Profile
Ryuichi Sakamoto was composer, pianist and music producer from Nakano, Tokyo, Japan. He graduated the master grade of National Tokyo Art University, then he became a session musician. In the activity of the years, he knew Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, then the suggestion by Hosono, they organized the Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). YMO made a big success in Japan and became known to the all around the world. YMO was the pioneer of Synth Pop or Techno Pop equal to Kraftwerk, Devo and Telex. And Sakamoto’s career as the composer begun simultaneously, and his name is known worldwide by sound tracks of “Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence” and “The Last Emperor”. And he appeared as an actor on both movies.
In 1987 he moved to New York. He composed vast amount of motion picture soundtracks, and produced many solo and collaboration works. His works had many genres, tastes and styles from Classical Music especially Impressionist Music as Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, Crossover, Avantgarde Music, Techno Pop, Dub, Minimal Music, New Wave, Jazz, Ethnic Music (Gamelan, Okinawa Minyo, and Japanese, Chinese, Korean and African Traditional Music), House Music, Hip Hop, Pop Music (J-Pop), Ambient, Bossa Nova, Electronica, Drone to Post-Classical Music. His characteristics was the mixture of them and was put in shape by his sophisticated Classical method and impressive sense of making melodies. He always had been pursued new and eternal music by his passed away. He worked on many art projects, publishing books, political messages and vast amount of activities in media such as television, radio, magazine, art book, art box and the internet.
RIP Ryuichi Sakamoto
An electronic music pioneer, a refined composer, the very cool and stylish musician, the avid book reader as a musician and a broad-minded person.
Solo Albums
Thousand Knives (Nippon Columbia, 1978)
“Thousand Knives” is the solo debut album of Ryuichi Sakamoto, recorded and released in 1978.
The first track is a mid-tempo instrumental grandiose Synth Pop or Techno Pop song, is influenced by anthem, Reggae and “Speak Like a Child” by Herbie Hancock. The theme and melodies by lead synthesizer is very cool. The arrangement of layers of pad, chord backing and lead synthesizer and electronic percussions are finished and splendid. The later part distorted electric guitar by the Japanese top Jazz and Crossover guitarist, Katsumi Watanabe follow and play hard.
“Island of Wood” is an experimental Ambient or Environmental Music track. Synthesizers imitate concrete sounds of nature, cryings of animals and an environment by abstract synth sequences, phrases and noises.
“Grasshopper” is a unique and cute 3 beats and 6 beats song features piano played by Yuji Takahashi. Synthesizers and piano by Sakamoto accompanies and intersects the piano.
“Das Neue Japanische Elektronische Volkslied” and “Plastic Bamboo” are slow-tempo Asian taste instrumental Synth Pop songs.
“The End of Asia” is a mid-tempo synth pop instrumental equal to “Thousand Knives”. But this song is more groovy and the arrangement is more dynamic, and there’s elements of Crossover Jazz. The later part the guitarist, Katsumi Watanabe follows by very distorted and hard play guitar like Hard Rock, too.
This album is the one of prototypes of the Yellow Magic Orchestra. “Thousand Knives” and “The End of Asia” include the live repertory of YMO.
B-2 UNIT (Alpha Record, 1980)
“B-2 UNIT” is the second solo album by Ryuichi Sakamoto. The recordings held in Tokyo and London. The recordings in London, Dennis Bovell worked as the producer.
“Differencia” is an experimental non-groovy drum sample loop track.
“Thatness and Thereness” is slow and mysterious Synth Pop vocal song features a vocal by Sakamoto. It begins synthesizer sequences, base and a vocal. Then the synth lead, pad and piano follow. The lyrics are abstract and depicts a situation of an incident of the 60’s students’ movement.
“Participation Mystique” is a New Wave song features very bold snare drum, bass drum and synthesizer lead phrases, and female voice samples ride on them.
“E-3A” is a experimental abstract and Asian taste track features gamelan samples loop and electronic percussions.
“Iconic Storage” is an experimental electronic music is consist of synthesizer backings, pads, bold base and electronic percussions. But there are sophisticated and unique harmonies and chord progressions of Sakamoto.
