I love his commercial music!
― brimstead, Thursday, 25 October 2018 14:45 (five years ago) link
listening to the Ongaku Zukan/Illustrated Musical Encyclopedia reissue now, thanks for the head's up! speaking of sakamoto:
.@0PN's next EP for @WarpRecords includes a remix by master composer @ryuichisakamoto https://t.co/FeSnqS0MxL— Resident Advisor (@residentadvisor) October 25, 2018
― Karl Malone, Thursday, 25 October 2018 17:36 (five years ago) link
Listening to this as well. A lot of it is basically his fusion album – Japanese melodies over Gaucho-ish horn arrangements, Fairlights pads and electronic percussion. It goes down pretty easily but has some nice 80s production touches. The first track was stuck in head this am and is a full-on YMO reunion cum big band. YMBB?
― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 22 November 2018 14:46 (five years ago) link
This = Ongaku Zukan
― Naive Teen Idol, Thursday, 22 November 2018 14:52 (five years ago) link
Also, listening to this makes me realize how long it took before I really *got* Sakamoto. I think my first exposure to him was on Sylvian’s first several records and Gentlemen Take Polaroids . I also read the entry about him in the Trouser Press Record Guide (an early bible for me) – the descriptions of his pedigree and Japanese-Western fusion experiments made his records sound incredibly exotic but very little of his catalogue (or YMO’s) was available then (early 90s). When I finally heard Neo Geo, the followup to Ongaku and produced by Bill Laswell (Sakamoto was kind of the designated Fairlight guy in his Session All-Stars around that time – he’s the one noodling at the beginning of the last track on PiL’s Album), I was a little underwhelmed. It was the first of his own releases featuring big names, and while there were hints of what I would eventually love about him, it had fewer textural experiments and less ambition than I had hoped for. The same was largely true of Heartbeat, the two solid Sylvian collaborations aside. It was only when I happened upon a cutout Dutch copy of Left Handed Dream and Technodelic at Borders Books and Music that I began to understand what the fuss was about. Yes, he can be overly sentimental at times but at its best the orchestral and Japanese formalism sounds fabulous juxtaposed with various electronic experiments. Even still, it’s never been very easy to get a complete picture of his output – I’ve still never seen a physical copy of B-2 Unit and I literally just heard Illustrated/Ongaku this week, which are hugely important records in his catalogue.
― Naive Teen Idol, Friday, 23 November 2018 17:27 (five years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUaNz9M8fs8
this is extremely cool
― frogbs, Saturday, 27 April 2019 04:07 (five years ago) link
maybe my favorite single of the year thus far actually
― frogbs, Friday, 3 May 2019 14:45 (five years ago) link
Over the last month I've been really diving into his solo works (with some mixed results). I've been delighted to find albums such as B-2 Unit and Esperanto have finally clicked with me. The original version of Illustrated Musical Encyclopedia was a revelation too. Async was the clear standout of his later works although there's still a lot I haven't listened to.
The biggest find is the Works I - CM compilation mentioned a couple of times on this thread by frogbs. That is an incredible collection of music that I've probably played ten times in the last week alone. Great tip on that one!
― kitchen person, Thursday, 26 March 2020 17:29 (four years ago) link
Isn’t it though? Love it!
― brimstead, Thursday, 26 March 2020 18:34 (four years ago) link
I honestly can't stop listening to it. I notice there is a volume two as well. Hopefully that's a similar quality as I'm going to need another fix soon.
― kitchen person, Thursday, 26 March 2020 20:19 (four years ago) link
nice, thanks for bumping it!
― Karl Malone, Thursday, 26 March 2020 20:23 (four years ago) link
https://pc.video.dmkt-sp.jp/ft/s0007155
It looks like Sakamoto is doing a live streaming performance next week on something called DTV, who also seem to be streaming a few other gigs of his from the last few years.
It being a Japanese streaming site, it appears to be completely locked down (I couldn't get anything to play even with a VPN) but someone here might have better luck than me?
― bamboohouses, Friday, 27 March 2020 18:11 (four years ago) link
So the stream seems to be up and running here: https://pc.video.dmkt-sp.jp/ti/10000238 Working fine VPN'ed into Japan.
They're showing a 2011 gig now, apparently the live stream starts at 7pm Japan time. (11am here in London!)
― bamboohouses, Thursday, 2 April 2020 09:37 (four years ago) link
enjoy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6td9KUZMfw&pbjreload=10
― Hmmmmm (jamiesummerz), Monday, 18 May 2020 07:14 (four years ago) link
hmm not sure if that worked... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6td9KUZMfw
― Hmmmmm (jamiesummerz), Monday, 18 May 2020 07:20 (four years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv3Iqzpv3_I
In this documentary, filmed while he was recording Ongaku Zukan, Sakamoto mentions that he has recorded 30 tracks for the album from which he will choose ten, so I'm guessing that's where the supplemental material for the reissue came from.
― Maresn3st, Wednesday, 10 June 2020 16:37 (four years ago) link
Realized this am that the record he produced and arranged for Virginia Astley, Hope in a Darkened Heart, is really required listening for anyone interested in Ryuichi’s mid-80s classy orchestral Fairlight experimental pop phase, a la Ongaku Zukan and his contemporaneous work w David Sylvian. It’s a legitimately weird record – with nursery rhyme-melodies sung in Astley’s little girl falsetto over Ryuichi’s booming gated drums, sequenced music boxes and gamelans. The duet with Sylvian himself that leads off the record is a pretty unique entry in his catalogue: https://open.spotify.com/track/5nwDAFzUqt7hVVsKoWGcJN?si=xX7P9oCVScqGde8qpsO5eg
― Naive Teen Idol, Monday, 7 December 2020 14:41 (three years ago) link
Ohhh! Thanks for the recommendation, sounds ace!
