Wesley Gonzalez covers Haruomi Hosono’s ‘Sports Men’

With his new album ‘Appalling Human’ set for release this Friday 12th June via Moshi Moshi Records, Wesley Gonzalez is sharing a cover of ‘Sports Men’ by beloved and influential Japanese musician and producer Haruomi Hosono.

“Haruomi Hosono has become my most enduring influence, since discovering his music towards the end of my time in my previous band Let’s Wrestle, it informed so much of what kind of artist I wanted to be on my own,” Wesley explains. “Not just in terms of songwriting and production but even in the aesthetics of the artwork and videos he did either on his own or with Yellow Magic Orchestra. I was recommended the album Philharmony and that’s what got me gripped, to find someone who makes abstract experimental gamalean-esque tracks and covers Italian opera but can also write a song as fantastically pop as ‘Sports Men’ enthralling and his entire discography has been an absolute gift. I usually find I have year long love affairs with certain artists and move on to someone else but I’ve continued an absolute obsession with his work. So I felt a need to express my adoration with this cover, not something I tend to make a big habit of but I had such fun rebuilding the synth parts and adding a new rhythmic element to the chorus It was an absolute pleasure. It’s one of those tracks that should get as much respect as something like ‘Once In A Lifetime’ by Talking Heads or ’ Ashes To Ashes’ in my opinion at least.”

Check out his cover below.