There¡¯s been such a torrent of Japanese reissues over the past few years, it was probably only a matter of time before the crate-diggers stopped rifling through records and turned their attention to the CD racks. The dawn of the Heisei Era (1989-2019) coincided with a definitive shift in the music industry from vinyl to compact disc, and there¡¯s still a surprising amount of music from the time that¡¯s only available in that format.
¡°¡± (¡°The Sound of Heisei¡±) revisits the glory days of the CD, when labels were so flush with cash that it seemed like almost anyone could land a deal. It¡¯s compiled by Osaka record store owners Eiji Taniguchi and Norio Sato, who ¡ª together with Tokyo¡¯s Chee Shimizu, who contributes liner notes ¡ª have played a crucial role in unearthing choice morsels from Japan¡¯s musical past.
The compilation charts an alternative history to the early years of Heisei, covering a period from 1989 to 1996, just before CD sales hit their all-time peak. It sidesteps the commercial behemoth of J-pop and makes only glancing reference to the voguish Shibuya-kei scene, to say nothing of the Japanese acts that were making waves internationally at the time.
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