Eiichi Ohtaki
Eiichi Ohtaki shaped city pop's sonic architecture from behind the console, bringing a perfectionist's ear to his work with Sugar Babe and later Yamashita. A member of Happy End alongside Haruomi Hosono, he'd already helped legitimize Japanese-language rock before turning fully to production. His work on Sugar Babe's Songs (1975) set the template the genre would follow for the next decade: clarity above all, harmonic density, and an almost stubborn attention to craft. The sessions themselves were grueling by the standards of the day, chasing a polish that Japanese studios weren't yet used to delivering.
At a glance
- Active
- 1969–2013
- From
- Iwate, Japan
- Listening guide track
- “君は天然色”
Listen
In the Japanese City Pop listening guide: “君は天然色”
In the issues
- Japanese City PopSupporting cast · 1973-1989
Japanese City Pop is a genre from Tokyo, Japan, 1973–1989. Its principal artists include Tatsuro Yamashita, Mariya Takeuchi and Haruomi Hosono. This issue covers 10 essential albums and 15 dated events.