VIA PRESS RELEASE | With Japan’s city pop genre gaining worldwide attention, Nippon Columbia announces Tokyo Glow, a stylish collection exploring city pop, funk, and soul of the late ‘70s and ‘80s from the rich vaults of the revered Japanese label, carefully curated by Tokyo-based DJ/curator/city pop expert DJ Notoya.
Due out December 10th, the 18-track compilation features cult classics and sought-after rarities (by artists such as Hiroshi Sato, Hatsumi Shibata, Hitomi ‘Penny’ Tohyama, and Midori Hara), many of which are being released digitally for the first time and making their vinyl debut outside of Japan. In conjunction with the release of the digital edition, French label WeWantSounds is set to release the physical edition of Tokyo Glow on the same day (12/10) in 2-LP and CD formats. The 2-LP gatefold album was designed by Optigram and is annotated by DJ Notoya with Nick Luscombe (BBC Radio). The audio has been newly remastered in Tokyo by Nippon Columbia.
DJ Notoya’s highly acclaimed 2018 series “Tokyo 1980s,” featuring ‘80s funk, boogie, and disco from Japan, contributed to the global resurgence of city pop. His selection of music on the upcoming compelling set, which mixes gorgeous grooves with a hint of melancholy and nostalgia, promises to make fans feel the dazzling yet fragile light that shined in Tokyo in the 1980s. Full track list below.
DJ Notoya shares, “There are many city pop compilations out there already, but I still felt there was a lot of stuff from Japan that was being slept on and I wanted to introduce more of this music to the world—not just on vinyl but via playlists on Spotify and Apple Music. I wanted to show there was more depth to music from Japan from the 1970s and ’80s. So, for Tokyo Glow I 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.”
In 2020, Nippon Columbia launched J-DIGS, a must-listen playlist series for Japanese music diggers around the world, showcasing some of the label’s most influential music from pioneering artists, such as Ryuichi Sakamoto’s Thousand Knives, Shigeo Sekito’s “The Word II,” and Hiroshi Suzuki’s “Romance,” among others. Last June, J-DIGS premiered the first in a series of playlists curated by GRAMMY®-nominated producer Yosuke Kitazawa.
Based in Los Angeles and specializing in reissues of important recordings from the past, Kitazawa’s work on the Japan Archival Series from celebrated archival reissue label Light in the Attic has helped introduce Japanese music from the ’70s-’80s to brand new audiences worldwide. Click here for the J-DIGS playlist “Stringing & Swinging,” offering a sample of Kitazawa’s unique perspective on the 100+ year history of archival sounds from Nippon Columbia, which just celebrated its 111th anniversary on October 1st.
Tracklist (Digital Edition):
1. Kumi Nakamura – Kimagure
2. Miyuki Maki – Indo No Michibata
3. Haruyoshi Yamashina – Osake To Joke
4. Sumiko Yamagata – Natsu No Hikari Ni
5. Hatsumi Shibata – Party Is Over
6. Makoto Iwabuchi – Moonlight Flight
7. Hiroshi Sato – Saigo No Tejina
8. Arakawa Band – Paradise’s Dream
9. New Generation Company – I Wander All Alone (Part III)
10. Kiyohiko Ozaki – Ojosan Oteyawarakani
11. Kengo Kurozumi – Juggler
12. Ken Nishizaki – Koi No Paradigm
13. Jadoes – Simply Another Love
14. Midori Hara – Aamar Jabar
15. Hitomi ‘Penny’ Tohyama – Tuxedo Connection
16. Mizuki Koyama – Oh! Daddy
17. Haruo Chikada & Vibra-Tones – Sofa Bed Blues
18. Mitsuko Horie – Chigasaki Memory
