Kaigara Bushi from Hazama by Mitsune

This is originally a folk song from Hamamura Onsen, a seaside town in Tottori Prefecture. It was sung by fishermen to comfort themselves as they rowed laboriously, trawling the ocean floor for shellfish (‘Kaigara’ is the shell). We have always loved this song and wanted to create a unique arrangement of it, but had been stuck for months on where to take it. Around that time, we started listening to Tuareg desert blues and got into some Saharan bands – most notably, Les Filles de Illighadad and Tinariwen. We decided to develop the song in this direction, and although it would seem that a seaside fishing song couldn’t be further from the Sahara, we discovered a kindred heartbeat and injected it into this track. We had so much fun recording the vocals for this one.. perhaps we should have a whiskey sponsorship ;)

Mitsune blends traditional Japanese folk with the wild and innovative sounds of psychedelic, cinematic and ritual music, crafting original compositions that breathe new life into ancient narratives. Led by a duo of female shamisen players, accompanied with percussion and bass, the Berlin-based 4-piece serves modern folklore with driving beats, raw emotion, and decadent visuals.

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