Search: Thousand Knives (!!), B2 Unit (!!), Tokyo Joe, Adventures of Chatran OST, CBL (!!), Disappearance, Cinemage, CM / TV (!! seriously astonishing collection of TV spots and the like), Comica, Derrida OST, Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence OST (!!), Ongaku Zukan, Playing the Piano (extended Japanese version has some worthwhile additions), Smoochy OST, Shining Boy & Little Randy OST (!!), Silk OST (!!), Soundbytes comp (!!), Soundtracks live comp (!!), High Heels OST, UTAU instrumentals disc, Wuthering Heights OST, Year Book 2005-2014, /04 (!!), /05 (!!), 1996 (!! w/ bonus tracks why not)Consider: Chasm (lot of dreck, but some unbelievable stuff on there), BTTB, Casa, A Day in New York, The End Of Asia, Esperanto, Heartbeat (lotta shit, some greatness), Image Sketch, Little Buddha OST, Century of Reform (some dumb arrangement choices but the "Rhodes Version" tracks are top tier new age/ambient), Futurista, Neo Geo, Out Of Noise, Three, Harakiri OST, all of his late period collaborations with western ambient peopleDestroy: Bricolages (mostly boring remixes by other artists), Femme Fatale OST, Summer Nerves, fuckawful Sweet Revenge album (though title track is gold), UTAU, トニー滝谷
and more, but fuck it
― soyrev, Friday, 3 April 2015 15:31 (eight years ago) link
Can anybody help? The music on this vid at 5:15 onwards, I think it is really well known, is it a Sakamoto piece? Killing me...
https://youtu.be/-XVIFadHzZ8?t=5m14s
― MaresNest, Monday, 20 July 2015 11:19 (eight years ago) link
nope, not so well known. seems to be a version of material from Ryuichi's (completely gorgeous) Shining Boy & Little Randy OST. Ryuichi rearranges and re-titles themes all the time in his soundtracks, so without relistening through the whole thing i can't say for sure that this version isn't on the soundtrack itself, but knowing him and the circumstances it's probably one of his self-covers. nobody does a better job of consistently reimagining their own material...
skimming the soundtrack now it sounds like this uses bits and pieces throughout the whole thing, most of which isn't on youtube, but here's the full-blown theme itself
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Cj3Sy1nf1s
― soyrev, Monday, 20 July 2015 11:33 (eight years ago) link
if you dig it, you'd profit well from tracking down as much of his soundtrack work and self-cover albums as you can. it's astonishing how much gutting pentatonic beauty he keeps on deck
― soyrev, Monday, 20 July 2015 11:35 (eight years ago) link
after some more itunes spelunking, the version on the /05 live piano album is closer to what you hear in your video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geDUXEoOCwE
― soyrev, Monday, 20 July 2015 11:40 (eight years ago) link
Thanks so much! I have /05, I quickly zipped through /04 and Playing The Piano but couldn't find it, what a lovely track.
― MaresNest, Monday, 20 July 2015 11:49 (eight years ago) link
nice! the Shining Boy OST, if you don't have it, has some really nice variations on the theme, less over-the-top than the one in that youtube
― soyrev, Monday, 20 July 2015 11:57 (eight years ago) link
I will check it out, I'm def in the mood for some melancholic Sakamoto piano.
― MaresNest, Monday, 20 July 2015 13:01 (eight years ago) link
http://www.factmag.com/2016/02/03/ryuichi-sakamoto-alva-noto-interview/
― lute bro (brimstead), Thursday, 4 February 2016 09:50 (eight years ago) link
New album announced -- sole details in email:
201704282XLP + CD + DIGITAL
2XLP + CD + DIGITAL
A little more at his site:
http://www.sitesakamoto.com/
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 17 January 2017 15:24 (seven years ago) link
geez, what is it??
dude's been incredibly busy with soundtracks and collabs these last 10 years, but as far as actual studio material would this be the first since Out of Noise in 2009?
hard to believe Chasm was 13 years ago. that seemed like such a career-rejuvenating album at the time, like his entire resume on one disc. looking around now it appears the collabs were a bit more famous.
― frogbs, Tuesday, 17 January 2017 15:31 (seven years ago) link
what I mean to say is, if it's anything other than solo piano or glitch-ambient I'll get excited
It's his 65th birthday today!
― Le Bateau Ivre, Tuesday, 17 January 2017 16:12 (seven years ago) link
More piano + glitch?
http://pitchfork.com/news/71081-ryuichi-sakamoto-announces-new-album-async/
― MaresNest, Thursday, 16 March 2017 10:26 (seven years ago) link
The beauty of "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" makes me tear up to this day.
― yesca, Thursday, 16 March 2017 18:49 (seven years ago) link
anyone hear the new one yet?
have just been alerted to the presence of Year Book 2005-2014, a compilation of commissioned work that thus far has gone unreleased. his other commercial music comps have been great so I would guess this one is as well.
― frogbs, Monday, 3 April 2017 15:50 (six years ago) link
Got the new one, and currently on a second listen.
