Collecting Japan, pt.2 – City Pop with Jeffery Tetreault
“The track starts, you close your eyes and suddenly you’re transported to neon lit streets with signs in an unfamiliar language, where everything is magical and nothing hurts and like the era this music came from, you want to go back there.”
Freddie Berman is a fan of Far-Eastern music with his experience of City Pop, as described above, among his knowledge of lesser known yet vibrant collecting niches. MAG_BTMMusic Archive Gallery: Beyond The Music asked Berman to investigate collecting within this second genre in our series of interviews with Japanese music collectors and here speaks to Jeffrey Tetreault, collector of City Pop records from the late 70s and mid 80s.
This is City Pop, a genre originating in Japan around the late 70s and peaking in the middle of the 80s. It took influence from every corner of the West implementing funk, soul, disco, pop and jazz and mirrored a future Japan that looked poised to take over the world with technology such as the Walkman, synthesisers and portable stereos revolutionizing the way we listened to music. It wasn’t to last. 1992 saw the Japanese economy burst and suddenly this music that spoke of the all wonder, hope and glamour of 80’s metropolitan life no longer appealed to a generation who saw the end of an era and the death of a dream.
However against all odds, a resurrection occurred. Samples of ‘City Pop’ were used and remixed into the sub genres ‘vaporwave’ and ‘future funk’. People who listened to these new sounds started to ask what inspired this new music and in 2017 a rogue YouTuber named ‘Plastic Lover’ uploaded one of the hits from arguably the Queen of City Pop Mariya Takeuchi called Plastic Love . It was quickly removed due to copyright but the song marked the start of the resurgence as fans began exploring YouTube and finding more bootleg uploads. Seattle based record label Light in the Attic then released Pacific Breeze in 2019, an album compiled of 16 iconic city pop tracks in 2019. Chart topping artists such as the Weeknd and Harry Styles have taken inspiration as well, with the former sampling the Tomoko Aran’s Midnight Pretenders for his own track Out of Time in 2022 and the latter naming his third album Harry House in honour of the debut album of Haruomi Hosono.
To find out more about this phenomenon of City Pop I asked one of its avid collectors Jeffrey Tetreault to tell me about his collection.
Jeffrey Tetreault’s City Pop collection
Jeffrey Tetreault and his collection. Image courtesy of Jeffrey Tetreault
Where do you live now and how long have you been collecting?
I’m originally from the White Mountains region of New Hampshire in the US but moved to Boston after college.
If we’re counting CDs and tapes I started collecting when I was about 7 years old. The love of collecting and enjoying music really began at that moment and never stopped. I didn’t start collecting vinyl until 2011 and I started an Instagram for my Japanese records around 2014. My main goal for the page was to try and spread the love and hope to share this amazing music with everyone.
What first attracted you to this music and how did it escalate to become a collection?
I’ve often been called an ‘old soul’ by friends and family. I don’t know what it is, but I have a deep love and attraction to older eras. Whether it’s books, music, or video games, I’ve always preferred physical media over digital.
Maybe it’s from being born in the 80’s but I love holding history in my hands and enjoying it without the distraction of adverts or anything related to the internet. It’s also just a great feeling to look at your collection, recall memories, and just be able to pull an album from your shelf and put it on the turntable. It’s like your personal time capsule that you can escape to anytime.
Jeffrey Tetreault’s City Pop collection Image courtesy of Jeffrey Tetreault
Jeffrey Tetreault’s City Pop collection Image courtesy of Jeffrey Tetreault
Jeffrey Tetreault’s City Pop collection Imabe courtesy of Jeffrey Tetreault
What is your most prized record/piece of memorabilia you have?
My most prized record? That’s a real tough call especially since I have a lot of sentimental albums that aren’t really worth alot of money. But in a way, each record has a special memory attached to it so I struggle to pick out any particular one. In terms of monetary value, probably my copy of Mignonne by Taeko Ohnuki or Spacy by Tatsuro Yamashita.
What do you think has brought about this sudden interest in City Pop internationally?
You know, that’s a great question. I think the rise of Lo-Fi, Future Funk, and Vaporwave have all contributed in their own way. The internet has allowed trend or idea to really take off on a global scale helped by platforms like YouTube and SoundCloud which also contribute to the these genres flourishing as well.
Being nostalgic for a time when you weren’t even alive, or hearing a sound that triggers memories that you didn’t know were possible seems to be the case for City Pop. I’m not 100% sure why, but I think it’s partly due to the genre’s accessibility.
The 70’s and 80’s, called the ‘golden era’ by many, was a time where a lot of new technology was coming out (eg synths, drum machines and recording technology) and the pop sound really took hold of the radio airwaves. Pop hits were featuring catchy melodic vocals, warm synths, big bass lines, and choruses that stuck with you. Artists were infusing past, present, and future into their sound and it hit the music industry in a big way.
Jeffrey Tetreault’s collection. Image courtesy of Jeffrey Tetreault
In the city pop community, what are the real rarities which have the most value?
There are a number of albums that serve as a sort of gateway into the genre itself. Since these are generally the first albums the listener comes across, a massive demand has been created which in turn has skyrocketed the price of these albums. This is especially true for artists like Tatsuro Yamashita, Mariya Takeuchi, Anri, and Toshiki Kadomatsu to name a few.
Do you think it’s just a passing trend or do you think the influence and appreciation of city pop will continue to progress? As we’ve seen with artists like The Weeknd beginning to sample it in their own music e.g. the track ‘Out of Time’ which uses samples from Tomoko Aran’s Midnight Pretenders.
To be honest I’m not really in the loop so much in terms of the City Pop community. Instagram is the only social platform I use and even on that, I try to limit my time. I will say that back in 2014 when I got my first Japanese records, I felt this trend was being latched onto although I had no idea that it would blossom into what it has become today.
I’m now aware that The Weeknd is a very popular group and well known throughout the world. This will definitely put a spotlight on the City Pop community for sure. The fact that a recording artist of today has sampled this song at all speaks volumes of how much influence the genre has had.
Jeffrey Tetreault’s collection. Image courtesy of Jeffrey Tetreault
Is there a certain piece of city pop merchandise or a record that you are after at the moment?
The search never ends! There’s always an artist to discover or an album that really knocks my socks off that I want to own. Often I will ‘blind buy’ records I have never heard of and discover absolute gems. Sometimes you even find out that some artist you may already know has collaborated with others.
It’s one of the many joys of record collecting. My current holy grail album that I’m on the hunt for is a clean copy of Shigeharu Mukai’s Favorite Time album. Mukai is a fantastic trombone player and his albums tread the line of Jazz Fusion and Lounge music. He has an incredibly cool sound and I recommend anything by him.
If anyone is wondering about the best place to buy Japanese records, I would recommend avoiding online shopping. Sometimes the prices are okay, but lately a lot of people are taking advantage of the increase in popularity of City Pop.
If you’re lucky enough to take a trip to Japan there are thousands of small stores that get these records in daily but don’t have a website. This is a record diggers dream! You can find me @showa_station on Instagram. I have a Spotify Playlist as well as a YouTube channel . Come hang out and let talk about music!