Ryuichi Sakamoto, A Godfather Of Electronic Pop, Has Died
Ryuichi Sakamoto was photographed in Paris in 1996 . The legend is hidden by Thomas Coix/AFP Getty Images
Renowned composer and producer Ryuichi Sakamoto has died at the age of 71.
Sakamoto died on March 28 after a long battle with cancer, according to a statement posted on his website on Sunday. "We would like to share one of Sakamoto's favorite quotes," the statement read "Ars longa, vita previs." "Art is long and life is short."
The Japanese composer has had a fairly extensive career, ranging from becoming a pop star, composing both great film scores and soothing, sweet sounds, and collaborating with artists such as David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Bernardo Bartolucci.
As a member and soloist of Japan's highly regarded Yellow Magic Orchestra, he was fond of electronic pop music, creating songs influenced by hip-hop and techno.
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Born on January 17, 1952, Sakamoto had a culturally rich childhood. His father edited postwar Japanese writers such as Kenzaburo Oi and Yukio Mishima. At age 6, he began taking piano lessons and then began writing his own music. As a teenager, he admired the work of composer Claude Debussy, who was inspired by the aesthetics of Asian music, including Japanese music.
As Sakamoto told Weekend Edition in 1988, "I think my music is based on a very Western system, because there's rhythm, there's melody, there's melody. So it's Western music. But you know, some vibe, some atmosphere or sound. The feel is somewhat Asian, maybe 25, 30 percent."
When Sakamoto entered college to study composition, his musical career was already on multiple tracks. At school, he mastered the brilliant works of European giants of post-war modernism such as Stockhausen, Leggety, Xenakis, Boulez. But he also performed Okinawan folk music and looking for free jazz in their spare time, as well as record store Kraftwerk.
In 1978, he joined forces with multi-instrumentalist Haruomi Hoson and drummer Yukihiro Takahashi to form the Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). Sakamoto plays keyboards and sings for all three members.
