In 1989, pianist and composer Yumiko Morioka put together a group of diverse street musicians and semi-professional players for a project that would come to be called the Synergetic Voice Orchestra. Inspired by Yumiko's love of different musical cultures from around the globe, the band drew on influences from India, Ethiopia, Mali, Korea and China to create an album that merged these sonic identities with more traditional sounds from the southern Japanese city of Okinawa. This resulted in the 'MIOS', an exploratory, creative work that felt alive with free-wheeling creativity. Although Synergetic Voice Orchestra would eventually morph into a new band, 'MIOS' remained as one of Japan's hidden treasures.