The last emperor...

Ryuichi Sakamoto was a Japanese singer-songwriter whose particularity is to have had a certain… Claude Debussy as a master thinker !

He will be successful on the one hand with his group Yellow Magic Orchestra and on the other hand solo with songs that have become cult.

It all started in the 1970s when he joined the University of Arts and Music in Tokyo, where he studied composition, electronic and tribal music in particular.

But it was in 1978 that things took off when he created with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi the Yellow Magic Orchestra, a legendary group that would become one of the biggest references in electronic music of the late 1970s.

They will produce big hits like "Yellow magic (tong poo)", "Computer game/Firecracker" and "Behind the mask" in 1978, "Technopolis" and "Ryden" in 1979, "Nice age" in 1980, "Ongaku" in 1983 ...

"Behind the mask" will also be considered as one of the founding pieces of the future Techno movement which will be the major current of the 90s.

He released his first solo album "Thousand knives of Ryuichi Sakamoto" in 1978, a subtle blend of traditional Japanese influences and cutting-edge electronic music. Followed in 1980 by "B-2 Unit" from which will be extracted the enormous "Riot in Lagos", an almost original piece of Electro-Funk.

This is also the moment when he begins a long-lasting collaboration with David Sylvian, singer with the extraordinary personality of the group Japan. With which he will record one of the most incredible tracks of the 80s, namely "Forbidden colors", sung version of the track "Merry Christmas Mr Laurence", the flagship track of the soundtrack of the film Furyo.

But he will also collaborate with others like David Byrne, Thomas Dolby and other Iggy Pop.

He will release other albums such as "Illustrated musical Encyclopedia" in 1983, "Futurista" in 1986, "Beauty" in 1989. And many others in the 90s, 2000s, 2010s...

An exceptionally talented artist who will leave us definitively on March 28, 2023 at the age of 71 following cancer.

To discover or rediscover...

Discography (among others ...) :

70s Decade :

Thousand knives 1978
Das neue japanische elektronische volkslied 1978

80s Decade :

Riot in Lagos 1980
War head 1980
Front line 1981
The garden of poppies 1981
Living in the dark 1981
Once in a lifetime 1982
Just about enough 1982
Merry Christmas Mr Laurence 1983
The seed and the sower 1983
Coda 1983
Field work 1985
A rain song 1985
Steppin' into Asia 1985
Royal Space Force : The wings of Honnêamise (Theme) 1986
Kohdo kogen 1986
G.T. 1986
Ballet mécanique 1986
The last emperor (Theme) 1987
Risky 1987
Okinawa song 1987
Before long 1987
Compute, compute, compute 1987
Calling from Tokyo 1989
A pile of time 1989

90s Decade :

We love you 1990
Sheltering sky 1990
High tide 1991
Heartbeat 1992
High heels (Main Theme) 1992
Wuthering heights (Main Theme) 1992
Wild palms (Theme) 1993
Little buddha (Main Theme) 1994
Little Budha (Acceptance) 1994
Moving on 1994
Water's edge 1994
Bibo no aozora 1995
Dennogiwa 1995
Self portrait 1996
The other side of love 1997
Salvation 1997
Snake eyes (Main Theme) 1998
Opus 1998
Distant echo 1998
Love is the devil (Bathroom) 1998
Gohatto 1999
Poppoya 1999
Life in progress 1999

2000s Decade :

Lack Of Love (Dream) 2000
Femme Fatale (Bolerish) 2002
Derrida (Jd022) 2002
Alexei And The Spring (Opening) 2002
Dawn 2002
Sunset 2002
Mpata 2002
Elephant dance 2002
Trioon I 2003
Seven Samurai 20XX 2004
I won't be disappointed 2004
Seven samurai (Ending theme) 2004
Shining boy & Little Randy 2005
Tony Takitani 2005
Dawn Of Mana (Ending Theme) 2006
Silk (Opening) 2007
Women without men 2009
Hibari 2009
Nostalgia 2009

2010s Decade :

