Light in the Attic continues to unearth funky city pop sounds via ‘Pacific Breeze 3’
The compilation spotlights voices of female artists who became household names in Japan
Seattle-based archival reissue label, Light in the Attic, is set to release the third volume of their ongoing city pop series ‘Pacific Breeze 3: Japanese City Pop, AOR & Boogie 1975-1987’ in February 2023.
The compilation is curated by Yosuke Kitazawa (Temporal Drift) and Mark “Frosty” McNeill (dublab).
Light in the Attic’s reissues have been contextualising city pop for many years now, but this time the release highlights female artists, “spotlighting the voices of women who would become household names in Japan as actresses and pop idols”.
What can we expect from the long-awaited compilation? It's an impressionist mash-up of 16 AOR, r&b, jazz fusion, funk and boogie tracks from the 70s and 80s.
Members of Yellow Magic Orchestra (Haruomi Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Yukihiro Takahashi) also feature in the compilation as musicians and producers, alongside Hiroyuki Namba, Susan, Miharu Koshi, Pizzicato Five, and many more.
Peek the tracklist below:
1. Naomi Akimoto 'Bewitched (Are You Leaving Soon)'
2. Atsuko Nina 'Tonkachi'
3. Miho Fujiwara 'Heartbeat'
4. Miharu Koshi – Scandal Night
5. Chu Kosaka 'Shirakechimauze'
6. Teresa Noda 'Tropical Love'
7. Makoto Matsushita 'Business Man Pt. 1'
8. Susan 'Ah! Soka'
9. Yukako Hayase 'Suiyoubi Madeni Shinitaino'
10. Parachute 'Kowloon Daily'
11. Hiroyuki Namba 'Tropical Exposition (Who Done It? Version)'
12. Pizzicato Five 'Boy Meets Girl'
13. Mari Iijima 'Love Sick'
14. 1986 Omega Tribe 'Cosmic Love'
15. Osamu Shoji 'Pub Casablanca'
16. Chiemi Manabe 'Untotooku'
Read this next: FINGERGAP translates Cantonese city pop into 160BPM footwork
Yosuke Kitazawa wrote the liner notes for the compilation, whose audio has been newly-remastered by Dave Cooley at Elysian Masters.
Read this next: Photographer Greg Girard's new book is a textured voyage through vintage Tokyo
We won’t forget to mention the signature contemporary city pop aesthetic that captures a perfect blend of vaporwave, future-funk, and retro anime design ideals that comes when you purchase the release. A number of bundles are available that include a 24” x 24” lithograph print, full-color 30” x 60” beach towel and double-sided felt slipmat designed by Hiroshi Nagai.
‘Pacific Breeze 3: Japanese City Pop, AOR & Boogie 1975-1987’ will be out on 24th February; pre-order it here.
Adrianna Cheung is Mixmag Asia’s Culture Curator, follow her on Instagram.
