Minyo Crusaders

Japanese big-band Minyo Crusaders rework historic Japanese folk songs (min’yō) with Latin, African, Caribbean and Asian rhythms.

Featuring 3 percussionists (bongos, congas, timbales), saxophone, trumpet, keyboards, guitar, bass and the original min’yō vocals of folk singer Freddy Tsukamoto, MinCru (as their fans know them) breathe new life into songs originally performed by Japanese fishermen, coal miners and sumo wrestlers hundreds of years ago.

Since releasing their debut album Echoes of Japan in 2019 they have toured the world, headlining European festivals such as Lowlands, Womad, Le Guess Who, Roskilde, Fusion, Sziget, Trans Musicales, Oslo World and Green Man, and their most popular track Cumbia Del Monte Fuji, a collab with Frente Cumbiero, has been streamed 4.5million times on Spotify.

The long-awaited new album will be released in June 2026.

This event will last approximately 80 minutes without an interval.

The curation of Songlines Encounters is supported by the 1900 Building