Driven by cutting-edge music technology, Yellow Magic Orchestra combined elements of pop, dance music and Far Eastern folklore in the late 1970s. Shortly afterwards, the concept became synonymous with technopop in Japan.
Although they stopped working together as a band in 1984, the members of YMO continued to appear on each other’s solo recordings and also continued to collaborate with an endless list of other musicians. Technology was often used as a means of cultural exchange in these productions.
49 minutes with Apogee & Perigee, Friends Of Earth, Miharu Koshi, Ryuichi Sakamoto & The Kakutougi Session and others.
Featured cover art: Apogee & Perigee – 月世界旅行
Playlist
Ryuichi Sakamoto & The Kakutougi Session – Gonna Go To I Colony
Together with an all-star cast, Ryuichi Sakamoto of the Yellow Magic Orchestra challenges the idea of reggae in a colourful way as he sets off for a faraway place – the I. (1979, CBS/Sony)
Yasuaki Shimizu – Semi Tori No Hi
Yasuaki Shimizu builds on a mysterious vocal loop and a minimalist drum figure, blending ambient with elements of jazz and Japanese folklore. (1982, Better Days / Re: We Release Whatever The Fuck We Want Records)
Imitation – Exotic Dance
NYC-based drummer Steve Scales and singer Dolette McDonald join forces with the Japanese wave band for a playful pop record – offering one side for optimists and one for pessimists. (1982, Kitty Records / Re: HMV Record Shop)
Yellow Magic Orchestra – Pure Jam
The atmospheric and unusual pieces on the album Technodelic, created with a custom-made digital sampler, hint at the potential to construct music from loops. (1981, Alfa)
Testpattern – Ring Dance
Light and visionary synth-pop that is as catchy as it is minimalist – produced by Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi of YMO. (1982, Yen Records)
Miharu Koshi – L’amour…ou ironie noire
Miharu Koshi began playing the piano at the age of three and was composing her own pieces just five years later. She wrote all but one of the tracks on her debut album for Yen Records, but her long-time partner Haruomi Hosono took charge of production. (1983, Yen Records)
Masumi Hara – Doncha of the Moon and Stars
The multimedia and falsetto artist seems to be hinting at a combination of post-fermented tea from Korea (Doncha) and space here – or not? (1984, Yupiteru Records / RE: Numero Group)
The Beatniks – No Way Out
Yellow Magic Orchestra’s Yukihiro Takahashi and Keiichi Suzuki describe the feeling of being stuck in a dead end. (1981, Vap)
Friends Of Earth – In My Jungle
Haruomi Hosono’s first band after YMO is a supergroup featuring international stars such as James Brown and Maceo Parker – here they combine funk and techno. (1986, Non-Standard)
Apogee & Perigee – Shinkuu Kiss
The blissful world of being in love, transformed into over the top technopop through a collaboration of Testpattern, Haruomi Hosono and others – sung by Jun Togawa. (1984, Yen Records)
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