Sakamoto Ryuichi is an international musician who also goes by the name of “Teacher”. That title holds an array of different meanings for him, from songwriter to composer, music producer, pianist, as well as having published a plethora of books, being the art director for various arts festivals around the towns and cities, and being a member of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
After Sakamoto Ryuichi became the first Japanese person to win the Academy Award for Original Music Score for the 1987 film “The Last Emperor”, he became known as “The World of Sakamoto”. His international recognition is preeminent even in Japan, to the point where most people will most definitely know of him. Introducing and talking about the legendary musician is a task in itself since it covers a lot of ground, so we have compiled a short history of his work and activity within the sphere of music.
A short glimpse of “The World of Sakamoto” and his childhood
Sakamoto was born in 1952. He made his first song when he was only 10-years old titled “Usagi no Uta” which was based on his pet rabbit (usagi) he had at home. He began playing piano when he was in nursery. He was recommended a piano teacher at this time so he could learn how to write music. That person was Matsumoto Taminosuke, a music teacher at Tokyo University of the Arts. Sakamoto was such a fast learner that you could only be taken aback.
You might think that Sakamoto was absolutely addicted to music during his teens, but for a time he was absolutely crazy for sports during his middle-school days. Then in high-school, he threw himself into the Student Movement. All of these varied experiences form the base for all of his musical creations in the years to come.
His breakthrough in the Yellow Magic Orchestra and solo work on the side
Sakamoto, who had entered the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, was learning how to write music while absorbing himself in traditional music and electronic music. Then in 1978, while at the same university, he was invited by Hosono Haruomi to form the Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) together with Takahashi Yukihiro. In the same year, they released their first album titled “Yellow Magic Orchestra”.
They released their second album in 1979 titled “SOLID STATE SURVIVOR” which became a hit and went on to sell over 1 million copies. YMO became an instigator for the techno boom in the 80s where they performed spectacularly, but they lamentably broke up in 1983. They reformed again in 1993 and released another album titled “TECHNODON”. Even now, we don’t have to state just how much YMO’s music has continued to charm people.
But what we want to highlight is how Sakamoto’s 1978 solo album “Thousand Knives” was remastered and re-released in January of this year (2016). YMO had a hand in the album at the time of its original release, in which Sakmoto turned 26-years old during the same year. During this time, his desire to quest for electronic music and traditional music overflowed – he was in high spirits.
How Sakamoto led the Japanese culture scene with his diverse career
As a musician, Sakamoto Ryuichi delved into all kinds of music regardless of the genre, but the music that has had the most influence on other musicians is none other than the soundtrack he did for the 1983 film “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence”. The music is riddled in beautiful melodies and won a BAFTA.
Another enormously influential project for which Sakamoto was the co-ordinator for in 2010 is “commmons:schola”, which aims to provide a history of music. It serves as an encyclopedia aimed at all generations which compiles the diverse culture of world music from traditional to classical and rock. It has had a major influence on the music industry.
His term of serious illness to recovery, and now
The news of Sakamoto contracting cancer of the mesopharynx in July 2014 was a shocking time for all. In order to combat the illness he devoted himself to getting better by taking a break from his work. He made his comeback by providing the film soundtrack for “Haha to Kuraseba” on August 2nd, 2015. Moreover, he was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Original Score for the film “The Revenant” in which he and Alva Noto were in charge for the film’s score.
Sakamoto Ryuichi moved to New York in 1990 and continues to deliver a broad range of messages. He is currently 64-years old. He continues to have influence on the culture scene while firing off his overwhelming charisma.
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ryuichisakamoto/
Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/skmt09?lang=ja
commmons: schola: http://www.commmons.com/schola/
Original Text: 石水典子（SHUTTER）
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Photo by zakkubalan ©2022 Kab Inc.
On January 17, 2022, beloved composer Ryuichi Sakamoto celebrated his 70th birthday. The artist continues to battle cancer, and as a way to encourage and empower him, the commons label launched a special anniversary website titled 10 Favorites – Ryuichi Sakamoto. The site features appearances from major artists and creators who have cited Sakamoto as an inspiration, listing their ten favorite works by the composer alongside their unique perspectives and thoughts. The 25th and final installment features SUGA of the popular K-pop boy band BTS.
Comment from SUGA (BTS)
「어릴적 부모님 손에 이끌려 ‘마지막 황제’ 재개봉을 간 적이 있었습니다.
그 때 음악에 압도 되었다는 느낌을 처음 받았고 12살 음악을 만들기 시작하며 사카모토 류이치 선생님의 음악을 많이 듣고 샘플링을 하며 꿈을 키웠습니다.
저에게 수많은 영감을 준 뮤지션들은 많지만 사카모토 류이치 선생님은 더 많은 꿈을 꾸게 해주신 분입니다 (저는 참고로 코다 다큐멘터리의 재해대피소에서 연주한 Merry Chistmas Mr. Lawrence live 버전을 가장 좋아합니다)
부디 건강하세요 선생님.
