I'm very happy to say that my first article has just gone up on the Captain's Blog of Beyond Yacht Rock. These guys are the folks behind the wildly popular Channel 101 Series "Yacht Rock" which explores various struggles fools making the smoothest music in southern California had to experience during the mid seventies to early eighties. Their podcast dives deeper into the discography of yesteryear as they navigate through various songs of fascinating and albeit humorous quality and ultimately coin a whole new genre based off these selections, every week.
Their blog is an abridged version by many fans who dedicate time and effort to offer their own observations in the Yacht Rock world, upon which there are very specific rules, and share their sights of the symphonic seas to the rest of the world, on their website here.
My obsession as of late was that of City Pop. The strange genre of music that popped up on YouTube featuring Mariyah Takeuchi, Junko Ohashi and other Japanese artists who until now, have been overlooked by the American market. It's right here if you'd like to peruse. Here's an excerpt:
Tomoko Aran’s been working under Warner Brothers, arguably the Yacht Rock label, with her first release, 1981's 神経衰弱 or Nervous Breakdown. Tomoko would go on to release a new album or LP every year until 1987, rounding off her Warner's contract with Mind Games, a collective of essential eighties qualities (Mind Games) that could be the soundtrack for Miami Vice.
Arguably, Tomoko is able to switch her style like a knife fighter switches blades. In the blink of an eye. That said, her song "Midnight Pretenders" is the kind of smooth music you wouldn’t mind being stabbed to, so long as the blade‘s in slow-motion.
I also reccomend that you take similar strides to broaden your perspective of music, as such media to multitask your day to really does shape you as a person. So please be a fan of the Yacht Rock masters (JD Ryznar, Hunter Stair, Dave Lyons & Hollywood Steve Huey) as they are the one and only pros qualified to dissect this beloved zeitgeist of sound.
Thanks to those guys for posting my content. I really appreciate all of what you do and I hope they and you, faithful reader, have some Happy Holidays.