Review

Minoru Fushimi

Thanatos Of Funk

180g • 1965

The cover oozes the finest metal vibe with neo-folk as an influence. Yet behind »Thanatos Of Funk« is a legendary LP featuring (just) funk and the foundation for the Japanese underground scene. Recorded by teacher Minoru Fushimi who experimented with sound at night. Originally released in 1985 and hard to get your hands on since, a high quality reissue is now being released. »Thanatopsis« opens the record and simultaneously sets the tone for the next 45 minutes: synthesisers groove, the guitar wants to take a stab at the drum machine and the voice is merely a distortion. Minoru Fushimi even raps a few lines on »Panda Steak« and »Hensachi-Sama«. Or rather speak-sings them. Even when the drums play harder, »Thanatos Of Funk« continues to sticks to its basic idea. (Even when a sample of a »Meow« appears or Fushimi slips a little blues into the album). Minoru Fushimi worked on this album with a DIY ideal. Accordingly, he also took over the production, design and distribution of the album. Minoru Fushimi also played a role himself in the re-release. There is a four-page comic by him – with English translations. »Thanatos Of Funk« is a quintessential album for the Japanese underground, with a bizarre story behind it. That someone managed to cram so much international influence into it in the pre-Internet days is what makes »Thanatos Of Funk« so intriguing. With perhaps the most misleading cover of all time.