YuyoDrift

This goes into the whole Plastic Love phenomenon (w/ some detours into meme culture), but 6:20~ish on can be extrapolated to a lot of the city pop resurgence. I go a bit more into Future Funk on the vaporwave thread. While vaporwave and ff have moved away from the spotlight, city pop is picking back up again thanks to DJ Van Paugam and the like. 
 
I'll also add that 4chan has had city pop discussions since forever on /mu/, /gif/, and /wsg/. I wouldn't be surprised if a lot of the proto-stuff was influenced from that existing circulation. Though they were initially pretty critical of Ramona Xavier/Vektroid/Macintosh Plus' Floral Shoppe in 2012.

I love this genre and shooketh didn't find it earlier. So, I am thankful for the resurgence with the whole vaporwave aesthetic.

It was only a matter of time before I created this thread lol so here we are.
 
City Pop, also known/seen as シティーポップ (shitī poppu) online, is the name given to the fusion genre of funk/disco/jazz/easy-listening music that existed in Japan from the late 70's and well into the 80's, where it became the national soundtrack of the times, providing an urban expression to the success and wonders of the city-life. Japan at this time was thriving due to the technological advancements during the 70's that allowed Japan's economy to explode when it came to exportation of consumer electronics and more, essentially making them a conglomerate for tech in the next decade that followed, and creating what many refer to as an "economic miracle", yet to be seen again today.
 
Here are several articles I've saved over the years if you'd like to know more:
 
The Musical Almanac: Japan’s City-Pop
The Breathless Bliss of City Pop
A Dreamy Trip back to Japans Capitalist Fantasy of the 1980s
A Guide to City Pop, the Soundtrack for Japan’s Bubble-Era Generation
 
The recent return of the genre state-side (we're always late to this stuff) by a number of DJs on YouTube, SoundCloud, and even Band Camp have given City Pop a breath of new life, and the reception has been so great that studios existing back then have since remastered and re-released albums (even on vinyl) for collectors and new fans alike.
 
Edit: According to @colorful人生:
 
Very Cool!
 
While City Pop predates the surge of JPOP in the 90's and can be seen as one genre as a whole, I felt that City Pop deserved its own thread as the number of releases that spanned the 70's-80's are ENDLESS, and even today new music artists utilize/associate the music genre to their own work, so it's safe to make the distinction between the two.
 
Now I don't have a starter-pack for those looking to get into the genre, but I've listened to a major chunk of the releases online to give a great recommendations list for those curious. These releases are easily available on YouTube, are varied in musical style and year of release, and they were some of the first listens for me when I got started, so hopefully at least one of them will interest you guys.
 
(ラジ) Rajie - Heart to Heart (1977)
 
(山下 達郎)Tatsuro Yamashita - SPACY (1977)
 
(みき松原 ) Miki Matsubara - Pocket Park (1980)
 
(貴子間宮)Takako Mamiya - Love Trip (1982)
 
(パイパー) Piper - Summer Breeze (1983)
 
(知子亜蘭) Tomoko Aran - More Relax (1984)
 
(敏生角松)Toshiki Kadomatsu - After 5 Clash (1984)
 
(桃子菊池) Momoko Kikuchi - Adventure (1986)
 
(明菜中森) Akina Nakamori - Stock (1988) 
NOTE:
 
That being said, there are still many artists to check out, so here's are a few more names for you to search for in your spare time.
 
I'll come back and update this (took a couple days to put together lol) with more recommendations when I can.
 
So who else here listens to these J-Oldies?

Mandatory song
 
 

yay, someone finally made this thread 😄
 
As someone who followed the resurgence early on, it is absolutely the rise in searches for vaporwave/future-funk sources that kicked the YT algorithm into high gear for suggesting city pop music. 
 
I had a smattering of city pop in my "repertoire", including Rajie and Kikuchi Momoko, before its 2010's resurgence, but the vaporwave/future funk boom def. grew that tenfold. There's a lot of parallels and inspiration between yacht rock, quiet storm (which I grew up listening to), and city pop, so the genre is something that appeals to me. In fact, Haruomi Hosono (of Apryl Fool, YMO, and other works) second band, Happy End, was pretty much nippon yacht-rock. He could basically have his own thread for how much he's influenced in the jpop world. 
 
