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--The "KING MINYO GROOVE INVASION" series, which started in September 2025, released its first 10 titles on September 24th. Let's start by asking about some of the most noteworthy titles from this series.

Yoshizawa: Let's start with the one that caught my eye. It's "Shamisen Recital" by Michiya Mihashi and the Tokyo Cuban Boys (1963).

--This is a famous album, isn't it?

Tanaka: That's right. We're putting Michiya Mihashi's shamisen playing over a big band, so the volume balance is completely messed up, but that's what makes it so good.

Yoshizawa: Out of all of these, I often play "Sado Okesa."

—This album is entirely instrumental, isn't it? It's a record by Michiya Mihashi, a great singer who represented the Showa era, yet it's luxurious to preserve his vocals and let us hear only the shamisen throughout. So, let's listen to "Sado Okesa."

Tanaka: I wonder how they record this. How do they do the monitoring?

—The shamisen is included perfectly, and even now, the sound balance is great, isn't it?

Tanaka: I imagine the mixing must have been very difficult.

Yoshizawa: I think it was probably recorded in one take.

—Michiya Mihashi's shamisen playing is fantastic, but this song, right from the intro, has a distinctly Tokyo Cuban Boys feel to it, doesn't it?

Tanaka: I can feel the momentum of the times in how all of this was brought together into one work. I really like this album.

-- In addition to this, Michiya Mihashi has three other titles available for download. The single "THE TOMBI/BYE BYE HORSE," and two albums, "Geki! MITCHIE ~Michiya Mihashi's Other World~" and "Bon Odori Disco."

Yoshizawa: It's like Mitchy has turned into a disco guy.

--All three titles were released in 1979, but apparently, the year before that, Michiya Mihashi had been working as a disc jockey for a radio program called "Dengeki Wide Ultra Broadcasting Station" on Radio Kanto. It seems they were released amidst a Michiya boom among young people.

Tanaka: I see. That's why it suddenly turned into a disco. It really kept up with the times.

Yoshizawa: Of the 10 works released in the first batch, this is probably the one I'd recommend the most. It's "A Big Chorus Demonstration of Japanese Songs" (1971) by the Tokyo Academy Mixed Chorus. The arrangement was done by Toshio Fukui, who was also a member of the Tokyo Cuban Boys.

Tanaka: This is great. This one resonated with me the most out of all the stories in this series.

Yoshizawa: I'd like you to listen to "Tawarazaka." It was on the record we were talking about earlier for the audio check, and that's when I noticed it. I thought, "What is this cool thing?"

--So, let's listen to "Tawarazaka."

Tanaka: Wow, that's cool!

Yoshizawa: Speaking of this album, besides "Tawarazaka," there's also "Kiyarikuzushi" on the audio check record, and that one's cool too. Audio check records are...
If you can find it, you can get it for quite cheap, but if you're looking for this ("A Big Demonstration of Chorus by Japanese Songs"), I think it's going to be quite expensive.

—Both "Tawarazaka" and "Kiyarikuzushi" are amazing. The combination of the chorus and the groovy backing track creates a uniquely cool sound.

Tanaka: It's hard to even categorize it anymore. It even has a futuristic feel to it.

Yoshizawa: Following on from that, can I briefly mention something? Speaking of choral music, there's the Tokyo Boys' Choir's "Songs on the Rhythm: From Our Repertoire Vol. 4" (1968). This is also a children's chorus piece, but the first song, "Kokiriko-bushi," is amazing.

--Wow, it's groovy and cool right from the intro.

Yoshizawa: There's a part in the song where it's just drums and chorus, and that's what's great about it. If there were other sounds, we could make the drums stand out a bit more or edit them to make it sound even cooler.

Tanaka: It feels like there are sampling points scattered all over it. Cool!

—Who is in charge of the arrangements for this?

Yoshizawa: Fujie Koji is a jazz player/arranger, and he also played in an orchestra called Cozy Pops. He wasn't exclusively signed to King Records, but he did some cool arrangements on other kids' records as well.

Tanaka: Up until now, this kind of choral music has been a bit of a difficult genre for me to get into, but listening to it now, it has a spiritual jazz vibe to it, and it's quite passionate. It has the feel of Kamasi Washington, or rather, Don Cherry or Sun Ra.

