Alex from Tokyo presents Japan Vibrations Vol.1

Dive into the halcyon era of Japan’s electronic music scene, from the mid ’80s to the mid ’90s, with Japan Vibrations Vol. 1. This collection is hand-picked by DJ and musical storyteller Alex from Tokyo, and pays homage to the trailblazers and innovators who shaped the landscape.

Presented as a love letter from someone who lived it, the compilation captures the energy of a paradisiacal point in Japan’s modern music history. It takes you on a journey through feted underground clubs from central Tokyo all the way north to Sapporo and south to Kyoto, Osaka, and onto Fukuoka.

“In 1988, I set foot into Tokyo’s underground club scene and opened the door to a life-changing world. The Bank club, tucked away in bustling Roppongi, was like a gateway to a new universe. The music was electrifying, the crowd like nothing I’d ever experienced. The dance music sounds of New York, London, Chicago and Detroit symbiotically blended in a unique sound vibration that was incredibly international and yet distinctly Japan. Vibrant nights at The Bank led to small underground clubs P Picasso, Gas, Another World, The Cave, Mix, and Milos Garage, to the legendary Conny’s parties, to the openings of mega club GOLD in ’90, Space Lab Yellow in ’91, Maniac Love in ‘93. And endlessly onward.” Alex from Tokyo

Pioneers Haruomi Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Yasuaki Shimizu nestle comfortably alongside culture-shapers Hiroshi Fujiwara, Kan Takagi, Susumu Yokota (Prism), Silent Poets, Mondo Grosso and Yoshihiro Okino from Kyoto Jazz Massive. The then-new generation of artists are also represented, by CMJK (C.T. Scan), Mind Design, Okihide, and Hiroshi Watanabe (Quadra). The evolution of a scene, across key moments, is presented with the progression of a DJ set.

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