“When I was young, my parents took me to see The Last Emperor. That was when I first experienced the feeling of being awed by music. I began composing music when I was twelve and dreamed about my future while listening to your music, even sampling some of it.There are many musicians who have inspired me, but you are one of the people who has influenced me the most. (For reference, my favorite Sakamoto piece is the live performance version of Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence that was performed in the area impacted by the 2011 earthquake, which appears in the documentary CODA). Mr. Sakamoto, please stay healthy.”
Previous contributors to the project include Shinro Ohtake, Goro Inagaki, Banana Yoshimoto, Shiro Takatani, Yukihiro Takahashi, Akira Asada, Kiko Mizuhara, Haruomi Hosono, Yuima Nakazato, Ryu Murakami, LEO, UA, Shin’ichi Fukuoka, U-zhaan, Lee Sang-il, Ryoji Ikeda, Hiroshi Fujiwara, Kei Wakabayashi, Shinichiro Watanabe, Kiichi Fujiwara, Miki Nakatani, Daito Manabe, Taeko Ohnuki, and Hirokazu Koreeda.
Fans of Sakamoto’s works should feel free to peruse the site, which includes English translations of the guest’s selections and thoughts.
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Japanese musician and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto and Japanese tabla player U-zhaan released a new version of Sakamoto’s song energy flow entitled energy flow – rework on September 26, 2018.
The original track was released in 1999 and featured on Sakamoto’s album Ura BTTB. It was the first instrumental song to reach number one on the Oricon charts. Now, almost 20 years later, the musician has teamed up with U-zhaan to release a re-imagining of the iconic number.
When energy flow was released in 1999 it came with the slogan, in Japanese, “This song is for all the tired people.” What followed was an unprecedented boom of soul-healing throughout Japan. With the newly arranged version of the song, Sakamoto enigmatically commented it as being “for all the tired tablas.”energy flow – rework is now available to listen for free on the official commmons website. It’s also available on Spotify, Apple Music, AWA and the iTunes Store. Also available on commmons to read select is mail and correspondence between Sakamoto and U-zhaan leading up to the finished version of the song.
Comment: U-zhaan
“What sparked this was the ‘Ryuichi Sakamoto New Year Special’ that aired during New Year’s in 2015 on NHK FM. I was working as a navigator for in place of my teacher* who was undergoing medical care. During the programme there was a feature called ‘Play Along to Ryuichi Sakamoto’s Songs On the Tabla.’ First of all, after I’d chosen a song that seemed like I could fit a tabla into it, I sent for the music score. I stared at the music while making my own arrangement. It was so much fun. I played to two songs, ‘Tibetan Dance’ and ‘Asience’ during that time. But I also wanted to try performing another of my teacher’s song sometime.
Translator’s Note: “Teacher” refers to Ryuichi Sakamoto.
“A short while after that in the summer of 2016, there was an opportunity to use Red Bull Studios Tokyo in Shibuya. There’s where I recorded what would become the based of this song ‘energy flow – rework.’ I performed the beginning of ‘energy flow’ with just the sound of the tabla and created a loop track. I really wanted to add rap on top of that, but when the loop was finished I felt completely satisfied. Occasionally I thought to myself, ‘This feels good’ and it became its own unique recording to listen to.
“I recently heard that a remaster of my teacher’s album ‘BTTB’ was coming out, so I said to him, ‘Speaking of which, I actually created a loop track along to the melody of ‘energy flow’ two years ago.’ When he heard it, he kindly said, ‘It’s good, isn’t it? Let’s complete it.’ I replied, ‘Are you serious? In that case, please add some kind of melancholic sound.’ After that request, here is the completed track”
Information
energy flow – rework
Released: September 26, 2018
Special Page: https://commmons.com/special/bttb/
iTunes Store: https://itunes.apple.com/jp/album/id1436174054…
BTTB -20th Anniversary Edition-
Released: September 26, 2018Price: ¥2,600 (Pre-Tax)
Website: https://wmg.jp/sakamoto-ryuichi/discography/19849/
Ryuichi Sakamoto Official Website: https://www.skmtcommmons.com/
U-zhaan Official Website: http://u-zhaan.com/
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To celebrate the release of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s BTTB -20th Anniversary Edition-―which is set to be released on September 26―a music video for the track energy flow has been released.
The song was originally included on the Ura BTTB (1999) maxi single and international version of the album BTTB (1999). The song was used in a commercial for Daiichi Sankyo Healthcare’s Regain EB tablets and is credited with leading the single into the million seller zone.
A music video never existed for energy flow, so here it is 20 years later.
The video was created by New York-based artist duo Zakkubalan. It was shot on the island of Newfoundland just off the east coast of Canada and captures the vision of the song itself.
