Melbourne

Left Ear select best of Minoru ‘Hoodoo’ Fushimi on new compilation ‘In Praise of Mitochondria’

In Praise of Mitochondria celebrates the output of Minoru ‘Hoodoo’ Fushimi who self-released four albums of unique proto-electro and rap explorations. They were released on two vinyl LPs and two CDs between 1985 and 1992 and now the ever trusty Left Ear Records from Melbourne have revisited this Japanese pioneer. Together with Jerome Qpchan, the label has selected 12 tracks for a double vinyl retrospective, including two unreleased tracks from the archives.

In the words of the esteemed Dr. Rob: “Minoru set out to combine his love of all things funk with traditional instruments and song from his homeland. He uses shamisen on Thanatopsis. Where Parliament’s Flashlight [and] George Clinton’s Atomic Dog ride with Osamu Kitajima’s Masterless Samurai. [Minoru plays] shakuhachi on Mizuko No Tamashii Hyakumademo. Nohdashi puts koto with a Jimmy Castor riff. All set to popping and locking beats.

“Minoru’s vocals switch between raps about cellular metabolism and haemoglobin, soul croon and vocoder. On Shinz-San he adds metal guitar to vintage Sugarhill. And he goes crazy with his sampler. Scratching in cats, frogs, babies, laughter, giggles, traffic jams, failing ignitions, opera singers, and amorous sighs. Furarete mixes elephant roars and go-go. [Minoru is] creating unique avant grooves that share something with Tackhead’s ON-U Sound System, Savant’s tape experiments, and fellow countrymen EP-4.” 

For more information visit Left Ear Records.

Quality Thesda reissue on Left Ear Records

Melbourne’s Left Ear Records continues its sterling work with this official re-release of Thesda’s killer LP.

Thesda’s musical ideas collided in a small studio with Spaced Out pressed in very small numbers. The only distribution it got was as a Christmas present one year and interest was reignited in April 2007 after a record collector in Washington, DC, found the album at a thrift store. It has changed hands for ridiculous prices before this reissue.

The story of Thesda begins in the mid-70s with Eugene Hagburg. Alongside his musical moonlighting he was Director of the Management Academy for the United States Postal Service then located in Bethesda, Maryland (notice where the band got its name from – BeTHESDA). He later became Assistant Postmaster General in charge of Delivery Operations in the US. Hagburg and Thomas Crawford led the group in creating two albums released on their private press label Integrated Performance Systems International Incorporated (IPSI): Crawford’s The Peak Experience and Thesda’s Spaced Out. Both IPSI LPs are extremely rare and collectible.

Hagburg accumulated enough equipment to record Thesda’s LP in his home by the time Thesda was recorded in 1979.

Visit Left Ear Records here.

Check out WTM’s Australian records feature: https://worldtreasuresmusic.com/oz/.