It might seem like every semi-obscure record from Japan’s 1980s underground has already been remastered, repackaged, and resold at a premium. However, with the notable exception of Mariah and the solo work of Yasuaki Shimizu, the country’s wildly experimental new wave movement hasn’t received quite the same amount of attention as kankyō ongaku and city pop. Compiled by Berlin-based DJ Yuzo Itawa for Sound Metaphors’ Miss You imprint, Japanese New Wave On Dub 1980-1985 zooms in on a hyper-specific trend within that scene.
Reggae and dub fell on fertile soil in Japan, which also left its imprint on the new wave movement pioneered by the so-called Tokyo Rockers: Bands like Friction and Mirrors drew on art-rock and punk in equal measures. Two of those groups, Lizard and Concretes, are also represented on this compilation that apart from The Air Music International, EP-4, and singer/songwriter Masumi Hara mostly features relatively short-lived and/or totally obscure groups. While similarly-minded UK bands like The Slits took a looser approach to reggae and dub, they integrated those genres’ elements more obviously into their sound.
This results in some wonderfully weird music. So-Do’s playful funk riddims, Lizard’s path-breaking reggae-punk collage, and the Bananarians’ quasi-kraut-dub make for three clear highlights on a compilation that shines a light on an actually overlooked current in Japanese 1980s music. More of that would be appreciated.
