STILL haven't heard a thousand knives though.
― r1o natsume, Thursday, 14 February 2008 23:19 (sixteen years ago) link
Summer Nerves !
― matinee, Friday, 15 February 2008 00:13 (sixteen years ago) link
Thousand Knives is my fav though
― matinee, Friday, 15 February 2008 00:14 (sixteen years ago) link
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3LI2mHRycJ4&feature=related
― Tape Store, Friday, 15 February 2008 02:17 (sixteen years ago) link
I don't have anything bad to say about Ryuichi Sakamoto apart from the fact that his catalogue is so deep that I'm always finding something that I don't already have. If anything is inessential, it's the multiple collections of already released stuff, and perhaps the one that collects the work he did for commercials. But I almost always still enjoy them.
Even though I know they're not necessarily his best, I still have a soft spot for Illustrated Musical Encyclopaedia, Neo Geo and Beauty - the lush pop he was doing back was something that helped to move me away from a diet of strictly commercial music.
Just picked up a newish double CD on Decca called Playing the Piano / Out of Noise...First CD is solo piano reinterpretations of some of his soundtrack and pop work, and it's really hitting the spot. The other one explores where noise and environment intersect, apparently with some of it recorded underwater and on top of glaciers in Greenland...and some of this is supposed to follow along from some of the work he's done with Alva Noto. Haven't listened through much of it yet but I'm hoping it'll also become a favourite like some of the work he's done with Carsten and Fennesz over the last few years.
There's a quote in the liner notes for this one about how typically as people get older their musical tastes tend to get narrower, but that he's finding his getting wider thanks to his exposure to this new generation of musician collaborators and compatriots...I like to think that I'm along for the ride of continual palette expansion too, but I have to admit that he's certainly helping me along in that regard.
― Sean Carruthers, Friday, 5 February 2010 02:22 (fourteen years ago) link
i sold him a copy of bonjour tristesse
― figuratively, but in a very real way (amateurist), Friday, 5 February 2010 09:03 (fourteen years ago) link
He's gone way too minimal and glitchy lately. The HASYMO single he was part of a few years is my last favorite thing by him. Those chords!
Search GEM Collection if you can find it. It's a wonderful collection of synthy odds n' ends from the early to mid 80's that spans a variety of styles - from J Pop to Fairlight + beatbox exercises.
― François de Roobabe (Capitaine Jay Vee), Friday, 5 February 2010 11:22 (fourteen years ago) link
a few years ago
― François de Roobabe (Capitaine Jay Vee), Friday, 5 February 2010 11:23 (fourteen years ago) link
he is very attractive
― by another name (amateurist), Friday, 23 July 2010 01:20 (thirteen years ago) link
he might win the women think he's the hottest category, true
― iago g., Friday, 23 July 2010 01:24 (thirteen years ago) link
http://images.peaceandflood.fr/images/916836RyuichiSakamoto.jpg
― by another name (amateurist), Friday, 23 July 2010 02:27 (thirteen years ago) link
I've been listening the fuck out of Esperanto since r1o posted his thread on it the other day. I probably like it even more than 1000 Knives.
― fidel castro clone (corey), Friday, 23 July 2010 02:31 (thirteen years ago) link
To anyone who didn't like Illustrated Musical Encyclopedia - seek out the Japanese version, called Ongaku Zukan; only about half the tracks from the original release wound up on the American version. This one includes "Replica" which is absolutely stunning and one of my favorite pieces of his.
B-2 Unit and Esperanto are indeed great albums, but they took me forever to really get into, especially the latter. Kind of minimal but very cool and revolutionary. Also seek the "Warhead" 12" and the "Forbidden Colours" single with the Bamboo tracks. Otherwise if you're in the market for more cool experimental electronic stuff, you can always check out Hosono's discography.