― Maresn3st, Monday, 7 December 2020 15:00 (three years ago) link
It is! And if you want to go the Bandcamp route
https://virginiaastley.bandcamp.com/
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 7 December 2020 16:13 (three years ago) link
Finally watched the Playing Piano for the Isolated concert last week. It's great!
― The New York Times' effect on man (Sund4r), Monday, 7 December 2020 16:16 (three years ago) link
NIT's spotify link is to a mellow 80's compilation :)Still, having checked the Virginia Astley album, I thank you! Lovely stuff, esp. the latter half. Loved reading up on her, too
― willem, Tuesday, 8 December 2020 14:19 (three years ago) link
69 years old today
he's currently flooding Twitter with birthday wishes causing me to come to the realization that he is a strikingly handsome man, even today
― frogbs, Sunday, 17 January 2021 21:54 (three years ago) link
nice
― boz conspiracy by toby hus (voodoo chili), Sunday, 17 January 2021 22:40 (three years ago) link
Bad news:
https://thequietus.com/articles/29458-ryuichi-sakamoto-diagnosed-bowel-cancer
― kieth chagrin (NickB), Thursday, 21 January 2021 13:28 (three years ago) link
Nooooooooooooooooooo :(
― Maresn3st, Thursday, 21 January 2021 14:08 (three years ago) link
Oh man :(
― A Scampo Darkly (Le Bateau Ivre), Thursday, 21 January 2021 14:11 (three years ago) link
ugh, hopefully he pulls through :(
― boz conspiracy by toby hus (voodoo chili), Thursday, 21 January 2021 14:24 (three years ago) link
Ah, fuck. :(
― pomenitul, Thursday, 21 January 2021 14:25 (three years ago) link
jesus, no
― frogbs, Thursday, 21 January 2021 15:08 (three years ago) link
hoping the best for him. Takahashi had a brain tumor removed just a few months ago, as well. :(
― Karl Malone, Thursday, 21 January 2021 17:15 (three years ago) link
its hard to gauge the tone of YT's social media posts, he seems optimistic but apparently he's not out of the woods yet
― frogbs, Thursday, 21 January 2021 17:24 (three years ago) link
the one time I randomly catch an episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BuelFc2j1VM/
― frogbs, Thursday, 18 February 2021 15:59 (three years ago) link
Heart does a flip again now when I see this thread bumped.
― The Goodies font (Maresn3st), Thursday, 18 February 2021 16:35 (three years ago) link
Me too :(
― Chewshabadoo, Thursday, 18 February 2021 16:41 (three years ago) link
Then enjoy this instead, as he has the closing track
https://modernobscuremusic.bandcamp.com/album/prsnt
― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 18 February 2021 17:37 (three years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hC5Ry5092Pk
― Maresn3st, Thursday, 11 March 2021 09:40 (three years ago) link
now here's a powerful image
https://i.imgur.com/RtP0rpZ.png
― frogbs, Monday, 12 April 2021 19:43 (three years ago) link
I would listen to this crossover.
― Ned Raggett, Monday, 12 April 2021 19:53 (three years ago) link
btw before anyone asks I have no idea what the context of this is, I just saw it in a YMO FB group. i wish i knew
― frogbs, Tuesday, 13 April 2021 01:16 (three years ago) link
Money MarkFebruary 24, 2012Ryuichi Sakamoto, Keith Emerson!…i’m standing with two of the very best!!….YMO,ELP….backstage,Hollywood Bowl
― visiting, Tuesday, 13 April 2021 02:28 (three years ago) link
new album is heavy. maybe it's knowing about his health struggles, maybe it's because YT recently passed, but wow is there a lot of weight to what is essentially a solo piano album (there are some synths too of course). you can even hear him breathing throughout. almost sounds like he's struggling sometimes.
― frogbs, Wednesday, 25 January 2023 15:20 (one year ago) link
like I'm listening on headphones and I keep thinking someone is behind me
― frogbs, Wednesday, 25 January 2023 15:22 (one year ago) link
While I thought async was elegiac this new one, 12, is almost too much.
― SQUIRREL MEAT!! (Capitaine Jay Vee), Wednesday, 25 January 2023 15:28 (one year ago) link
oh man, yeah, “heavy” is the right word. I’m usually not a fan of his solo piano stuff either but this one is hitting differently for sure. haven’t quite decided if it’s due to the circumstances but don’t think it’s just that. hits pretty hard in any case and isn’t something i can just throw on casually.
― (⊙_⊙?) (original bgm), Thursday, 26 January 2023 01:54 (one year ago) link
the least interesting ymo member. i consider his solo output pretty overrated. on the other hand, hosono and takahashi solo material is pretty consistent.
― CerebralCaustic, Friday, 27 January 2023 15:31 (one year ago) link
― CerebralCaustic, Friday, 27 January 2023 15:32 (one year ago) link
Geeta Dayal with an excellent piece on the album:
https://4columns.org/dayal-geeta/ryuichi-sakamoto
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 27 January 2023 16:25 (one year ago) link
CerebralCaustic, I can understand that opinion if you're solely judging based on solo albums. But have you checked out Sakamoto's production/arrangement work? It's incredible. Taeko Onuki and Akiko Yano's early-to-mid '80s albums, for starters? It's incredible.
― Tough Cookie, Friday, 27 January 2023 17:04 (one year ago) link
12 has turned into a daily play for me. i hope he can release more music, but if he doesn't, it's a powerful final act.
― Karl Malone, Friday, 27 January 2023 17:09 (one year ago) link
xxpost nonsense
― SQUIRREL MEAT!! (Capitaine Jay Vee), Friday, 27 January 2023 18:50 (one year ago) link