FEATURE - Ryuichi Sakamoto

Sad to hear of the death of Ryuichi Sakamoto who finally succumbed to the cancer he'd been living with since 2014. My first real encounter with his work was with the song Forbidden Colours in 1983.

I never really understood the appeal of the Yellow Magic Orchestra. And in his career, though electro-pop was his opening into many things, this was not where his real heartfelt interest lay. It is notable that his return to experimental collaborative work which preceded his cancer diagnosis, appeared to take on an even more diverse wide ranging musical forms afterwards. His output of work increasing phenomenally. Particularly his electronic work with Alva Noto. My personal favourite from his recent work includes Glass, a performance piece with Noto from 2018. 

There is also a superb video series from 2021 available on You Tube called - Incomplete. Short pieces of musical collaborations accompanied by rather beautiful black and white visuals.

Click here to watch - Incomplete