TOKYO PULSE - JAPANESE FUNK, MODERN AND CITY POP FROM THE TOKYO SCENE 1974-88 SELECTED BY DJ NOTOYA by VARIOUS ARTISTS

Hot on the heels of the Tokyo bliss and Funk Tide sets, Tokyo-based DJ Notoya delivers Tokyo Pulse a new selection of Funk and Modern soul recorded in Tokyo in the 70s and 80s. Most tracks here are making their debut outside of Japan and the album, like its predecessors, has been designed by Manuel Sepulveda (Optigram) and is annotated by DJ Notoya. The audio has been newly mastered in Tokyo by Nippon Columbia Records and remastered for vinyl by Colorsound in Paris.

Tokyo Pulse’s lush funk selection open with the nocturnal groove of Naomi Chiaki’s “Yoru E Isogu Hito,” recorded in 1978. The track perfectly sets the mood with its laid-back tempo and late-night atmosphere. From there, Yumi Murata’s “Ranhansha” (1979) brings a funkier touch, before the mellower funk of L-E-V-E-L’s “Bagdad No Atari Nite” signals the stylistic shift toward the early 1980s. Side one closes with GAM’s “Lake In The Forest,” an elegant reggae-inflected piece from 1980, played by several musicians from the cult Arakawa Band.

Side two opens with a leap into the late 1980s via Nami Shimada’s “Mitsumeteirunoni,” a superb mid-tempo electro-funk track. This is followed by the earthy folk-soul of Bread & Butter’s “Memory,” originally released in 1974 on Blow Up Records, and featuring a who’s who of Japanese music, including Haruomi Hosono, Ray Ohara, Tatsuo Hayashi, and Shigeru Suzuki. Keyboardist Minoru Koyama’s instrumental “After Image” adds a cinematic, fusion-leaning dimension, while Chikara Ueda & The Power Station’s “Island Cuckoo,” released in 1979 on Denon, injects a cool dose of Brazilian-tinged funk energy. The compilation closes with Higurashi’s superb funk-folk track “Anata Wa Doko Ni Irundesuka,” a reflective 1974 recording that brings the journey to a quietly emotional conclusion.

Taken as a whole, Tokyo Pulse offers a vivid snapshot of Tokyo’s evolving groove landscape, embracing a wide diversity of sounds that move fluidly between funk, modern soul, folk, reggae, electro, and jazz-inflected pop. Carefully curated by DJ Notoya, the album captures the subtle shifts in style, production, and mood that defined nearly fifteen years of Japanese music and stands as a new addition to Wewantsounds’ ongoing series exploring Japan’s rich musical heritage, reaffirming Tokyo’s place as a city with a uniquely refined and forward-thinking musical pulse.