70s Japanese Funk Music: The Best Albums

A list of the best albums of 1970s Japanese Funk Music, including music by Yellow Magic Orchestra and Ryuichi Sakamoto.

Japanese Funk Music in the 70s

The 70s was a great decade for music, and that includes Japanese funk music. There are a lot of great albums from that era, but which ones are the best? Let’s take a look at some of the best albums from the 70s.

The Best Albums

Japanese funk music in the 70s was heavily influential to the development of disco, post-disco, and boogie. The country had a unique take on the burgeoning genre, incorporating traditional instruments like taiko drums into the mix. While many of these albums are impossible to find outside of Japan, they’re essential listening for any fan of funk music.

Here are five of the best Japanese funk albums from the 70s:

1. “Funkadelic” by Tatsuro Yamashita (1974)
2. “Funky Stuff” by Kazumi Watanabe (1976)
3. “FunkAction” by Maki Asakawa (1977)
4. “Coasting” by Yellow Magic Orchestra (1978)
5. “Migration” by Soil & “Pimp” Sessions (2010)

The Artists

Japan has always been known for its vibrant and innovative music scene, and the 1970s was no different. Japanese funk music was a blend of American funk and soul with traditional Japanese instruments and sounds. This unique genre of music was pioneered by a handful of artists who made some of the best albums of the decade.

The Musicians

Japanese funk music, also known as city pop, originated in the 1970s and burst onto the music scene with a uniquely Japanese take on American soul, R&B, and pop music. The genre quickly gained popularity both in Japan and abroad, and today, Japanese funk music is widely regarded as some of the best funk music ever made.

The artists behind this timeless music are just as eclectic as the genre itself, ranging from established musicians who were already well-known in Japan to up-and-coming artists who were just starting to make a name for themselves. In this article, we’ll be taking a look at some of the best Japanese funk albums of all time, all of which are essential listening for any fan of the genre.

So without further ado, let’s get started!

The Producers

When it comes to 70s Japanese funk music, the producers are the unsung heroes. These are the masterminds behind the scenes, responsible for creating the beats and sounds that made the genre so iconic. While some producers worked with a single artist or band, others played a more hands-on role in shaping the sound of 70s Japanese funk as a whole.

Here are some of the most influential producers of 70s Japanese funk music:

-Takashi Matsumoto: Responsible for producing some of the most popular funk tracks of the decade, including “Flashback” by Mother’s Finest and “Theme from Detective School Q” by Kenji Sawada.

-Hideto Matsumoto: A major player in the scene, Hideto Matsumoto produced tracks for a number of notable artists, including Seiko Matsuda and Tatsuro Yamashita.

-Shigeru Suzuki: Often credited as the pioneer of Japanese funk music, Shigeru Suzuki’s work can be heard on tracks like “Funkin’ for Jamaica” by Tom Browne and “Theme from Shinjuku Mad” by Osamu Kitajima.

The Legacy

Japanese Funk Music first came to the scene in the 70s and has been a staple in the music industry ever since. With its catchy beats and funky lyrics, it’s no wonder this genre of music has stood the test of time. Today, we’re going to take a look at some of the best 70s Japanese Funk albums that have cemented this genre’s place in music history.

The Influence

Japanese funk music of the 1970s was deeply influence by American soul and funk. The genre developed as Japanese musicians began to absorb and imitate the sounds they heard coming from the United States. At first, this meant simply covering popular hits, but soon Japanese funk bands began to develop their own sound.

The early 1970s were a golden age for soul and funk music, and many of the biggest names in the genre, including James Brown, Parliament-Funkadelic and Sly and the Family Stone, found popularity in Japan. Japanese funk bands began to emerge in the wake of this craze, and they quickly made a name for themselves with their own brand of groove-heavy music.

The most successful of these bands was perhaps The Seatbelts, whose 1995 album “Diggin’ In” featured a mix of Western funk and jazz influences. The band’s signature sound was a stark contrast to the majority of pop music coming out of Japan at the time, and it helped them stand out from the pack.

While Japanese funk bands never reached the same level of popularity as their American counterparts, they did manage to carve out a niche for themselves within the Japanese music scene. These days, Japanese funk is revered by collectors and crate-diggers around the world, making it one of Japan’s most unique and influential musical genres.