Howard Williams' “Japan Blues” series continues with a launch party for Masaaki Hirao's Nippon Rock'n'Roll, Live enka and minyou from Ichikawa Hibiki (Tsugaru shamisen) and Akari Mochizuki (voice) + Howard playing 50s rock'n'roll to 80s disco/boogie - all Made In Japan.

HOWARD WILLIAMS - DJ

In-house distributor for Honest Jon's Records and founder of Ethbo - a label whose roster include a release by Mike Cooper; Killing Melody, a collection of 70s Japanese gangster soundtracks, and the crazed garage-rockabilly of Dean Carter. He also compiled the retrospective album of Japanese guitar pioneer, Takeshi Terauchi, for Ace Records and a follow-up Nippon Rock'n'Roll compilation is coming out soon, also on Ace.

An avid collector of old Japanese records, he has played at Life Bar, for Julian Opie, at tsunami charity events and, more recently, the monthly Japanica event at Cafe OTO.





AKARI MOCHIZUKI – Live Enka

A regular guest at Howard’s nights at OTO Akari sings classic Japanese Enka, a type of blues or heartbreak ballad, comparable to Portuguese Fado, though its origins lie in nineteenth century protest song. It is the background music one can still hear wandering most towns and cities of Japan, emanating from bars and shops. 

Akari started singing Enka at the age of three.  She started her career as a professional singer in 2009 as Alika Mochida. Since then, she has performed at many events, such as WOMAD 2010, HYPER JAPAN and Japan Matsuri, showcasing traditional Japanese folk music with Tsugaru Shamisen virtuoso, Hibiki Ichikawa.



HIBIKI ICHIKAWA – Live Tsugaru shamisen

Hibiki is the only professional player of Tsugaru shamisen in UK. Since his arrival in Britain, Hibiki has performed at many occasions, including the Japanese Emperor's birthday event at the Japanese Embassy, Japan Matsuri and HYPER JAPAN.