As soon as I spotted the turntable-sized box being carried out of Tower Records along with some record-sized vinyl bags, I chatted up these lovely characters, Matteo and Chingya to find out they were from Italy and Taiwan but met and currently reside in Stuttgart, and rendezvousing with their pal Wendy in Tokyo before headed to Taipei and then back to Germany, all with a record player in tow! Now that’s a dedication! When I stated the obvious, that record players are also sold in Germany, Chingya told me that she wanted to gift Matteo with a memorable anniversary present and thought that it would make for a good story someday if they brought their turntable all the way from Japan. LOVE IT! That will be one globe-trotting turntable! And WELL DONE Chingya, for giving the gift of music! What better gift is there for a music lover?!
I asked about the records they scored. If I heard correctly, these were also their first records: The musical score of Howl’s Moving Castle by Joe Hisaishi and Image Symphonic Suite for Matteo, and a two-part various-artists soundtrack from the TV Animation Series “Sonny Boy” which I knew nothing about, but now am quite curious. Howl’s Moving Castle records was part of the recent re-release of a big chunk of the Ghibli music library (I love much of this music, especially from Kiki’s Delivery, Totoro, Princess Mononoke, and my favorite, Spirited Away.) I have seen Howl’s Moving Castle but I don’t remember it so well, but listening to the score actually sparked scenes from it in my imagination. It was a great soundtrack to listen to in the morning. As for the album Sonny Boy, I have actually been listening to it for two days straight. Fantastic discovery, and I really love the Sunset Rollercoaster tracks, a Taiwanese synthpop band, introduced to me by a previous TRS subject, Ed.
Great to meet you guys! Thanks for introducing me to some great music! Safe Travels and Happy Anniversary!
More Tokyo Record Style on the way!
Various – Sonny Boy Soundtrack 1st Half
Label: Flying Dog – VTJL-5
Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation, Limited Edition
Country: Japan
Released: Jul 21, 2021
Genre: Pop, Stage & Screen
Style: Soundtrack, Anison
https://www.discogs.com/release/19558117-Various-Sonny-Boy-Soundtrack-1st-Half
Various – Sonny Boy Soundtrack 2nd Half
Label: Flying Dog – VTJL-6
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Compilation, Limited Edition
Country: Japan
Released: Sep 8, 2021
Genre: Pop, Stage & Screen
Style: Soundtrack, Anison
https://www.discogs.com/release/20144281-Various-Sonny-Boy-Soundtrack-2nd-Half
Audio Technica Turntable – AT-LP60x
https://www.audio-technica.co.jp/product/AT-LP60X
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