---
 
I think Yuki Saito counts (whom I'm a huge fan of.) There's a huge overlap between 70's~80's idol kayo and city pop, but I tend to associate city pop w/ more pronounced beats and disco influence (?) Though city pop is not exactly absent of slow songs and not everything in that time period could really be considered city pop. I guess it's whatever has that "big city" feel, lol.
 
 
 

It was only a matter of time before I created this thread lol so here we are.
 
City Pop, also known/seen as シティーポップ (shitī poppu) online, is the name given to the fusion genre of funk/disco/jazz/easy-listening music that existed in Japan from the late 70's and well into the 80's, where it became the national soundtrack of the times, providing an urban expression to the success and wonders of the city-life. Japan at this time was thriving due to the technological advancements during the 70's that allowed Japan's economy to explode when it came to exportation of consumer electronics and more, essentially making them a conglomerate for tech in the next decade that followed, and creating what many refer to as an "economic miracle", yet to be seen again today.
 
Here are several articles I've saved over the years if you'd like to know more:
 
The Musical Almanac: Japan’s City-Pop
The Breathless Bliss of City Pop
A Dreamy Trip back to Japans Capitalist Fantasy of the 1980s
A Guide to City Pop, the Soundtrack for Japan’s Bubble-Era Generation
 
The recent return of the genre state-side (we're always late to this stuff) by a number of DJs on YouTube, SoundCloud, and even Band Camp have given City Pop a breath of new life, and the reception has been so great that studios existing back then have since remastered and re-released albums (even on vinyl) for collectors and new fans alike.
 
Edit: According to @colorful人生:
 
Very Cool!
 
While City Pop predates the surge of JPOP in the 90's and can be seen as one genre as a whole, I felt that City Pop deserved its own thread as the number of releases that spanned the 70's-80's are ENDLESS, and even today new music artists utilize/associate the music genre to their own work, so it's safe to make the distinction between the two.
 
Now I don't have a starter-pack for those looking to get into the genre, but I've listened to a major chunk of the releases online to give a great recommendations list for those curious. These releases are easily available on YouTube, are varied in musical style and year of release, and they were some of the first listens for me when I got started, so hopefully at least one of them will interest you guys.
 
(ラジ) Rajie - Heart to Heart (1977)
 
(山下 達郎)Tatsuro Yamashita - SPACY (1977)
 
(みき松原 ) Miki Matsubara - Pocket Park (1980)
 
(貴子間宮)Takako Mamiya - Love Trip (1982)
 
(パイパー) Piper - Summer Breeze (1983)
 
(知子亜蘭) Tomoko Aran - More Relax (1984)
 
(敏生角松)Toshiki Kadomatsu - After 5 Clash (1984)
 
(桃子菊池) Momoko Kikuchi - Adventure (1986)
 
(明菜中森) Akina Nakamori - Stock (1988) 
NOTE:
 
That being said, there are still many artists to check out, so here's are a few more names for you to search for in your spare time.
 
I'll come back and update this (took a couple days to put together lol) with more recommendations when I can.
 
So who else here listens to these J-Oldies?

You guys are clogging up this thread.
Take it to PMs if it's really that interesting of a side-topic.

You guys are clogging up this thread.
Take it to PMs if it's really that interesting of a side-topic.

You guys are clogging up this thread.
Take it to PMs if it's really that interesting of a side-topic.

Some parts of that demo remind me of MUSIC era girugamesh

Go for it! It's clearly on your mind a lot so it would do you good to dedicate some time to visiting her. If it's tough to make the journey though, the fact that you think about her so much must count for something 😊

Oh man, I don't want to add to it myself, but random thoughts are random, and I don't want to keep them in my head today.
 
