Hazama

Formed in Berlin in 2018, Mitsune began life as an all-female trio of shamisen players, fusing Japanese folk music with influences from around the globe. Following an impressive debut album that same year, Mitsune have performed tirelessly across Europe, with the core trio of Shiomi Kawaguchi, Tina Kopp and Youka Snell expanding to a five-piece, bolstered by Noriko Okamoto on double bass and Petros Tzekos on percussion.

Since their inception, the group have cultivated a sense of maturity that shines on their sophomore album Hazama, which exudes confidence, energy and creativity. Meaning ‘In Between’ in Japanese, this title represents the ensemble’s stated goal of transmuting their shared sense of cultural limbo into joyful music. Title-track ‘Hazama’ is an arresting opener, introduced by Kawaguchi’s shinobue (flute), and establishes the ensemble’s emboldened soundscape, with layered percussion and three-part harmony vocals creating a matsuri festival like atmosphere. Mitsune explore a Hawaiian influence on the playful ‘Fusako no Hula’, navigate knotty time signatures on the thrilling ‘Roku-Go’, and evoke a brooding South American quality on ‘Tosa Tango’. The band’s rearrangement of the traditional folk song ‘Sakura’ is equally adventurous, with the famously mournful melody transposing effortlessly from a slow halftime into a fast 6/8. The wistful and plaintive ‘Berlin Lullaby’ leads into ‘Wind of Sand’, an arabesqueitalictour de force, which sees the ensemble joined by Shingo Masuda on qanun and Samira Aly on cello. Fun and eclectic, while maintaining a strong sense of identity, Hazama is a fantastic second release from an ensemble with an ocean of creative potential.