—It certainly has a very contemporary feel to it.

Yoshizawa: When the rhythm is strong, it can totally be listened to as contemporary music.

—We've already talked quite a bit with just the first 10 photos. I wonder if we'll even get to the fourth set...

Yoshizawa: In terms of groove folk music, the important tracks are concentrated in the first and second installments, so it can't be helped. Pinky and Killers (from their 1970 album "Pinky and Killers' Folk Song Tour of the Country") also has some cool songs on it. (He then plays "Soran Bushi")

--Wow, that's amazing!

Yoshizawa: This is Takeshi Terauchi playing the guitar.

Tanaka: That picking is definitely Terauchi's, it's incredibly cool. The playing is really powerful.

Yoshizawa: This is a record where a pop star of that era tackled folk music, and I think it's a masterpiece. I think it still sounds great even today.

--Okay, let's move on to the second round. Eight titles were made available on subscription services on October 29th, so which one should we start with?

Yoshizawa: First up, I'd say Dark Ducks' "Dark's Young Folk Songs" (1965). The first track, "Kagoshima Ohara Bushi," is great.

Tanaka: The album cover is really cool, isn't it? These kinds of choral pieces are interesting too.

Yoshizawa: The song "Konpira Funafune" on this album is really cool with its twist rhythm. The song speeds up to double the tempo partway through.

Tanaka: This is good too!

—It must have sounded fresh to people back then. They must have thought, "Wow, 'Konpira Funafune,' a song everyone knew, can be arranged like this?"

Tanaka: Right! The arrangement is amazing, isn't it? The performance is very well thought out.

Yoshizawa: It's like folk songs being turned into soft rock.

—Which one should we listen to next?

Yoshizawa: This is something I absolutely have to mention. The Peanuts' "Okuni Jiman da! Peanuts" (1970). When it was released, it was only available on 8-track tape, and it wasn't released on CD until 1998. In short, it wasn't available on analog, and it wasn't even available on streaming services. When we released a compilation from France ("Minyo Groove 1963-1979 – Japan Meets Latin, Rock, Rare Groove & Funky Vibes"), we were allowed to include "Ohara-bushi." The first track, "Chakkiri-bushi," is also great.

—This arrangement is fantastic. Who was the arranger?

Yoshizawa: It's Miyagawa Yasushi. This arrangement is amazing, isn't it? The level of perfection is incredibly high.

--The Peanuts' "Pride of Our Hometown" series had several titles released in the 60s, right? Compared to those records, this one from the 70s has a more modern sound.

Yoshizawa: That's right. In the 70s, the drums become a bit more prominent. If I were to play another song from "Okuni Jiman da! Peanuts," it would be the bossa nova-style "Otemoyan."

--Wow, that's cool.

Yoshizawa: The drums are great in this one too. The bass is solid as well.

Tanaka: The arrangement is rich and nice.

Yoshizawa: Every song on "Okuni Jiman da! Peanuts" is great. I think it would be good to release it on LP. I highly recommend it.

Tanaka: Now that you mention it, this one also interests me. Sarah and Melody's "The Sound of Pacific" (1970).

Yoshizawa: This is the only record this duo has ever released, and the lyrics are in English. I wanted you to see the record... (He takes a marbled vinyl record out of its sleeve).

--Oh, it's beautiful!

Tanaka: Was this what you were wearing back then?

Yoshizawa: That's right, it was released on this album. The first track was released as a single, and it's really good. It's been well-known among Japanese music DJs for a long time, and I think old-school Japanese music DJs used to play it.

—That intro sounds like The Beatles' "Day Tripper" (laughs).

Tanaka: The jacket looks like Cream's 'Disraeli Gears' (laughs).

—Is this a folk song? I don't know the original...

Yoshizawa: "Yagibushi Ratman," that's "Yagibushi."

Tanaka: Is that "Yagi-bushi"?! I can't understand it at all when it's sung in English.

Yoshizawa: This version of "Kiso-bushi" is also great, it has a Latin jazz feel to it. The break is really cool.

