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Lagoon Lines and Six Strings: Masayoshi Takanaka
He helped define Japan's late-70s city pop and jazz-fusion, fusing surf-bright guitar with Latin and funk rhythm. After decades of steady work, a new global wave of city pop has pulled his sunny instrumentals back into big rooms. Expect a career-spanning set that highlights lyrical, melody-first guitar stories.
Guitar postcards from a tropical era
Likely anchors include Blue Lagoon, Seychelles, Ready To Fly, and the breezy closer Brazilian Skies. The room skews mixed-age, with crate-diggers swapping notes with younger playlist fans, plus guitar heads clocking every pickup change. You will also spot Japanese diaspora families sharing favorites, and dancers posted by the congas when the groove turns tropical.Deep-cut tidbits for the curious
A fun detail: early records came through Kitty Records, and his stage guitars often sport bold sea-colors that mirror the tunes. Another nugget is how some 80s sessions used American horn sections to punch the hooks without crowding the guitar. Setlist and production details here are informed guesses from recent eras rather than a promise of the exact run of show.Life In The City Pop Aisle
The scene mixes vintage T-shirts with pastel windbreakers, bucket hats, and a few palm-print shirts that nod to the album art era.
Retro hints, modern manners
Before the lights drop, fans trade favorite pressings and compare setlist hopes in low-key, friendly chats. During the bright mid-tempo numbers, claps fall on the backbeat, and you might hear a soft call-and-response on the main riff. Many bring small cameras for a quick shot of the surf-green guitar, then pocket them to listen. Merch trends lean toward retro fonts, lagoon blues, and instrument-forward designs rather than slogan tees.Shared rituals, soft voices
Encores tend to spark a gentle chorus of the Blue Lagoon melody, more hum than shout. It feels like a community built on soundcraft and sunshine, not volume for its own sake.How The Music Moves First
The show is about melody-forward guitar, played with glassy clean tone that blooms with chorus and a hint of delay. Songs often open with the rhythm section laying a light shuffle or samba, giving the guitar room to state the theme before keys and sax answer.
Tone as the travel guide
Tempos breathe live, with mid-set pieces stretching into longer vamps that let percussion push and pull the groove. The band supports the core sound by keeping chord voicings lean, so the lead lines never fight for space.Small shifts, big lift
A neat quirk is how older tunes sometimes get a fresh bridge where the bass walks up and the drums drop to half-time to reset the ears. On ballads, the guitar switches to the neck pickup and leans on wide, singing bends, while the keys add bell-like counter-melodies. Visuals stay tasteful and color-washed, letting the sunlit harmonies do the talking.Kindred Artists On The Road
Fans of Casiopea will connect with the nimble fusion chops and the hooky bass-and-guitar chases.