[UNLOCKED] Unnatural city - Owen Hatherley on the music of 1980s Japan
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Around 2010 I became somewhat obsessed with Japanese pop and ambient music of the 1980s - in particular the Yellow Magic Orchestra, the solo records of the members of the group: Ryuichi Sakamoto, Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi and music by Akiko Yano, Yasuaki Shimizu and Hiroshi Yoshimura amongst many others. Last year I discovered that this was an enthusiasm shared with architectural historian, and very occasional pop music writer, Owen Hartherley who has since written an article partially on the topic:

https://www.jencksfoundation.org/explore/text/japan-at-number-one-ryuichi-sakamoto-s-riot-in-lagos

Although much of the episode is on the music itself, we also touch on the politics - particularly how these artists were influenced by and reacting to the culture of the 1960s New Left, during the extraordinary economic boom of the 1980s, and how some of these musicians reintegrated the memory of 20th century Japanese imperialism in Asia into their music.

If you'd like to explore some of the music we discuss in the episode you can find an accompanying playlist on Spotify:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1eM8f2mq7vJYtYuTDq2EKW?si=7dd8d970fb8d4ad2

As well as tracks from the 80s, the playlist also includes some records from the folk rock era of the 1970s, as well as from Vaporwave and Future Funk genres - both of which were influenced by much of the 1980s work that Owen and I discuss.

Unfortunately, there are plenty of fantastic records from this era that aren't currently available on the streaming services - including Akiko Yano's best work (especially the album Tadaima) Paradise of Replica by After Dinner, Ichiko Hashimoto's Beauty album, Miho Fujiwara's Heartbeat, Untotooku by Chiemi Manabe and the soundtracks to the animated films Akira and the Wings of Honnêamise amongst others. Do check those out too if you can - many of them are available on YouTube or to purchase from Bandcamp and other such outlets.

Owen's article, 1980 in Parallax: Japan at Number One, Ryuichi Sakamoto’s ‘Riot in Lagos’:

https://www.jencksfoundation.org/explore/text/japan-at-number-one-ryuichi-sakamoto-s-riot-in-lagos

Spotify playlist:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1eM8f2mq7vJYtYuTDq2EKW?si=7dd8d970fb8d4ad2