-
Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.
-
We have made minor adjustments to how the search bar works on ResetEra. You can read about the changes here.
City Pop - A smooth jazz funk fusion from 80's Japan
- Thread starter Trojita
- Start date
Cross-posting from the Japanese Music thread, I got these albums on Friday, plus a couple of Yamashita albums last month, all thanks to the original thread:
Just when I thought I'd gotten a handle on my synthwave purchases, a whole new universe opened up to swallow my wallet ;~;
Japanese vinyl colectors don't mess around either, these were all in immaculate condition.
Just when I thought I'd gotten a handle on my synthwave purchases, a whole new universe opened up to swallow my wallet ;~;
Japanese vinyl colectors don't mess around either, these were all in immaculate condition.
I love City Pop!
I like to point people towards the City Pop Subreddit. There's tons of greatness there. ^_^
https://www.reddit.com/r/citypop/
I like to point people towards the City Pop Subreddit. There's tons of greatness there. ^_^
https://www.reddit.com/r/citypop/
Love it! "Sparkle" is an amazing intro song for that album; once the saxophone drops it's perfection!
Jeez y'all, posting a City Pop thread without me knowing...2nd page isn't so bad, I guess.
Let me contribute a Tatsuro classic and then something lesser-known:
Shigeru Suzuki's Band Wagon has a nice, more fleet-footed classic rock style of kayokyoku, but I think it qualifies. If I could find it on streaming, the first Moonriders album, Cannonball Boy, would be a prime example of alt-City Pop with its wacky instrumentation and concept album structure. Akiko Yano also dabbled in some City Pop-isms on her album Dinner's Ready from 1980, though she always finds creative detours.
Let me contribute a Tatsuro classic and then something lesser-known:
Shigeru Suzuki's Band Wagon has a nice, more fleet-footed classic rock style of kayokyoku, but I think it qualifies. If I could find it on streaming, the first Moonriders album, Cannonball Boy, would be a prime example of alt-City Pop with its wacky instrumentation and concept album structure. Akiko Yano also dabbled in some City Pop-isms on her album Dinner's Ready from 1980, though she always finds creative detours.
On that note you can't have "If You Wanna Dance Tonight" and let this continue to be a thread!
Back when I was still getting into the genre, I was constantly amused by how often "4 AM" from Taeko Ohnuki's Sunshower made its way into everyone's YouTube recommendations. That probably had a big role in spreading awareness of this style of kayokyoku outside Japan.
Mukaiya helped define Casiopea's texture and spaced-out but exuberant arrangement. Otaka, meanwhile, is a really good jazz and fusion organist who's done some excellent albums with jazz artists from around the world...so this seems like punching below her weight and also off to the side too much. Even T-Square doesn't play with real erudite performers that often, though they're still very talented and excel at a niche outside Casiopea's.
Here's a the YouTube link for the playlist that was started back on GAF by hothamboy
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLY3Y0oyg1eZxT-E2Ja2cjGOHN2L2Uq9dc
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLY3Y0oyg1eZxT-E2Ja2cjGOHN2L2Uq9dc
My favorite Yamashita joint, "Magic Ways":
Not only can he sing in English perfectly, he performs all the vocals on this song/album. In other words, he's harmonizing *with himself* :o
Not only can he sing in English perfectly, he performs all the vocals on this song/album. In other words, he's harmonizing *with himself* :o
Aboslutely. Otaka is definitely a great organist, but the new(ish) lineup will absolutely take some more getting used to. Don't get me wrong- I love Casiopea, but Mukaiya definitely has a soft spot in my heart!
Both Casiopea and T-Square tend to pull from the same pool of returning and upcoming Japanese jazz players, so I'm confident about most of their new albums and tours. The real issue starts with how few people tend to discuss those bands outside Japan, considering their influence on video game music and the Japanese fusion scene.
I found out about both of those bands in an interview Shoji Meguro gave where he spoke about some of his influences. I love Casiopea but haven't listened to much of T-Square. I should probably fix that.
Now it's time for something engrish and a music video where almost everyone looks uncomfortable.
