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Compiled by Dubby & Antal, Techno Kayō Volume One is a dancefloor-friendly selection focusing on Japanese proto-techno, electro-pop, and synthpop from the 1980s.

In late-1970s Japan, a new and unique “genre” called techno kayō emerged, blending catchy pop melodies with the futuristic sounds of synthesizers and drum machines. Rooted in the older kayōkyoku style, it was influenced by European electronic acts like Kraftwerk, but had a distinctly Japanese flair. Artists such as Yellow Magic Orchestra pioneered this retro-futuristic sound, creating music that felt both nostalgic and ahead of its time.

Dubby, owner of the legendary record shop Ondas in Tokyo, was one of the first to make Japanese music available to the outside world. He has teamed up with Antal, co-founder of the Amsterdam-based, Rush Hour Records, to release the first in a series of compilations.

Pressed at 45RPM. Comes with OBI and insert with liner notes.

Artwork from Johann Kauth (Stenze Quo).

Note: This release is only available on physical format (Vinyl & CD) / no downloads will be available. — (via Label)

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Early electronic magic. From denim to reggae to kaizen, the Japanese have long mastered the art of refining and reinventing. Techno pop deserves its place on that list, and Tokyo record shop owner Dubby joins Rush Hour founder Antal to prove it with this authoritatively compiled set.

It traces the roots of kayōkyoku as it morphed into its sleek electronic descendant, techno kayō, where songs brim with retro-future drums, sleek synths and impossibly catchy melodies.

And they’re all killer, from future Balearic gems like The Peter’s kooky and percussive ‘Happy Time’ to Kazuo Ohtani’s ‘Last Battle’, which is club-ready and strobe-lit, via Hikashu’s dubbed out Adrian Sherwood-style experimentalism on ‘Melonno Nakano Hitsuji’. Imagine Kraftwerk, not in Düsseldorf, but reborn on a neon-lit Tokyo beach in the 1980s. — (via DJ Mag)

Vinyl tracklist:
A1 The Peters –    Happy Time
A2 TPO – Rock The Hour 
B1 Kuniko Yamada – Tetsugaku Shiyo
B2 Kazuo Ohtani – Last Battle
C1 Kyoko Koizumi – Microwave
C2 Targets – City Train
D1 Hikashu – Melonno Nakano Hitsuji

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Label: Rush Hour 
Format: 2 x Vinyl, 12"
Released: 2025
Genre: Electronic, Pop
Style: Synth-pop, City Pop, Kayōkyoku, New Wave

File under: Electronic // Japanese Electronic
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