Carrying on the legacy of James Brown, Zainichi Funk — a Japanese-based band that proclaims itself as a “new era deep-funk band” — makes its return to Billboard Live. Formed in 2007 around SAKEROCK’s trombone player Hamaken, real name Kenta Hamano, Zainichi Funk has released six full-length albums and one mini-album since their 2010 debut, ZAINICHI FUNK. Their November 2023 release, ZAI LIFE, is their first new album in five years and features guest appearances by Tabito Nanao, Jun Saito (YOUR SONG IS GOOD), and Ryo Takaiwa (SANABAGUN.). In 2024, in their 17th year, guitarist Ryo Aogi left the band regrettably, but they continued with a new lineup welcoming Kei Koganemaru and have been more energetic than ever. They invited as a special guest the “King of Love Songs,” Masayuki Suzuki, known as Martin, and the previous Billboard Live Tokyo, where they enthralled the audience with superb soul and funk, remains fresh in memory. Those highly acclaimed club performances are returning, this time on a Yokohama stage.