My Tentacles is the capricious album re-release by radical, nonconformist Japanese composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and singer Mieko Shimizu.
The album features the offbeat, unworldliness of the single, My Tentacles, which picked up some BBC 6 Music airplay recently, and the mesmeric standout track, Think Like a Swarm, reminiscent of Laurie Anderson’s art meets pop music sensibilities. The album bristles with quirky, dysfunctional beats and chimeric fusions. Her Tentacles are truly her own, for this free-spirited champion of outsider art pop.
Mieko has played at Sonar, alongside Kraftwerk as well as support for Goldfrapp and Massive Attack at their Melt Down Festival. She is currently artist in residence for Wonky Plonky Electronk, an experimental, electronic live event which is touring the UK throughout 2024, the next show being on 28th March at The Cinema Room at All Is Joy in London.
On 28th March, Wonky Plonky Electronk takeover the former Warner Bros cinema now run by arts collective, All is Joy. The line-up features boundary defining artists, including Wrangler featuring electronic legend, Stephen Malinder (Cabaret Voltaire), synthmeister supreme Benge (John Fox & The Math) and Phil Winter (Tuung), collaborators all with John Grant in Creepshow. Along with nonconformist Japanese outsider Mieko Shimizu, noise-bass guerrilla Dhangsha, modular synth landscaper Shape Navigator and break through Sound Artist & Composer Jasmine Morris.
She has released 7 albums, her most recent album is I Bloom, it features former member of The Cardiacs, William D Drake, who also features on the EP Write to Be along with German artist, Barbara Morgenstern & Polish Artist Orla Schmitt. Her last release was the sonic explosion of the EP Phenomena of the Mind. Other albums include the eponymous album of drum n’ bass fury, as her alter ego Apache 61.
She has also written scores for the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the London Symphony Orchestra. She also created works for contemporary theatre including The Everyman in Liverpool, dance companies such as Phoenix Dance Theatre, the Ballet ‘The Red Balloon’ at the Royal Opera and Piccadilly Circus, Circus for the 2012 Olympic Games. She was also commissioned by MSCTY to create soundscape called ‘Soho Morphosis’ based on a 1954 plan to demolition of Soho and rebuild as a dystopian mall with 5 brutalist towers.
The album features bass by Teitur Arnason & Renell Shaw, acoustic guitar & backing vocals Sam Carter, electric guitar by David Cunningham, Viola by Ella Burch, Cello by Francesca Ter-Berg & Lucinda Skinner, Trumpet by Eddie ‘Tan Tan’ Thornton. Recorded / Mixed / Produced by Mieko Shimizu & Peter Morris at Street Furniture Studios, Soho, London. Assisted by Teitur Arnason, George Stamenkovic, ‘Tall’ George Reid & Oliver Sanders. Mastered by Keith Tenniswood at Curve Pusher.
My Tentacles by Mieko Shimizu was re-released on 15th March 2024 on Street Furniture Records. It was originally released in 2011. This digitally remastered version has been repackaged with new designs by We Are Noisy.
