Tokyo Record Style

Contrary to what you might think, Tokyo on the whole, uses a fairly muted color palette for its cityscape, lots of grey, beige, and neutral tones. It’s a little as if all the colors are behaving, keeping their heads down, minding not to be too flashy or to stand out in any way, keeping the harmony of the nation. But then you have, ascending above the skyline, in a vibrant chili pepper red, iconic and stately Tokyo Tower, seeming to be showing off for all in a very un-Japanese way, and yet it’s not only permitted, but most certainly celebrated and maybe only so for offsetting the neutrality of much of the rest of the city, as if there was too many earthy tones in the end. Maybe there is some metaphor for life in there. Anyway, I digress. Forgive me, it’s been a while since I last wrote.

So I was taking the long way home one night and cruising past the iconic tower when I spotted, miles aware record shop, a… wait for it… a TOWER RECORDS BAG… being toted by lovely Ayaka with her friend highschool Soyoka, and containing a copy of Tommy Heavenly6, an alter-ego pseudonym for, Japanese singer, songwriter, producer, actress, and model, Tomoko Kawase, lead singer of the alternative rock band The Brilliant Green. Ayaka and Soyoka who kindly agreed to pose for a photo, were a bit disappointed that I didn't know about Tommy Heavenly6 and insisted she was worth checking out (I did and enjoyed what I found - a bit of a throwback to my early days in Japan - my wife might have been into Tommy Heavenly6 back in the day, a sorta Gwen Stefani / Avril Lavigne attitude.

Thank you Ayaka and Soyoka for your willingness to chat me up at Tokyo Tower and for showing off some of your fashion digs (homemade macrame handbag, chic wellies, linen parachutes, chunky puffy sandals, and some Osaka Expo and Johnny’s idol bling), putting some style in Tokyo Record Style!

More TRS on the way!

#Tokyo #record #style #tokyorecordstyle #records #vinyl #vinylrecord #music #Japan #collector #recordcollection #recordcollector #recordshop #recordstore #VinylCommunity #Rock #PopRock #Pop #Punk

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22 hours ago | [YT] | 8

Tokyo Record Style

Meet friendly Jin, traveling to Tokyo on his third trip to Japan, but this time with his parents. I ran into him while VoxPopping on the streets of Shinjuku. It was a strange little corner where I had set up, a first time location and I was striking out trying to meet people, when I finally spotted Jin and called him over and he was gracious enough to humor me.

I asked Jim why he kept returning to Japan for holiday and he replied to me with a french accent “for the sophistication and harmony.” Nice answer. He didn’t have any records with him but I could see from his Tower Record bag that he has scored some CDs and when I asked to check them out, he produced a original soundtrack for the popular game “Persona4” which he told me he loved for it’s “highschool vibes”, I’m guessing me meant it too him back to his school days. He’s neither the first, nor will he be the last, Tokyo Record Style subject that I have or will photograph with video game soundtracks (in fact, a few weeks later I would run around Tokyo with the COMPOSER of the music of the Halo game series), and I was curious how one could get into a game sound track without ever having played the game. Jin replied “You have to play the game.”

I’ll take your word for it Jin. Hope you enjoy that soundtrack (and the SZA disk you scored too), and hope you might find yourself back in Tokyo again before too long. Until then, take care! More Tokyo Record Style on the way!

#Tokyo #record #style #tokyorecordstyle #records #vinyl #vinylrecord #music #Japan #collector #recordcollection #recordcollector #recordshop #recordstore #VinylCommunity #HipHop #Funk #Soul #Pop #lectronic #Jazz #Rock #Pop #Classical, #StageandScreen #Lounge #Jpop #ModernClassical #Soundtrack #Techno #Downtempo #VideoGameMusic

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1 day ago | [YT] | 4

Tokyo Record Style

New Year, New Avatar!

Happy 2026 from Tokyo!

2 days ago | [YT] | 29

Tokyo Record Style

Had a BLAST spinning records last night at FUZZ!

Thanks to Gami at Fuzz, Kinen Jiro, Katsu Yastu, Shimizu, bemsha, Gen, Tabtio, Kami, and eveybody who came out.

Here was my short setlist:
Sledgehammer 12" Single - Peter Gabriel, Chasima Records (1986)
Bongo Man - Jimmy Cliff, Give Thanks, Warner Bros (1978)
Harder They Come - Jerry and Merl, Live at Keystone, Fantasy (1973)
Undermind - Phish, Undermind, Jemp (2004)
The Rift - Ween, Shinola Vol. 1 (Rhino 2005)
Meet Me in the Morning - Bob Dylan, Blood on the Tracks, Columbia, (1974)
Les Fluers - Minnie Ripperton, The Minnie Ripperton Anthology, Stateside (2001)
The Great Rewilding - Adrian Sherwood, The Collapse of Everything, On U Sound (2025)
Ride On - Little Axe, The House that Wolf Built, Okeh (1994)
Christmas at the Zoo - The Flaming Lips, Clouds Taste Metallic, Warner Bros (1995)
Fairytale Of New York - The Pogues, If I Should Fall from Grace With God, Pogue Mahone (1988)

More DJ events up and coming! Stay tuned!

