Guided by an adherence to a philosophy of “outernationalism”, Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto’s overlooked 1989 record Beauty concluded a pivotal decade of transnational works and collaborations. An audio patchwork tapestry that defies “world music” in its modern conventions, Sakamoto corralled countless collaborators for the sessions (a few including Brian Wilson, Sly Dunbar, Robert Wyatt, Senegalese vocalist Youssou N’Dour, and Arto Lindsay). A self-proclaimed cultural map including Okinawan folk songs and a Rolling Stones cover, Beauty is a spectacle to behold, reaching beyond any regional boundaries.
Category: Ryuichi Sakamoto
Sketch Show :: Audio Sponge
Even for Yellow Magic Orchestra loyalists, the new millennium timing of the short-lived Sketch Show made the project easy to fly under the radar. Audio Sponge is the 2002 debut from duo Hauromi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi. While veering back at seminal influences like Brian Wilson, the mellowness of the compositions here are downright hypnotically restrained; a canopy of soft glitch samples, acousto-electric rhythms and relaxed vocals that simply evaporate as soon as they’re uttered.
Ryuichi Sakamoto :: Coda (1983)
Reissue label Wewantsounds just announced a remastered, worldwide release of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s Coda, also known as the solo piano version of the 1983 soundtrack to Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence plus two bonus tracks based on atmospheric synth pad lines. Acoustically reinterpreted, the multi-award winning and seemingly-grand compositions from the soundtrack are undressed, showcasing Sakamoto’s fundamental skills as an instrumentalist and arranger.