Dystopian Dance Party

Tag: hitomi tohyama

  • Jheri Curl June: Masayoshi Takanaka’s “Chill Me Out”

    Jheri Curl June: Masayoshi Takanaka’s “Chill Me Out”

    We have talked about City Pop and its proximity to Jheri Curl Music before with Hitomi Tohyama’s “Wanna Kiss”. Today we are featuring Masayoshi Takanaka, a jazz fusion legend, guitarist, composer, and producer who is influential in the City Pop genre. He is also known for playing with outrageous, custom guitars. Here’s a picture of him playing a huge red surfboard-shaped guitar:

    “Chill Me Out” from 1982’s Saudade is a perfect way to cool down on a hot summer evening, with the tinkling synthesizer that hits like ice cubes in a drink on a hot, balmy day. I also love the spoken word part that’s a conversation between Takanaka and session bassist T.M. Stevens, culminating in Takanaka shouting “CHECK IT OUT” and then ripping into a guitar solo.

    Oh, by the way, Randy Jackson also appears on this album. You know. THE Randy Jackson of Journey and “it’s a no from me dawg” fame. Unfortunately, I did not figure out which songs he appears on, but Discogs lists him as a background singer on the album.

    “Chill Me Out” definitely deserves a spot on your cookout playlist this summer. If you don’t have one yet, may we suggest our own here:

  • Jheri Curl June: Hitomi Tohyama’s “Wanna Kiss”

    Every year for Jheri Curl June, we go a little further out into the roots and branches of the genre. This year, I thought it might be interesting to take a look at some of the more far-flung examples of Jheri Curl Music from around the world: International Jheri Curl, if you will. One such example is “City Pop,” a loosely-defined subgenre of Western-influenced pop music that came to prominence during Japan’s economic boom of the 1970s and ’80s. Not all City Pop is Jheri Curl Music; the Japanese genre covers a wide swathe of styles, from AOR and soft rock to smooth jazz, synthpop, and disco. But some of it is so funky, you’d swear you were listening to an obscure New York boogie group.

    That’s certainly the case for 1983’s “Wanna Kiss” by Hitomi Tohyama. Opening with a bassline “borrowed” from Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust” and a chanted vocal hook straight out of the Chic playbook, it’s as funky as music for upwardly mobile Tokyoites gets; and Tohyama’s mannered J-pop vocals add a hint of umami to those sweet, juicy JCM keyboards. And yes, before you ask, the song’s B-side “Sexy Robot” also slaps.

    We have some more International JCM lined up in the coming weeks; in the meantime, enjoy our ever-diversifying YouTube and Spotify playlists below!

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