Tanaka: The band's playing is incredibly sharp. There are even sounds that sound like a Moog synthesizer! It's psychedelic.

Yoshizawa: It seems that Akira Ishikawa is also participating in the backing music. The arrangement is by someone named Takehiko Akahoshi.

--I did a little research, and it seems that Takehiko Akahoshi was the representative of the predecessor company of Player Corporation, which published the magazine "PLAYER." It also seems that he was the music director of the Nichigeki Little Theatre and a resident composer for Polydor.

Yoshizawa: You don't hear many arrangements by this person. This record's "Soran Bushi" also has a break, but the sound production is a little unusual. I had selected this song when I was releasing a compilation from France, but I couldn't quite agree with the label.

—I wonder why that was.

Tanaka: Maybe it's because the lyrics are in English?

Yoshizawa: That might be the case. When I removed Sarah & Melody and instead recommended a track from Michiya Mihashi's "Shamisen Recital" that I mentioned earlier, it was approved immediately. So that's how it is.

—So you're looking for something exotic, after all.

Staff: Well, it's almost time to wrap things up...

--Oh, really? We haven't even introduced the third and fourth installments yet (laughs). But at least let's talk about Chiemi Eri from the third installment.

Yoshizawa: As we touched on in the first half of our discussion, there are many DJs who play Eri Chiemi's folk song albums. However, the same songs can appear on several records, and even the same songs can be newly recorded in different eras, so you might need to be a little careful. For example, even with "Yagi-bushi," there are various versions of "Yagi-bushi" depending on the era.

—I see. So the arrangements, recordings, and mixes are all different because of that.

Yoshizawa: That's right. Some of them are performed by the Tokyo Cuban Boys, and there's also the King Symphony.

Tanaka: It's been slightly updated over time, hasn't it?

Yoshizawa: Personally, if I had to choose one album by Chiemi Eri, it would be "Chiemi's Folk Song Deluxe" (1968), which contains almost entirely newly recorded songs.

--When it comes to Chiemi Eri, I'm sure you have a strong attachment to her, Katsumi-san.

Tanaka: That's right. Definitely the 10-inch records from the late 50s to the early 60s. In particular, "Yatsusan" from this one (1960 release, "Chiemi's Mood Folk Songs: Chiemi's Folk Song Collection Vol. 3"). And also "Kushimoto-bushi" from this one (1958 release, "Chiemi's Folk Song Collection"). I play them 100 percent of the time when I'm DJing (laughs).

Yoshizawa: The 1974 album "Kurokami" is also good. Since it's from the 70s, the sound quality is clearer, and most of the tracks are newly recorded.

Tanaka: Is the content pretty groovy?

Yoshizawa: That's right. Some of them are a bit like bossa nova rock, and some are Latin. "Yagi-bushi" is also quite funky.

— "Kurokami" (Black Hair) is a song that's often overlooked among Chiemi Eri's recordings, isn't it?

Yoshizawa: Maybe so. But there are actually quite a few DJ-like tracks as well.

—The last part was a bit rushed, but just exploring the theme of "groove folk music" is incredibly rewarding. The world of folk music that can be discovered is truly vast.

Tanaka: That's right. In Japan, we've been creating new things while incorporating Western music, and I think it's a really interesting culture. I think there's a sense of creating our own musical map through the process of digging up old recordings.

Yoshizawa: That's absolutely true. All the tracks released this time are the culmination of the trial and error efforts of top creators at the time who were trying to make folk songs sound modern and cool. I hope this will be an opportunity for people to set aside their preconceptions and enjoy this "folk song groove" with a modern sensibility. The more you dig, the more new discoveries you're sure to make.

Following the first installment in September 2025 and the second in October, the KING MINYO GROOVE INVASION series released its third installment in November, featuring a collection of folk songs by Chiemi Eri, an artist whose work has been gaining renewed appreciation in recent years. In the immediate post-war period, Chiemi Eri, still a teenager, toured U.S. military camps and clubs, directly absorbing American jazz culture and becoming an idol for the occupying forces.

