Nippon Columbia and their sub-label Better Days released the future. Throughout the late 70’s and 80’s, the music that the labels championed was the sound and soul of the modern megacity. Led in part by the new Japanese made electronics that would soon dominate the world and by a new generation of artists born into the new post-war period, looking forward, drawing new maps.
Yumi Murata (photo courtesy of Nippon Columbia)
WEWANTSOUNDS and acclaimed DJ, broadcaster and Japanese music connoisseur Nick Luscombe have combined here to curate an exceptional collection of cutting-edge electro pop, funk, ambient and what sounds like the beginning of techno. This is where the ancient city name of Edo finally became the vision of the future that we call Tokyo. They had the cityscape, now they had the soundtrack.
We asked our friend from Rough Trade Nottingham, Jono Beard, our resident Japanese music cheerleader, purveyor of fine foreign music and a very funny man to give us his thoughts on the record and they are very good indeed….
JB - First off, I’d like to thank Justin for asking me to write this review! I like to think I’m relatively knowledgeable about Japanese music (at least as far as Westerners go) from the era that this compilation covers, but I did actually discover a few gems new to me. So whether you’re a novice who wants to get into Japanese music or you’re already well-versed in the minutiae of City Pop, New Music and Techno-Kayo, I can highly recommend “Tokyo Dreaming” as an adventure in musicality, discovery and expert sequencing. I’m gonna highlight a few key cuts rather than do a deep-dive track-by-track review, and then maybe talk more generally about the collection as a whole.
Side 2 kicks off with “Chinatown Rose” from Kazue Itoh’s “Moonlight Ladies” album (which has a great sleeve, by the way), and it’s an interesting choice. I believe she’s best known as an anime voice actress, although she certainly looked the part of cute 80s idol. The track is peak 1985 in terms of Japanese pop - dramatic, busy, slightly bonkers. It’s on the harder-edged side of things; more Akina Nakamori than Seiko Matsuda vibes. I’m also sure I can hear the somewhat ubiquitous at-the-time American background vocalists Darelle Foster-Holden & Rosaiyu Renee Keel. They seem to have been extremely prolific session singers in Japan, and would later form a great short-lived group called RA MU (as in “l’amour”) with whispery idol and honorary City Pop princess Momoko Kikuchi, but that’s hopefully a review for another day.
RA MU - Tokyo Yabanjin
Mariah’s enigmatic “Shinzou no Tobira” is a great representative of its parent album “Utakata no Hibi”, which was all about fusing traditional melodies with modern, adventurous instrumentation in an interesting way. Their vibe tended to be a bit more noisy in the vein of Material or Rip, Rig + Panic, but this song has a more ethereal feel to it. It’ll make you a fan if you aren’t already.
Mariah - 心臓の扉 (Shinzo No Tobira)
Yumi Seino’s stately, sultry and filmic “La Maison Est En Ruine” from her amazing LP “Continental”, is a wonderful choice. Her 3 studio albums are currently available on most streaming platforms at the time of writing, and they’re a real treat, especially for fans of Takako Mamiya’s Randy Crawford-esque, seminal “Love Trip” LP. It’s getting so much easier for us Western fans now - I used to have to buy Japanese iTunes gift cards from questionable sites and set up an account with a fake Japanese address. Now that the Japanese divisions of major labels are being less protective, we should definitely take advantage before they realise we’re not worthy and change their minds again. She also reminds me a little bit of another of her contemporaries - a really great singer named Naomi Akimoto who did a lot of jazzy, synthy stuff around the same time. Definitely put her on your further listening lists if you’re unfamiliar.
Yumi Seino - La Maison Est En Ruine
1988’s “Self Control”, by lady saxophonist Chika Asamoto, is as late in the 80’s as the comp gets, I think, and it’s a fucking banger. With ‘dabadabada’’s and ‘uuu-ta’’s from the wonderful Mizuki Koyama, the vibe is a bit Matt Bianco meets Sade on the Action Jackson soundtrack. It’s all nighttime skyscrapers, glass elevators, bright red lips, huge shoulder pads and paranoia.
Chika Asamoto – Self Control
Kyoko Furuya’s “Tokyo” and Yumi Murata’s “Watashi no Bus” are both jagged, atmospheric and slightly plaintive mid-tempo numbers that compliment some of the more immediate tracks that surround them. It’s amazing to me how certain pieces of music can capture and enhance moments of quiet sadness and ennui and make them beautiful. These songs sound like walking home, very alone and at the end of the night (or the morning after) on an overcast and drizzly day. I realise I am completely ascribing my own moods and experiences to them, but ain’t that what the joy of music’s really all about?
Kyoko Furuya - Tokyo
Yumi Murata - Watashi no Bus
You may recognise Hitomi “Penny” Tohyama’s soulful voice from Psychemagik’s “Ritual Chants” several years ago, where her post-disco, “Another One Bites The Dust”-aping banger “Wanna Kiss” (from the amazing, and amazingly titled “Sexy Robot” album) was a highlight of the Beach disc. Here, Nick Luscombe has chosen the mid-tempo “Rainy Driver” from her debut LP. Penny’s always been one of my favourite voices of City Pop - her tone is warm and her vibrato is deep and this track shows that off well.
Hitomi "Penny" Tohyama - Rainy Driver
Juicy Fruits’ “Jenie wa Gokugen Naname” (lit. “Jenny gets angry”, the title is presumed (by me) to be a gender-flipped reference to Joanie Summers’ 1962 teen classic “Johnny Get Angry”) from 1980 was quite influential at the time, I believe, for kind of codifying the Techno-Kayo movement in a way, even if Yellow Magic Orchestra were the real forefathers. Thanks to Juicy Fruits having a hit with this, the sound started to appear more frequently on the Oricon charts. I think it’s slightly atypical for the band, though, who usually dealt in slightly punchier power-pop than this (kind of like a Japanese Go-Go’s, albeit one fronted by an 8 year old).
Juicy Fruits - Jenny wa Gokigen Naname
Overall, “Tokyo Dreaming” offers a fantastic and interesting aural journey that doesn’t really dip in quality. The songs and sequencing have been chosen with obvious care. It’s difficult and pointless to sum it up in a few words but I’ll try: Beautiful, freaky and fun instrumental 80s soundtrack-y vibes with detours into dark disco (especially on Colored Music’s “Heartbeat”), funk, dub and paranoid pop (Editor’s note: this sounds like deep house but from 1981!). Thank you Nick Luscombe and thank you Nippon Columbia!
Colored Music - Heartbeat
Released on 2 x LP/CD on November 27th 2020
Pre-order / Buy: https://wewantsounds.bandcamp.com/merch/va-tokyo-dreaming-2lp-special-edition-black-vinyl-with-gatefold-sleeve