― frogbs, Monday, 14 February 2011 20:03 (thirteen years ago) link
― François de Roobabe (Capitaine Jay Vee), Friday, February 5, 2010 5:22 AM (1 year ago)
I can't find this anywhere — halp
― corey, Sunday, 13 March 2011 17:23 (thirteen years ago) link
also the alternate mix of "Happy End" that's on the Arrangement EP is the shit — should've been on BGM imo
― corey, Sunday, 13 March 2011 18:33 (thirteen years ago) link
Never heard the Arrangement EP; this is more Left Handed Dream stuff isn't it? Loved that album
Currently have an RS tune stuck in my head, but can't remember what it is!! The only line is "good morning, good evening, where are you?"
― frogbs, Monday, 14 March 2011 14:35 (thirteen years ago) link
half the tracks are versions of LHD songs with added lyrics sung by Robin Scott (the "Pop Musik" guy). I don't really like them, but the second half are tracks that weren't on the album (with the different mix of "Happy End")
― corey, Monday, 14 March 2011 14:37 (thirteen years ago) link
"good morning, good evening, where are you?"
this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q0ycccAwO7I
― corey, Monday, 14 March 2011 14:39 (thirteen years ago) link
There's a nice update of that song on the Playing the Piano album - I'm pretty sure that's one of the tracks he played during his Toronto concert too.
― Sean Carruthers, Monday, 14 March 2011 14:41 (thirteen years ago) link
I'll have to check it out then...that's one of his best albums, I always randomly get "Venezia" stuck in my head too
Recently got a few Akiko Yano albums; no thread about her here but so far her early albums (at least) seem to really be a treat...anyone heard of them??
― frogbs, Monday, 14 March 2011 15:24 (thirteen years ago) link
I've heard "Ai Ga Nakucha Ne" (sp) — has all the YMO members contributing music iirc and a duet with David Sylvian. Her voice is nice, has kind of a young Kate Bush timbre
― corey, Monday, 14 March 2011 15:39 (thirteen years ago) link
I like Japanese Girl and I have a great more recent album that I have no idea what it's called because it's nearly all in japanese.
Ah, her website is also in English, it's called 'Honto No Kimochi' and it's aces.
― MaresNest, Monday, 14 March 2011 15:51 (thirteen years ago) link
The album that is..
I've been listening to a lot of YMO over the last few years but hadn't really heard much of their solo works up until recently. I did own Illustrated Musical Encyclopedia for a while but just couldn't get into it. I gave B-2 Unit a listen and sadly that didn't click either. I did listen to a lot of Yukihiro Takahashi's albums and fell in love with the run he did from 80-83. I think I prefer his work as it's more similar to the more poppy moments of YMO, especially Naughty Boys which is one of my favourite albums of all time. I really loved Immigrants by the Sandii & The Sunsetz and Tutu by Miharu Koshi which were both produced by Haruomi Hosono. I tried one of his albums but it was a bit harder to get into. If anyone has any other suggestions of which albums I should try that would be greatly appreciated.
― Kitchen Person, Monday, 14 March 2011 15:53 (thirteen years ago) link
Have you heard Sadistic Mika Band?
― MaresNest, Monday, 14 March 2011 15:57 (thirteen years ago) link
Cochin Moon is probably Hosono's best, but I listen to Coincidental Music a lot xp
― corey, Monday, 14 March 2011 15:58 (thirteen years ago) link
Kitchen - if you're looking for stuff that sounds like YMO, you're not really going to find it, except for those three Takahashi albums, which definitely sound like a YMO-side project, but in a good way. I'd be curious as to which Hosono album you got; he didn't do any solo stuff inside YMO besides Philharmony, which is a very neat album (though a little sparse) - he's definitely the kind of Eno-like artist who can do many many different styles and not look back. I guess I need to know what kind of stuff you're into before I can really say, but as I mentioned Sakamoto's Left Handed Dream is a tough one to go wrong with..
One thing you can do is to find the YEN record compilations; tons of great artists on those, and the YMO members were involved on nearly every release.
― frogbs, Monday, 14 March 2011 15:58 (thirteen years ago) link
btw Paraiso is my favorite Hosono album - but if you like the non-standard/Monad period, please find the soundtrack he did for Nokto de la Galaskia Fervojo, it's seriously amazing in all the ways Hosono usually is. It's one of the coldest sounding albums I own.
