Tag: Ryuichi Sakamoto

World Citizen (I Won’t Be Disappointed)

‘a conscience that will keep me wide awake’

In 2002 Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi joined forces to form a new duo outfit which they dubbed Sketch Show. It was a surprise move that delighted fans of Yellow Magic Orchestra. In particular, the project tempted Hosono back into pop territory that he had rarely inhabited since the intense but relatively brief YMO heyday from their 1978 eponymous debut to 1983’s Service.

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Grains (sweet paulownia wood)

‘put a crown upon his head’

The collaboration between Ryuichi Sakamoto and Alva Noto, alias German electronics pioneer Carsten Nicolai, began with the album Vrioon in 2002. When the pair first met, Ryuichi was engaged in a bossa nova project with Jaques and Paula Morelenbaum which probably couldn’t be farther removed from the music that they would make together. ‘I like collaborating with people who have something I don’t have – a skill, an idea,’ said Sakamoto. ‘I’m always looking for something surprising – like everyone else, I need inspiration and triggers. Listening to new things, looking for new sounds has become part of my nature. And I think that’s why you collaborate – to stay open. Unexpected things happen and you must be very flexible. You can of course hide by yourself, digging into your inner depths – we all need that kind of space sometimes. But working with other people’s ideas and artistic presentation can be so enriching.’

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Salvation

‘realising emotions in music’

An article was posted on Ryuichi Sakamoto’s official website under the heading: ‘Sakamoto has successfully ended his tour of the world.’ The text was a short message from the artist himself:

‘Our world tour which started in June has finally come to a close, ending in Osaka on September 1. Although only a week has passed since this last show, I am still feeling a bit burned out.

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Midnight Sun

‘finding common vocabulary’

Dead Bees on a Cake opens with the album’s longest track, ‘I Surrender’, a song David Sylvian said ‘encapsulates the theme of the album’, being – as he described it – ‘love, devotion and divine intoxication.’ Embraced by a golden glow of inner-longings fulfilled, we are transported to a place where finally ‘the stars are all aligned’ and bookish enquiry is cast away in favour of first-hand experience: ‘“Come find the meaning of the word inside of me.”.’

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Life, Life

‘life and death and memories’

‘There have been exceptional times when making music hasn’t been possible,’ reflected Ryuichi Sakamoto in a 2018 interview. ‘Right after 9/11, for example, I couldn’t make any music for a month. The same happened after the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan, in 2011. And, obviously, when I got cancer, too. Otherwise, yeah, every single day I listen to music, think about music, play the piano and the synthesiser and I get through cups and cups of coffee.’

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