BIG IN JAPAN
Ryuichi Sakamoto
 The roots of the current techno/ house/ trance music played in clubs
all over the world can be traced back to many different bands. In Japan, it' reasonable
to say that the homegrown techno scene began with the recordings of YMO (Yellow Magic
Orchestra) and its members Ryuichi Sakamoto, Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi. In
fact, the band helped to make Ryuichi Sakamoto the most well-known Japanese musician in
the West even to the extent of winning an Oscar for his soundtrack work.
Although YMO was successful worldwide, its three members were already established
musicians. Takahashi had been the drummer with the notorious Sadistic Mika Band in the
seventies, and toured the UK supporting Roxy Music. Hosono's credits included both
performing and producing, working with notable artists such as Yumi Arai (later Yumi
Matsutoya). Sakamoto was a classically trained pianist, working as a session musician
after his graduation from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. All three
of them had released records before YMO.
Brought together by Hosono on the strength of their reputations, it was Hosono who had the
idea of forming a band with a deliberate, and slightly kitsch, Oriental flavor. They
released the album YMO in 1978, and in 1979 the single "Space Invaders"
was a hit in both America and Europe. They made their first world tour the same year,
which was such a success they followed up with another one in 1980. Their Eastern-tinged
clunky techno, and military Chairman Mao uniforms worn on stage went down well, even if
the irony involved was lost on most people.
After a career that spanned five years and eleven albums, the band members decided to go
their separate ways. The split was amicable - all three claimed to be bored with being
"rock" stars. They reformed in 1993, to release a new album called Technodon and
to play a reunion concert in Tokyo Dome.
After the split in the early eighties, it was Sakamoto who went on to have the greatest
success. Relocating to New York, where he still lives, he released a slew of solo albums
and collaborations with left-field Western musicians such as David Sylvian, Robin Scott,
and Thomas Dolby. His first soundtrack was the score for the bizarre Anglo-Japanese
production Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, in which he acted, along with Tom
Conti, David Bowie and Kitano "Beat" Takeshi. Adapted from the philosophically
complex novel by Laurens Van Der Post, the movie left Western audiences scratching their
heads, but remains Sakamoto's most ambitious acting performance to date.
He won critical acclaim for his scores on The Sheltering Sky, Little Buddha, and Wuthering
Heights, and won the Academy Award for his work on Bertolucci's The Last Emperor.
Following this accolade, he was commissioned to compose the music for the 1992 Olympic
Opening Ceremony, in Barcelona. In the nineties he has continued to release solo albums,
his work often remixed by Western producers and DJs. He also appears regularly in Japan,
on stage and in TV, in concerts and the occasional commercial. Cinemage, a
compilation of his best soundtrack work, is due out in May. Expect further releases from
the prolific Sakamoto before the millennium's out.
John Paul
Catton |
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