Marica’s Jellyfish 海月 proves that Mariah was just a small part of the bigger slice of Japanese Pop music these same members created, that still merits rediscovery. Produced by ex-Mariah members Masanori Sasaji, Jimmy Murakawa, and Morio Watanabe, Jellyfish 海月 finds vocal jazz…