Jean-Michel Serres, Composer-pianist (Apfel Café Music): Website

Studio Recording Piano Albums

BTTB (Wea, 1998)

“BTTB” (Back to the Basic) is the first full original piano solo album (!!!) by Ryuichi Sakamoto, that released in 1998. He hadn’t been released an original piano solo album since then. “Coda” (1983) is the piano solo version of “Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence” sound track.

According to the tile, his musical roots reflected this album. They are Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel and Erik Satie. I think this album is deeply influenced by Erik Satie. There are Satie’s simpleness, casualness and mindlessness in the compositions. The songs of this album are the combinations of his musical roots and highly sophisticated and technical musical method, such as chord progressions, inner notes and classical and/also oriental, traditional but original melodies.

The first track, “Opus” is a sophisticated simple, plain and colourless song, there’s the harmony of Debussy, good for the opening.

The second track, “Sonatine” is a short and integrated song must be influenced by Ravel’s same title song.

The ninth track, “Chanson” is a casual but elegant song reflects Satie’s simpleness and easiness.

Sakamoto’s only original piano solo album, there are original compostions for Piano by Sakamoto. It’s a simple but sophisticated album, please listen.

/04 (Warner Music Japan, 2004)

“/04” is a self-cover piano solo album by Ryuichi Sakamoto. This album is consist of 14 tracks. The songs are piano solo cover versions of his past works from his original electronic albums, cinema scores and songs for advertisement.

On “Riot in Lagos”, he played a piano with tap dance clicking.

“Seven Samurai” features Shakuhachi, it plays melodies.

Compare with the next and brother album “/05”, this album contains active and stimulate songs or performances.

/05 (Warner Music Japan, 2005)

“/05” is a self-cover piano solo album by Ryuichi Sakamoto, too. This album is also consist of 14 tracks.

Compare with the former and brother album “/04”, this album contains grandiose and significant songs, and relaxing songs.

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.

Piano Solo Live Album

(To be continued…)

Piano Trio Album

1996 (güt, 1996)

“1996” is a self-cover album by Classical piano trio of Ryuichi Sakamoto, released in “1996”. Except “1919”, all songs are cover of his past songs in solo albums, film scores and music for commercial films.

On the strip of the album, it put the copy “It’s exactly the best album.” The album is something like the best album of his career up to 1996. Precisely, you can listen to Sakamoto’s master pieces by simple, refined, sophisticated and standard form and arrangements piano trio.

“1919” is a song like Minimal Music of Steve Reich or Philip Glass and is attached sample voices of Vladimir Lenin.