The Sunday night Sound Travels show was a slick, funk-fueled affair from the archives. The sound of Japan's City Pop scene preceded the even sunnier sounds of J-Pop, with a sound that drew from so many sources. Disco, synth-pop, funk and soul all sort of contributed to this genre that is experiencing a sort of renaissance of late.
As a child of the '80s, this sound is right up my alley and aligns well with the '80s R&B, yacht rock and disco that I grew up with. My selections for this show range from some interesting points of that era in Japan, to standout cuts from some of the sound's pioneers.
Tatsuro Yamashita and Haruomi Hosono are like the godfathers of City Pop and they both get spins here. Others, like singers Ruhriko Ogami and Miharu Koshi, fit well in the mix with their sun-drenched disco soul. Take a listen and discover a world not many remember...
Playlist
1. "Hotel Malabar Ground Floor…Triangle Circuit On The Sea-Forest" - Haruomi Hosono
2. "Shinzo No Tobira" - Mariah
3."Looking For You" - Ryo Kawasaki
4. "Long Time Before You Were Born" - Ryo Kawasaki
5. "Uragiri" - Mari Natsuki
6. "Barato Yajuu" - Haruomi Hosono
7. "Keep On Dancin'" - Miharu Koshi
8. "Fuwari Fuwa Fuwa" - Ruhriko Ogami
9. "Plastic Love" - Mariya Takeuchi
10. "Yellow Cab" - Tatsuro Yamashita
11. "Night Together" - Yuji Toriyama & Ken Morimura
12. "Love Talkin'" - Tatsuro Yamashita
13. "Tuxedo Connection" - Hitomi Tohyama
14. "Fatback Ohno" - Shunzo Ohno
15. "Shiny Lady" - Hiroshi Sato
16. "Colored Music" - Colored Music
17. "Love Shower" - Minako Yoshida
