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Primer
Maximum Fun
Primer is a music podcast about translation and illumination. Host Christian Dueñas is joined by a different co-host each season to explore a genre of music from outside the English-speaking world. In its debut season, music writer Yosuke Kitazawa (PBS SoCal, Light in the Attic) joins Christian and special guests to explore Japanese City Pop. They celebrate the lives of its artists, explore the cultural and historical context of the songs, and reflect on the impact that music had on listeners everywhere - including personally, as fans. Primer invites both newcomers and crate diggers alike to find their next favorite album and learn more about the music they already love.
- 12 minutes 25 seconds12. What We Slept On (teaser)
Christian, Producer Richard Robey and Senior Producer Kevin Ferguson all sit down to talk a bit more about the process of making Primer and get into a few artists we didn't get to cover during the regular season.
This is a teaser for our bonus content! If you want the rest of the episode, please head on over to maximumfun.org/primer and make a one-time contribution! And you can get some more cool gifts there too. :)
Next week everyone who’s made a $10 or more contribution will be getting a special email with information on how to access the full episode!
Check out our Spotify mega playlist of every song featured on Primer! We also have the playlist on YouTube
Thanks for your support!
28 August 2024, 7:00 pm - 33 minutes 37 seconds11. What We Learned (Christian & Yosuke)
C & Y sit down in the studio one more time to discuss some of their favorite moments, songs the wish they covered, and finally take a crack at the question "what is city pop?" Featuring brand new clips from past episodes!
Thanks for rockin' with us, listener! We really appreciate you! <3
Check out our Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there! We also have the playlist on YouTube
If you enjoy Primer please support the show and help us reach our goal so we can produce a second season!
6 August 2024, 7:00 am - 1 minute 49 secondsThat's a Wrap! For Now
A special announcement from Christian Dueñas!
If you enjoy Primer please support the show and help us reach our goal so we can produce a second season!
23 July 2024, 7:00 am - 46 minutes 49 seconds10. Frogs, Insects, Birds, Harry (Pearl & The Oysters // Haruomi Hosono & Co.)
A few songs from Pacific, the album we're discussing today, have made it onto city pop playlists and algorithms on all types of streaming services. It might sound a little loungier, a little jazzier than what you might expect from a city pop album, but the names in the credits should be familiar to any city pop fan. Haruomi Hosono, Shigeru Suzuki, and Tatsuro Yamashita are responsible for this record and it would go on to influence the sound of city pop and genre beyond for years to come.
We sit down with indie-pop duo Pearl & the Oysters to talk about the plentiful homages and quotes on this album, the influence of this record on their sound, and the incredible musicianship on display.
Check out our Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there! We also have the playlist on YouTube
If you enjoy Primer please support the show and help us reach our goal so we can produce a second season!
16 July 2024, 7:00 am - 51 minutes 14 seconds09. Music for the Dirt Roads (Wyatt Cenac // Tome Asagami)
Tome Kitagawa, accomplished percussionist and session musician, created an alter ego for only one album, Yuwaku. Alter ego Tome Asagami was sensual, poppy, and loved hot sake. Although Yuwaku never really garnered much critical or commercial success, the single Hot Sake made it into DJ crates all around the world. But there is so much more to Yuwaku than just the single.
Writer and comedian Wyatt Cenac sits down with us to talk about the art of sampling, music transporting us to different places, and the variety of influences on this record.
Check out our Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there! We also have the playlist on YouTube
If you enjoy Primer please support the show and help us reach our goal of creating a season 2!
9 July 2024, 4:07 pm - 40 minutes 38 seconds08. Smells Like Fireworks (Jayson Chun // Tatsuro Yamashita)
In the late 1970s a young Tatsuro Yamashita was making a name for himself as a prolific session musician and songwriter. He launched his solo career, but didn't see big commercial success at first. Yamashita took a trip down to the US and learned some tips from Western producers and began building up his solo work back when he returned to Japan. This would include some of his most iconic songs, like Ride on Time and Loveland Island, both of which are included in this Greatest Hits comp we're talking about today.
Dr. Jayson Chun, Japanese and Korean pop culture professor, sits down with us to talk about why city pop resonates with Western listeners, CM songs, and Tatsuro's work with Charles Calello.
Check out our Spotify playlist of as many songs as we can find on there! We also have the playlist on YouTube
If you enjoy Primer please support the show and get some cool gifts too!
