{"product_id":"various-artists-tokyo-glow","title":"Various Artists - Tokyo Glow","description":"\u003cp\u003eFollowing the recent success of the '\u003cem\u003eTokyo Dreaming\u003c\/em\u003e', Wewantsounds comes with another compelling set, this time compiled by City Pop expert \u003cstrong\u003eDJ Notoya\u003c\/strong\u003e who has dug the rich Nippon Columbia catalogue to bring a breezy selection of funky gems by \u003cstrong\u003eHiroshi Sato\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eHitomi \"Penny\" Tohyama\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eMidori Hara\u003c\/strong\u003e, many of which making their vinyl debut outside of Japan. The 2-LP gatefold album has been designed by Optigram and is annotated by DJ Notoya with Nick Luscombe. The audio has been newly remastered in Tokyo by Nippon Columbia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNippon Columbia is one of the most important and oldest labels in Japan. It has amassed an incredible back catalogue over the decades. Particularly strong in the 70s and 80s, the label was one of the main purveyors of great music at a time when Japan was entering its greatest economic boom and labels had budgets at hand to create the highest quality music. As Notoya explains in the liner notes \"Back in the day, the record companies had big budgets and could afford to have many great musicians playing on one record, plus strings and horn sections, top drummers and keyboardists. It all made for a very rich sound, which is generally very different to today’s music.\" Keen to emulate the music created in the US by their American counterparts, Japanese musicians came with their own blend of funk, Boogie and Soul that has come to be known as City Pop.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe selection on \u003cem\u003eTokyo Glow\u003c\/em\u003e is full of such gems and starts with '\u003cem\u003eKimugare\u003c\/em\u003e' a relaxed mid tempo track by \u003cstrong\u003eKumi Nakamura\u003c\/strong\u003e, actually a famous actress who only recorded one album in 1980 for Columbia. The set continues and flows effortlessly with the sunshine grooves of \u003cstrong\u003eMiyuki Maki\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eHatsumi Shibata\u003c\/strong\u003e and cult keyboard player Hiroshi Sato before the pace starts going faster and funkier with \u003cstrong\u003eNew Generation Company\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003eKengo Kurozumi\u003c\/strong\u003e - with his superb boogie, '\u003cem\u003eJuggler\u003c\/em\u003e' - and one of the queens of the genre, Hitomi 'Penny' Tohyama with '\u003cem\u003eTuxedo Connection\u003c\/em\u003e'. Tokyo-based DJ Notoya is from a new breed of Japanese DJs there focusing on nippon music and is an expert on Funk, Modern Soul and Boogie from the Island. With '\u003cem\u003eTokyo Glow\u003c\/em\u003e', Notoya says he \"focused more on the slightly more underground tracks from the era, rather than the bigger, well-known releases. For me that was a more fun and satisfying approach.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnother fine example on the set is the mid-tempo groove of \"\u003cem\u003eI Wander All Alone Part III\u003c\/em\u003e\" by New Generation Company, an aggregate group of some of the best Japanese session musicians led by arranger \u003cstrong\u003eKatz Hoshi\u003c\/strong\u003e and including \u003cstrong\u003eHiroyuki Namba\u003c\/strong\u003e (key), \u003cstrong\u003eKazuo Shiina\u003c\/strong\u003e (gtr) and \u003cstrong\u003eYutaka Uehara\u003c\/strong\u003e (ds) who all played with \u003cstrong\u003eTatsuro Yamashita\u003c\/strong\u003e among many others. There are many other fine examples in '\u003cem\u003eTokyo Glow\u003c\/em\u003e', showcasing the diversity and specificity of Japanese City Pop during the late 70s and 80s. Collaborating with Nippon Columbia who have opened their much guarded vaults and remastered the tracks in Tokyo, Wewantsounds is delighted to propose a unique insight into one of the most creative period in Japanese music with '\u003cem\u003eTokyo Glow\u003c\/em\u003e', a double album full of groove and slickness.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WEWANTSOUNDS","offers":[{"title":"Vinyl 2LP","offer_id":59463650836825,"sku":"SDZ-52623","price":45.99,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0588\/3455\/0945\/files\/CAR_20260911_1534_144714_263_p_pdf_link_20260911143507_dup1_023.jpg?v=1789642495","url":"https:\/\/spindizzyrecords.com\/products\/various-artists-tokyo-glow","provider":"Spindizzy Dublin","version":"1.0","type":"link"}