― frogbs, Monday, 14 March 2011 16:00 (thirteen years ago) link
Also, maybe check out Sakamoto's 1000 Knives record.
― MaresNest, Monday, 14 March 2011 16:01 (thirteen years ago) link
Love to hear those YEN comps.
― MaresNest, Monday, 14 March 2011 16:02 (thirteen years ago) link
listening to Ongaku Zukan on your rec btw, frogbs — thanks! I already loved this album so hearing the Japan-only tracks is like finding a secret level in a video game I've played 100 times
― corey, Monday, 14 March 2011 16:03 (thirteen years ago) link
Yeah I had a feeling I would struggle to find stuff that sounded just like YMO. It was an amazing moment when I discovered all the Yukihiro albums, like I'd found another batch of lost YMO classics from that great period. I couldn't believe I'd never heard Drip Dry Eyes before. Tomorrow's Just Another Day is probably my favourite album of that run, the production is insane. They were all pretty easy to get on vinyl too unlike a lot of the albums from this scene.
Philharmony was the Hosono album I tried, it was nice enough but not really something I would listen to a lot. I am quite a big Eno fan but as you can probably guess it's the four vocal based albums from his 70's period that I love him for. If there's anymore of Hosono's albums that are slightly poppier or more song based I would give them a go.
I will give Left Handed Dream a listen, I love that artwork. Are those Yen compilations easy to track down?
― Kitchen Person, Monday, 14 March 2011 16:10 (thirteen years ago) link
Not heard anything by Sadistic Mika Band. I get the impression the stuff they all released in the 70's is quite different. I listened to the first Yukihiro album Savannah and I just didn't like it at all, it was almost easy listening Muzak.
― Kitchen Person, Monday, 14 March 2011 16:13 (thirteen years ago) link
It's kind of funny, Hosono had the same type of 'pop' phase but his was more exotica/tropical stuff. His albums with Happy End are really good. I understand if you didn't like Philharmony but can you at least admit that "Sports Man" and "LDK" are first-rate? ;)
A good reference is this:http://technopop.info/
BTW I would be all for some kind of Japanese New Wave listening club similar to the Krautrock one. I mean that page above lists hundreds of albums and nearly half of them seem to have some link to YMO
― frogbs, Monday, 14 March 2011 16:23 (thirteen years ago) link
corey - I was pretty surprised as well to find that the U.S. release cuts off half of the tracks, and also to realize that "Field Work" and "Steppin' Into Asia" didn't really fit with it at all. Sadly few outside of Japan seem to know about it. It sucks because "Replica" is my favorite RS track (at least, according to iTunes)
― frogbs, Monday, 14 March 2011 16:26 (thirteen years ago) link
iTunes says my most-played RS track is "Dolphins"
― corey, Monday, 14 March 2011 16:42 (thirteen years ago) link
BTW, just discovered that if you have access to the Japanese iTunes store, there are oodles of Playing the Piano Live concerts available from the past three years, including the ones he did on his swing through North America this past year. Just downloaded the Toronto show. They're only 1500 yen too, which makes them cheaper than most of the albums on the Japanese store!
― Sean Carruthers, Monday, 14 March 2011 17:52 (thirteen years ago) link
I hate to be negative, but I really dislike the piano versions of his older songs — it makes me think of when someone orchestrates the music from the Final Fantasy games. Chintzy and artificial the originals sounds might be, they're a huge part of why I enjoy this music so much, and piano versions just turn them into elevator music imo.
― corey, Monday, 14 March 2011 17:59 (thirteen years ago) link
Can see that, sure, but I actually like 'em a lot myself. Have really been enjoying a lot of other piano-based work like Olafur Arnalds and Max Richter etc, and so sometimes these versions really connect with me in a way that some of the 80s and 90s version don't. For example, the original "Amore" was a sophistopop high-gloss thing, but the piano version is quite moody. Not sure how much of this is just my love for the sound of the piano and how much of it is the rearrangement of the songs, though.
