"Minoru Muraoka’s 'The Positive and the Negative’ is a firm favourite at Mr Bongo. It sees a master of the shakuhachi, a traditional bamboo Japanese flute, flex his prodigious skill resulting in a unique mix of breakbeat jazz and Japanese folkloric music. 'The Positive and the Negative’ featured on the 1970 Bamboo album, which Mr Bongo reissued in 2019. The record’s cult status had us thinking how could we pay further homage to a sublime track such as this. The opportunity came to us in an email from Melbourne’s Surprise Chef with a link to the fabulous reinterpretation of the track which they had just recorded. Forged in their signature sound, 'The Chef' have made 'The Positive and the Negative' their own whilst simultaneously treating the original with utmost respect. The shakuhachi and koto have been replaced by synths and guitars, but the breakbeat psychedelic vein flows richly through both instruments The 7" vinyl format was the right fit for this release, so the original Minoru Muraoka recording which clocks in over nine minutes has been edited into a 7” version to accompany Surprise Chef’s new take." - Mr Bongo
- Melbourne jazz-funk group Surprise Chef cover Minoru Muraoka's 1970 shakuhachi jazz-funk tune 'The Positive And The Negative'
- black 7" vinyl pressing
- includes 7" edit of the original version on side B
- music label: Mr Bongo 2022