“Riot in Lagos” is the famous and representative track of this album. A Synth Pop or Techno Pop instrumental features the impressive synthesizer lead theme, bold dub base and electronic drums, there’s also Asian taste. This song became a one of repertory of the Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO).
“Not the 6 O’clock News” is a very abstract and experimental sound collage track. It’s consist of cut-up and modulated voice samples of the BBC 6 O’clock News, gamelan bells, pulses of a synthesizer, noisy sythesizer sequecens and imporovisational sythesizer solos.
“The End of Europe” might be the answer song to “The End of Asia”. A noisy and abstract non-rhythm track is consist of sythesizer leads, bold base and noises by synthesizers and samples.
This album is the “Anti-YMO” approach experimental album includes elements of Synth Pop, New Wave, Dub, Experimental Electronic Music and Sound Collage. And it’s the surprisingly latest, novel also cool music at that time.
Left Handed Dream (Alpha Record, 1981)
“Left Handed Dream” is a pop also experimental New Wave and Synth Pop album released in 1981. There’s the taste of New Wave like David Sylvian’s band Japan and Talking Heads, and elements of Synth Pop or Techno Pop, Dub, experimental electronic music, Concrete Music and Asian ethnic music.
“Boku No Kakera” (Fragments of Me) is an experimental oriental taste instrumental track, begins with Asian or Japanese taste drum loop. Then abstract synthesizer sequences and leads, and saxophones follow.
“Saru To Yuki To Gomi No Kodomo” (Children of Monkeys, Snow and Trashes) is a bright, optimistic and funny New Wave vocal song like a children’s song.
“Kacha Kucha Nee” (Messy and Irritated) is a mysterious and abstract Synth Pop song with a vocal of Sakamoto. By later part hard drums part follows and revitalize the song.
“The Garden of Poppies” is an experimental and abstract electronic music. It begins with bold snare drum loops. Synthesizer riffs and abstract distorted guitar long tone strokes of Adrian Belew and its reflections follow. In the end, keen guitar solos finished the song.
“Relâché” is an instrumental Synth Pop with bold electronic drums and funky sythesizer base.
“Tell’em to Me” is a gloomy New Wave song features some bells or Gamelan gongs loops.
“Living in the Dark” is a mysterious New Wave song like a British New Wave band, Japan. Synth lead solos and chorus parts with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi are impressive.
“Slat Dance” is an abstract electronic music is consist of electronic drums and percussions. Discord synthesizers improvisational solos follow.
“Venezia” is the best and the most impressive song of this album. A simple, plain and straightforward also beautiful New Wave song with a vocal. And there are iconic harmonies and chord progressions of Sakamoto.
“Saru No Ie” (The House of Monkey(s)) is an experimental sound collage track. It begins non-groovy electronic percussions, samples of a monkey growls and environmental noises of a jungle follow.
Illustrated Musical Encyclopedia (MIDI, 1984)
“llustrated Musical Encyclopedia” is the fourth solo album and the first full grand album of Ryuichi Sakamoto.
“Tibetan Dance” is an instrumental Pop song features Chinese or Asian taste theme and melodies by synthesizer.
“ETUDE” is an instrumental Pop song for studying music, features saxophone and trumpet, and change rhythm patterns in four parts.
“Paradise Lost” is instrumental electronic music. There are the Asian taste theme by bell samples, beats like Reggae and Sakamoto’s sophisticated melodies and chord progressions by piano and pads.
“Self Portrait” is clear, bright and refreshing instrumental Synth Pop.
“Tabi no Kyokuhoku” (For North of A Journey) is bright and sophisticated electronic music. Fine synth pads chord accompaniment is very good.
“M.A.Y. in the Backyard” is unique and pop Contemporary Classical music. It begins with vibraphone and marimba samples arpeggios. In the theme part, orchestral hit samples and piano plays sharply and hardly. This song associates the music of Steve Reich, but here are Sakamoto’s original elements.
“Hane no Hayashi de” (In the Woods of Feathers) is a slow Pop song with Sakamoto’s vocal features impressive bell samples like Gamelan patterns.
Also “Mori no Hito” (The Man of Forest) is a mysterious and floating vocal Pop song.
“A Tribute to N.J.P.” is minimal Contemporary Classical Music. It features the impressive theme and motifs played by Tenor Saxophone of Yasuyuki Shimizu and piano, and there’s Asian also non-state taste.
