Minoru Muraoka is a famous shakuhachi (a type of bamboo flute) player in his native Japan. In modern times, a couple of his 1970 albums had found fame with the DJ beatdigger crowd (Bamboo, Osorezan). I haven't heard either, but judging by what I've read, they contain the usual mix of cover tunes and originals mixed with traditional indigenous music. For Lupus, Minoru Muraoka (technically this was released with his New Dimension group) takes the entire concept to its experimental conclusion.
When hearing Lupus, the two terms that came to mind were New Age and psychedelic freakout. Now there's something you probably hadn't thought of before. Of course the former is something of a response to radicalism in music. But in its earliest days, before it had become strictly the music of bored housewives at the spa, New Age promised a cultural and generational mix of sounds. And you get that with Minoru Muraoka almost by default. But what of this freakout aspect? Well consider that most of the instruments here are wired up to some sort of wah wah pedal, and the music takes on a trance like status. There's only the electric bass that represents the West, but it's a key performer driving the music in multiple exciting ways. A very unique blend, one that I hadn't heard prior to this album.
The second side more or less drops any kind of rock elements, though still is quite fascinating. The opening track with the theatrical female voice recalls J. A. Seazer, whereas the other two settle things down with some meditative classical Japanese music.
Muraoka was already 50 years old at the time of this release, meaning he was already a suffering young man during the terrors of World War II. Clearly an enlightened soul, though it's not likely he was into rock so much as he enjoyed the sounds that were emanating from his beloved instruments of old.
So there you have it, a New Age psych freakout for side 1, and a more traditional side 2. Perhaps most interesting is that it was recorded live in front of what is likely to have been an older crowd, who responded quite enthusiastically to the entire affair. Historically speaking, Lupus was way ahead of its time. Worth checking out.
Like most Japanese music from the early 70s that mixed with rock and jazz, Lupus is painfully obscure and rare. These are albums that are still being discovered even within Japan itself. No reissues exist (as of 3/8/25). This would be one worth pursuing, as even though it's not a stone classic, it is entirely unique and satisfying.
11/11/15 (review); 2/15/19 (update / new entry)
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