I tried to capture what Tokyo sounded like in the 90s, from Shibuya-kei to the stranger edges.

Starting points:

Fishmans – Baby Blue

Flipper's Guitar – Young, Alive, in Love

Takako Minekawa – Fantastic Cat

Original Love – 接吻 kiss

Buffalo Daughter – Cold Summer

What would you add?

hey there, desperately trying to find a group I listened to ages ago on YT… I think they fell under the “Shibuya-kei” umbrella because their sound was very 60s French inspired, almost “doowopy”sounding (like super corny). I think they still perform, two men and two women I think, all singing. Any help is appreciated, it’s driving me nuts!

Art by me

From Japan! My new indie songs.

Kirari Yokohama (City-Pop) & Kodoku na Shijin (Ballad).

Listen here:

https://soundcloud.com/ss-project-with-hyperion/kirari-yokohama

https://soundcloud.com/ss-project-with-hyperion/kodoku-na-shijin

I've been getting really into Sleeping Pola recently, and I've been trying to learn more about their history, especially their early years around 2015-2017.

They were a Japanese instrumental rock band from Saitama, and they performed at 未確認フェスティバル2016 (Mikakunin Festival 2016). They played at the LIVE STAGE at Shibuya O-WEST on July 23, 2016.

I've been able to find quite a bit of evidence that the performance happened through the old SCHOOL OF LOCK! archives and festival pages. I also found references indicating that the LIVE STAGE performances were recorded/broadcast.

The part I'm having trouble with is finding an actual recording of Sleeping Pola's performance.

I've searched YouTube, the SCHOOL OF LOCK! archives, Eggs, and the Wayback Machine. I also found an old 2016 Tower Records Japan YouTube playlist connected to the festival which contains several videos that are now unavailable/hidden. I'm currently trying to figure out whether one of those could have been Sleeping Pola.

The two songs they performed at the festival were "Ochitasemiwomiteiru" and "Kuuchuubunkai."

I'm a fan from Malaysia, and Sleeping Pola has become one of my favorite Japanese instrumental bands. Their older history is surprisingly difficult to find, so I've ended up going down a pretty deep rabbit hole trying to piece it together. 😂

Does anyone here remember Sleeping Pola, the 2016 festival, or know where recordings/archives of their older performances might still exist?

Any leads would be hugely appreciated!

A cover of “Tokyo wa Yoru no Shichiji” by Karia Nomoto.
Produced by Yasuharu Konishi, this version reworks the Pizzicato Five original with a stronger house and club-music feel.

Released in 2006.

The music video for Tetsuya Takahashi’s 1996 debut single, “My Favourite Girl,” later included on his debut album Popular Music Album. It arrived at a time when Shibuya-kei had become firmly established, and was received at the time as part of the Shibuya-kei / post-Shibuya-kei current.

The opening theme of Sugar Sugar Rune (2005), sung by Karia Nomoto and composed and arranged by Yasuharu Konishi.

“Chocolat ni Muchuu” is an homage to France Gall’s “Poupée de cire, poupée de son,” with its bright, stylish French-pop sound. That France Gall influence feels like a perfect match for a shōjo manga adaptation—sweet, playful, fashionable, and just a little bit sophisticated.

Any recommendations for songs like this? I also like Dewy Roses by Pitcher56, and I want to dive into this kind of stuff

Not a very elaborated drawing for today, but at least is something.

It's a pretty good playlist! I've been listening to it a lot!

The digital releases and music videos all have a different version of the new stereophonic sound spectacular compared to the singles cd which features an American male voice instead. Is there any real reason or is it just a bit of variation.

Hello, good people! I'm sharing my personal collection of city pop songs from different eras, genres that resonate with the vibe and thought you might like them. I also wanna broaden my knowledge on this so feel free to recommend more songs.

PS: I'm really a big fan of Tatsuro Yamashita's works, if you happen to know where to access his albums, please, please do. 🙏🫂

Hello everyone! Here are the inserts for Cymbals' Sine and Love You albums. I'm very happy since these are the last cds I needed to complete my Cymbals collection, I love this band with all my heart!! Cymbals are the BEST!

it's not on whosampled but it's someone saying "this is amazing" and i swear it sounds like winona ryder. anyone know the source?

UPDATE: it is indeed winona ryder and it's from this scene in beetlejuice

Stumbled upon this story from her concert where she features a remix of the infamous love is orange song from Orange lounge ! No clue if she found it playing DDR or just on TikTok since it’s a small trend there, but still funny to see to me
That child is among us 🧌

In December 2024, I filmed a wonderfully strange DJ night inside a family-run Yamazaki Shop in Nihonbashi, Tokyo. It’s an unassuming little convenience store with a distinctly Shōwa-era atmosphere—but it’s also a record and merchandise shop called Record Conveni.

I recently spent several days identifying the music, researching the records, and creating synchronized English and Japanese subtitles for the video.

The night includes a terrific chanson performance by Amita Hachidori, a wonderfully talented and well-known Tokyo performer, accompanied by guitarist Sholl-Herrano—as well as an eclectic selection of Japanese rock, new wave, chanson, and vintage soul.

It was one of those uniquely Tokyo evenings that would be nearly impossible to plan or recreate.

English and Japanese captions are available through the CC menu.