Ryuichi Sakamoto

Ryuichi Sakamoto (born 17 January 1952, Tokyo) is a musician, composer, producer and actor. The method of composition is highly mathematical and uses graph theory and mathematical logic. Sakamoto was married to Japanese pianist and singer Akiko Yano, collaborating with her on some of her recordings. They divorced in August 2006.

Sakamoto has made a career of crossing musical and technological boundaries and has experimented in many different musical styles. He is known for his popular, orchestral and film music.

He began studying music composition at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music in 1963. He later attended Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, where he gained a BA in composition, and a Masters degree focussed on electronic and ethnic music. In 1977, he began working as a composer, arranger and studio musician.

Sakamoto recorded his first solo album in 1978. That year, he was one of the co founders of the Yellow Magic Orchestra with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, which was an international success. Sakamoto has collaborated with David Sylvian, David Byrne, Fennesz, Towa Tei, Super DJ Dmitry, Thomas Dolby, Bill Laswell, Nam June Paik, Boredoms, Roddy Frame, Iggy Pop, and Caetano Veloso.

In 1983, Sakamoto left YMO to launch his career as a solo artist. That year, he wrote the score for and appeared in the film Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence with Takeshi Kitano and David Bowie. Sakamoto, David Byrne and Cong Su won the Academy Award for their score to the 1987 film The Last Emperor, in which Sakamoto also played a small role. His score won him an Oscar, a Grammy and a Golden Globe.

Sakamoto has scored numerous films including Tacones lejanos; The Little Buddha; Wild Palms; Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon; Snake Eyes; Gohatto, and Femme Fatale.

In 1992, Sakamoto composed the score of the opening ceremony for the Summer Olympic Games in Spain. He has also contributed to several albums by French producer Hector Zazou.

Sakamoto has appeared as a menswear model in a number of magazines. He made his debut as a DJ in 1997 at Stephen Sprouse’s show. 1999 saw his first opera Life, featuring over one hundred performers, including José Carreras, Salif Keita, Bernardo Bertolucci, Salman Rushdie, Pina Bausch, the Dalai Lama and members of the Frankfurt Ballet.

He is a known critic of copyright law, arguing that it is antiquated in the information age.

In 2003, Sakamoto collaborated with Alva Noto (Carsten Nicolai) on Vrioon, an album of Sakamoto's piano clusters treated by Nicolai's digital manipulation, involving micro loops and minimal percussion. This album was voted record of the year 2004 in the electronica category by British magazine The Wire.

Trivia

Sakamoto led a petition with around 75,000 signatures against the Electrical Appliance and Material Safety law, which would have made it difficult to sell pre 2001 items.

Discography

Albums

• Thousand Knives (1978)
• Summer Nerves (1979)
• B2-Unit (1980)
• Left-Handed Dream (1981)
• The Arrangement (1981 - Japanese EP w/Robin Scott)
• Left-Handed Dream (1981 - US version, includes tracks from The Arrangement EP)
• Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983) (soundtrack)
• Coda (1983 - piano versions of Merry Xmas Mr. Lawrence material)
• The End of Asia - with Danceries (1983)
• Ongakuzukan (1984)
• Illustrated Musical Encyclopedia (1985 - UK version of Ongakuzukan w/altered tracklisting)
• Esperanto (1985)
• Futurista [Miraiha Yaro] (1985)
• Media Bahn Live (1986) (Live Album)
• The Adventures Of Chatran [Koneko Monogatari] (1986) (Soundtrack)
• Image Sketch of Aile de Honnéamise (1986)
• Ôritsu uchûgun Oneamisu no tsubasa - Royal Air Force Wings of Honnéamise (1987) (Soundtrack)
• Neo Geo (1987)
• Tokyo Joe (1988)
• The Last Emperor (1988)
• Playing The Orchestra - original limited edition art box version (1988)
• Beauty (1989)
• Gruppo Musicale (1989) (Best of)
• Arrangement - compilation of EPs (1990)
• Sheltering Sky (1990) (Soundtrack)
• Handmaid's Tale (1990) (Soundtrack)
• Heartbeat (1991)
• High Heels (1992) (Soundtrack)
• Wuthering Heights (1992) (Soundtrack)
• El Mar Mediterrani - Barcelona Olympics opening ceremony (1992)
• Better Days of Ryuichi Sakamoto (1992)
• Peach Boy [Momotaro] (1993)
• Wild Palms (1993) (Soundtrack)
• Little Buddha (1993) (Soundtrack)
• Sweet Revenge (1994)
• Soundbytes (1994) (Best of)
• Smoochy (1995)
• 1996 (1996)
• Stalker (1997) (Soundtrack)
• Discord (1997)
• BTTB - original release version (1998)
• Snake Eyes (1998) (Soundtrack)
• Love Is The Devil (1998)
• BTTB - second release version, added tracks (1999)
• Pre L I F E In Progress (1999)
• Raw L I F E: Live in Osaka (1999) (Live Album)
• Raw L I F E: Live in Tokyo (1999) (Live Album)
• Sampled L I F E (1999)
• Gohatto (1999) (Soundtrack)
• Intimate - with Keizo Inoue (1999)
• L I F E (2000)
• Monogatari No Youni Furusato Wa Toi - with Taeko Tomioka (2000)
• Lack of Love - Dreamcast Game (soundtrack) (2000)
• Casa (2001)
• In The Lobby At G.E.H. In London (2001)
• Zero Landmine (2001)
• CM Works (2002) (CM refers to 'commercial music' in Japan)
• Minha Vida Como Un Filme (2002) (Soundtrack)
• Comica (2002)
• Henkaku No Seiki: Century of Reform (2002)
• Elephantism (2002)
• Femme Fatale (2002) (Soundtrack)
• Love (2003)
• Vrioon (2003)
• World Citizen (2003) with David Sylvian
• Derrida (2003)
• Chasm - original Japan version (2004)
• Moto-Tronic (2004)
• /04 (2004)
• Insen (2005) with Alva Noto
• Shining Boy & Little Randy (2005) (Soundtrack)
• Tony Takitani (2005) (Soundtrack)
• /05 (2005)
• Chasm - US version (2005)
• Bricolages (2006)
• cendre (March 2007) collaboration with Fennesz
• Silk (2007) (soundtrack)
• Other works (classical music)
• Suites for Piano (1970)
• Composition for Orchestra (1973)
• La dispersion, la limite, le sable; for piano (1976)
• Repetition and Melody; for chamber orchestra (1976)
• Just for Me; for piano (1981)
• Novel; for mixed choir (1982)
• Cantus omnibus unus; for mixed or equal choir (2005)

External Links

• The official Ryuichi Sakamoto web site