Ryuichi Sakamoto: Japanese Electronic Music Maestro Dies
Renowned Japanese composer and producer Ryuichi Sakamoto, admired for his experiments with electronic music, has died at the age of 71.
He has won awards including an Oscar, Grammy and BAFTA for his work as a soloist and as a member of the Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO).
In 2021, Sakamoto was diagnosed with cancer for the second time. His office said he died on Tuesday.
He starred in the 1983 film Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence with David Bowie.
In 1987 he won an Oscar, a Grammy and a Golden Globe for his performance in The Last Emperor. He also starred in an epic film about the life of Pui, the last emperor of China.
Sakamoto began composing at the age of 10 and was inspired by The Beatles and Debussy.
He formed YMO in 1978 with Harumi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, playing keyboards and their synthesizer innovations influenced techno-pop and hip-hop.
“Asian music influenced Debussy a lot, and Debussy influenced me. So the music goes around the world and comes full circle,” he said in 2010.
Professor: Brian Cox, a physicist and former Dare and D:Ream keyboardist, praised Sakamoto in a tweet. "He was a big part of my musical experience in the '80s, first for me through David Sylvian and his work with Japan, but of course he left. rich music catalogue. OK.
In a 2018 interview, Sakamoto described his desire to challenge the conventions of Western music-making.
“When I write music, my thinking is limited to the western forms of composition that I learned as a teenager. But I always want to break through it, break through the walls or boundaries I'm approaching. Sometimes using electronics or mixing electronic sounds can help break down those walls."
He also enjoys exploring different styles of music. After waking up, I started thinking, um, what kind of music should I listen to," he said. “Sometimes I make music by mistake or by accident. For me there is no difference in genre or category. Music is music."
He is also known in Japan as an environmental activist, particularly after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011.
His father, born in 1952, was a literary editor for Japanese writers, including the Nobel Prize winner Kenzaburo Oe. He received a classical education as a student, but later studied ethnomusicology at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. He was fascinated by world music, including the music of the Japanese island of Okinawa.
Later collaborations included working with Brian Eno, Alva Noto and cellist Jacques Morenbaum. Sakamoto's daughter Miu Sakamoto is a J-pop singer.
