Back in stock: Pop

Review: In around 2013, artists like Yung Bae pioneered the genre of future funk, which took elements from early Japanese city pop and funk from the 1980s, and turned it into hyper-compressed, dull and nostalgic explosions of sampledelic sound. But in turn, it reinvigorated interest in the particular brand of city pop that had been sampled - and those already in the know about it will know it was already danceable and driving enough. ANRI, the singer hailing from Kanagawa, was a central artist in this early J-pop sound, and unwittingly paved the way for this decades-to-come cultural routing. Funky live horns, dynamic vocal jumps and an optimistic feel cut across her 1982 opus Heaven Beach - a more laid-back and relaxed album compared to her other projects, and only her fourth. Emblematic of the Sino-nostalgia that has taken the vaporwave and future funk community by storm, it was one of her four earliest albums to be released with the timeless Japanese music trademark - the obi-strip.

Review: Japanese city-pop starlet Anri was a fixture of the late 1970s to early 80s, and renewed interest in her work has sparked something of a reissues incentive. Now her 1984, early-to-mid career album Coool sees a reissue via For Life alongside Bi Ki Ni, and further hammers home her romantic vision in disco. Unlike the aforementioned album, Coool is slightly more electronic and dancey, and meditates more on appreciating nature than romance, with standout track 'Gone With The Sadness' reflecting Anri's experience of getting away from the city and leaving the sadness that comes with urbanity by the door.

Review: The 'Pacific Breeze' series documents the best of Japanese city pop, the genre that took such metropoli as Kyoto and Osaka by storm in the mid 1970s and from then on. With blistering optimism, the tracks on this third compilation blend funk, surf and R&B elements, forming a heady stew of music, all of which has been remastered in only the most pristine multi-channel quality.