Bringing Back the Nostalgic Sounds of City Pop with Dai Mizayaki
Originally from Okayama Japan, Dai Miyazaki is a guitarist and composer currently living in Philly who's passion for music started at the age of 13 when he picked up his first guitar. In 1994, after graduating high school, Dai moved to Tokyo to further indulge his creative passion. But it wasn't until 2001 when he made the leap to travel across the Pacific Ocean to take classes at the esteemed Berklee College of Music with a diploma in Performance (Jazz Guitar) when his career set off. After his graduation Dai started worked with national artists on stages and in studios including Gospel Artist/Tye Tribbett, Hip Hop Artist/ Ludacris, Ms Lauryn Hill, Soul R&B Artist/ Bilal, Kindred the family soul, Vivian Green and many more. One of the highlights of Dai's career is participating in 3 Grammy Award winning projects including Best Gospel Album in 2023.
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After coming a long way in his career, Dai is going back to the roots of his childhood, teaming up with Splice to create a sample pack dedicated to a classic genre from his childhood, City Pop. City Pop originated in Japan in the late 1970s as a style of pop music influenced by American music like funk, soft rock, boogie, R&B, jazz fusion, and disco. The genre really took off in the 80's to early 90's in Japan as soundtracks to popular commercials for new technologies like the Walkman, cars with built-in cassette decks and FM stereos, and various electronic musical instruments.
City pop is characterized by a big-city feel, Western-style melodies and chord progressions, and a refined sound. It features instruments like the Yamaha DX7, Roland Juno-60, and Sequential Circuits Prophet-5, which created the genre's signature smooth, electronic textures. Today City Pop is making a comeback as widespread nostalgia for the 1980s and 1990s, decades characterized by neon aesthetics, electronic synths, and carefree optimism, is back in style. As millennials and Gen Z embrace the retro revival trend, they are rediscovering the music of their parents’ generation and finding a new appreciation for the smooth melodies and infectious rhythms of City Pop. Instagram and TikTok have played a significant role in spreading awareness of City Pop among younger audiences, with influencers and tastemakers sharing vintage album covers, music videos, and dance routines that showcase the genre’s irresistible charm.
Check out Splice's interview with Dai on how this pack was recorded to replicate that nostalgic vibe and how you can bring a glossy City Pop sound into your next production.
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