Tokyo Love Song, the L.A.-based party that focuses on Japanese funk and city pop, dropped their first vinyl release earlier this month and it’s a good one. The 7” split single features “In Praise of Mitochondria,” the cult classic cut from Minoru “Hoodoo” Fushimi, on the A-side. For the B-side, modern funk musician and producer XL Middleton joins forces with Japan-based duo Milk Talk for their take on Fushimi’s song, which they’ve titled “Funkin’ Me Up.” I bought a copy of the single last time I stopped by Salt Box Records, Middleton’s shop in Little Tokyo, and was instantly smitten with it.
I was unfamiliar with Fushimi before this release, but the multi-instrumentalist and producer is revered by fans and collectors of 1980s Japanese music. Back then, Fushimi released an album called Thanatos of Funk that incorporates traditional Japanese instruments, like the shamisen, into an electro-funk/hip-hop hybrid. The original release of Thanatos of Funk is rarity, but it has also been reissued in recent years and you can easily listen to it online. The whole album is a wild, funky ride that sits somewhere between Midnight Star and Art of Noise. “In Praise of Mitochondria” is one of the more pop-adjacent songs- Fushimi raps and uses a vocoder on it – but it’s also pretty unusual. There’s a lightness in the melodies that’s juxtaposed with a thump of a beat and low-end squelching synth that gives it a unique vibe.
“In Praise of Mitochondria” alone would make this release worth the purchase, but XL Middleton/Milk Talk collab on the flipside takes it to another level. “Funkin’ Me Up” is sort of a cover of “In Praise of Mitochondria,” although the lyrics might be different. Middleton takes to the vocoder, singing “you’re funkin’ me up” before Q.i. launches into her rap. With Middleton on synths and Milk Talk’s Hairkid on guitar and bass, they tease out the P-Funk and Zapp undertones of the original, turning it into a West Coast-style party jam with a hydraulic bounce.
The 7” comes together with fantastic cover art from Tuan Hollaback, who brings together anime, hip-hop and new wave visual cues in his illustration. If you have any interest in synth-heavy funk and a soft spot for good cover art, do be sure to get yourself a physical copy of this release. If you can’t get down to Salt Box Records, there are copies available on Bandcamp.
Liz O. is an L.A.-based writer and DJ. Follow on Instagram or sign up for the weekly, Beatique newsletter for updates on new stories and gigs.
Listen to the May 2026 edition of Beatique, featuring music from Sextile, Fcukers, Kneecap, Dry Cleaning, Fontaines D.C. and more.
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