Various Artists – Midnight In Tokyo Vol. 1

Description

Mule Musiq announce their new label, Studio Mule.Midnight In Tokyo Vol. 1is a compilation of Japanese disco, boogie, and soul music. The compilation starts off with the Afro disco classic “Mi Mi Africa” by harmonica playerNobuo Yagi. “Silver Spot” is a jazzy fusion disco track taken from composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalistNobuyuki Shimizu’s first album (1980), released when he was 19. The track features singerEpo. “Samba Night” is by vocalistKeisuke Yamamotoand his bandPiper, from their masterpiece second albumSummer Breeze(1983) — a delightful city pop number for fans ofTatsuro Yamashita. “Akogareno Sundown” is a Japanese soul classic, sung by singerHaruko Kuwana(sister ofMasahiro Kuwana). Produced byMackey Feary Band, known for the soulful classic “A Million Stars”. “Koiwa Saiko (I’m In Love)” is a mellow and groovy track by singerAru Takamura, the great-grandchild of sculptorKouun Takamura. It can be thought of as Japan’s answer toCheryl Lynn’s “Got To Be Real”. “What The Magic Is To Try” is a cult electropop track byHonma Express, a project helmed by producerKanji Honma. Hailed as Japan’sTrevor Horn, he is also known as the producer of legendary techno pop bandTPO. “Colored Music” is a song byColored Music, a duo of pianistIchiko Hashimotoand her partnerAtsuo Fujimoto. Taken from their sole album (1981), the Japanese rare groove treasure is a mesh of new wave, synth pop, and jazz influences.

The dubby electronic new wave disco “Electric City” is a B side of pop idol groupShohjo-Tai & Red Bus St Project’s debut 12″ single. “Love Is The Competition” is a breezy disco jam by Okinawa-born bilingual artistHitomi Tohyama, originally featured on her albumNext Door(1983). Taken fromMariahproject’s divaYumi Murata’s first album (1979), “Krishna” is a funky and soulful rockin’ disco cut. Reminiscent ofChaka Khan’s “I Know You, I Live You”, “Live Hard, Live Free” is a song by jazz vocalistEri Ohnowho is known for her work withDJ Krush. “Rocket 88” is a melancholic disco number by singerMinnieoriginally released through Sapporo’s independent label Paradise Records. Closing out the 13-track compilation is Japanese disco staple “Tokyo Melody”, sung byShoodyand backed byTetsuji Hayashi’s disco band theEastern Gang.

Compiled by Toshiya Kawasaki. Mastering by Kuniyuki Takahashi with cover imagery by Mika Kitamura. Mule Musiq states: “At Mule Musiq, weve focused on shining light on the many aspects of what electronic music can be, putting out house, techno and ambient releases on our main label, while releasing alternative-leaning dance music through our endless flight imprint. but with the launch of our new label, studio mule, we are stepping away from electronic club music for a bit. the label will not be tied to a specific genre, as we will instead focus on releasing any kind of music that we feel is a little bit different and interesting, but somehow make sense in this day and age. for our first batch of releases, we will be focusing on Japanese Music.” via Label

Label: Studio Mule
Series: Midnight In Tokyo 1
Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Compilation
Released: 2018
Genre: Electronic, Funk / Soul, Pop
Style: Disco, Soul, New Wave, Boogie, Funk

File under: Japanese Electronic