And let’s end with a Kirin Lager ad, in which YMO reunite and perform an interesting rendition of Rydeen.
A glimpse of what Ryuichi, Yuki, and Harry look like circa 2007.
Jools Holland “interviews” Haruomi Hosono, 1984. But mostly, Harry just demonstrates how to program a basic synth groove.
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
Rydeen by Yellow Magic Orchestra
Figurines designed after classic YMO uniforms.
1000 Knives by Yellow Magic Orchestra (live, 1979)
[Flash 9 is required to listen to audio.]
Technopolis by Yellow Magic Orchestra
Computer Games/Firecracker by Yellow Magic Orchestra
Yellow Magic Orchestra formed in Japan in 1978, pioneering the “technopop” genre that took the country by storm throughout the 1980s. Ryuichi Sakamoto, the band’s keyboardist, is perhaps its best known member. Though the band separated in 1984, he continues to have a healthy solo career, collaborating with musicians in countless other genres, and scoring feature films. Their bassist, Haruomi Hosono, is best known outside of YMO for his early 1970s folk band Happy End, whose song “Kaze Wo Atsumete” appeared in the 2003 film Lost In Translation. Yukihiro Takahashi, YMO’s drummer and vocalist, also maintains a solo career, his last album Blue Moon Blue having been released in 2006.
YMO’s music has been an inspiration to countless artists: composers, fashion designers, visual artists, video game developers, science fiction authors, and so on. Their music has been particularly important for the development of ideas about the future, what it will look like and sound like, what its worries and concerns will be.
Anyway, here goes…
