Featuring:
Akira Kawasaki – piano/keyboards
Atsushi Kiyota – piano/keyboards
Daisuke Niitome – drums
An instrumental trio for the 21st century, Japan’s Mouse on the Keys’ unique dual keyboard and drums lineup produces music that is “astounding, technically complex, yet emotionally affecting” (AllMusic Guide). Initially conceived as an installation art project, Mouse on the Keys performances are accompanied by intricate visuals that create a total sensory experience unlike any other. Formed in 2006, the jazz-prog-funk trio consists of two former members of influential Japanese underground band Nine Days Wonder, Akira Kawasaki and Atsushi Kiyota, alongside drummer Daisuke Niitome, a noted composer in his own right.
Their latest LP The Flowers of Romance shares its title with Public Image Ltd.’s unclassifiable 1981 post-punk landmark; appropriately, this new Flowers bears no musical connection to the old, save that bond which is common to all innovators: restless imagination.