Bleep

We Release Whatever The Fuck We Want’s strong partnership with Midori Takada bears more fruit with this latest reissue. Originally released in 1981, Mkwaju Ensemble’s MKWAJU is Takada’s first full-length record. On this album, the percussionist leads her group through a set of tracks that draw from the minimalist compositions of Steve Reich, leftfield synth-pop, sub-Saharan African percussion groups, new age, drone and many other styles. As anyone who has heard some of Takada’s other work will know, her genius is the ability to channel complex networks of influences from various avant-garde forms into pieces that still have a great immediacy to them. The likes of ‘Tira Rin’ and the title track, for instance, manage to be both rhythmically dense and texturally open. It’s notable that this LP includes Joe Hisaishi - known for, among other things, his work with Studio Ghibli - on production and synths.