Following successful disco excavation from the Caribbean to South Africa, Boston-based label Cultures of Soul booked a first class ticket to Narita to bring you the latest release, Tokyo Nights: Female J-Pop Boogie Funk: 1981 to 1988. This compilation presents 12 of the most memorable and sought-after songs of the era recorded by female artists. The music is a reflection of the unbridled optimism, technological achievement, excess and exuberance of Bubble-era Japan. More than catchy melodies and funky baselines, these are reflections of a time when Japan was the center, and future of the world. The Bubble can be characterized as an endless, extravagant party where personal and corporate wealth soared through the explosion of real estate and stock prices. Scores of young Japanese men and women moved to cities in search of affluence, transforming them into neon wonderlands. Changes in morals, values and gender roles followed suit. Prosperity leads to indulgence, and the taste for nightlife, from flashy restaurants to glitzy discotheques, was unquenchable. A soundtrack to this new, lavish lifestyle was necessary and the latest sound, City Pop (urban pop music for those with urban lifestyles), epitomized these attitudes. While influenced by American R&B and boogie, elements of fusion, YMO style Technopop, and adult-oriented rock (AOR) are front and center. Sung primarily in Japanese (with a word or two of English sprinkled in), City Pop is Japanese music for Japanese people. Producers like Tatsuro Yamashita, Toshiki Kadomatsu, and Haruomi Hosono were quick to embrace the latest studio equipment and technology. Synthesizers like the Yamaha DX7, Roland Juno-60, ARP Quadra, Moog Polymoog and Oberheim OB-8, as well as drum machines like the Linndrum, were prevalent. Digital reverb was applied liberally
T**T
The music itself is amazing but both records have distorted or poorly transferred tracks
I was really excited to get this compilation on vinyl because I love Japanese city pop and synthesizers. When I first got it I was overjoyed with how great the collection was! The first song started with a powerful Moog baseline and the sound was perfect. It continued to play well, but I realized something was wrong when I flipped the record over and tried to play the third track (closest to the center of the disc).Instead of the clear sound that the first track had, the third track was horribly distorted. The synthesizers were out of tune and the vocals sounded overly compressed. I figured that it was either just the song or maybe a minor error when the disc was manufactured. I tried the other disc and it too worked fine up until around the third track. I realized that the distortion could be a problem with my record player and not the vinyls themselves so I tried it on two other machines. Regardless of what record player I tried it on, the music sounded the same.To summarize, there was something wrong with the records I received. The tracks that did work sounded amazing but others were almost unbearable to listen to because they sounded so distorted. It's a shame because I loved the packaging, the song selection, and the extra information inside the cover. It seems like a lot of effort was put into showing what makes the compilation and city pop so special, but the defective records ruined it.
T**N
The funk side of city pop
This album first got my attention because it included Kikuchi Momoko's "Mystical Composer", a well-produced hit song that is considered to be among the essential songs that capture the city pop vibe. All of the tracks by the artists on this album are excellent, with the majority of tracks leaning towards electronic beats and funk. The CD version includes an informative little booklet that briefly highlights each featured artist. Overall, this album delivers as promised.
C**Y
Soars like the Nikkei.
Great compilation. Wish it was longer.
C**.
J-Pop with a new wave/electro vibe
This was my first experience with J-Pop and I have to say wow. I love it. Each track has me bobbing my head and snapping my fingers. I sense a new wave vibe to the music and just love it. Only thing is I wish the album was longer.
J**L
Great city pop & funk comp!
Exciting to get these tracks on vinyl. Thank you, great collection!
A**A
J-POP Boogie というかシティ・ポップというか、アメリカ発和モノコンピレーション。
先日（2017年末）、わざわざ海外から日本に大貫妙子のアナログを買いに来る人がテレビで放映されて話題になったように、ここ数年海外での山下達郎、吉田美奈子、大貫妙子、ユーミン、角松敏生の再評価（発見？）や、その派生系として日本でもリアルタイムでは知られざるアーティストたちがシティ・ポップとして再発掘されている流れの中にあるコンピレーション。古くは「SUSHI 3003」といったドイツのいわゆる渋谷系コンピレーションや、UKはACEレーベルの「NIPPON GIRLS」などのビート歌謡コンピ、最近では同じくACE傘下のリリースで吉田美奈子の収録拒否で散々延期される憂き目に遭った「Lovin' Mighty Fire: Nippon Funk, Soul & Disco 1973-1983」（2016）などがありましたが、そういった流れにもあり、「海外から見たニッポン」の誤解を楽しむという一面もある。BOOGIEというのも定義が曖昧なジャンルで（和ブギーともなるとさらに曖昧）、言ってしまえば70年代末～80年代中期のディスコ・ファンクのレアグルーヴのことなのだが、それを銘打っているぶん、ファンクが隠し味の80年代のニュー・ミュージック系ポップス中心。リアルタイムでは、「ブラコン」と呼ばれていたたぐいなのだけれど。すでに「和モノ A to Z」にも掲載されたものや、当山ひとみ、秋元薫など7インチアナログが発売されたものもチラホラあり、レア度は低め。各々の再発アルバムCDをわざわざ買うよりかは、いいとこどりして聴きたいという人向けともいえる。「Lovin' Mighty Fire」にも収録されていたが、NY録音の大橋純子「Dancin'」は、これぞブギーといったサウンド。アナログが高騰しているRA MUや菊池桃子（なぜかKikuchi Momoko表記）のアルバム曲が収録されているのは、林哲司が発掘されているのも関係しているかも（RA MUは直接関係ないが）。「スカイレストラン」は荒井由実「あの日に帰りたい」の元歌詞に別のメロディーをつけてハイファイセットがリリースしたものを、清野由美がカバーしたヴァージョン。Eli Cohenによるライナーノーツもあまり誤解が少なく、かえって読み応えがある（章立てのサブタイトルがいちいち角松敏生がらみなのも細かい）。過去を的確に捉えるだけでなく、昨今の一十三十一やDORIANにも触れて〆ているのもなかなか。ほぼ同時期に日本発の和モノコンピレーション「MIDNIGHT IN TOKYO Vol.1」がリリースされているが、高村亜留がかぶっているとはいえ、あちらの本気度の高さに比べると、こちらは聴きやすく入りやすい。曲目リストは以下URLで。https://www.discogs.com/ja/Various-Tokyo-Nights-Female-J-Pop-Boogie-Funk-1981-To-1988/release/11320165
K**1
Indiskutabel
Schlechte Kopien.Dünne Stimmchen.Vergeblich hofft man auf eine zweite Kimiko Kasai.Die Gitarrenarbeit ist ab und an ganz interessant.
F**X
funky japonais
tres bonne pop funk
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