It's surreal to be thinking about my childhood friend, 9 years this week since she passed away. It bothers me every single day to know that the last time I saw her, she had already been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, already too late to do anything, and just carrying on with her 18 year-old life like it was nothing, and smiling.
Jesus fuck it's not fair.
 
I feel more like shit because I haven't made time to visit her resting place, ever.
In fact, the reason I'm typing this is because I had almost forgotten that she was laid to rest around this time, having actually been there at her funeral, spending hundreds of dollars on flowers, and crying endlessly because she was one of the last people I ever expected to pass away. If this is something that is going to happen naturally, and I can't do a damn thing to stop it, I'll live with this gut-punch of a reminder, even if it haunts me forever for moving on with my life and not cherishing her existence in it, no matter how short it was.
 
I'm in another state and further away, so I wonder if I'm going to ever have that time to do actually go and visit?
I think it might be time to force it into my schedule for sanity's sake, and as a reminder to her that I haven't forgotten about the better days.

Half-right. I was around when the original "Glamorous sky" released, and in order to fully understand, we need to backtrack a bit.
 
The amount of people I knew (mostly girls) that were into VK/Japanese Rock at the time (2001-2005), were also hardcore manga readers (Japanese everything, amirite?), and the series NANA (already been out for maybe a few years) was definitely one of the top selling manga at the time (I'm sure both in Japan and Internationally). Tying HYDE into it, L'Arc~en~Ciel had just recently resumed activities after their hiatus, and it was definitely their song "Ready Steady GO", used in the anime Fullmetal Alchemist, that shot them back up into the limelight here in the USA. Their old albums were dusted off the shelves and played non-stop (there were AMVs for their songs all over the internet at the time), and when people heard that HYDE was composing a new song for the live-adaptation of NANA, to be sung by none-other than Mika Nakashima (who was the main character for the live-film, and already recognized as the music artist she was), the hype got real. So real in fact, that you can check billboards for Japan and any articles online reviewing the song, it was a #1 hit for WEEKS.
 
I also knew people that were fans and could play the guitar, and apparently "Glamorous Sky" is very easy to understand composition-wise, and can be dissected to play certain parts that the fans are comfortable with, without ruining the song.
 
I never really looked into the song after about a year of its debut, but with the recent re-recorded version of the song (included in the single Kiss of Death (Produced by Hyde), which was the OP of the anime Darling in the Franxx), I was surprised that the reception to a song that was already 13 or so years old was as good as it was. It was snuck in there, and if it weren't for the advertising, I don't think people would have noticed. I definitely recommend you listen to the 2005 version of "glamorous sky" before checking the 2018 one (her voice has changed slightly in this one, and the emotion of the song is almost non-existent).
 
Just an FYI, the reception of the song influenced other music companies to implement the same strategy, such as the 2018 version of "A Cruel Angel's Thesis (Zankoku na Tenshi no Tese)", which was used for the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, and sung by Yoko Takahashi. Definitely another heavy hit song of the times before Mika Nakashima.
 
 
EDIT:
 
For those wondering, the anime-adaptation of NANA was not that big of an influence to the overall popularity of the series or the song "Glamorous Sky", so much as the Manga/Film was. The anime is now recognized as a "must watch" by those around in the anime scene at that time, but the song by Mika Nakashima/HYDE is separated only by the order in which everything happened. More people will know of the song before they know about the anime/manga they are associated with. Which explains why a lot of "covers" don't reference the series so much as Mika Nakashima herself.

It's hard for me realize/accept ( I was not the biggest L'arc fan) how influential they were to the boom (rather, the second wave, leading to the golden era) of Japanese culture to the USA, but yeah '04-'05 was a pivotal change. I mean, L'Arc~en~Ciel returned out of nowhere with their single in the anime, combined with the album SMILE the same year, along with the touring here, and then the shit going down in Japan with NANA (that soon headed our way) being iconic....
Yeah, they did a lot those 2 years lol.

Half-right. I was around when the original "Glamorous sky" released, and in order to fully understand, we need to backtrack a bit.
 