“Replica” is an abstract track of synthesizer pads and electronic percussions.
“Ma Mère l’Oye” is Sakamoto’s unique style Mother Goose the title cites the same title song by Maurice Ravel. Few tones koto, glockenspiel and guitar samples accompany. Children’s chorus with no lyrics like “Ah, Ah, Ah, Aah-, Aah-, Ah, Ah” sing the theme and melodies.
“Kimi ni Tsuite” (About You) is a cute, funny and fine vocal Pop song. The lyrics of Sakamoto’s vocal depicts his daughter among Akiko Yano, Miu Sakamoto.
There are various styles of music. You can hear the true genius and ability of Sakamoto and the up-to-date sound of that time by Fairlight CMI, Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 and Yamaha DX7.
Comica (Warner Music Japan, 2002)
Contrary to the significant Opera work “LIFE”, “Comica” is an abstract and experimental Ambient, Drone or Electronica album, features Sakamoto’s iconic elegant and misty Sequential Circuits Prophet-5, KORG Trinity or any synthesisers pad tones.
“Dawn” is the most fine and sophisticated track of this album, it begins with Sakamoto’s iconic elegant pad chord and piano phrases. Layers of pads, dub modulated conga hits and, electronic sound effects and glockenspiel or vibraphone phrase follow.
“Day” is consist of diminished or augmented chord pad sequences with electronic, percussive and environmental noises. Vague and random piano improvisation follows.
“Sunset”, a track is based on soft also keen pads, electronic sequences. Few times piano chord backings ride on them
“Night” a track of modulated ambience noise sample, vague pads, dissonant improvisational piano plays.
“d2” is tracks of cloudy and keen pad chord(s) and sound like Japanese bell “Suzu”, which associates Japanese Traditional Classical Music “Gagaku”.
“Radical Fashion” is consist of a pad chord which is entirely modulated by effects, and it became a sound like an animal growls.
Elephantism (Warner Music Japan, 2002)
“Elephantism” is a solo and concept album for the project of to visit Kenia by a Japanese cultural magazine “Sotokoto”. The title is a coinage by Sakamoto, the “ism of elephant” might mean to study a peaceful life and a way of to stay together, by elephants in Africa.
“Embassy” is a simple Ambient track of pad chords and improvisational fragmental piano.
“Elephantism” is a simple also an Ambient track of layer of pads and fragmental piano.
“Elmolo Dance” is an African drumming track with sample voices and singing of people, didgeridoo and synth pad chord.
“Great Africa” is 80’s style Synth Pop with the African taste, that features chorus of people. Funky bold synthesizer base is impressive.
“Serenity” is abstract and silent Sound Collage of African wood instruments and percussions, and piano and pad.
“Masai Dance” is a collage of samples of Masai people singings, with Sakamoto’s iconic piano and pads.
“Mpata” is consist of kalimba sample sequences, improvisational fragmental piano, female voice samples and modulated noises of stone crackings.
“Elephant Dance” is the main and grand work of this album. It begins backings of African pluck (or harp) instruments, then smooth synth pad follows and plays melodies. The aggressive sythesizer sequences and pluck sequences ride on them. In the end the pad and piano play phrases, and finished the song.
“Elephantism 9” is based on keen sythesizer reflections, African percussions sequences and environmental and electronic noises follow.
“Masai Children” is a track of collage of children’s singings, handclaps and tape noises.
Despite the title and the concept, this album is a delicate, silent and sophisticated work, and almost track with no rhythm.
This album is not only borrow African ethnic music, but it’s respectable interpretation on and reconstruction of it by digital technologies and Sakamoto’s musical techniques. (But, I felt some Asian taste of Sakamoto…)
out of noise (commmons, 2009)
“out of noise” is the eighteenth solo studio album by Ryuichi Sakamoto. This album is serious and experimental as for his solo album, there’s no Pop feature of Sakamoto by the former work “CHASM”.
The first track, “hibari” is a collage of a simple piano phrase is made by looper effects, Pro Tools or any DAWs.
“hiwt” is a minimal and pathetic composition for a string quartet and synthesizer(s).
“still life” is a strings quartet based song is added fragmental improvisational piano tones and a Japanese wind instrument sho.