The 20th anniversary edition of BTTB will be released as the same first press limited editon that dropped in 1999 and includes the songs snake eyes and tong poo featured on the original regular edition and reversing on the international edition. It’s the ultimate BTTB experience with liner notes by internationally acclaimed Japanese author Haruki Murakami.
Comments: Ryuichi Sakamoto
“The song ‘energy flow’ is actually a hard song to make a music video for. Zakkubalan worked hard and did a really good job. You can interpret the story as one hazy where you have left your birthplace and are coming back again.”
Comment: Zakkubalan
“Sakamoto and his music express a deep familiarity towards the important elements of the natural world including trees, water, wind and fog. We also have an interest in the relation between humans and the natural environment. Newfoundland where fishermen have resided over thousands of years was the perfect location that met all of those natural phenomena. The island, which is on the perimeter of the Atlantic Ocean, has unique weather conditions in that it has the thickest fog of anywhere on the earth. We’re also inspired by the pine forest paintings of Hasegawa Tohaku. We took a piece of the island’s scenery for the production of this video.”
Check out the music video for yourself and see music interwoven with nature.
■Information
BTTB -20th Anniversary Edition-
On Sale: September 26, 2018
Price: ¥2,600 (Pre-Tax)
Ryuichi Sakamoto Official Website: https://www.skmtcommmons.com
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It has been announced on Ryuichi Sakamoto’s official website that the world renowned musician and composer will be holding a short film competition in line with the release of his new album async.
async is Ryuichi Sakamoto’s first studio album in 8 years. It is a concept album that he conceived as a soundtrack to an imaginary film by Soviet filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky. Sakamoto has expressed a desire to see how the music could be used in a film, and this is where the short film competition comes in.
Judging the short films will be Ryuichi Sakamoto himself alongside Thai film director and producer Apichatpong Weerasethakul.
There are two awards to be won. Those who win the Ryuichi Sakamoto – async Award will receive the license to use one piece of music written and produced by Ryuichi Sakamoto for their next film project. Winners of the Apichatpong Weerasethakul Award will be able to have Apichatpong Weerasethakul as an adviser for their next film project. This is truly a humbling and dream opportunity.
Details regarding applications, full prize details and how to submit films can be found on the official website below.
■Information
http://sitesakamoto.com/contest (English)
Related Article：Have a conversation with Ryuichi Sakamoto via the “async” exhibition’s Communication Wall at Watarium Museum of Contemporary Art
Related Article：Tracing back the steps of worldwide famous international artist Sakamoto Ryuichi as a musician
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Have a conversation with Ryuichi Sakamoto via the “async” exhibition’s Communication Wall at Watarium Museum of Contemporary Art
The Watarium Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo’s Aoyama is currently holding an exhibition in line with the release of his most recent album “async.” The exhibition is a collection of videos related to the album showcased in 5.1 surround sound.
Also displayed at the exhibition is the “Communication Wall” which is located on the 1st floor reception of the museum. It’s currently gaining a lot of attention as people can write their thoughts and questions relating to “async” and the exhibition itself onto post-it notes that go on the wall. Ryuichi Sakamoto himself will then look at each of these and answer the ones he can.
Originally, Ryuichi was living in Japan and so was able to attend the exhibition at the start and write his answers directly onto his own post-it note for the wall. However, he has returned to New York and is now answering the questions via the “Commmons” website, Ryuichi’s record label. (see them here: http://www.skmtcommmons.com/quest/?tag=152）
Anyone can write their comments on the wall even if they don’t have an entry ticket, so there’s no limit to the number of questions. It began at the start of May and there’s already a huge number of posts; it has gone from the space it was originally designated to onto the adjacent wall. In the current day and age of online social media posting, just what kind of feeling does it bestow not only Ryuichi Sakamoto, but everyone who reads the wall from seeing lots of physically hand-written little messages and drawings? It’s an incredible sight to behold, as posters reply to Ryuichi Sakamoto’s reply; an exchange between Ryuichi and a 9-year old; messages from people in different languages.
It’s truly something you must see for yourself – its appearance alone is a work of art. The wall is available until the final day of the exhibition, May 28th, and is sure to grow even more until then.
■Information
Ryuichi Sakamoto Exhibition
Available: April 4th, 2017 to May 28th, 2017
Closed on Mondays.
Time: 11:00-19:00 (open until 21:00 every Wednesday)
Price: Adults ￥1,000 /Students [below 25] ￥500/Pair Ticket: 2 Adults ￥1,600
Location: Watarium Museum of Contemporary Art
■Album Information
Ryuichi Sakamoto – async
Now on sale – ￥3,780 (RZCM-86314)
Analog version on sale May 17th, 2017 – ￥7,020 (tax-inclusive) (RZJM-86312～3 )
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Related article：Tracing back the steps of worldwide famous international artist Sakamoto Ryuichi as a musician
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