WHAT: The Yoshida Brothers WHEN: Friday, May 22, 8 p.m. WHERE: Alix Goolden Performance Hall TICKETS: $35 plus service fees, available through the McPherson box office

When the Yoshida Brothers played Victoria’s Alix Goolden Performance Hall last May, there wasn’t an empty seat in the audience. If you missed them then, you’re in luck — the brothers are back in Victoria this month, ready to once again reinvent and reintroduce Japanese shamisen music to those who’ve never heard it and those who think they’ve heard it all.

This year marks the Yoshida Brothers’ 10th anniversary as a touring musical duo. Since their Japanese debut, they’ve produced five albums that were released in Japan, and six albums that were distributed internationally. The latest offering is Prism, a bundle of 11 tracks which was released in Japan in January, and reached North American audiences on May 5.

The Yoshida Brothers unabashedly blend history and novelty, and converge tradition and unorthodoxy in the way they play and present the tsugaru-shamisen. Triple-time rhythms and the percussive accents provided by the plectrum hitting the soundbox, among other subtle differences, traditionally make the tsugaru-shamisen style distinct among ancient Japanese musical forms. The Yoshida Brothers have carried this distinct style even further by fusing it with world instruments and styles, making the sound of the tsugaru-shamisen internationally recognizable.

Brothers Ryoichiro and Kenichi Yoshida were both born in Noboribetsu on the island of Hokkaido, Japan. Ryoichiro, 32, and Kenichi, 30, have almost as many years of experience with the shamisen as they do with life itself. From age five, both brothers trained in the shamisen before making their debut with the album Ibuki in 1999.

They’ve been enjoying relative success for most of their adult lives, finally edging closer to their dream of sharing the shamisen with the world in 2003, with the release of their first international album, Yoshida Brothers. Five years later, the two are on their second North American west coast tour, this time to promote Prism.

Prism is a meditative album with a touch of action to showcase the shamisen’s versatility. The album opens with a tribute to their international élan and forward-thinking intentions for the shamisen with a cover of Radiohead’s “The National Anthem.” Another song, “Summer Day,” is a jazzy, ambient track that wouldn’t be out of place playing in a cosmopolitan café or a cozy loft.

Yet the Yoshida Brothers represent their undying respect for the tsugaru-shamisen’s rustic roots with tracks like “Akita Obako” — even the electric guitar accents there play second fiddle, as it were, to the shamisen. For Yoshida Brothers fans, “Hujin” offers a fast-paced track reminiscent of one of their more famous songs, “Kodo,” which was remixed for the Nintendo Wii commercials.

Their stage presence is subdued in the manner of a classical recital, and the brothers rely on the music to speak for itself, without a lightshow’s pizzazz, or much other musical accompaniment. But their traditional garb and the way their fingers fly over the shamisen strings is mesmerizing enough. Their last visit to Victoria was a treat for the ears, and the sold-out audience demanded an encore.