One of the things that I rarely see from independent artists, especially DJ’s are them actually doing independent things within their craft. Outside of DJ’ing, most DJ’s really aren’t doing much, let along having a creative brand which highlights them and their interests. Recently good friend and fellow DJ, Van Paugam told me about a book project that he had been working on for quite some time now which will be a deep dive into a genre that he loves, City Pop. Ten years in and all of his hard work has finally come to fruition and Somehow, City Pop: Japanese Records 1975-1900 was born.
“Ten years ago I started digging into Japanese music from the 1980s. That search took me around the world, and it gave me a purpose: carrying music that had been all but forgotten by the country that made it.”
Van Paugam is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to City Pop and has been the go to source for genre related parties and events in the Chicago area for years now. From having one of the earliest YouTube pages to feature City Pop with over 100,000 subscribers and it eventually being taken down by the Recording Industry Association of Japan (RIAJ), Van Paugam never let that stop him from pushing a genre that he loved forward. What better way to showcase the records and history of the music than to creative a book around it. Somehow, City Pop: Japanese Records 19750-1990 is that that book that we never knew that we needed and what makes this even more special is that it’s written right here in America when typically a book of this nature would’ve been made in Japan.
Van Paugam has created a Kickstarter to help publish the book and if you’re a fan of City Pop or records in general, I highly suggest you join the campaign to help make it happen and add another piece of work to your music related bookshelf. The campaign launches on November 11th.