In short, it's fab. Yes, it's ambient/glitch (which may disappoint a few upthread) but with a much less austere tonal palette than the collaboration records (where he was basically adding piano ornaments to other people's dronescapes, not that there's anything wrong with that). It's low key but colourful - lurrrrvely Prophet 5 chords on Zure, for example. And the odd melodic flourish that'll make you well up a bit in places too.
Will see how it plays out over subsequent listens, but I'm loving it so far. What with the Revenant soundtrack being his best OST in years, his post-illness return to work on such stellar form is an inspiring thing to behold.
― bamboohouses, Monday, 3 April 2017 17:24 (six years ago) link
Is there a track with David Sylvian on the new one?..,
― X-Prince Protégé (sonnyboy), Monday, 3 April 2017 22:45 (six years ago) link
new album is pretty amazing
― I got da Midas touch as you fucking were LG x (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Wednesday, 3 May 2017 20:51 (six years ago) link
^i really like the combination of introspective, lyrical piano pieces with sound art tracks on async.
― Alex in Spree-Athen (alex in mainhattan), Monday, 8 May 2017 10:15 (six years ago) link
Great album
― Jay Elettronica Viva (Whiney G. Weingarten), Monday, 8 May 2017 13:32 (six years ago) link
yup
― change display name (Jordan), Monday, 8 May 2017 15:42 (six years ago) link
he's in NYC next weekend for a film retro of his scores
https://quadcinema.com/program/forbidden-colours-ryuichi-sakamoto-at-the-movies/
― Supercreditor (Dr Morbius), Monday, 8 May 2017 15:45 (six years ago) link
The Revenant too recent for a retrospective?
― a landlocked exclave (mh), Monday, 8 May 2017 15:54 (six years ago) link
could be
also an arthouse venue
― Supercreditor (Dr Morbius), Monday, 8 May 2017 16:04 (six years ago) link
true
― a landlocked exclave (mh), Monday, 8 May 2017 16:05 (six years ago) link
while aysnc just breezed by like a cool autumn day on the first few listens, I've recently returned to it and found it to be a stunner. I thought his previous solo album Out of Noise was kind of boring but I really like the "14 flavors of ambient" thing going on here, not to mention how the title/theme "async" manifests itself in several ways. I wish it was a bit more melodic but only because the actual melodies on here are absolutely gorgeous. I like the plinky plonky stuff. Reminds me a bit of The Ship by Eno, not in any thematic way but rather how the openness and sense of space lets you hear the compositions in a number of ways.
― frogbs, Tuesday, 8 May 2018 15:01 (five years ago) link
also it occurred to me that this is sort of a spiritual successor to B-2 Unit and Esperanto in some ways
― frogbs, Tuesday, 8 May 2018 15:02 (five years ago) link
Doco & a concert film coming our way soon, which likely means US/UK audience have already had a chance to see them - any good?
Ryuichi Sakamoto: CODARyuichi Sakamoto: async Live at the Park Avenue Armory
― etc, Monday, 23 July 2018 08:15 (five years ago) link
doc is playing in NY, haven't seen it yet
― the ignatius rock of ignorance (Dr Morbius), Monday, 23 July 2018 10:07 (five years ago) link
There was a one-off showing in DC that I missed. Read that it shows his interest in director Tarkovsky
― curmudgeon, Monday, 23 July 2018 16:53 (five years ago) link
Last fall a friend told me a story about Ryuichi Sakamoto, the renowned musician and composer who lives in the West Village. Mr. Sakamoto, it seems, so likes a particular Japanese restaurant in Murray Hill, and visits it so often, that he finally had to be straight with the chef: He could not bear the music it played for its patrons.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/23/dining/restaurant-music-playlists-ryuichi-sakamoto.html
― o. nate, Tuesday, 24 July 2018 01:03 (five years ago) link
Tony Rayns in sight and sound said:
Moderately interesting but deeply unsatisfying, this not-very-intimate portrait of the musician Sakamoto Ryuichi covers a lot of ground without revealing or even suggesting anything surprising to anyone who has followed Sakamoto’s career... His private life was evidently off-limits: there’s no mention of either of his marriages, or of his reportedly on-going relationship with his manager, with whom he has two children. As far as the film is concerned, Sakamoto lives and works alone...Television’s appetite for films like this one is so voracious that most pass by more or less unexamined; criticism of the form of such ‘arts docs’ remains stuck at a fairly primitive level...Schible’s film is far from the worst offender among recent arts docs, {but while} Its picture of Sakamoto recovering from cancer and getting his musical juices flowing again is mildly diverting, its impact is minimal and its methods are desultory.
His private life was evidently off-limits: there’s no mention of either of his marriages, or of his reportedly on-going relationship with his manager, with whom he has two children. As far as the film is concerned, Sakamoto lives and works alone...
Television’s appetite for films like this one is so voracious that most pass by more or less unexamined; criticism of the form of such ‘arts docs’ remains stuck at a fairly primitive level...
