In Praise Of Mitochondria / Funkin Me Up

Minoru 'Hoodoo' Fushimi is something of a cult favorite among purveyors of obscure Japanese sounds from the 80's. Running parallel to the city pop phenomenon, but existing distinctly outside of it, Fushimi's sound is a lo-fi blend of electro synth funk, drum machine beats, & early hip hop. His 'Thanatos of Funk' album lives on many a record collector's want list, and has already been reissued more than once. Upstart imprint Tokyo Love Song, a spin-off of XL Middleton's MoFunk label, brings one of Fushimi's signature cuts, 'In Praise of Mitochondria,' to the 7' format for the first time ever. On the flip, Middleton himself teams up with Japan's leftfield modern funk favorites Milk Talk to deliver a remake of the song, entitled 'Funkin Me Up.' This quasi-cover blends XL's signature squiggly funk sound with the quirky vocal stylings of Q.i, along with guitar & bass licks courtesy of Hairkid, the other half of Milk Talk.