City Pop

A genre that flourished in Japan from the late 1970s through the 1980s, defined by its urbane, polished sound and lyrical world. Tatsuro Yamashita, Eiichi Ohtaki, and Mariya Takeuchi stand among its leading figures. The genre reached its early-1980s peak around releases like “A Long Vacation,” and has seen renewed appreciation among overseas listeners since the late 2010s.

Source: Wikipedia “City Pop”

Fusion

An instrumental genre blending elements of jazz and rock. In Japan, from the late 1970s through the 1980s, Casiopea and T-SQUARE established themselves as the genre’s two leading acts, their technically accomplished yet accessible playing becoming a fixture of television and radio.

Source: Casiopea (band) Wikipedia / Cooltake Studio

CITY POP

Tatsuro Yamashita

Formed Sugar Babe with Taeko Onuki and others in 1973, then went solo in 1975. With “RIDE ON TIME” (1980) and “FOR YOU” (1982), he established a sound built on layered solo choruses and refined groove, becoming one of city pop’s defining artists.

Source: Mikiki by TOWER RECORDS

CITY POP

Mariya Takeuchi

In 1984, with full support from her husband Tatsuro Yamashita, she released “VARIETY,” an album written and composed entirely by herself. One of its tracks later sparked a worldwide boom, and the album remains celebrated as one of city pop’s landmark records.

Source: Mikiki by TOWER RECORDS

CITY POP

Toshiki Kadomatsu

Debuted in 1981, initially in the resort-music lineage of Tatsuro Yamashita and Eiichi Ohtaki. His urbane, danceable sound came into its own with 1984’s “AFTER 5 CLASH,” and he is also known for writing and producing for Anri (“Kanashimi ga Tomaranai”) and Miho Nakayama (“You’re My Only Shinin’ Star”).

Source: Mikiki by TOWER RECORDS

FUSION

Casiopea / T-SQUARE

Both instrumental fusion bands that debuted in the late 1970s. Commercially successful through the early-to-mid 1980s, these vocal-free instrumental acts nonetheless regularly topped the charts with each album release, earning the title “the two giants of Japanese fusion.”

Source: Casiopea (band) Wikipedia

CITY POP

Anri

Debuted in 1978 at age 17. Her 1983 single “CAT’S EYE” (theme song for the anime “Cat’s Eye”), built on a cool sound heavy with electronic drums and synthesizer, became a massive hit, topping three national charts simultaneously. Together with the same year’s “Kanashimi ga Tomaranai,” it made her one of the decade’s defining hitmakers.

Source: Wikipedia “CAT’S EYE (Anri song)” / “Kanashimi ga Tomaranai”

CITY POP

Yumi Matsutoya

After early work under the name Yumi Arai, her 1981 single “Mamotte Agetai” — theme song for the film “Nerawareta Gakuen” — reached No. 2 on the Oricon weekly singles chart. In the late 1980s, albums including “Diamond Dust ga Kienu Ma ni” and “Delight Slight Light KISS,” known as her “pure love trilogy,” established a world evocative of the era’s trendy dramas.

Source: RecoChoku / Wikipedia “Refrain ga Sakenderu”