Reggae Inspired Japanese City Pop

Welcome to the second season of the Coffee Break Sessions! In this episode, I’m playing some tunes from the city pop albums that I collected. But as a twist, I selected the reggae-inspired songs for this episode. Japan’s initial fascination with reggae is thought to have been sparked when Bob Marley and The Wailers toured the country in 1979. Over time it has evolved from the influence of Jamaican reggae on Japanese music to the establishment of a homegrown scene. There are now thought to be over 300 reggae groups or sound systems in Japan. When Jamaican singer Bob Marley visited Japan on holiday that reggae would gain momentum. Marley wanted to attend a concert by the Flower Travellin Band and when looking for information, he met famed Japanese percussionist “Pecker“ who informed him that the group had already disbanded. The two became good friends, and Pecker suggested to Marley a collaboration between acclaimed Japanese and Jamaican artists. This suggestion resulted in the alb