Harakiri (Death of a samurai) 2012
Still life in A 2012
I have to buy new shoes (Kitchen) 2012
Nagasaki : Memories Of My Son (Title) 2015
Nagasaki : Memories Of My Son (Ghost) 2015
The revenant (Main Theme) 2016
Rage (Darkroom) 2016
Rage (Rage) 2016
The Fortress (Kings March) 2017
The Fortress (Traitor) 2017
Andata 2017
Solari 2017
My Tyrano : together, forever (New journey) 2018
Black Mirror (Meditation) 2019
Proxima (Launch) 2019

2020s Decade :

Minamata (Theme) 2020
Minamata (Landscape) 2020
Beckett (Mountains) 2022
Beckett (End) 2022
Exception (Oxygen) 2022

Yellow Magic Orchestra adventure :

https://www.bestmusic80.com/post/naughty-boys

Tracks :

1978...the very first steps of a gifted musician who, rare thing, will succeed in making the perfect junction between musical influences from his roots and Western influences...

1978... it is clear that at this stage we do not yet see the beneficial effects of this junction but it will come with time, that's for sure...

1980 ... well, it's clear, we are at the very beginning of the 80s. A blessed moment where, on a planetary level, everything is allowed musically speaking. The best and the worst ...

1980 ... this song is already a little more structured. But hey, there's still work to be done, let's give him time ...

1981...ah, there, it sings. And the 'Sakamoto' style is showing up. The young artist is still looking for himself but he will soon find himself...

1981...success grows from year to year in the land of the rising sun, but only there. For the beginning of planetary recognition, we will have to be a little patient...

1981... but what is certain is that this artist has nothing in common with the others. An astonishing inspiration that inevitably produces astonishing pieces...

1982...again a purely instrumental piece. It is true that it is still his business and so we will have to get used to it, that's for sure...

1982 ... we constantly alternate the vocal and the instrumental. This time we face an almost 'normal' song. Like what, when he wants ...

1983 ... then comes the WONDER ! Here he signs one of the most beautiful musical pages of the decade and of the twentieth century altogether. An amazing soundtrack for a cult film that will remain as one of the biggest sensations of the 80s. MA-GIC !

Top Bonus: 1983...the sung version of the wonder. Sakamoto and Sylvian manage to sublimate this title which however was already sufficient in himself. MAS-TER-PIE-CE !

1983...a title which will go much more unnoticed but which is still part of the same soundtrack. Might as well highlight it...

1983...some titles may seem obscure to say the least, but they are also part of the artist's discography. And like that there will be a few...

1985 ... a sequel that he combines at 2 with one of the English sizes of the moment. And the result is up to the task !

1985...an overflowing inspiration that produces titles that are original to say the least. Then we like it or we don't like it, but they at least have the merit of challenging...

1985... which will undoubtedly remain as one of the most emblematic pieces of his discography. And which allows the general public to find their way around a little more than on the others...

1986 ... new soundtrack this time for the film 'Royal Space Force : the wings of Honnêamise'. A soundtrack that has little to do with 'Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence', that's clear ...

1986... the number of titles produced is impressive and it's going to last like that for decades and decades. A truly unique artist...

1986... the instrumental and sung pieces alternate constantly and prove if it were still necessary that his inspiration is most versatile. This is also its strength...

1986...not to mention that he is able to produce titles that fit perfectly with the times and others in an ultra-classical musical format. What talent...

1987 ... when time is suspended as if by magic. Far from his usual delusions, he delivers here a very fine piece. A sumptuous new soundtrack for a film that is no less !

1987 ... new luxury collaboration. Not necessarily the most inspired but we will largely be satisfied with it

1987...a new very subtle blend of diverse and varied musical influences that make this title a real success. Astonishing once again...

1987...another of his reference titles which shows once again that this artist really has talent. A unique model in the empire of the Rising Sun...

1987...an exceptional year in all respects with a number of titles of very high caliber to say the least impressive. But where does he get all that...?

1989...here he arrived at the end of the 80s, an 80s that will have raised him to a level of popularity as he could never have imagined when he started out. A well-deserved success at the highest level...

1989...each title has its own originality and is unlike any other. An ability to constantly reinvent oneself is extremely rare at this level...

