Mitsune

Mitsune blends traditional Japanese folk with the wild and innovative sounds of psychedelic, cinematic and ritual music, crafting original compositions that breathe new life into ancient narratives. Led by a powerful duo of female shamisen players, accompanied with percussion and bass, the Berlin-based 4-piece serves modern Japanese folklore with driving beats, raw emotion, and decadent costume design.

The heart and soul of Mitsune is the Tsugaru shamisen, a 3-stringed Japanese lute once favoured by blind folks and itinerant musicians of olden Japan. Mitsune both honours and modernises shamisen tradition, conveying folklore imagery, personal and cultural stories and raw emotion through this ancient instrument. They perform reimagined Japanese folk songs and original compositions filled with virtuosity, driving beats and wild group vocals. On stage, Mitsune delivers a visual and sartorial feast, where traditional meets avant-garde, their shows spiced with an ever-present sense of joy and fantasy.

Since their formation in 2018, Mitsune have performed extensively across Europe, sharing the stage with acts such as Hiatus Kaiyote and surprising audiences at festivals of all kinds, from techno to folk. Their debut album was praised in Songlines Magazine as “consistently excellent. If you need a contemporary introduction to the world of Tsugaru shamisen, this is it.” They released their second album Hazama in 2022 and are set to release their third full-length album in 2024. Their new single Aizu Bandaisan is already a wonderful preview of what you can expect during their show at GROUNDS.