“firewater” is a bold and noisy pad and its reflections minimal track,
“disko”, “ice” and “gracier” are the “Arctic Circle Trilogy” applied the samples were recorded in Greenland. “disko” is atmospheric or pad based track is added guitar plucks. “ice” is an experimental song. The sounds of ice in the Arctic Circle collapsed and gave away with fragmental phrases might be made by modular synthesizers. Then Sakamoto’s iconic pad chord follows and finishes the song. “gracier” is the song is consist of recordings of water murmurs, a deep base sythesizer, LFO modulated sythesizer phrases, and ice broken noise added a random rhythm.
“to stanford” is a piano piece composed by Japanese female Pop artist, Kotringo. A gentle and bit melancholic composition piano solo piece.
“composition 0919” is a minimal effected piano collage song. I remember “Piano Phase” by Steve Reich.
This album is deeply influenced by 2000’s Electronica, Ambient and Post-classical. And the fruit of collaborations with Electronica or Ambient artists such as Fennesz, Alva Noto and Christopher Willits. “out of noise”, he seriously and delicately pursued the pure idea of music and its materials as tones, sounds and spaces, beyond good and evil. There’s the highly sophisticated and polished musical being or something in this album surely.
async (commmons, 2017)
“async” is the nineteenth solo studio album by Ryuichi Sakamoto, actually his last full-scale album. The concepts of album are “music with no rhythm” and “eternally ringing tones”. And this album is eeeply influenced by today’s Post-classical and Drone music.
“andata” is a pathetic song features a piano and organ theme like J. S. Bach. And layers of noises like sound of wind are made by modular synthesizer(s) and effecters follow.
“solari” is a synthesizer pads play a choral like composition.
“zure” is a collage of synthesizer backing, electronic clave and electronic noises are synched by different beats.
“walker” is an endless synthesizer pad chord based song, and noises of sands, grasses or something attached.
“stakra” is a minimal synth arpeggio-loop-song. There’s a mysterious mechanical also nostalgic feeling of my childhood, 1980’s.
“ubi” features his iconic melancholic piano composition with a electronic percussion, pads and noises.
The title song, “async” is a collage of polyrhythm ethnic percussions that resembles “sonata” in BTTB (1998).
“life, life” is a song is consist of pad chords with electronic percussion patterns and narrations.
“honji” is a collage of fragmental plucks of a Japanese traditional musical instrument, shamisen, long tones of sho, and rain, electronic noises and their reflections.
“ff” is a song is consist of improvisational plays of some high and middle tone synthesizer chords and solos, and slow patterns played by something bell instrument.
“garden” is a minimal song made only by one or two pad(s) harmony improvisations with their reflection and filter noises. So I feel the will and force if life.
In this album there are mood of fear for death, will to live, desire for the eternity, mercy for human and the ordinary life. Sakamoto was an atheistic buddhist but, I felt the taste of Christianity by this album.
I can’t understand a concept of this album, the “music with no rhythm”. He is the rhythm master in New Age music and as a contemporary pianist. I felt his sensibility and stickness of rhythm from this album. I think the concept “async”, on the contrary, may be consequently become sync(s) of various and different elements, materials and things in the world.
12 (commmons, 2023)
“12” is new album by Ryuichi Sakamoto, released in 17 January 2023. The album is constituted by twelve sythesizer pad solo, piano solo, a sythesizer pad or noise with a piano tracks. Except 2 songs, they are abstract and minimalist tracks, played by improvisation. Only “20220302 – sarabande” and “20220302” are his unique style of sophisticated piano compositions, also they are influenced by his musical starting point as Erik Satie, Maurice Ravel and Claude Debussy.
The sound isn’t cut by EQ, including high and low. So, it is bold, and in it rests noises, clips and room reflections, but it’s wild, raw and lively. I can hear Sakamoto’s breath, touch and soul from them.
I feel and hear Sakamoto’s will to scratch and leave behind his footprints of life to the world, from the album.
Resources and Links
Music Review
Ryuichi Sakamoto Piano Solo & Piano Trio Works
Music Review
Ryuichi Sakamoto Soundtrack Works
Best Classical Recordings
Playlist
on YouTube
Best Classical Recordings
Playlist
on Spotify
