Formed in Hakata before relocating to Tokyo in 1984, Akebonojirushi were a six-piece band who defied easy categorisation, blending new wave, jazz-funk and unconventional pop into songs that work as both pop and avant-garde statements. The line-up's fluency across idioms - punk angularity, jazz harmony, funk locomotion, pop hookwriting - meant that they could move between modes within the space of a single track without ever sounding indecisive.

Paradise Mambo, originally released in 1987 on the influential DIW label, captures the energy of a vibrant moment when Japanese musicians were fearlessly expanding the boundaries of what a pop record could contain. Angular rhythms, infectious basslines, and a playful yet avant-garde spirit run through the album, which holds together as an accessible record for the open-minded listener while offering plenty of detail for the close one.

Now reintroduced to a new generation of listeners through Spittle Made In Japan's first vinyl reissue, Paradise Mambo stands not only as a time capsule of the bubbling Tokyo music scene of the late 80s, but also as a timeless example of bold creativity: a record that earns its rediscovery on the strength of the music alone, and a band that deserves renewed recognition for its adventurous vision and genre-blurring artistry.