City Pop is a nostalgic genre of music for many people in the West for several reasons. Firstly, City Pop was popular in Japan during the late 1970s to the mid-1980s, a time when Japan was experiencing a period of rapid economic growth and cultural expansion. This era is often referred to as the "Bubble Economy" in Japan and is remembered as a time of great optimism and prosperity.
Read MoreMiki Matsubara is a Japanese singer, songwriter, and composer who has become one of the most well-known artists from the country in the same fashion as Mariya Takeuchi, whose songs are finding a new life after being re-discovered by international audiences overseas that have come to adore the nostalgic mystique of the singer. Few Japanese artists are ever remembered fondly overseas unless they make a lasting impression on the world, and this standard is exemplified in the case of Matsubara, whose legacy was revitalized decades after her debut.
Read MoreHideki Saijo was a famous Japanese music and television star who drew comparisons to Elvis Presley for his passionate stage persona that defied traditional Japanese preconceptions about music performance. His real name was Tatsuo Kimoto born on April 13, 1955, in Hiroshima.
Read MoreContinuing the trend of late bubble economy style Korean City Pop comes one of the biggest nods to the genre yet by Korean producer Bronze. The cover art is by the famed illustrator Hiroshi Nagai who has done album art for legendary City Pop artists like Tatsuro Yamashita and Eiichi Ohtaki to name a few. His iconic Americana style art makes this an instant visual cue for fans of the genre to immediately know that this going to be City Pop kind of music
Read MoreDepression. A condition many people can instantly relate to. So much of life can be consumed by a never-ending merry-go-round of emotions that lifts us up high only to drop us back down to the rocks below. The tide of time sweeps us into the waves of our subconscious feelings, and it Tokyo-drifts us deeper into the depths of another state of mind. Music has always been that lifeboat on the horizon, waving lights, attempting to locate me in the disaster of whatever temporary trauma caused the annihilation.
Read MoreArtzie Music was hit with multiple copyright strikes by an agency called ShoPro otherwise known as Shogakukan-Shueisha Productions Co., Ltd. A Japanese production company and a subsidiary of the Japanese publishing group Hitotsubashi Group. The YouTube channel received several violations at once prompting the Google-owned video platform to issue a termination date set to October 27, 2020.
Read MoreContemporary City Pop aesthetics are at the intersection of Vaporwave, Future-funk, and Retro Anime design ideologies. Generally a combination of re-occurring motifs combining 80s style-tropes mixed with Japanese sensibilities, pastel colors, and scenery involving city life along with similar concepts.
Read MoreKorean City Pop is 1970s and 1980s inspired contemporary music re-imagined through the lens of a fictional past of the country’s history. Korean City Pop is pioneered by famous K-Pop stars and many in the indie scene there have also adopted the style adding their unique perspective on the music. While not enjoying the same bubble economy that Japan was experiencing at the time, Korean artists and producers show an acceptance of the style as a legitimate musical movement that focuses on retro elements both Western and Eastern.
Read MoreIn every genre there are albums that exemplify the sound, and City Pop, while more loosely defined than others, still has a distinctive style that is recognizable to those who know what to look for. The checklist for City Pop almost always includes a fusion of two or more elements from genres like Funk, Jazz, Pop, or Disco crowned with English chorus sections, blaring instrumental solo, and warm production quality.
Read MoreThey say things only cost what people are willing to pay and nothing embodies the spirit of that saying more than a very elusive and revered album by a 1980s Japanese singer named Junko Ohashi. We explore why this album specifically has garnered almost a holy grail status among fans of the genre and how City Pop records are becoming cult objects.
Read MoreA lot of people ask me this question seeing as I have a collection of over 200 City Pop records and know a thing or two about record stores in Tokyo. I've put together this guide to help you plan your trip to Tokyo better...
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![[Album Review] Bronze - Aquarium](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5bd7707c11f7847c45b4b9dd/1603741108165-MBTS0UDUIL541H3AM6T6/bronze-aquarium.jpg)