The amount of people I knew (mostly girls) that were into VK/Japanese Rock at the time (2001-2005), were also hardcore manga readers (Japanese everything, amirite?), and the series NANA (already been out for maybe a few years) was definitely one of the top selling manga at the time (I'm sure both in Japan and Internationally). Tying HYDE into it, L'Arc~en~Ciel had just recently resumed activities after their hiatus, and it was definitely their song "Ready Steady GO", used in the anime Fullmetal Alchemist, that shot them back up into the limelight here in the USA. Their old albums were dusted off the shelves and played non-stop (there were AMVs for their songs all over the internet at the time), and when people heard that HYDE was composing a new song for the live-adaptation of NANA, to be sung by none-other than Mika Nakashima (who was the main character for the live-film, and already recognized as the music artist she was), the hype got real. So real in fact, that you can check billboards for Japan and any articles online reviewing the song, it was a #1 hit for WEEKS.
 
I also knew people that were fans and could play the guitar, and apparently "Glamorous Sky" is very easy to understand composition-wise, and can be dissected to play certain parts that the fans are comfortable with, without ruining the song.
 
I never really looked into the song after about a year of its debut, but with the recent re-recorded version of the song (included in the single Kiss of Death (Produced by Hyde), which was the OP of the anime Darling in the Franxx), I was surprised that the reception to a song that was already 13 or so years old was as good as it was. It was snuck in there, and if it weren't for the advertising, I don't think people would have noticed. I definitely recommend you listen to the 2005 version of "glamorous sky" before checking the 2018 one (her voice has changed slightly in this one, and the emotion of the song is almost non-existent).
 
Just an FYI, the reception of the song influenced other music companies to implement the same strategy, such as the 2018 version of "A Cruel Angel's Thesis (Zankoku na Tenshi no Tese)", which was used for the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, and sung by Yoko Takahashi. Definitely another heavy hit song of the times before Mika Nakashima.
 
 
EDIT:
 
For those wondering, the anime-adaptation of NANA was not that big of an influence to the overall popularity of the series or the song "Glamorous Sky", so much as the Manga/Film was. The anime is now recognized as a "must watch" by those around in the anime scene at that time, but the song by Mika Nakashima/HYDE is separated only by the order in which everything happened. More people will know of the song before they know about the anime/manga they are associated with. Which explains why a lot of "covers" don't reference the series so much as Mika Nakashima herself.

Oh man, I don't want to add to it myself, but random thoughts are random, and I don't want to keep them in my head today.
 
It's surreal to be thinking about my childhood friend, 9 years this week since she passed away. It bothers me every single day to know that the last time I saw her, she had already been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, already too late to do anything, and just carrying on with her 18 year-old life like it was nothing, and smiling.
Jesus fuck it's not fair.
 
I feel more like shit because I haven't made time to visit her resting place, ever.
In fact, the reason I'm typing this is because I had almost forgotten that she was laid to rest around this time, having actually been there at her funeral, spending hundreds of dollars on flowers, and crying endlessly because she was one of the last people I ever expected to pass away. If this is something that is going to happen naturally, and I can't do a damn thing to stop it, I'll live with this gut-punch of a reminder, even if it haunts me forever for moving on with my life and not cherishing her existence in it, no matter how short it was.
 
I'm in another state and further away, so I wonder if I'm going to ever have that time to do actually go and visit?
I think it might be time to force it into my schedule for sanity's sake, and as a reminder to her that I haven't forgotten about the better days.

Oh man, I don't want to add to it myself, but random thoughts are random, and I don't want to keep them in my head today.
 
It's surreal to be thinking about my childhood friend, 9 years this week since she passed away. It bothers me every single day to know that the last time I saw her, she had already been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, already too late to do anything, and just carrying on with her 18 year-old life like it was nothing, and smiling.
Jesus fuck it's not fair.
 
