In the wrong hands, musical history can be a burden, weighing artists down with strict rules and lifeless restrictions. In the hands of Japanese folk fusion band (with members hailing from Japan, Australia, and Greece) Mitsune, those same traditions are a wellspring, refreshing the creative soil with a bubbling current of vitality.

Mitsune’s music is rooted in Tsugaru shamisen — the name of both a genre originally performed by blind wanderers and the three-stringed lute at its heart — and though they draw deep from the sounds of 19th century Japan, they never get drunk on tradition. Not to say they play things straight; you might wonder if your own drink has been spiked as they infuse psychedelia, jazz and global fusion over their more ancient sounds with gleeful abandon. Their stage show only adds to the intoxication, and with their flowing robes, face paint and neon colours Mitsune might look like they’ve emerged from another world, not just another time.

Whether updating century-old shamisen compositions or cutting loose with their own genre-fluid originals, there’s no doubt that Mitsune is bringing new life to old sounds. Equal parts folk revival, avant garde art, and punk-rock spectacle, their respectful irreverence makes them difficult to pin down— and even harder to resist.

- Peter Hemminger