Paul Golder writes for the Brentwood Gazette

Community radio is a great way of featuring people and music that wouldn’t get a look in on commercial radio.

So we were very pleased to receive a visit in the studio last week from The Syamisenist, a three piece band all the way from Tokyo!

The band – comprising Jack, Yuki and Kyohei – are an instrumental outfit whose music incorporates the Shamisen – a traditional three string fretless Japanese guitar-like instrument.

Despite the very traditional look of the instruments, the Syamisenist’s music has large elements of psychedelic rock, jazz, funk and fuzzy heavy metal-inspired riffs as well as traditional Japanese tunes.

They stopped by while in the UK for a mini-tour which saw them play live in several cities.

The trio have a new album out – [re:tokyo] – and played one track from it in the studio, which you can see again on the Phoenix FM website at www.phoenixfm.com.

Jack and Yuji played lead and bass shamisen respectively, with Kyohei playing the pandeiro, a Brazilian instrument that looks like a tambourine but has an incredibly versatile range of sounds, mimicking a drum kit’s snare, bass and hi hat. Watching the video really demonstrates the skill all three musicians have with their instruments.

You can find the band online at www.transist.site/the-syamisenist as well as on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

* We’ve got lots more great guests over the next seven days.

Darrell Fox and Aaron Beard from Essex Cricket Club will be chatting to Daren and Brett on 98 Not Out, and players from Sands United will be chatting with James Roast about bereavement on The Happiness Algorithm.

We’ll also be talking to local businesses including local art gallery owner John Brandler from Brandler Galleries and Steve Rawding, Sales Director from SEH BAC.