Tokyo Pulse - Japanese Funk, Modern Soul And City Pop From The Tokyo Scene 1974-88

Description

DJ Notoya's new funk selection, Tokyo Pulse, kicks off with the captivating groove of Naomi Chiaki's "Yoru E Isogu Hito," recorded in 1978 for the Nippon Columbia label. The track sets the tone with its nonchalant tempo and hypnotic atmosphere, followed by Yumi Murata's "Ranhansha" (released in 1979), which adds a funkier touch to the selection, then by the more subdued rhythms of L-E-V-E-L's "Bagdad No Atari Nite," heralding the more synthetic shift of the early 1980s. Side 1 concludes with GAM's "Lake In The Forest," an elegantly reggae-tinged track from 1980 performed by several musicians from the cult Japanese band Arakawa Band. Side 2 opens with a jump to the late 1980s with Nami Shimada's "Mitsumeteirunoni," a superb mid-tempo electro-funk track, followed by the organic folk-soul sound of Bread & Butter and their "Memory," originally released in 1974 on the Blow Up Records label. The track brings together a veritable "who's who" of the Japanese music scene, including Haruomi Hosono, Ray Ohara, Tatsuo Hayashi, and Shigeru Suzuki. Keyboardist Minoru Koyama's instrumental "After Image" adds a cinematic touch with jazz-fusion accents, while Chikara Ueda & The Power Station's "Island Cuckoo," released in 1979 on Denon, injects a dose of funk mixed with Brazilian influences. The compilation closes with the superb funk-folk track "Anata Wa Doko Ni Irundesuka" by the band Higurashi, an introspective track from 1974 that concludes the journey on a more emotional note. Tokyo Pulse offers a striking snapshot of the evolution of Tokyo grooves, embracing a wide diversity of styles ranging from funk to modern soul, folk, reggae, electro, and jazzy pop. Carefully selected by DJ Notoya, the album captures the subtle evolutions that marked Japanese music during the 70s and 80s. A new masterpiece in the series that Wewantsounds dedicates to exploring the rich Japanese musical heritage, reaffirming Tokyo's place as a key city on the international music scene.