Denki Slime

Spilling some New Orleans gumbo onto a plate of free jazz, Denki Slime takes two tumultuous trombones (Atsushi Goto and Yasuyuki Takahashi) and throws them into the path of the volatile drumming of Ryusaku 'Rutang' Ikezawa.

Taking swift leaps from brass band themes into improvised scuttlebutt, then tumbling down the stairs into a skulking spy-thriller soundtrack, Denki Slime has the chops to pull Sun Ra's Arkestra from the cosmos one minute, and then unload some staggering Meshuggah-esque riff the next. Everything you never expected to hear from a brass band and more.

Denki Slime on Myspace

Wormhole

Formed in 1994 as an improvisational vehicle for the duo of percussionists Marcos Fernandes and Robert Montoya, Wormhole continues its mission of creating "globally-informed" experimental music after close to 20 years of exploration. With their beginnings in San Diego, the group's many incarnations led them to collaborations in dance, soundtracks, ambient installation work and more.

After relocating to Japan in 2008, Mr. Fernandes choose an all-star ensemble to continue where he had left off, enlisting pianist Yoko Arai, reedist Michio Karimata and shamisen player and vocalist Yumiko Tanaka to reform Wormhole. The experimental collective took yet another step into new sounds when bassist Pearl Alexander and percussionist Hiroshi Shimizu joined the group in 2010.

Wormhole on Facebook

Wormhole on Myspace

Miura Ichi-go + TOMO

A much-anticipated collaboration between two masters of traditional forms, this sees hurdy-gurdy man TOMO meet the virtuosic percussion work of Miura Ichi-go.

Steeped in Americana while living in Missouri at an early age, TOMO eventually made his way back to Japan where he developed the experimental and minimalist/psychedelic sensibility in his work. His latest release, a majestic solo guitar outing entitled Butterfly Dream and Other Guitar Works, helped to place him in company the likes of James Blackshaw and Loren MazzaCane Connors.

By fusing Brazilian, Irish, Indian and Middle-eastern percussion styles, Miura Ichi-go has created an original voice for himself in a number of contexts, either playing solo or with one of his groups (Manhã, Tribal Beat, Cine Romantista). Moving from tabla to pandeiro to berimbau without losing a beat, his live performances also make use of judicious loops to create hypnotic, multi-layered pieces that explore the full potential of his genre cross-stepping.

Miura Ichi-go

TOMO

Evil Penguin

Master of disguises, Mexican top-hats, ambient rockabilly to minimal Hawaiian Kumulipo chants, the Evil Penguin poses the primordial question of evanescence against a backdrop of New Wave folk. Celebratory, subliminal, moment-to-moment. A Tasmanian treasure with a penchant for open spaces.