T-Square had a clear influence on Yoko Shimomura, also, since Guile's Theme eerily resembles an early T-Square track composed by Hirotaka Izumi. The lead guitarist and co-founder, Masahiro Ando, dabbled in video game music himself and ended up becoming the central musician behind Gran Turismo (which explains why Satoshi Bandoh, one of T-Square's drummers, also contribute his own BGM to the games).
Blind bought a killer album by Anri last time I was in japan. Can't find it online though, might have to figure out how to do a decent vinyl rip.
I love Haruomi Hosono and Taeko Ohnuki. Some choice tracks by each from the era you're looking for:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cqdv032mFbg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHuZE8U8G8Q
They both have amazing careers spanning into the present day though.
I love Haruomi Hosono and Taeko Ohnuki. Some choice tracks by each from the era you're looking for:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cqdv032mFbg
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHuZE8U8G8Q
They both have amazing careers spanning into the present day though.
Last edited:
Ive been listening to a LOT of Casiopea. Main Gate is a killer album but theyre all good.
Also Ryo Kawasaki, ok jazz fusion guitarist but his compositions are great
Also Ryo Kawasaki, ok jazz fusion guitarist but his compositions are great
Hi Im just here to say that Shizuka Kudo has rocketed to one of my recent favorite artists, in part because I searched for City Pop. Her and Dreams Come True are probably my two favorite City Pop artists.
Ill name songs since the list i listen to is a random assortment:
Shizuka Kudo-
If
Furueru 1Byou
Kindan no Telepathy
Doukoku
Kuchibiru Kara Biyaku
Subete ha Sorekara
Daremo Shiranai Blue Angel
Wine Hitokuchi no Uso
Dreams Come True-
Romance - Infinity Version
Ureshii! Tanoshi! Daisuke!
Ano Natsuno Hanabi
This is Not Love At All(my personal favorite)
Sweet Revenge
Hide and Seek
Medicine
Uchi Kaero
Soredemo Koi Wa Eien
Also another Jam I like alot is 'Do It Again' by Omega Tribe& Sugiyama Kiyotaka
Theyre all on spotify too.
I don't hear any similarities besides maybe the use of horns.
Several Toshiki mentions and nobody posts the single greatest City Pop track ever made? Shame!!!!
Also, because they always deserve more love:
I hope that kick included everything Emperor's ever done.
Also, because they always deserve more love:
The first time I heard Casiopea, it was like an epiphany to me, like I was finally hearing the "missing link" between popular Japanese music and Japanese video game soundtracks, it was that extra bit of DNA that was missing in the genetic code. I've tried several times to get Jeremy Parish to listen to some T-Square and Casiopea so he can do an episode of Retronauts about how Japanese fusion jazz and City Pop fit into the timeline of video game music to no avail.
Anyway, some recommended tracks, most of these were from the previous thread as well:
I'm also trying to figure out what exactly it is that is making this music finally explode and catch on outside of Japan. Is it just people interested in Japanese developed video game music or "vaporwave" finally connecting the dots or something?
Do they have Memories in Beach House?Get on my local shop level.
Get on my local shop level.
First Finale is so good!
and I got it for ¥500 on Discogs :D
It was probably /mu/ discovering vaporwave then finding the sources & obsessing over it on sites like rym & discogs which google picked up in their searches which caused it to get pushed to people on youtube. Japans renewed interest in the genre in recent years probably helped as well. Also, I'd include techno kayo in the timeline of VG music considering Yellow Magic Orchestras influence at the time.
Definitely,citypop and J-fusion jazz seem to just now be catching up. I'm talking more from a Western perspective of understanding the musical roots of this stuff since so many people outside of Japan were first introduced to these genres through video game soundtracks. YMO and Sakamoto have been a known influence in the West for some time.
YESSSS this thread is back! I didn't get a chance to listen to everything on the old site.
Also, I'll recommend my first citypop song, Tobashite Taxi Man.
Found this song on Radiooooo a year or so ago before I knew the genre was a thing and fell deep in love.
Also, I'll recommend my first citypop song, Tobashite Taxi Man.
Found this song on Radiooooo a year or so ago before I knew the genre was a thing and fell deep in love.
I love it too. in the past few weeks it has been showing up on the related videos on every single video I watch on youtube
probably because I click it every time I see it