Obsessively influenced by several introspective rhythm machine soul classics—most notably Sly Stone’s “Thank You for Talkin’ to Me, Africa,” in which he experimented with funk using a rhythm machine in the 1970s—and through his own research and dedication and passion, this collection of electronic-acoustic Sly Stone covers by Shunsuke Ono—featuring a robotic voice that’s both cute and soulful-funky—blends lounge and world music styles. Originally released digitally in 2012 on the label “rar,” run by trackmaker and producer RIOW ARAI, the album became a hot topic among hardcore soul and funk listeners upon its digital release. Overseas, Questlove, the drummer for The Roots, featured it on his Twitter and praised it highly. Furthermore, an interview with Shunsuke Ono was featured in Record Collectors magazine’s “Sly Stone Special Issue,” and this was how Shintaro Sakamoto—who released the collaborative single “What Is Disco?” with him last year—first came to know him. Of the 14 tracks originally released digitally, 11 have been pressed onto vinyl. Please take a look at the track list below. (Original Japanese text by COMPUMA)