Kiyoshi Yamaya, Toshiko Yonekawa, Kifu Mitsuhashi – Wamono Groove (Shakuhachi & Koto Jazz Funk '76)
Boomkat Product Review:
Burn'd rare groove wildcards fer dedicated diggers here: following 180g's disco and boogie comp, this set of Japanese funk evokes the fragrance of a Tokyo izakaya in the mid 1970s.
The term "wamono" is used to refer to vintage Japanese records that sizzle with lounge-y charm - specifically disco, funk and jazz from the 1970s and '80s. This latest collection of wamono from the 180g imprint highlights the work of arranger Kiyoshi Yamaya, who works here with koto player Toshiko Yonekawa and shakuhachi player Kifu Mitsuhashi to formulate a groove that sits between traditional music and decadent Blaxploitation groove.
These are the kind of sounds you'd expect to bubble up from the celluloid in a midnight movie double-bill - the themes are eerily familiar, but the instrumental selections give each riff a spark of fresh life. Needless to say, sections of these tracks feel as if they've been tailor-made for sampling or creative mixing. Good stuff.