This ongoing column, Music Cycles Around The World, is themed around “cities and music”, inviting readers to imagine travelling the world by bicycle through sound. This time, inspired by Ehime Prefecture’s recent efforts to promote international cycle tourism—having just hosted a cycling familiarisation tour for Australian cyclists—and by the fact that the Southern Hemisphere’s biggest and toughest MTB race, the Whaka 100, has just taken place in New Zealand, I would like to introduce a work by Lance Ferguson. Born in New Zealand and now based in Melbourne, he is a distinguished producer and widely known as the leader of the acclaimed Aussie funk band The Bamboos. Coincidentally, Tru Thought […]

In our new series Music Cycles Around The World, inspired by the idea of travelling the globe with a bicycle and a soundtrack, we explore the theme of “cities and music”. This is the third instalment. This time, in connection with the Honolulu Century Ride – held every year on the fourth Sunday in September and regarded as Hawaii’s second-biggest sporting event after the Honolulu Marathon, with many riders travelling from Japan to take part – I’ll be writing about some of my favourite music from Hawaii (though not the traditional Hawaiian kind). The first thing that sprang to mind was the Macky Feary Band’s self-titled debut album from 1978 – a record I still treasure. Over thirty summers ag […]

I will be starting a serialized column from this month. Thank you in advance for your support. I hope to deliver essays that make music even more enjoyable with bicycles every month, but for the first installment, let’s start with a self-introduction as well.