― Sean Carruthers, Monday, 14 March 2011 18:03 (thirteen years ago) link
"Amore", yep, that's the track, thank you
― frogbs, Monday, 14 March 2011 18:05 (thirteen years ago) link
Found this while perusing the information superhighway.
http://mutant-sounds.blogspot.com/2008/01/vatokyo-mobile-musiclp1982uk.html
― MaresNest, Monday, 14 March 2011 22:37 (thirteen years ago) link
been distantly aware of this dude for a really long time and finally picked something up last week and i'm pretty into it! that Left Handed Dream one frogbs mentioned. excellent investment! ($0.49 x 25% employee discount iirc)
― arby's, Monday, 14 March 2011 22:45 (thirteen years ago) link
Playing the Piano is lovely
― gravity tractor VS asteroid B612 (m coleman), Monday, 14 March 2011 23:56 (thirteen years ago) link
Just had a listen to Beauty again; yep, "Amore" is definitely a beautiful tune, but this album is really wonky as a whole - "Rose Music" just irritates me.
If you want to hear the difference between Sakamoto and Hosono, listen to both versions of the Okinawan folk song "Asatoya Yunta" (on the albums Beauty and Paraiso). Sakamoto's is very crisp, precise, and beautiful, while Hosono's is surreal and exotic, to the point where it sounds like the vocals were recorded backwards. I love both versions but Hosono's is really something special.
― frogbs, Tuesday, 15 March 2011 14:04 (thirteen years ago) link
OoooOOOooooh this has "War Head" on it!! Really wish he wrote more songs like that!!!
― frogbs, Wednesday, 16 March 2011 17:43 (thirteen years ago) link
yeah — it's like the loopiest songs from Multiplies with awesome synth sounds
― corey, Wednesday, 16 March 2011 18:05 (thirteen years ago) link
http://nonukes2012.jp/en/
― Milton Parker, Tuesday, 10 July 2012 05:33 (eleven years ago) link
That is a lineup worthy of international attention
Also think it's going to be the first time sakamoto and otomo yoshihide have collaborated
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/fm20120705a1.html#.T_u_dRB5lP4
― Milton Parker, Tuesday, 10 July 2012 05:41 (eleven years ago) link
I mean, was
And I guess I mean: I'm surprised to have only found out about a kraftwerk / ymo concert the week after it happens
― Milton Parker, Tuesday, 10 July 2012 06:01 (eleven years ago) link
http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120717a1.html#.UASBKhB5mSM
― Milton Parker, Monday, 16 July 2012 21:04 (eleven years ago) link
Ha ha -- I get what you're saying but I like Toop and think he generally includes enough specifics and substance to warrant (or at least mitigate) the florid poesy. I have also found that Sakamoto's passing seemed to hit a lot of people surprisingly hard -- and not just the friend of mine who literally called me in tears when he found out!
― Naive Teen Idol, Wednesday, 26 April 2023 15:10 (eleven months ago) link
this track here always makes me really emotional. it's not even on the Ongaku Zukan LP proper, you have to get the original with the bonus 12" to get it (or just get the CD). the way the icy synths come in 2/3rds of the way and just completely change the tune always makes me get chills. that's the kind of trick groups like Underworld and Orbital used to pull off in the 90's. wouldn't be surprised to find out it's just a chill version of one of his advertising jingles
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0I59rqjeSUo
― frogbs, Friday, 28 April 2023 04:19 (eleven months ago) link
I went to see Suga last night with my partner, and I was surprised by a nice tribute to Sakamoto when they played a personal recording of Suga with Sakamoto at what appeared to be his home. Sakamoto plays something on the piano while Suga looks on - he then smiles at the camera, gets up and the two share a warm embrace.
It was a very young crowd that seemed concentrated around the teens and early 20's, and several fans behind us didn't even know Sakamoto had died. I forgot the two collaborated, and it seemed to emphasize the impact these cross-generational collaborations can have on both sides of the equation - I got the impression most of the fans probably knew Sakamoto only through Suga, i.e. at minimum their collaboration has become their gateway to him, and it was clear Suga had a tremendous amount of respect for Sakamoto's work.
