RYUICHI SAKAMOTO レコード& CD

Review: Ryuichi Sakamoto's 1984 classic, Ongaku Zuka, finally gets a long overdue re-release. Heralded at the time as yet another example of Japan's sorely-missed musical genius in full flow, the tracks feature contributions from Yellow Magic Orchestra's Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, alongside Yasuaki Shimizu, Tatsuro Yamashita and Toshinori Kondo. Originally released in two versions, one with a bonus 7" two-track EP and another with a limited edition 12" three-tracker, both are now being reissued for the modern age. Part of an ongoing celebration of Sakamoto's life following his death in March 2023, when Ongaku Zukan (Musical Encyclopedia) hit it marked the celebrated musician and composer's first top five hit in his homeland, building on the success of both his soundtrack to Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence and the Yellow Magic Orchestra, on which time had only recently been called. Syth pop perfection, with unique, mesmerising instrumental compositions, it's an essential for any fan.

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: Ryuichi Sakamoto was still in the early days of his career when second solo album, "Thousand Knives Of", appeared in 1978. It was recorded around the same time as the formation of the band that made him famous, Yellow Magic Orchestra, and contains a similar reliance on cutting-edge electronic instrumentation. Of course, there are still pieces that doff a cap to his classical roots - see the piano-heavy "Grasshoppers" - as well as workouts that join the dots between jazz-funk and German style "kosmiche" ("Das Neue Japanische Elektronische Volkslied"), but for the most part it's the entirely electronic tracks that hit home hardest. For proof, check the jaunty genius of "Plastic Bamboo", the prototype YMO electrofunk of "The End Of Asia" and the doom-laden weirdness of "Island Of Woods".

Review: It's eerie, deeply atmospheric, littered with what feel like found noises and strange abstract tones, but then rooted in impressive levels of musicality, possessing just enough form and structure to move beyond sound installation into full blown movements.

Or at least that's the case with the first part of this double release, Garden of Shadows & Light (Part 1), which sees melody used in almost abstract ways to bring emotional responses out of the listener. Meanwhile, Part 2 takes us into submerged realms that may or may not have something to do with whales. If all this sounds pretty out there then it should, after all this is Ryuichi Sakamoto and David Toop's live performance from The Silver Building in London in 2018, where the former performed sat at and inside a piano, while the latter used bone conduction and vibration motors among other things. Eccentric and innovative.