Chiemi's debut single was "Tennessee Waltz" (1952), which became synonymous with her. From then on, Chiemi rose to stardom with her natural sense of rhythm and gifted singing voice. Her relationship with Ken Takakura began after co-starring in the 1956 film "Kyōfu no Kūchu Satsujin" (The Terrifying Aerial Murder), and in 1958, at the peak of her career both professionally and personally, she released "Chiemi no Min'yōshū" (Chiemi's Folk Song Collection), the first in her folk song series. Chiemi's singing was in top form, as she delivered famous folk songs such as "Sōma Bon Uta" and "Otemoyan" with a lively tempo, accompanied by the upbeat Latin rhythms of the Tokyo Cuban Boys led by Naoteru Misawa. The culture of jazz, which has continued since before the war, and the culture of folk songs and popular songs that have been cherished in everyday life, are seamlessly blended in Chiemi's folk song collection series, which has a timeless appeal.

Chiemi's father, Masuo Kubo, was a musician and bandmaster affiliated with Yoshimoto Kogyo, and was well-versed in various Edo-era performing arts, including serving as piano accompanist for the first generation Yanagiya Mikimatsu. Chiemi, too, was exposed to the shamisen and Edo-era popular songs from a young age, and the folk song series, beginning with "Chiemi's Folk Song Collection," naturally expresses the influences from various cultures that flowed into her.

Following the Chiemi Eri special in November, the KING MINYO GROOVE INVASION series released its fourth installment of 12 titles at the end of December. While the previous three installments focused on rhythm under the theme of "groove folk music," the fourth installment takes "beyond groove folk music" as its focus. Here's a glimpse of some of the tracks.

Sonoda Kenichi and the Dixie Kings' "Dixie Folk Songs" (1963) is an unusual work that performs folk songs in the style of Dixieland jazz, which originated in New Orleans. Sonoda Kenichi and the Dixie Kings were formed in 1960 and are a long-established band that has continued to perform even after the death of its leader, Sonoda Kenichi. The familiar melodies are played with a light touch thanks to the fresh performance from their early days.

Another noteworthy album is Hideyoshi Saito and Fantastic Echo's "Collection of Japanese Folk Songs for Electone" (1964). Born in 1933, Hideyoshi Saito is a leading figure among electronic organ and Electone players in Japan. He has left behind a vast body of work ranging from pop and mood music to classical and children's songs, but this album is a collection of folk songs for the Electone. While it has a strong easy-listening feel, it also has a certain exoticism reminiscent of Martin Denny.

1964, the year this "Collection of Japanese Folk Songs for Electone" was released, was also the year the Tokyo Olympics were held. In this pivotal year, various works with "Japan" as their theme were released, as if people were looking back at their own foundations. You can sense the mood of that era in two works by King Records' resident orchestra, Concert Romantica: "Japanese Folk Songs for Chorus and Orchestra" (1964) and "Nostalgic Fantasies of Japan" (1965).

After the war, Japan had blindly pursued economic development, but in the 1970s, it became enveloped in a nostalgic mood, symbolized by the Japanese National Railways' "Discover Japan" campaign, which turned its attention to nostalgic rural landscapes. Peggy Hayama's two works, "Hometown: Western Japan" (1972) and "Hometown: Eastern Japan" (1972), can be said to be very clear examples of how Japanese people viewed folk songs during the "Discover Japan" era.

It seems that "KING MINYO GROOVE INVASION" will conclude its first season with this fourth installment. However, it appears that preparations for season 2 have already begun, and I was surprised to hear about the plans. King Records' archives are a treasure trove of valuable sound recordings. I sincerely hope that many more hidden treasures, not just folk songs, will come to light.

KING MINYO GROOVE INVASION playlist vol.5 by Hajime Oishi

KINGGroove Folk Song Playlist Vol. 5 selected by Hajime Oishi

The fifth installment of the "KING MINYO GROOVE INVASION" playlist, a subscription/streaming series of KING groove folk music masterpieces curated and supervised by DJ Yoshizawa dynamite.jp, a big-name DJ and author of the hugely successful discography book "Wamono AtoZ," features writer Hajime Oishi, who focuses on regional and cultural themes! His unique selection, drawn from a wide range of sources, shines through! MINYO continues to thrive, reaching curious music listeners around the world!
URL: https://lnk.to/kmgi_pl_5