01初版Limited to 100
First Edition
- One hand-numbered copy of the book
- The First Edition obi band
- Your name in the backer list
$75
Kickstarter · Launches 11 Nov 2026 · Live on Twitch
Somehow, City Pop
Japanese Records, 1975–1990
A 208-page City Pop reference guide with photographs, by Van Paugam, the Chicago City Pop DJ. Sixteen chapters, one per year, covering 102 records, with full-bleed photographs and a Japanese obi band on every copy.
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初版 · FIRST EDITION · 150 COPIESLaunch party 配信
Launch night, live on Twitch
11 Nov 2026 · 6 PM CST
Celebrate launch day with Van live on Twitch: City Pop records, a first look inside the book, and backer questions answered on air.
- Pages
- 208
- Records
- 102
- Format
- 11.2 × 11.2 in
- Goal
- $4,000
- Ships
- June 2027
1975Before It Had a Name1976Circus Town1977Sunshower1978Bomber1979The Sound of Freedom1980Ride on Time1981A Long Vacation1982For You1983The Best Year1984Plastic Love1985The Money Arrives1986Night Cruising1987Craft, After the Movement1988Absorbed1989Heisei1990The Door Closes
01 · The book 本
Sixteen years, one chapter each
The book runs from 1975 through 1990, one year per chapter. It treats City Pop as a living timeline: how it emerged, how it shifted, and how it spread through artists, producers, fashion, nightlife and design.
Open it anywhere and you'll find something useful: a deep cut, an artist you have never heard of, or context that changes how you hear a familiar track. It is a guided way in for new listeners and a working reference for collectors and DJs.
02 · The photographs 写真
Photographs by Raul Hudson
Every photograph in the book is by Raul Hudson, made in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto in 2015. There are 21 of them, printed full bleed with one consistent grade throughout. They aren't a record of the period. They're a portrait of the place.
The Photo Edition and above also come with a signed photo print.
03 · The editions 版
Four editions. 150 copies in all.
Each edition includes everything in the one before it. All editions ship June 2027.
02限定版Limited to 30
Limited Edition
- A signed, hand-numbered copy
- An obi band made only for this edition
- A set of five postcards
- An obi-style bookmark
- A numbered certificate, hanko-stamped
$150
03写真集Limited to 15
Photo Edition
- Everything in the Limited Edition, with its own obi band
- A signed photo print
- A lyric-card insert: my fifty favourite records
- A cassette J-card with an exclusive mix to download
- A riso art print
$250
04特装版Limited to 5
Co-producer Edition
- Everything in the Photo Edition
- A gold-foil obi band with your name on it
- A personal inscription
- A co-producer credit in the acknowledgements
- A mix made for you, your name on the J-card
- A handwritten letter
- An embroidered Somehow, City Pop hoodie, made for this campaign only and never again
- Packed in a hand-stamped kraft LP mailer
$500
04 · Stretch goals 目標
What extra funding adds
Every stretch goal upgrades every copy, for every backer.
- $4,000Funded. The book goes to press.
- $5,000A sewn-in ribbon marker
- $6,000The title debossed into the cover board
- $7,000Printed endpapers
- $8,500Spot UV gloss on the cover artwork, plus vermilion foil on the cover rules and spine
- $10,000A slipcase for every copy, custom designed by artist Mr. Pintamuro
- $12,000A printed dust jacket
- $14,000Gilded page edges
05 · Launch day 発売
Launching 11 November 2026
Only 150 copies will be printed across the four editions. Follow the project on Kickstarter and you'll be notified the moment it goes live. Then join the launch party on Twitch, 11 Nov 2026 · 6 PM CST.