Schible’s film is far from the worst offender among recent arts docs, {but while} Its picture of Sakamoto recovering from cancer and getting his musical juices flowing again is mildly diverting, its impact is minimal and its methods are desultory.
― Britain's Sexiest Cow (jed_), Tuesday, 24 July 2018 01:34 (five years ago) link
actually, I can paste the whole review from a pdf, if you want, but that's pretty much it.
― Britain's Sexiest Cow (jed_), Tuesday, 24 July 2018 01:36 (five years ago) link
fwiw, Rayns had much more interesting things to say about Schrader's First Reformed in the same issue. He didn't like that either.
― Britain's Sexiest Cow (jed_), Tuesday, 24 July 2018 01:39 (five years ago) link
amazing detail in that restaurant music piece:
It was also not very loud, and here we arrive at an issue that may concern older customers more than younger ones. Mr. Sakamoto objects to loud restaurant music, and often uses a decibel meter on his phone to measure the volume of the sound around him.
would love to eat at a restaurant with that playlist tbh.
― Roz, Tuesday, 24 July 2018 04:45 (five years ago) link
I want to eat in that restuarnat the next time I am in NYC
― curmudgeon, Friday, 27 July 2018 04:38 (five years ago) link
that sakamoto dinner time playlist is excellent, by the way.
for those with spotify, search "The Kajitsu Playlist". it's good BGM for dinner, perhaps, but it's also good BGM for wandering around your house and living
― Karl Malone, Friday, 27 July 2018 16:00 (five years ago) link
cool, thx
― sleeve, Friday, 27 July 2018 16:04 (five years ago) link
Saw the film last night in San Francisco, absolutely loved it
― joshywinty (josh), Saturday, 28 July 2018 22:28 (five years ago) link
I saw sakamoto in kajitsu a few years ago! it's a wonderful restaurant.
I can't say I loved the doc, but if you're a fan, I see no reason not to catch it. it's enjoyable. I esp liked the field recording scenes.
not much YMO content tho, it's pretty focused on his solo material and especially the last few years. I caught a Q&A session with RS and the director and they mentioned that interviews with hosono and takahashi specifically conducted for the film were edited out. oof!
― (⊙_⊙?) (original bgm), Thursday, 2 August 2018 18:23 (five years ago) link
Caught 'Coda' on telly last night. A very ambient documentary, no real narrative, just being able to see Sakamoto hunt for and record sounds, playing about in the studio, reminiscing. Needles to say I loved it. What a handsome man he is, too. See this if you can.
Favourite scene: Him trying to get a nice sound on his terrace. He puts a glass vase upside down to record the ticking of the rain drops, but it's not quite what he's after. He then picks up a blue bucket, looks at it for a while, and then puts it on his head, steps outside, and we see him from behind listening to the rain fall on the bucket on his head. Tranquil and endearing.
― lbi's life of limitless european glamour (Le Bateau Ivre), Friday, 7 September 2018 07:33 (five years ago) link
yea I've heard a lot about what this doc *isn't* so I've been wondering what exactly it is. if it's just 2 hours of him messing around i'll still watch it
― frogbs, Friday, 7 September 2018 13:55 (five years ago) link
I saw it a couple of months ago, and I thought it was great. Doesn't interrogate him very hard, but it's a v enjoyable 90 mins of hanging out with an interesting guy who does interesting things in an interesting way.
― bamboohouses, Friday, 7 September 2018 14:47 (five years ago) link
@Britain's Sexiest Cow (jed_)Could you please post the full review of Tony Wayns of Coda? I'm very interested to know what else he said. I searched with Google but could not find the review. Thanks!
― brunhild, Wednesday, 19 September 2018 03:47 (five years ago) link
anybody heard the 2015 deluxe reissue of Ongaku Zukan/Illustrated Musical Encyclopedia? fully loaded with bonus tracks + a whole extra disc of unreleased stuff
― brimstead, Thursday, 25 October 2018 02:24 (five years ago) link
http://www.discogs.com/Ryuichi-Sakamoto-%E9%9F%B3%E6%A5%BD%E5%9B%B3%E9%91%91-Ongaku-Zukan-2015-Edition/release/6830161
― brimstead, Thursday, 25 October 2018 02:25 (five years ago) link
Wow! No, but I want to.
― An Uphill Battle For Legumes (Capitaine Jay Vee), Thursday, 25 October 2018 03:11 (five years ago) link
It's fantastic. Also, weirdly, it's on Spotify (and I presume a bunch of other stream/download sites): https://open.spotify.com/album/2CI4X2v5UpNLxh6RFpspHR?si=YJFSsKveR9Sj-oPc_lZ5OA
The original Ongakuzukan tracklisting is so much better than the Illustrated Musical Encyclopedia version...
― bamboohouses, Thursday, 25 October 2018 07:45 (five years ago) link
It astonishes me that someone with a back catalogue as sprawling as Sakamoto's still has over an hour's worth of unreleased material, makes you wonder how much more there is.
― GG Allin: The Musical (Matt #2), Thursday, 25 October 2018 08:27 (five years ago) link