RYUICHI SAKAMOTO レコード& CD

Review: Originally released in 2017, async was the 19th studio album from Japanese heavyweight Ryuichi Sakamoto, breaking a near-decade-long hiatus during which he was treated for throat cancer. And it's incredibly dense stuff to dive into, with genius on display both in terms of theoretical approach to recording, and avant-garde thinking behind what a record could and should be. Of course, that's hardly surprising for Sakamoto, whose legacy as one of Japan's foremost sonic adventurers may still not be stated enough, even after all the post-humous repressings and tributes. On this outing, then, we have strange, otherworldly interpretations of everyday instruments, a heavy focus on playing with textures of sound, bits of artists such as David Sylvian and Paul Bowles reading texts, found noises from city streets and themes of mortality, and our difficulty in accepting that truth.

Review: The late great Ryuichji Salamoto has left us with a vast body of work to enjoy until the end of time and amongst the many highlights of his ground breaking catalogue was this album, Async. It was Ryuichi's first solo album in eight years at time of release in 2017 and fund him taking inspiration from "everyday objects, sculpture, and nature." Sakamoto said this was an album about making the sounds he most wanted to listen to and was made with the traditional Japanese idea in mind that, "less-is-more." It is full of field recordings and was recorded in New York City with a deep selection of unique acoustic and electric sounds.

Review: In 2014, Yellow Magic Orchestra co-founder turned classical composer Ryuichi Sakamoto was diagnosed with throat cancer. His battle with the illness not only gave him a new perspective on life, but also inspired him to return to the studio and write Async, his first solo album since the turn of the decade. It's an absorbing and hugely entertaining set that flits between funereal compositions for piano and organ, sweeping neo-classical movements and, on some of the album's most ear-catching moments, synthesizer-heavy ambience. There are moments of measured cheerfulness scattered throughout, but for the most part the album is melancholic and poignant in tone. Given his personal health battles, that's understandable.