3 weeks ago | [YT] | 27

Tokyo Record Style

Hey Record-Loving Friends!

For those that might not know (how you could not know is beyond me!), there is an entire universe of music maniacs here on YouTube, particularly the record-collecting (read: hoarding) variety. It's a vast circus of characters of which I have inadvertently become one. And at one of the centers, (and there are several centers) is Rachel of Rachel's Ghost TV Show, an enigmatic larger-than-life persona, transgender, native, married-with-children, hard-core Beatles-head, Trump-lover, Christian retiree ("Canada's oldest teenager", in her own words) who hosts semi daily spirited live-streams with panels of opinionated guests, whose conversations are as frequently enlightening as they are offensively abhorrent. Viewers often suffer train wreck syndrome or have a kinda morbid curiosity. Not for the feint of heart, perhaps for those who appreciate some good 'ol gruesome rodeo bloopers.

It's also got some feels, quite a lot actually, and a documentarian named Greg Elmer deemed it worthy of a short documentary, about Rachel, her lovely Sue, the panelists (of which I am one), and two back-to-back episodes of her TV show, on Election Day, and the day after. It's called "The TV Show" and is available for rental on Greg's website linked here.

As we often say about the show, the documentary is a "Barn Burner" and a pretty darn fun little ride. My part is (thankfully) very, very small but I want to encourage anybody with a modicum of interest to watch it. It was made with a lot of passion, heart, grit, and love and deserves to get out there ...so please go watch and share, and tune into Rachel's show sometime or join her Patreon (links in comment) and let me know what you think of the doc! Congrats to all involved :-)

-B

sojudocs.vhx.tv/

1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 5

Tokyo Record Style

Me, Jeff Franca of Thievery Corporation, Adrian Sherwood, Doug Wimbish of Living Colour and Tackhead. Amazing and unforgettable show, truly an experience: “The Collapse of Everything”. Got to meet these guys as well as Dennis Bovell and Mad Professor, and to share some Blue Identity with them all. Bless them, Adrian and Doug signed my copy of Little Axe’s “The Wolf that House Built” which Doug played on with Skip McDonald as Tackhead and Adrian produced and which I’ve had since I was about 22 and played too many times to remember. Thanks Jeff, Miro, Emi, An, and Iyah for aligning some literal stars for me. Wicked!

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1 month ago | [YT] | 24

Tokyo Record Style

On Tokyo Record Style:
tokyo.record.style/malin-and-bastian-2/

On Instagram: www.instagram.com/tokyorecordstyle/p/DQ1H2F5kpHI/

Malin and Bastian – I met this lovely couple on the streets of Shimokitazawa a little over a year ago, visiting Tokyo for their first time from Cologne, Germany, (and Dusseldorf, and I think Stockholm as well, maybe Australia too – I’m not even sure I caught it all the first or second time) but I met them actually on their honeymoon, though it seems these two have been lovebirds for a very, very long time, their love going back a way, to all these aforementioned places. And they were indeed lovebirds, cute as can be, “two peas in a pod”, or “maybe more like “two beats in a mod” … talk about 60’s style! To the nth degree! And they just don’t look the part, they live it. They are a fun duo to follow on Instagram, trendsetting with their fellow 60s appreciators, throwing the coolest and heppest-looking parties, spinning deep-cut records, playing gigs in no doubt fuzzed out bands and just living it up like legends.

At there first encounter I had with them a year ago, they were out shopping for records and I chatted them up and took some GREAT photos of them for TRS, and Malin later told me they some of their most memorable moments of their Japan trip, which had me smiling big.

So we kept in touch and much to my delight, a year or two later they decided to return to Japan and reached out for a rendezvous! Naturally we had to meet at a record store, Be-In Records, a legendary shop in Koenji filled almost completely with treasures from the Swinging 60s. In fact, they have just a teeny tiny little section called “After the 80s” otherwise it’s all pre 1979! Little spendy, but very cool. Malin and Bastian also used the chance to rendezvous with their friend Jerome (stay turned for the next post), and we all managed to find a record! After our hang at Be-In, we headed out to Koenji’s appropriately named “Pal Shopping Street” for a few photos.

I love making connections like these, that instantly feel like old friends! Thank you to Bastian and Malin for reaching back out to me again and making it feel that way! I’m already looking forward to our next dig! Until then, keep cutting the rugs!

More Tokyo Records Style on the Way!

