Masayoshi Takanaka


Masayoshi Takanaka is a Japanese guitarist, composer, and producer. He was born in 1953 in the Shinagawa ward in Tokyo, Japan. Takanaka's music was influential in the city pop genre of the late 1970s and '80s.

Career

He began his professional career in 1971 by playing guitar and bass guitar in the prog rock band Flied Egg under Vertigo. In 1972, Takanaka joined the Sadistic Mika Band. The band fragmented after the divorce of two of its main members, and in 1976, Takanaka released his first solo album, Seychelles. Throughout the 70's and 80's, Takanaka continued to release over twenty albums and singles under Kitty Records until 1984 and EMI from 1985 to 2000. In 2000, he formed his own record label, Lagoon Records.
Takanaka is known for his flashy guitars, including a gold colored Fender Stratocaster. He also has a trademark "lagoon-blue" Yamaha SG guitar that he plays during live performances.
His 1981 song Penguin Dancer was sampled by Grimes on her song "Butterfly" in 2015. His 1979 popular song Blue Lagoon was named the 14th best guitar instrumental by Young Guitar Magazine in 2019.

Discography

Studio albums