Tokyo Riddim 1976-1985

While reggae music has long had a reverent fanbase in Japan, the country’s musicians have generally shied away from attempting to replicate the style. Indeed, many attempts to create an authentically homegrown take on this most avowedly Jamaican of forms have been channelled through the pre-filtered sounds of British artists such as UB40.

Often found as lone reggae songs on otherwise pop-focussed albums, the tracks on this compilation demonstrate a variety of creatively fertile juxtapositions. Miki Hirayama’s ‘Tsukikage No Nagisa’ melds the New Wave-meets-reggae sound of The Police with electro-pop synths. Chu Kosaka’s ‘Music’ and Izumi ‘Mimi’ Kobayashi’s ‘Lazy Love’ both ride upon deliciously languid grooves seemingly designed for beach bars. Junko Yagami’s ‘Johannesburg’ and Miharu Koshi’s ‘Coffee Break’ combine reggae basslines with techno synth flourishes, guitars and bright Japanese pop melodies while Lily’s ‘Tenkini Naare’ – produced in 1976 by future Yellow Magic Orchestra man Ryuichi Sakamoto – adds orchestral flourishes to a winning mix of reggae and soulful pop.