― birdistheword, Friday, 28 April 2023 16:16 (eleven months ago) link
what a wonderful song, frogbs -- i had no idea Replica and マ・メール・ロワ after it were bonus tracks on Ongaku Zukan! i've listened to that record 10000 times and always thought it closed so strongly and poignantly with the children's choir and koto of マ・メール・ロワ.
― slumpy, Monday, 1 May 2023 06:43 (ten months ago) link
I've been listening to Esperanto this morning. How on earth was this made in 1985? I can't think of many albums that sound as ahead of their time as this.
― kitchen person, Monday, 1 May 2023 14:32 (ten months ago) link
YT is still bringing up Sakamoto (and Takahashi) things for me to check out, I keep happily clicking, this is lovely...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UxD4141Pyl0
― MaresNest, Saturday, 6 May 2023 21:37 (ten months ago) link
What a fantastic arrangement! It nearly brought tears to my eyes. I wonder if a recording is available on CD.
― Vast Halo, Saturday, 6 May 2023 22:14 (ten months ago) link
Ryuichi’s Last Playlist. We would like to share the playlist that Ryuichi had been privately compiling to be played at his own funeral to accompany his passing. He truly was with music until the very end.- skmt managementhttps://t.co/QPeSnthq9p pic.twitter.com/lK7B2ltUM9— ryuichi sakamoto (@ryuichisakamoto) May 15, 2023
― 龜, Monday, 15 May 2023 13:57 (ten months ago) link
Spooky to look at the "date added" column. Seems he was putting it together right on Spotify (mostly last June) and they just now set it to public.
― maf you one two (maffew12), Monday, 15 May 2023 14:12 (ten months ago) link
Here's a nice compilation of various piano cameos on his Sound Street show on NHK from 1982-85
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4tS8KJv5Ss
― MaresNest, Saturday, 10 June 2023 23:39 (nine months ago) link
He breaks into the sequencer riff of DAF's El Que for a sec at one point, which is mad.
― MaresNest, Saturday, 10 June 2023 23:41 (nine months ago) link
A lengthy tribute collection came out recently:
https://microambientmusic.bandcamp.com/album/all-micro-ambient-music-5-disc-set
And there's a forthcoming live event that will be streamed as well:
https://microambientmusic.peatix.com/
Details:
AUG 24In Memoriam Ryuichi Sakamoto Micro Ambient Music 'Improvisation for serenity'(Thu) 18:00 (8 days) | online | By RITTOR BASEEvent detailsIn memory of Ryuichi Sakamoto, who passed away in March, a compilation album entitled "Micro Ambient Music" was released on 13 July on bandcamp. Although the reputation of Ryuichi tends to be biased towards his work with YMO and in the field of film music, it is also true that the true value of his ideas and music can be found in his works from the 21st century onwards. This compilation album is a total of 41 musicians from Japan and abroad who were closely associated with Ryuichi in his later years. The sound of the album is a total of 3 hours 56 minutes of music.The bandcamp distribution is limited to 31 October, but in order to bring the sound to as many listeners as possible, it has been decided that live performances will be held by the Tokyo-based musicians who participated in this work over two days from 24-25 August. Three groups each day, six artists in total, will perform with a theme of 'Improvisation for serenity'. Duos performing in unusual combinations. After the performance, there will be an after-talk by the participating musicians, so don't miss it.The part of the proceeds will be donated to Trees for Sakamoto.Participating artists24 Aug (Thu)Tetuzi Akiyama Tomoyoshi DateKo Ishikawa Chihei HatakeyamaSachiko M Kazuya MatsumotoOtomo Yoshihide (after-talk only)Friday 25 AugustTomotsugu Nakamura SawakoYui Onodera Ken IkedaToshimaru Nakamura Yumiko Tanaka (photo: asanao Matsumoto) Takashi Kokubo (ambient sound provided during live transitions on both days)<Ryuichi Sakamoto Micro Ambient Music "Improvisation