1990...a new decade that begins with this title. Will this decade of the 90s be as favorable to the artist as the previous one, good question...

1990...one of its main strengths, among other things, was also to produce soundtracks for films that marked their era. This one won't go unnoticed, that's for sure...

1991...the art of going from one extreme to another. We cannot say that this title resembles its predecessor, it is clear...

1992... here he is again alongside David Sylvian and we know from experience that their collaborations are always very fruitful. Once again the proof with this title...

1992...new film soundtrack this time for Pedro Almodovar's film 'Tacones Lejanos'. A soundtrack that will not remain as the most famous of all but of more than certain interest once again...

1992...another high class soundtrack this time to illustrate the film "Wuthering heigts". Excellent work as always that we will necessarily appreciate at its fair value...

1993...this time he will have worked on the soundtrack of a mini series, a series which will not remain as one of the best known of the time. Hence the fact that this soundtrack will not really be talked about either...

1994... conversely, this soundtrack will definitely make people talking about it. It must be said that the film will be one of the cinematographic events of the year 1994, just like the soundtrack which inevitably accompanies it...

1994... most of the time the very great films are carried by soundtracks worthy of the name. One does not go without the other, that's obvious...

1994... either he sings, or he makes others sing, or nobody sings. With him, it's according to his mood and his desires...

1994...it's the same, on the rhythmic side, he tried everything, from the fastest to the slowest. Rarely has an artist explored so many musical paths during his career...

1995... he will have produced for himself, he will have produced for others, made pop music, made classical music, made soundtracks for films. What talent !

1995...in addition he knows how to perfectly mix modern and ancient influences, Asian influences and Western influences. As a result, this will have given him a range of almost limitless musical possibilities...

1996...a new proof of his multi-influence talent with a classically inspired title that works perfectly. One more will you tell me...

1997...new soundtrack this time for the television series 'Stalker: Nigekirenu ai'. Soundtracks that will rhyme most of the time with finesse and lightness...

1997...pure moments of Classical music as we like them. A know-how in this field which will always remain one of his greatest talents...

1998...new soundtrack this time for the movie 'Snake eyes'. A film that brings together what is being done best at that time as much at the level of the director, as actors or composer of soundtracks. The total as they say !

1998 ... it is clear that the 90s will have been much less pop than the previous one concerning him. A reorientation assumed but which will have marginalized him somewhat...

1998... it is clear that each musician has his 'periods' as they say. He is rather in an introspective and more restrained phase than before...

1998...the 90s will also be a very soundtrack-oriented decade of all kinds. This time he musically illustrates the film 'Love is the devil : study for a portrait of Francis Bacon'. A film that will not stay in history as one of the masterpieces of the decade...

1999...new soundtrack this time to illustrate the film of the same name. A film whose fame will hardly go beyond the borders of the land of the Rising Sun...

1999...new soundtrack for the film of the same name. Film which will know its hour of glory in Japan this year but only there...

1999...a decade that ends with this new opus. A decade that will have seen the artist looking for himself and above all looking for new musical paths...

2000...here it is now delivering credits for video games. This will be the case for the game 'Lack of love', a first in this area and certainly not the last...

2002...he puts the cover back for a film by Brian de Palma. After 'Snake eyes', he illustrates here musically speaking the film 'Femme fatale' and proves once again that he has lost none of his talent in this area at the beginning of the 2000s...

2002...here he illustrates a documentary about the French philosopher Jacques Derrida. His soundtrack will stay in history more than the documentary itself, that's for sure...

2002...still excellent work as usual but with him nothing surprising. Always so inspired, always so effective...

2002...return in pure instrumental version. He loves to alternate styles and diverse and varied sounds and the result is up to par as always...

2002... what is certain is that the words will increasingly fade away in favor of pure instrumental or pure classical. It is him who sees as they say...

2002 ... it is also normal that after 30 years of career an artist changes and evolves towards musical paths that he had not or little explored ...

2002...certainly, we are not going to lie to each other, the best years are now behind him. But what he continues to offer is far from devoid of interest, that's clear...

2003...the production of titles is less eclectic and less varied, but the number of titles produced is still, to say the least, impressive. Hope it lasts...

