First there was Tokyo Glow, which hit stores in 2021, and then came Funk Tide just last year. Both sets were curated by city-pop expert DJ Notoya and issued by Wewantsounds, and now, with the release of Tokyo Bliss – Japanese Funk, Boogie and City Pop from King Records 1974–88 on February 14, the compiler and label have teamed up for the third time, rounding up ten selections that will have fans of slick and suave groove pop salivating like a pound full of Pavlov’s pups. If that fan is you, please consider ponying up and commencing to boogie down, as this baby is available on vinyl, compact disc, and digital.
The intermingling strains of Japanese pop heard on these DJ Notoya-curated sets present often fascinating variations on well-established Western models that are sometimes subtle, and at other moments wildly different. There aren’t any radical departures on this third volume, but that’s ultimately for the good, as the sides flow quite well.
Opener “Garasumado” from Buzz (the duo of Hiroshi Koide and Masakazu Togo) spotlights a relationship with Japanese art-pop, as the track was produced by Nobuyuki Takahashi of Yellow Magic Orchestra with two members of Sadistic Mika Band in drummer Yukihiro Takahashi (brother of Nobuyuki and later of YMO) and bassist Ray Ohara. The pair deliver some funky potency to the warm mid-tempo pop glide.
As with the predecessor volumes, Tokyo Bliss avoids a chronological progression, beginning in 1974 with “Garasumado,” then jumping ahead to 1987 and the up-tempo synth pop of Mami Ayukawa’s “Sabita Gambler” and after that moving back nine years for the funky elasticity of Johnny Yoshinaga’s “The Rain,” a song with symphonic injections and some big rock guitar soloing.
Side one closes with another song from 1978, Koji Kobayashi’s “Bokura No Date,” with its big beat, unhurried pace and gal vocal backing. Between “The Rain” and “Bokura No Date” sits a track from 1983, Keiko Toda’s “Fade In” and its ample R&B-ish AM radio vibes. Toda’s cut has a solid counterpart and predecessor (dating from 1979) on the flip side with Kumiko Sawada’s energetic mover “Your Love’s Away.”
Side two opens with the only Tokyo Bliss track from 1988, Yuko Imai’s “Hotel Twilight,” its hi-tech instrumentation and glossy production very much of the era but with a deep infusion of the symphonic helping to set it apart. Dating from 1976, Masatoshi Kanno’s “Day by Day” is a solid dose of classic funk heat, and following, Yuji Mitsuya’s “After Five at Café-Bar” is a mid-’80s counterpart that’s loaded with slap bass.
Tokyo Bliss’ finale, the Fujimaru Band’s “Paper Machine,” is also the record’s only track sans vocals. It’s a real strut your instrumental stuff sort of scenario, but like the cuts that lead up to it, the pop focus is never misplaced. The contents are consistently relatable rather than specimens of the exotic.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
B+
