Art and Design

Ryuichi Sakamoto

APR 2023

In Japanese culture, there is a belief that God is everywhere – in mountains, trees, rocks, even in our sympathy for robots or Hello Kitty toys.

– Ryuichi Sakamoto

Ryuichi Sakamoto, a Japanese Oscar-winning composer and record producer, died last week due to a long battle with cancer at age 71. As this edition of Funga is centered around Japan, I felt it very important to pay homage to the legend that is Ryuichi Sakamoto. His music, particularly his film scores, are a trip in themselves. He was also an electronic music pioneer. He co-founded the groundbreaking band Yellow Magic Orchestra, which was “centered around synthesizers and was largely aimed at the dancefloor.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ek1oCwp7oms

“Most people would identify Düsseldorf, Germany, or Detroit—hometowns of Kraftwerk and Cybotron, respectively—as the birthplace of techno. Some might make a case for Sheffield, England, and its scions the Human League and Cabaret Voltaire. One city that never comes up is Tokyo. Yet Yellow Magic Orchestra—the trio of Haruomi Hosono, Yukihiro Takahashi, and Ryuichi Sakamoto—has arguably the strongest claim of all to the “Godfathers of Techno” title.” (read more about his life here)

Yellow Magic Orchestra: Haruomi Hosono, Sakamoto, and Yukihiro Takahashi (Photo by Charlie Gillett/Redferns)

They split in 1983, after which he released many solo albums. “With the release of Nagisa Ōshima’s film Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, in which he also starred, he began a career as a soundtrack composer. It would lead him to work with Bernardo Bertolucci, Pedro Almodóvar, Brian De Palma and Oliver Stone, among others, and be showered with awards, including an Oscar and a Golden Globe.”