2004...new video game credits this time for the game 'Seven Samurai 20XX'. Very few composers of his caliber will have dared to venture so often into this kind of musical field...

2004...and here are the 2 accomplices reunited once again and who would complain about it. We know that when the 2 meet, something is bound to happen...

2004...return to traditional mode and therefore back to the fundamentals of its early youth. Life is an eternal restart as they say, even at the musical level...

2005...it's been a long time since we had a movie soundtrack, it's now done with this soundtrack of the movie 'Shining boy & Little Randy'. Once again the soundtrack will mark more than the film...

2005...we are witnessing a succession of soundtracks in the middle of the 2000s. This soundtrack of the film 'Tony Takitani' will not remain as his most emblematic but the quality is essential anyway...

2006...new video game credits. The trend of this decade for pure and hard instrumentals is confirmed year after year and is not ready to stop...

2007...he is now working for the movie 'Silk'. Most of the films for which he will have composed during this decade will not have met with the expected success but no matter, for him the important thing is to simply compose...

2009...a 2000 decade which will not remain as its reference decade but it doesn't matter what matters is that he is still there. And the adventure is far from over, we can trust him...

2009...a last opus to end a decade which will have seen him maintain himself at a more than certain level of quality. This man really has an extraordinary talent...

2009...where most of those who started at the same time as him have already hung up their gloves a long time ago, he is still there in any case. As always, only the most gifted of each generation last, last, last...

2012...the 2010 decade will more or less resemble the 2000 decade. The artist's compositions will be mainly instrumental and the voice will not often have a place...

2012... too bad he didn't try to remain as eclectic as in the past because he knows how to do it. Once again it is him who sees as they say...

2012... back in soundtrack mode this time for the film 'I have to buy new shoes'. Another film that will only be talked about in the Land of the Rising Sun...

2015 ... an inspiration that does not weaken despite the weight of the years and especially the decades. The artist has this incredible ability to be able to maintain a constant quality level and that is not given to everyone...

2015 ... very few composers of his level from the 70s are still active today, it is clear. Which underlines all the more the level of the artist...

2016...new soundtrack and this time a film that will really get people talking. When everything comes together to produce what we do best at the cinematographic and musical level, the result can only be extraordinary...

2016... the soundtracks follow one another at an impressive speed during this decade of 2010. The world of cinema continues to call on him because he knows that his compositions will always be one of the major assets of the films concerned...

2016...who would have thought when he started the crazy adventure of the Yellow Magic Orchestra that he would still be there 40 years later and in a musical register oh so different from the one he will have known at his beginnings. Not many people, that's for sure...

2017...new soundtrack this time to illustrate a South Korean film. Excellent work as usual but with him we know that there are never any bad surprises...

2017...many directors can thank him for providing them with soundtracks of this level. Because the films often don't really have the same level of inspiration...

2017...all in finesse, all in lightness, a constant with him for decades and decades. An inspiration that is constantly renewed and which above all allows him to continue to exist at the highest level...

2017... what is also certain is that the adventure is far from over. When we see what he still manages to produce, we can be reassured about the sequence of events...

2018...he is working here for a Korean-Japanese animated film and as always the result is up to par. But who would dare to doubt it...

2019...he is working here for an event series that will have marked the end of the 2010 decade. Once again the images and the music come together at the highest level...

2019...still just as busy, still just as effective in terms of the results produced. All those who bet on him know that he will provide them with an exceptional product...

2020...and here he is beginning his 6th decade of career, an exceptional longevity to say the least. Exceptional longevity for an artist who is no less...

2020...a new decade identical to the previous ones, namely mainly focused on film soundtracks. A musical field oh so demanding and in which he excels in all respects...

2022... so we imagine that this new soundtrack will surely not be the last. Because we know that with him nothing is ever finished...

2022...a desire to compose that will only stop the day he will disappear. A visceral need to always compose more to have the impression of simply existing...

2022...an exceptional adventure in every way which will unfortunately go no further because destiny will catch up with the artist and take him away definitively in the year that follows. さようなら、ローレンスさん！