Mitsune blends traditional Japanese folk with jazz, rock, dance and Eastern blues but also with wild and innovative psychedelica or cinematic and ritual music, crafting original compositions that breathe new life into ancient narratives.
The heart and soul of Mitsune is the tsugaru shamisen, a 3-stringed Japanese lute once favoured by blind folks and itinerant musicians of old Japan. Mitsune both honors and modernizes shamisen tradition, conveying folklore imagery, personal and cultural stories through this ancient instrument.
Led by a duo of female shamisen players, accompanied by percussion and bass, the Berlin-based 4-piece serves modern folklore with driving beats, raw emotion, and wonderfully decadent costume design. With its multicultural tapestry of musicians from Japan, Australia and Greece, Mitsune has attracted attention worldwide, with international praise, appearing at folk and techno festivals. In 2022 they released the album ‘Hazama’, an excellent contemporary introduction to the world of tsugaru shamisen. Rolling Stone wrote "consistently excellent", Songlines added :"fun and eclectic, while maintaining a sense of identity".
A new album is expected later this year.
On stage, Mitsune delivers a visual and sartorial feast, where traditional meets avant-garde, their shows spiced with virtuosity, driving beats and wild group vocals and an ever-present sense of joy and fantasy.