Primer

Christian, Producer Richard Robey and Senior Producer Kevin Ferguson all sit down to talk a bit more about the process of making Primer and get into a few artists we didn't get to cover during the regular season.  This is a teaser for our bonus content! If you want the rest of the episode, please head on over to maximumfun.org/primer and make a one-time contribution! And you can get some more cool...

C & Y sit down in the studio one more time to discuss some of their favorite moments, songs the wish they covered, and finally take a crack at the question "what is city pop?" Featuring brand new clips from past episodes!  Thanks for rockin' with us, listener! We really appreciate you!

A special announcement from Christian Dueñas!    If you enjoy Primer  please support the show and help us reach our goal so we can produce a second season! Follow Primer: Instagram | Twitter | TikTok

A few songs from Pacific, the album we're discussing today, have made it onto city pop playlists and algorithms on all types of streaming services. It might sound a little loungier, a little  jazzier than what you might expect from a city pop album, but the names in the credits should be familiar to any city pop fan. Haruomi Hosono, Shigeru Suzuki, and Tatsuro Yamashita are responsible for this re...

Tome Kitagawa, accomplished percussionist and session musician, created an alter ego for only one album, Yuwaku. Alter ego Tome Asagami was sensual, poppy, and loved hot sake. Although Yuwaku never really garnered much critical or commercial success, the single Hot Sake made it into DJ crates all around the world. But there is so much more to Yuwaku than just the single. Writer and comedian Wyatt...

In the late 1970s a young Tatsuro Yamashita was making a name for himself as a prolific session musician and songwriter. He launched his solo career, but didn't see big commercial success at first. Yamashita took a trip down to the US and learned some tips from Western producers and began building up his solo work back when he returned to Japan. This would include some of his most iconic songs, li...

We're covering a banger of an album today, folks. Timely!! is the sixth studio album from singer Anri and has a couple of her signature songs, Cat's Eye and I Can't Stop the Loneliness. Cat's Eye was the opening for the 1983 anime of the same name and would go on to become one of the highest selling singles of the year. The album soared up the albums charts and was reissued in 2008. This version h...

We're doing a feed swap today! We would like to introduce you to Lost Notes from KCRW. A music documentary podcast that we feel is in conversation with Primer. This episode focuses on Fela Kuti's time in LA and the creation of his legendary Afrobeat sound. If you like the show, subscribe and tell em Primer sent you!    Find more info on KCRW

New Romantic: A subculture movement that originated in the UK in the 1970s and early 80s that focused on a  more androgynous and glamorous style. Artists and bands like Boy George and Roxy Music popularized the look and feel of the New Romantic style. Neuromantic: Yukihiro Takahashi's 1981 solo album. A pun on New Romantic and a reference to Takahashi's own neurosis.  Neuromantic may have all thre...

Seiko Matsuda, Japan's "Eternal Idol", started her career way back in 1980 with her debut record   Squall. The albums and accompanying singles saw massive success, selling hundreds of thousands of copies within a week of release and it's easy to see why. Squall perfectly encapsulated the summery, bouncy, fun side of city pop.    Singer-songwriter UMI joins us to talk about Matsuda's prolific caree...

In 1982, Hiroshi Sato released the album Awakening ; a synth-heavy, mostly solo record featuring Canadian-born singer Wendy Matthews. He had a few solo records out by then, but they didn't really pay the bills. He was a working studio musician, laying down piano/keyboard tracks for other artists. He got by, but there was something missing. Thanks partly to the introduction of the LinnDrum, the fir...

Singer-songwriter Taeko Onuki released the landmark album SUNSHOWER in 1977. Taeko and this album where maybe a little ahead of their time. This jazz fusion pop record sold pretty poorly when it first came out and audiences weren't too keen on this new, strange music. As time has gone on, it received a much more positive reception and has gone on to be reissued a few times and is now seen as a pro...

Singer and actress Yasuko Agawa released the album Gravy in 1987. It was a bit of a departure from her smooth jazz, bossa nova roots, but she created an unforgettable record with the help of arranger Augie Johnson. It may have flown under the radar when it was first released in Japan, but the single "LA Night" has quietly become a soulful funky staple for many DJs all over the world. It's been sam...

On November 5th, 1979, Miki Matsubara's debut pop single "Mayonaka no Door/ Stay with Me" was released in her home country of Japan. It was a huge hit and remained her biggest and most beloved work throughout her entire career. Over 40 years after its original release, it soared in popularity once again when a whole new international audience discovered the song through TikTok. Its catchy hook and...

Primer is a music podcast about translation and illumination. Host Christian Dueñas is joined by a different co-host each season to explore a genre of music from outside the English-speaking world. In its debut season, music writer Yosuke Kitazawa (PBS SoCal, Light in the Attic) joins Christian and special guests to explore Japanese City Pop. They celebrate the lives of its artists, explore the cu...