I feel more like shit because I haven't made time to visit her resting place, ever.
In fact, the reason I'm typing this is because I had almost forgotten that she was laid to rest around this time, having actually been there at her funeral, spending hundreds of dollars on flowers, and crying endlessly because she was one of the last people I ever expected to pass away. If this is something that is going to happen naturally, and I can't do a damn thing to stop it, I'll live with this gut-punch of a reminder, even if it haunts me forever for moving on with my life and not cherishing her existence in it, no matter how short it was.
 
I'm in another state and further away, so I wonder if I'm going to ever have that time to do actually go and visit?
I think it might be time to force it into my schedule for sanity's sake, and as a reminder to her that I haven't forgotten about the better days.

Thanks very much, guys! 
 
@YuyoDrift, thank you for transporting me back in time! It's fascinating to hear about Hyde's/L'arc's influence back in the day. Plenty for me to listen to now as well

Half-right. I was around when the original "Glamorous sky" released, and in order to fully understand, we need to backtrack a bit.
 
The amount of people I knew (mostly girls) that were into VK/Japanese Rock at the time (2001-2005), were also hardcore manga readers (Japanese everything, amirite?), and the series NANA (already been out for maybe a few years) was definitely one of the top selling manga at the time (I'm sure both in Japan and Internationally). Tying HYDE into it, L'Arc~en~Ciel had just recently resumed activities after their hiatus, and it was definitely their song "Ready Steady GO", used in the anime Fullmetal Alchemist, that shot them back up into the limelight here in the USA. Their old albums were dusted off the shelves and played non-stop (there were AMVs for their songs all over the internet at the time), and when people heard that HYDE was composing a new song for the live-adaptation of NANA, to be sung by none-other than Mika Nakashima (who was the main character for the live-film, and already recognized as the music artist she was), the hype got real. So real in fact, that you can check billboards for Japan and any articles online reviewing the song, it was a #1 hit for WEEKS.
 
I also knew people that were fans and could play the guitar, and apparently "Glamorous Sky" is very easy to understand composition-wise, and can be dissected to play certain parts that the fans are comfortable with, without ruining the song.
 
I never really looked into the song after about a year of its debut, but with the recent re-recorded version of the song (included in the single Kiss of Death (Produced by Hyde), which was the OP of the anime Darling in the Franxx), I was surprised that the reception to a song that was already 13 or so years old was as good as it was. It was snuck in there, and if it weren't for the advertising, I don't think people would have noticed. I definitely recommend you listen to the 2005 version of "glamorous sky" before checking the 2018 one (her voice has changed slightly in this one, and the emotion of the song is almost non-existent).
 
Just an FYI, the reception of the song influenced other music companies to implement the same strategy, such as the 2018 version of "A Cruel Angel's Thesis (Zankoku na Tenshi no Tese)", which was used for the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, and sung by Yoko Takahashi. Definitely another heavy hit song of the times before Mika Nakashima.
 
 
EDIT:
 
For those wondering, the anime-adaptation of NANA was not that big of an influence to the overall popularity of the series or the song "Glamorous Sky", so much as the Manga/Film was. The anime is now recognized as a "must watch" by those around in the anime scene at that time, but the song by Mika Nakashima/HYDE is separated only by the order in which everything happened. More people will know of the song before they know about the anime/manga they are associated with. Which explains why a lot of "covers" don't reference the series so much as Mika Nakashima herself.

I think they may be referring to the fandom as a whole, which I suppose MH would fall into as well.
 
If I'm reading this right, you're trying to make distinctions as to why VK (and the artists we follow, more specifically) is appealing by old/new fans, and want to specifically correlate the various reasons provided down to the 2 sexes (stay back you others, we don't know what they mean yet)?
 
I don't think the answers will be so cut/dry as "X" likes this, and "Y" likes that , as you think they'll be. Too many factors at play.

....... couldn't resist.
 
That's a hard comparison to argue.

jesus I read the title and thought they were back for a second and my stomach dropped

I know their MONSTERS album was up but I noticed a couple days ago that albums likes Coll:Set, MIRROR, and their later albums along with their EPs are now on Spotify and Apple Music from what I’ve seen. Just letting you all know. 👍

I personally think that they should re-record "B. A. L. U. S.".