Asia
MNNK BRO AKA TAKASHI MURAKAMI & JP THE WAVY RELEASE SPACED-OUT SINGLE ‘MONONOKE KYOTO’
It’s not the usual jam, but Takashi is not the usual artist
Takashi Murakami’s career has been all about questioning the essential meaning of art from a uniquely Japanese perspective linked to manga, anime, and video games. He has challenged the international art scene with his visionary works and has landed at the forefront of the contemporary scene with his amalgamation of high and low art.
In February, Takashi had his first show in Japan in eight years and his first outside of Tokyo at the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art with a performance by JP THE WAVY. Now the exhibit is halfway over and more than 300,000 visitors have heard the exclusive MNNK Bro [Takashi Murakami and JP THE WAVY’s new group] collab ‘Mononoke Kyoto,’ which was only available inside the museum.
Now, everyone can hear it and see a video of it.

A few years back, Takashi heard JP’s songs at his daughter’s recitals and instantly thought they were the Hip Hop versions of the ‘Superflat’ theory he’s famous for. Soon, the two artists were in the studio planning some wild things. Out of that session not only came ‘Mononoke Kyoto,’ but also an idea that the two would form the MNNK Bro supergroup.
‘Mononoke Kyoto’ sounds like a spaced-out WAVY jam until about halfway through when Takashi’s chuckles start getting louder and the music heads into the stratosphere with a Jersey Club thump. Soon, Takashi’s growls are added in and baby noises are coming in from both ends. WAVY jumps back on for a bit of a verse and then the song ends with Takashi laughing.
It’s not the usual jam, but Takashi is not the usual artist.
The video, shot by Spikey John, is a trip as well, as it takes viewers into the mind of Takashi Murakami through his latest exhibit.
Get the vinyl here and check out MNNK Bro’s ‘Mononoke Kyoto’ below.