ORIENT by HIROSHI SATO

Reissue of Hiroshi Sato's  ultra rare synth masterpiece, on the Kitty Records label that originally released this record in 1979. This highly sought-after album on the Balearic scene is a superb breezy mix of Japanese synth-pop and exotica with subtle touches of mid 70s Herbie Hancock-style funk and AOR. Check!

It features the cream of Japanese musicians including Shigeru Suzuki on guitar, Haruomi Hosono on bass, Pecker on Percussion and Sato himself on keyboards and synthesizers.

Hiroshi Sato who sadly passed away in 2012 has achieved cult status on the international music scene over the years thanks to soulful albums like "Orient," "Awakening" and "Seaside Lovers." He came to prominence in the 70s first playing with Happy End and then setting up Caramel Mama with Shigeru Suzuki, Tatsuo Hayashi and Haruomi Hosono which would morph into super-group Tin Pan Alley. All musicians would appear on Hosono’s cult 1978 album “Paraiso” and legend has it Hosono wanted Hiroshi Sato and Tatsuo Hayashi to join his newly formed group YMO but Hayashi was reluctant and Sato sticked with him so Hosono went for Ryuichi Sakamoto and Yukihiro Takahashi (who were also on Paraiso) to join.

Orient is very much at the crossroad of the different styles that made the fertile Japanese scene of that time so interesting with the use of synthesizer at the core of this revolution and the rise of YMO and cult labels like Alfa Records and Better Days.

Contributors include Hiroshi “Monsieur” Kamayatsu, singer songwriter and guitarist of 60s band The Spiders who pens the lyrics for the cult classic “Son Go Kuw” a tongue-in-cheek ode to the eponymous character from the cult manga Dragon Ball. The album also feature the dreamy “Do-Jo” popular on the international DJ scene