for serenity" in memory of Ryuichi Sakamoto.Date: 24 (Thu) - 25 (Fri) August 2023, both days open 17:45 start 18:00Venue: Ochanomizu RITTORE BASE Ochanomizu Christian Centre B1, 2-1 Kanda Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0062 Venue map (2 min walk from Ochanomizu Station on JR Chuo/Sobu Line, 3 min walk from Ochanomizu Station on Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line, 3 min walk from B1 exit of Shin-Ochanomizu Station on Chiyoda Line)■Attendance ticket at the venue: General/4,400 yen, Students/3,300 yen (archived viewing of the two days is also available).Capacity: 30 people on both days. Doors open 15 minutes before the start of the performance and people enter in order of ticket number.Tickets to watch the archived broadcast: ¥3,300 for adults, ¥2,200 for students (archived viewing of the two days is available).Archived viewing deadline: 31 August 2023, 23:00.(Timetable)Thursday, 24 August18:00 - 18:35 Tetuzi Akiyama + Tomoyoshi Date18:45 - 19:20 Ko Ishikawa + Chihei Hatakeyama19:30 - 20:05 Sachiko M + Kazuya Matsumoto20:05 - After Talk: Otomo Yoshihide + Date Hakkin "Ryuichi Sakamoto's Music after 2000".Friday 25 August18:00 - 18:35 Tomotsugu Nakamura + Sawako18:45 - 19:20 Yui Onodera + Ken Ikeda19:30 - 20:05 Yumiko Tanaka + Toshimaru Nakamura20:05 - After Talk: Yumiko Tanaka + Hiji Hatakeyama + Hakkin Date "On Japanese and Western music, improvisation and notation".
Event detailsIn memory of Ryuichi Sakamoto, who passed away in March, a compilation album entitled "Micro Ambient Music" was released on 13 July on bandcamp. Although the reputation of Ryuichi tends to be biased towards his work with YMO and in the field of film music, it is also true that the true value of his ideas and music can be found in his works from the 21st century onwards. This compilation album is a total of 41 musicians from Japan and abroad who were closely associated with Ryuichi in his later years. The sound of the album is a total of 3 hours 56 minutes of music.
The bandcamp distribution is limited to 31 October, but in order to bring the sound to as many listeners as possible, it has been decided that live performances will be held by the Tokyo-based musicians who participated in this work over two days from 24-25 August. Three groups each day, six artists in total, will perform with a theme of 'Improvisation for serenity'. Duos performing in unusual combinations. After the performance, there will be an after-talk by the participating musicians, so don't miss it.
The part of the proceeds will be donated to Trees for Sakamoto.
Participating artists24 Aug (Thu)Tetuzi Akiyama Tomoyoshi DateKo Ishikawa Chihei HatakeyamaSachiko M Kazuya MatsumotoOtomo Yoshihide (after-talk only)
Friday 25 AugustTomotsugu Nakamura SawakoYui Onodera Ken IkedaToshimaru Nakamura Yumiko Tanaka (photo: asanao Matsumoto)
Takashi Kokubo (ambient sound provided during live transitions on both days)
<Ryuichi Sakamoto Micro Ambient Music "Improvisation for serenity" in memory of Ryuichi Sakamoto.Date: 24 (Thu) - 25 (Fri) August 2023, both days open 17:45 start 18:00Venue: Ochanomizu RITTORE BASE Ochanomizu Christian Centre B1, 2-1 Kanda Surugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 101-0062 Venue map (2 min walk from Ochanomizu Station on JR Chuo/Sobu Line, 3 min walk from Ochanomizu Station on Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line, 3 min walk from B1 exit of Shin-Ochanomizu Station on Chiyoda Line)■Attendance ticket at the venue: General/4,400 yen, Students/3,300 yen (archived viewing of the two days is also available).Capacity: 30 people on both days. Doors open 15 minutes before the start of the performance and people enter in order of ticket number.Tickets to watch the archived broadcast: ¥3,300 for adults, ¥2,200 for students (archived viewing of the two days is available).Archived viewing deadline: 31 August 2023, 23:00.
