Hi guys hope you're all fine!

ImI actually moving from my Synthwave comfort zone into something that sounds like 80s Japanese music or at least as they call it: City Pop.

What I hear so far is some groovy uptempo disco Beats, 80s influences with funky bass lines and guitar strums with some Rhodes behind the scenes getting that elevator mellow vibes (?)

What I'm trying to find is a broad answer so everything can help, I need to understand what makes this style of music so catchy and yet nostalgic.

From theory composition to production techniques, what virtual instruments could I use to get something like this example can help a lot.

Thanks in advance!

P.s. the song is south korean

 

This just seems like K-Pop with a retro production. Vintage drum machine samples, vintage synths (well,maybe no so retro), tape/VHS compression/saturation/noise/wow&flutter, etc.

Try LinnDrum LM-1 and LM-2, Simmons drums, DMX drums, Dexed/DX7, Repro1/5 (prophet 1/5), SQ8L/SQ80, Juno60/U-NO-LX, OP-X Pro II, etc etc.

 

I am in love with Funk style music... I will share some of my sample libraries & sounds

• Evolution Stratosphere & Funky Guitar kontakt- For funk wah wah Guitar
• Cherry slap bass or Funk Bass Kontakt for slap bass even digital slap bass is good
• A goot toms library, I have found samples in NI Battery
• A good 70's Bass. I use Kontakt 70's Bass, Jaco pistorios Bass library & one Slide bass library
• For addition you can use Vintage Roland or Akai style Orch hit samples
• for pads & SYnth I use Korg Triton Kontake libraries
• A good horn library forBrass hit, I use Vintage horns 2
• For audio effects use reverb like 80's spaces (Note: 80's they used lot of reverbs) avoid heavy sub & for warmth a good tape warmth vst.

I can share libraries or samples with you, if you need them. By the a good track, I am sharing some of my fav Japanese funk, these are more acoustic funk though

 

I'll make sure to check out those instruments on the sister site.

I'd love if you could share some sanples with me, wven if I play bass guitar I'm not so good to get those grooves ahah

 

Gotta love the funk and the real instruments (of early 80's and late 70's). The other side of the coin is the 80's "oh, these are the new digital machines which is the new fresh sound and it's the future".

 

Add to the list Korg MS20, Wurtlizer 203W, Juno 106 ahahah old times