During his decades-long career, guitarist, songwriter and producer Eiichi Otaki forged a bold template for modern rock in Japan. With their twinkling melodies, his tunes were a cornerstone of the nation’s post-war music scene. From kick-starting his career in psychedelic rock band Happy End to launching his own label Niagara Records in 1975, the maverick musician was a pioneering force of era-defining sounds. In the ’80s, Otaki blended a jigsaw of influences and his velvet vocals into gorgeous city-pop confections.