#Tokyo #record #style #tokyorecordstyle #records #vinyl #vinylrecord #music #Japan #collector #recordcollection #recordcollector #recordshop #recordstore #VinylCommunity #Rock #Mod #Beat #Koenji

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1 month ago (edited) | [YT] | 13

Tokyo Record Style

Sending out some stickers today! Send me a DM on Instagram ‪@tokyorecordstyle‬ if you want one :-)

1 month ago | [YT] | 10

Tokyo Record Style

On Tokyo Record Style: tokyo.record.style/andy-barron/
On Instagram: www.instagram.com/tokyorecordstyle/p/DP77pYcCEHd/?…

After a year of working in Daikanyama, said to be one of Tokyo’s most effortlessly chic neighborhoods of cafés, boutiques, and quiet green back alley charm, I’m still not sure if I agree with any of this. It’s been written about, its reputation precedes itself, and it certainly has brand recognition, but I feel like I often feel like the random foreigners I spot wandering around here, perhaps thinking to themselves “Why did the guidebook recommend coming here?”

But as I keep saying, Daikanyama is growing on me, for many reasons, but also for encounters like the one I made with British graphic designer and illustrator Andy Barron, who I bumped into on a lunch break, strolling down the street with a Tower Records bag in tow. I spotted him carrying a Tower Records bag, and despite not having my usual Canon R5 with which I usually like to do these photos, and only my iPhone instead, I stopped Andy and gave him the Tokyo Record Style pitch. He and his lovely lovely were happy to agree and we got to chatting.

Andy shared with me that he draws a comic book series called OM, with two books, ‘OM’ and ‘MANDALA’, published by ‘The Mansion Press’. I later went and checked them out and, Holy Smokes, be sure to click through – super psychedelic and as delightfully weird as it is poetically beautiful! I really encourage you to check out OM and some great interviews online in which you can hear Andy talking about his approach to the characters and overall concept. REALLY COOL!

Visiting Tokyo from the UK, I asked Andy about some of his highlights from his trip so far and he mentioned seeing original pages by Tezuka Osamu (Astro Boy creator) from his series ‘Phoenix’ on display at Tokyo City View: “Absolutely mind blowing experience!”

After revealing Ryuichi Sakamoto’s Summer Nerves (NICE CHOICE), a recommended but yet to be known gateway record, that I explained that would lead him to YMO and so much more (he later mentioned he scored a copy of Solid State Survivor on my recommendation), Andy shared a story of a CD he had also gifted after stumbling into one Golden Gai bar (大吉 “Dai Kichi” - “Super Good Luck”), and it being his birthday, and the owner (Hiroyuki Tsujimoto) sang Bob Dylan songs and played harmonica to him to celebrate, gifting him a copy of his own CD, “Utakichi Dot”

What another amazing encounter, this time on the streets of Daikanyama. Thanks Andy for sharing your stories! Good luck with OM and stay in touch! More Tokyo Record Style on the way!

#Tokyo #record #style #tokyorecordstyle #records #vinyl #vinylrecord #music #Japan #collector #recordcollection #recordcollector #recordshop #recordstore #VinylCommunity #Electronic #Funk #Soul #Disco #Synthpop

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2 months ago (edited) | [YT] | 9

Tokyo Record Style

On Tokyo Record Style: tokyo.record.style/highschool-boys/
On Instagram: www.instagram.com/tokyorecordstyle/p/DPsJHAVkhRv/

An old homie of mine rolled into town a while back, a first kiss actually (there were a handful of first kisses), Stacey, Jenny, Stephanie, Nicole, Rebecca, Jennifer (all firsts in their own unique way …what can I say, I liked kissing …and why am I disclosing this?) Anyway, my old homie and one-time Jr. High smooching partner was passing through Tokyo on a whirlwind around-the-world solo sojourn (don’t worry, we became just regular ol’ homies long before this encounter) and convened for a coffee and a catch up at the cafe at the top of Gyre on Tokyo’s Omote Sando. I can’t recall why there might have been some political demonstrations on the boulevard that day, more power to them, but the noise was disrupting our conversation so after a quick coffee and a cookie, we decided to stroll around cat street and chat a bit more, that’s when we ran into this gaggle of boys.

I asked my pal, “Hey, you mind giving me a second to talk to these guys?” and next thing you know, I’m deep in a Japanese conversation about this gang of bros, talking about highschool life, music, guitar playing, sports, dream cars, graduation aspirations and I guess typical stuff you’d ask homeschoolers (maybe I shoulda asked if they were up to the same trouble-making that my homie and I got up to back in our day: house parties, beer kegs, cruising, scattering from cops when they rolled up to you secret gathering in the woods. Something tells me they wouldn’t relate.

After the tornado of an instant street portrait session that IS Tokyo Records Style, I fist bumped em all and say bye. It was a fun chat, and they look like a good crew, heads maybe on more straight than ours at their age. My old homie was watching the whole time, I had momentarily forgotten about her in my photo frenzy. “What the hell was that?” she asked. It gave us something to talk about for the rest of our hang.

More Tokyo Record Style on the way.

#Tokyo #record #style #tokyorecordstyle #records #vinyl #vinylrecord #music #Japan #collector #recordcollection #recordcollector #recordshop #recordstore #VinylCommunity #Pop #Bubblegum #Contemporary #RandB #VocalPop #StageandScreen #Jpop #Theme #Anison #HipHop #Funk #Soul #Conscious #Contemporary #HardcoreHipHop

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2 months ago | [YT] | 4