Sam Wicks talks to Osaka Monaurail bandleader Ryo Nakata about the intersections between Japanese culture and the funk.
Japanese funk aficionados Osaka Monaural take their cues from deep funk, a gritty, soulful strain of the music. In particular they owe a debt to Soul Brother Number One, James Brown, and the J.B.'s, the band that backed him in the first half of the '70s.
From their zoot suits to their rigid discipline onstage, Osaka Monaurail remain true to the Godfather of Soul - and they've even had a chance to record with his protégé Marva Whitney.