(Timetable)Thursday, 24 August18:00 - 18:35 Tetuzi Akiyama + Tomoyoshi Date18:45 - 19:20 Ko Ishikawa + Chihei Hatakeyama19:30 - 20:05 Sachiko M + Kazuya Matsumoto20:05 - After Talk: Otomo Yoshihide + Date Hakkin "Ryuichi Sakamoto's Music after 2000".Friday 25 August18:00 - 18:35 Tomotsugu Nakamura + Sawako18:45 - 19:20 Yui Onodera + Ken Ikeda19:30 - 20:05 Yumiko Tanaka + Toshimaru Nakamura20:05 - After Talk: Yumiko Tanaka + Hiji Hatakeyama + Hakkin Date "On Japanese and Western music, improvisation and notation".
― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 12 August 2023 16:18 (seven months ago) link
(Quick check confirms the streaming price is about $23 so I'd say that was an excellent deal.)
― Ned Raggett, Saturday, 12 August 2023 17:44 (seven months ago) link
https://fruitandgroovescollective.com/2023/08/29/ryuichi-sakamotos-final-performances-captured-for-concert-film/
― MaresNest, Tuesday, 29 August 2023 20:43 (seven months ago) link
Just saw the Sakamoto Coda doc. Some of it is a sad look at him struggling with throat cancer and just eating and drinking. Some fascinating sections showing him creating music. The doc only briefly nods back to the past so you don’t get to understand how this guy talking about Bach is also a guy who played on a cover of Archie Bell & the Drells and on YMO songs.
― curmudgeon, Monday, 4 December 2023 20:14 (three months ago) link
Left Handed Dream sort of fulfills my long-time wish for an album that would take the vibe of the more windswept and fabular John Wesley Harding tunes (As I Went Out One Morning, All Along the Watchtower, The Wicked Messenger, etc) and stretch them across a whole LP length.
One of the modi operandi for Left Handed Dream was to keep the lyrics extremely simple, at least as regards the language, if not the import/impact/meaning of the songs. Perhaps because Mr. "Music Plans" Sakamoto himself was not up to the task, he outsourced, and trusted the right people with the job. I love the lyrics to these songs. Here are English renditions of the five in Japanese.
...
Boku no Kakera (Fragments of Me) (words by Shigesato Itoi)
Let's lift them up:these fragments of me.Thank you forthese fragments of you.
Saru to Yuki to Gomi no Kodomo (Children of the Monkey, Snow, and Trash) (words by Shigesato Itoi)
The monkey's house iswhere the monkey lives.The monkey's fatherand the monkey's mother,the monkey's children."I love you."The monkey's house isencircled by the woods.
The snow's house is where the snow falls.The snow's fatherand the snow's mother,the snow's children."I love you."The snow's house isencircled by the sky.
The trash's houseis where the trash lives.The trash's fatherand the trash's mother,the trash's children."I love you."The trash's house isencircled by the soil.
Float. Floating.Tomorrowfloats too.Tomorrowis floating.
Green.Blue.Blueis green.The light is radiant, isn't it?
The flower's house iswhere the flower lives.The flower's fatherand the flower's mother,the flower's children."I love you."The flower's house isencircled by the sky.
Bloom.Bloom.Tomorrowwill bloom too.Tomorrowis blooming.
(Repeat first verse)
Kachakucha Nee (An Irritating Mess) (words by Akiko Yano, in the Tsugaru dialect spoken where she grew up)
What a mess we're in. What an irritating mess we're in.Let's bear up under it already.
Living in the Dark (words by Tetsuro Kashibuchi, Moonriders' drummer)
(Verse 1)A dreamstorm crumbling to dustA sandstorm raging past (x2)
(Verse 2)The color of gold callingArriving in paradise at last (x2)
(Chorus 1)The birds are going tooFlocking togetherRingingThe song of the earth
(Verse 3)Drawing a circle with the inner eyeDriving away illusions (x2)
(Chorus 2)BoundlesslyFar awayAlive for the sake ofRapture
(Verse 4)A dreamstorm crumbling to dust
(Chorus 3)The birds are going tooFlocking togetherRingingThe song of the earth
(Verse 5)A sandstorm raging past
(Chorus 4)BoundlesslyFar awayAlive for the sake ofRapture
(Verse 6)The color of gold calling
(Chorus 5)The birds are going tooFlocking togetherRingingThe song of the earth
(Verse 7)Arriving in paradise at last
(Chorus 6)BoundlesslyFar awayAlive for the sake ofRapture
(Verse 8)Drawing a circle with the inner eye
(Chorus 7)The birds are going too
Venezia (words by Tetsuro Kashibuchi)
The beautiful boyin a desolate castle,wearing his armor,basks in the sun.