Follow Jayson: Pop Pacific
2 July 2024, 7:00 am - 44 minutes 48 seconds07. They Lied to Us (Oscar Montoya // Anri)
We're covering a banger of an album today, folks. Timely!! is the sixth studio album from singer Anri and has a couple of her signature songs, Cat's Eye and I Can't Stop the Loneliness. Cat's Eye was the opening for the 1983 anime of the same name and would go on to become one of the highest selling singles of the year. The album soared up the albums charts and was reissued in 2008. This version had remastered versions of every track, but also included Remember Summer Days, which at that point had only been available as a B-side to the single I Can't Stop the Loneliness. The remaster is the version most widely available now and Remember Summer Days has gone on to become a city pop classic.
Oscar Montoya, actor and host of the MaxFun podcast Eurovangelists, joins us to talk about the anime-to-city-pop pipeline, Anri's chances in Eurovision, and that iconic artwork for Timely!!
Check out our Spotify playlist for this episode! We also have the playlist on YouTube
If you enjoy Primer please support the show and get some cool gifts too!
Follow Oscar: Instagram | Eurovangelists
25 June 2024, 7:00 am - 31 minutes 5 secondsLost Notes: How Fela Kuti Found Afrobeat in LA
We're doing a feed swap today! We would like to introduce you to Lost Notes from KCRW. A music documentary podcast that we feel is in conversation with Primer. This episode focuses on Fela Kuti's time in LA and the creation of his legendary Afrobeat sound. If you like the show, subscribe and tell em Primer sent you!
Find more info on KCRW
20 June 2024, 7:00 am - 42 minutes 30 seconds06. Missed Connections (Mark "Frosty" McNeill // Yukihiro Takahashi)
New Romantic: A subculture movement that originated in the UK in the 1970s and early 80s that focused on a more androgynous and glamorous style. Artists and bands like Boy George and Roxy Music popularized the look and feel of the New Romantic style.
Neuromantic: Yukihiro Takahashi's 1981 solo album. A pun on New Romantic and a reference to Takahashi's own neurosis.
Neuromantic may have all three members of Yellow Magic Orchestra, but this was Takahashi's chance to showcase his incredible musicianship. He collaborated with Andy McKay and Phil Manzera of the aforementioned Roxy Music to create a masterpiece that wasn't afraid to challenge the listener with its futuristic cyberpunk-esque sound.
DJ/Curator/Producer Mark "Frosty" McNeill joins us to talk about the European influence in Neuromantic, the process of creating the Pacific Breeze compilations, and how the boom of city pop has affected record labels and artists today.
Check out our Spotify playlist for this episode! We also have the playlist on YouTube
If you enjoy Primer please support the show and get some cool gifts too!
18 June 2024, 7:00 am - 37 minutes05. Nature Speaks Simply (UMI // Seiko Matsuda)
Seiko Matsuda, Japan's "Eternal Idol", started her career way back in 1980 with her debut record Squall. The albums and accompanying singles saw massive success, selling hundreds of thousands of copies within a week of release and it's easy to see why. Squall perfectly encapsulated the summery, bouncy, fun side of city pop.
Singer-songwriter UMI joins us to talk about Matsuda's prolific career, how city pop influences UMI's work, and the joys of karaoke.
Check out our Spotify playlist for this episode! We also have the playlist on YouTube
If you enjoy Primer please support the show and get some cool gifts too!
11 June 2024, 7:00 am - 45 minutes 26 seconds04. Very 94.7 The Wave (Dam-Funk // Hiroshi Sato)
In 1982, Hiroshi Sato released the album Awakening; a synth-heavy, mostly solo record featuring Canadian-born singer Wendy Matthews. He had a few solo records out by then, but they didn't really pay the bills. He was a working studio musician, laying down piano/keyboard tracks for other artists. He got by, but there was something missing. Thanks partly to the introduction of the LinnDrum, the first commercially available drum machine, he found inspiration to cut another record. And what a legendary record it is.
Producer and musician Dam-Funk joins us to talk about the magic of the LinnDrum, what he considers his personal "Awakening" album, and Wendy Matthews' contribution to the record.
Check out our Spotify playlist for this episode! We also have the playlist on YouTube
If you enjoy Primer please support the show and get some cool gifts too!
4 June 2024, 7:00 am - More Episodes? Get the App
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