Led by guitarist Fujimaru Yoshino, who has played guitar on numerous classic Japanese songs including “Momen no Handkerchief” and “Amagigoe,” Fujimaru Band released their sole album in 1977. Long regarded by music fans as a hidden gem and a masterpiece of Japanese rare groove, the album has gained renewed attention in recent years, particularly outside Japan, with more than 9 million streams to date. Long sought after for a reissue, the album is now being released for the first time on color vinyl, using uncolored virgin vinyl in a Pure Vinyl edition.
Tatsuo Sunaga (DJ / Music Producer):
I’ve been playing “Lonely Man,” best known as the ending theme of the TV drama “Tantei Monogatari”, starring Yusaku Matsuda, for many years. The roots of that sound can be found on this album, “BGM”. It’s a uniquely Japanese rare groove record that doesn’t simply fit into the catch-all category of CITY POP, with a rich blend of urban pop and mellow sounds.
That sophisticated, grown-up feel comes from taking the groove sensibilities of Western music from 1977 and reinterpreting them through a distinctly Japanese sensibility, combining exceptional grooves with stylish melodic lines.
It’s an impressive record, with a vintage feel that still sounds fresh and undiminished today, in 2026.
In recent years, especially since the pandemic, record bars and MUSIC BARs, where records are played on high-end audio systems, have been gaining popularity. They are also connected to the uniquely Japanese culture of jazz kissa, a listening-bar tradition known around the world. And, by coincidence, isn’t “BGM” the perfect title for an album to be played in a place like that?