Red rose, Venezia!Country eternal, Venezia!Castle of sand, Venezia!Country eternal, Venezia!
In springtime they gambol,the old noblemen,out in the moorland parading their horsesand coughing up blood in the thickets of heath.
― TheNuNuNu, Wednesday, 7 February 2024 18:22 (one month ago) link
Akiko Yano otm on that one
― frogbs, Wednesday, 7 February 2024 18:48 (one month ago) link
Agreed. And she did the words for Tell It to Me too!
― TheNuNuNu, Wednesday, 7 February 2024 19:05 (one month ago) link
But the softly-spoken words to Boku no Kakera, set to that eerie music, hit pretty hard too.
― TheNuNuNu, Wednesday, 7 February 2024 19:09 (one month 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
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
This was an amazing recommendation. I am not often blown away on first listen. Echoes of early Leonard Cohen (!) and Syd Barrett (!!!). As NTI says, this is absolutely the place to go for those who can't get enough of Forbidden Colours, Bamboo Houses, or Bamboo Music. (And where hence? Are there more Sakamoto-orbit albums/songs that explore these particular woods?)
― TheNuNuNu, Friday, 9 February 2024 16:09 (one month ago) link
interesting bit in the recent Mouse on Mars interview:
One of the many distinct ingredients within Idiology is the distortion that drives immediate standouts like the noise-punk single “Actionist Respoke.” Ryuichi Sakamoto’s reps actually reached out to the duo around this time to ask if they could produce a similar beat for the composer. Since it was more of a work-for-hire situation than a proper collaboration, they politely declined and were surprised to hear a similar technique surface on Sakamoto’s next pop record.“They basically reconstructed the beat from ‘Actionist Respoke’,” explains St. Werner. “It made me laugh because it was so cleanly distorted. I thought, ‘Oh God, they put [the song] through some distortion device and obviously used pedals or plugins.’”
“They basically reconstructed the beat from ‘Actionist Respoke’,” explains St. Werner. “It made me laugh because it was so cleanly distorted. I thought, ‘Oh God, they put [the song] through some distortion device and obviously used pedals or plugins.’”
anyone know what track St. Werner is referring to here? the Actionist Respoke single came out in early 2001...Sakamoto was pretty much done making pop by that point, so I am guessing this is Chasm, which I suppose is as much as "pop record" as you'll get out of him in the 21st Century. so then the track must be "Coro"?
― frogbs, Tuesday, 13 February 2024 23:30 (one month ago) link
Nice to see an upgraded version of this, wonder if he was a fan of Cabaret Voltaire
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Quev-hsqR9w
― Maresn3st, Sunday, 18 February 2024 13:47 (one month ago) link
I know he was a fan of Throbbing Gristle.
― The British Boy of Film Classification (Tom D.), Sunday, 18 February 2024 13:51 (one month ago) link
This is quite quite lovely
https://x.com/istevejansen/status/1759165971690815719?s=46&t=byMYjCp2JCdH5mkSaZqRBQ
― X-Prince Protégé (sonnyboy), Sunday, 18 February 2024 15:09 (one month ago) link
The other day I decided to figure out where exactly Hosono's guest appearance on the Thousand Knives version of Thousand Knives happens -- he's credited with finger cymbals. Knowing Hosono's sense of humor I figured he'd show up for one clink and then back right out, but no, he's actually quite prominent from about 7:30 through the end!
― TheNuNuNu, Saturday, 16 March 2024 13:09 (one week ago) link