The new funk line-up Tokyo Pulse by DJ Notoya opens with great fanfare, featuring Naomi Chiaki's 'Yoru E Isogu Hito' groove recorded in 1978 for the Nippon Columbia label. The track sets the tone with its nonchalant tempo and hypnotic atmosphere and is followed by "Ranhansha" by Yumi Murata (released in 1979), which brings a more funk touch to this selection, then by the softer rhythms of "Bagdad No Atari Nite" of the L-E-V-E-L group, which heralds the more synthetic shift of the early 1980s. The A-side ends with "Lake In The Forest" by GAM, an elegant reggae track from 1980 performed by several musicians of the cult Japanese band Arakawa Band.
The B-side opens with a jump in the late 1980s with "Mitsumeteirunoni" by Nami Shimada, a superb electro-funk mid-tempo track followed by the organic folk-soul sound of the band Bread & Butter and its "Memory", originally released in 1974 on the label Blow Up Records. The title brings together a real who's who of the Japanese music scene, including Haruomi Hosono, Ray Ohara, Tatsuo Hayashi and Shigeru Suzuki. The instrumental "After Image" by keyboardist Minoru Koyama brings a cinematic touch to jazz-fusion accents, while "Island Cuckoo" by Chikara Ueda & The Power Station, released in 1979 on Denon, injects a dose of morning funk with Brazilian influences. The compilation ends with the superb funk-folk track "Anata Wa Doko Ni Irundesuka" by Higurashi, an introspective song 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 variety of styles from funk to modern soul, including folk, reggae, electro and pop with jazzy accents. Carefully selected by DJ Notoya, the album captures the subtle changes that have marked Japanese music during the 70s and 80s.
DJ Notoya presents Tokyo Pulse (Various) japanese funk, modern soul and city pop from the tokyo scene 1974-88
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The new funk line-up Tokyo Pulse by DJ Notoya opens with great fanfare, featuring Naomi Chiaki's 'Yoru E Isogu Hito' groove recorded in 1978 for the Nippon Columbia label. The track sets the tone with its nonchalant tempo and hypnotic atmosphere and is followed by "Ranhansha" by Yumi Murata (released in 1979), which brings a more funk touch to this selection, then by the softer rhythms of "Bagdad No Atari Nite" of the L-E-V-E-L group, which heralds the more synthetic shift of the early 1980s. The A-side ends with "Lake In The Forest" by GAM, an elegant reggae track from 1980 performed by several musicians of the cult Japanese band Arakawa Band.
The B-side opens with a jump in the late 1980s with "Mitsumeteirunoni" by Nami Shimada, a superb electro-funk mid-tempo track followed by the organic folk-soul sound of the band Bread & Butter and its "Memory", originally released in 1974 on the label Blow Up Records. The title brings together a real who's who of the Japanese music scene, including Haruomi Hosono, Ray Ohara, Tatsuo Hayashi and Shigeru Suzuki. The instrumental "After Image" by keyboardist Minoru Koyama brings a cinematic touch to jazz-fusion accents, while "Island Cuckoo" by Chikara Ueda & The Power Station, released in 1979 on Denon, injects a dose of morning funk with Brazilian influences. The compilation ends with the superb funk-folk track "Anata Wa Doko Ni Irundesuka" by Higurashi, an introspective song 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 variety of styles from funk to modern soul, including folk, reggae, electro and pop with jazzy accents. Carefully selected by DJ Notoya, the album captures the subtle changes that have marked Japanese music during the 70s and 80s.