Masayoshi Takanaka - Seychelles (Clear Sky Blue Vinyl)

Seychelles is the landmark 1976 solo debut from Masayoshi Takanaka, the Japanese guitarist whose vivid melodic style would become one of the defining sounds of the country's jazz-fusion and tropical music scenes. Arriving after his work with the Sadistic Mika Band and the Sadistics, the album established a world of its own: bright electric guitar, fluid bass, crisp percussion, warm keyboards and breezy vocal passages shaped into music that feels simultaneously sophisticated, playful and transportive.

From the opening lift of “Oh! Tengo Suerte”, Takanaka treats the imaginary island setting as a musical destination. “Tokyo Reggie” folds reggae rhythm into his colourful fusion vocabulary, while “Shinkiro no Shima e” and the title-inspired “Akogare no Seychelles Shoto” deepen the record's dreamy sense of travel. The second side moves from the elastic funk of “Funkee Mah-Chan” through “Sayonara... Fuji-san” and the rushing momentum of “Bird Island Express”, before “Tropic Birds” closes the album in characteristically radiant style. Even at this early stage, Takanaka's guitar phrasing is unmistakable: lyrical rather than aggressive, technically assured without ever sacrificing melody, and consistently alive with a sense of optimism.

This Clear Sky Blue Vinyl edition is pressed on heavyweight 180g vinyl and visually echoes the oceanic atmosphere that has made Seychelles such an enduring favourite. Universal Music Japan prepared the reissue from high-resolution audio sourced from the original master tapes. Alex Wharton at Abbey Road Studios completed the remastering and cutting, bringing clarity and presence to the layered percussion, bass detail, keyboards and Takanaka's expressive lead guitar.

Long admired in Japan, Seychelles has gained a much wider international audience through renewed interest in Japanese jazz-funk, city pop, balearic sounds and globally minded instrumental music. It remains more than a cult artefact: this is a beautifully sequenced, remarkably coherent debut whose warmth and imagination continue to invite repeat plays. For collectors and new listeners alike, the sky-blue pressing offers an especially attractive way to own one of Takanaka's most influential and immediately lovable albums.