RIP Ryuichi Sakamoto

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

Ryuichi Sakamoto: Japanese electronic music maestro dies

The award-winning composer and producer, whose fans included David Bowie, has died aged 71.

www.bbc.co.uk

The renowned Japanese composer and producer Ryuichi Sakamoto, admired for his electronic music experimentation, has died aged 71.
He won awards - including an Oscar, a Grammy and Bafta - for his work as a solo artist and as a member of the Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO).
Sakamoto had been diagnosed with cancer for a second time in 2021. His office said he died on Tuesday.
He starred in the film Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence with David Bowie in 1983.
His film score for The Last Emperor, in 1987, won him an Oscar, a Grammy and a Golden Globe. He also acted in the movie, an epic about the life of Puyi, last emperor of China.
Sakamoto began studying composition at the age of 10 and was inspired by the Beatles and Debussy.
He set up YMO with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi in 1978, playing keyboards, and their synthesizer innovations influenced techno-pop and hip-hop.

Maybe not a household name,but for people interested in classic electronica,he was one of the driving forces behind YMO in the late 1970s. One of the first groups to use polyphonic synths,and immensely popular in Japan and ended up influencing a whole of PC game music in the 1980s. Later he branched out into more film work.

Rydeen(1979):

Yellow Magic Orchestra – “Rydeen“ (Official Music Video)

Official music video for “Rydeen” by Yellow Magic Orchestra ©1980 ALFA MUSIC“Rydeen” was first introduced in YMO's second album Solid State Survivor in 1979,...

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Behind the Mask(1979):

Yellow Magic Orchestra - Behind the Mask (1979)

Track 5 on 'Solid State Survivor' (1979)Written by Ryuichi Sakamoto/Chris MosdellLYRICS:Now the mask you're wearingIs stoney and staringLines and tearsAge an...

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The latter was originally going to appear as a version on Thriller(as MJ really liked the song):

Michael Jackson - Behind the Mask (Official Video)

Buy/Stream more Michael Jackson - https://LegacyRecordings.lnk.to/mj_top!btmListen to the Michael Jackson Love Songs playlist - https://LegacyRecordings.lnk....

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His most well known score is for The Last Emperor which won him an Academy Award,and he did the soundtrack for The Revenant and Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence:

Ryuichi Sakamoto - Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (Theme Original)

www.youtube.com

 

[Earth[Tera].bin]

Enjoyed some of his later work but Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence is my favourite piece of his music.

Sad to hear of his passing.

 

[UTmaniac]

Got Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence on an old cd compilation titled Moods iirc.

Maybe I'm getting confused with another tune, but I always thought this was used in the film Black Rain, from 1989.

 

[jpaul]

RIP -
vinyl 12

 

[Hagar]

I have several albums of Tomita which I enjoy. I shall listen to this musician posthumously as I never did while he was alive.

 

[turbot1984]

RIP -
vinyl 12

Love that one. Sad news hes gone.

 

[visibleman]

Amazing composer, shame to have never got the chance to see him in concert.
Always enjoyed the Kirin advert -