Various Artists – Tokyo Riddim 1979​-​1986 Vol.2 LP

Various Artists – Tokyo Riddim 1979​-​1986 Vol.2

Diving deeper into the story of Japanese reggae pop, Tokyo Riddim Vol. 2 explores an electronic, new wave and often experimental sound unlike anything Japan or Jamaica had ever heard before. The first time Ryuichi Sakamoto left Japan, he did not go to the United States or Europe - he went to Jamaica. It was 1978, YMO were about to release their debut album, but Sakamoto was in Kingston, invited to play synths for Japanese idol singer Teresa Noda at Dynamic Sound Studios in a band alongside Neville Hinds and none other than Rita Marley. It’s not a story many know, but one which would spark Sakamoto’s fascination with dub and mark a new chapter in the ongoing Japanese love affair with reggae. The Teresa Noda tracks they cut - ‘Tropical Love’ and ‘Yellow Moon’ - bookend this second volume of Time Capsule’s Tokyo Riddim compilation, which tells the wider story of how a fascination with Jamrock swept Japan, adding a dash of lime to that sweet city pop sound, embracing a globalised musical palette and creating a whole new genre in the process.

Tracklist:
A1 Teresa Noda– Tropical Love
A2 Yosui Inoue– Anata Wo Rikai
A3 Juicy Fruits– Oshiete Ageru
A4 Yuki Nakayamate– 3/Trois

B1 Risa Minami– Jamaican Blue
B2 Kay Ishiguro– Red Drip
B3 Tomoko Aran– Kanashiki Vaudevillian
B4 Teresa Noda– Yellow Moon

Label: Time Capsule
Released: 2024