From Japan! Technopop masterpieces and recommended popular tracks
Even if you have a vague image of the music genre “techno-pop,” only those quite knowledgeable about music likely know its actual origins and definition.
In fact, it’s a coined term that was created in Japan to introduce the legendary German electronic group Kraftwerk, and from the late 1970s to the early 1980s it also became a musical trend—centered around YMO—as a genre in its own right.
In this article, we’ve gathered classic tracks born during the heyday of techno-pop, which can be considered a Japan-originated movement.
The lineup also includes great contemporaneous tracks from overseas synth-pop and electro-pop, so please take a look!
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From Japan! Technopop Masterpieces: Recommended Popular Tracks (21–30)
Cosmic TreatPerfume
This is one of the tracks included on the album “Nebula Romance: Part I.” The song was selected as the ending theme for the TV anime BEYBLADE X.
It’s an electropop piece that expresses the grand theme of space with dazzling synths and a buoyant beat.
The lyrics depict a weightless world, brimming with a sense of floating that lures listeners into the extraordinary.
It’s the perfect number for when you want to indulge in daydreams.
MoonPerfume
A dance tune that blends into the city nightscape, cool yet suffused with a bittersweet emotion.
Written as the theme song for the drama “Barakamon,” it was released as a single in September 2023.
Over a sprightly beat, the faintly wistful timbre of the synths rings out—classic Perfume at their best.
Gazing at the moon alone, lost in thought—it’s the perfect companion for a sentimental night.
MegaloopPerfume
Amid the changing seasons, even while carrying a vague anxiety about the future, you find your own place alongside dear friends.
It’s a captivating pop tune that feels like a snapshot from youth.
The structure unfolds from a quiet solo part into an exhilarating unison in the chorus, making your heart leap as you listen.
Released in July 2025, this song was chosen as the theme for the drama Chihayafuru: Meguri.
It’s a message song that will lend you strength.
chance encounterYellow Magic Orchestra
Among the tracks on the 1983 album “Uwakina Bokura,” this piece stands out for its distinctly introspective beauty.
Ryuichi Sakamoto wrote and composed it, with Yukihiro Takahashi on vocals.
The shimmering, bell-like timbre of the synthesizer is striking, and its sound—radiant yet tinged with melancholy—resonates deeply.
The lyrics depict the protagonist, who can no longer sing of ideal love, expressing both determination and anxiety as they bid farewell to their former self and take a new step forward.
Although it isn’t a flashy single, it remains a perennial favorite among fans.
EpilogueYellow Magic Orchestra
The album Technodelic astonished the world with its innovative sampling techniques.
Closing out the record, this piece is a beautiful instrumental that fuses industrial noise with serene synthesizers.
As the finale to an album released in 1981, it leaves a bittersweet aftertaste, as if the city nightscape were slowly receding into the distance.
The delicate melody crafted by Ryuichi Sakamoto conveys a palpable warmth amid its stark minimalism, and many listeners may feel a tightening in their chest each time they hear it.
There’s even an anecdote that its working title was “Good Night Music,” a testament to the soothing, restful quality of its sound.
Day TripperYellow Magic Orchestra
This work boldly reconstructs the Beatles’ 1965 classic as reimagined by YMO.
Included on the 1979 masterpiece Solid State Survivor, it features a groundbreaking fusion of Makoto Ayukawa’s guest guitar and an austere, mechanical synthesizer sound.
While preserving the raw energy of the original riff, Yukihiro Takahashi’s cool vocals lend an urban sheen, elevating it into a distinctly YMO technopop.
It also appears on the live album Public Pressure, underscoring its status as a key repertoire piece that captures the fervor of the time.
It’s a track I can recommend to a wide range of listeners, from rock fans to electronic music enthusiasts.
massYellow Magic Orchestra
A track whose heavy, cold-blooded beat and the curious interplay of English and Russian linger in the ear.
Released in September of the same year as a single cut from the acclaimed album BGM, which came out in March 1981, it stands as a song that symbolizes the band’s decisive shift away from their earlier bright, pop image toward a darker, more experimental new wave direction.
Many fans at the time were likely bewildered by the sudden change, yet found themselves captivated by its avant-garde stance.