Yellow Magic Orchestra

Yellow Magic Orchestra

YMO after playing a 2008 concert in London
Background information
Origin Tokyo, Japan
Genres Electropop
Synthpop
Years active 1978-1983, 1993, 2007-Present
Labels Alfa Records (Japan)
A&M Records
Toshiba-EMI
Restless Records
Sony Music House (Japan)
commmons (Japan)
Members
Haruomi "Harry" Hosono
Yukihiro Takahashi
Ryuichi Sakamoto
Past members
Hideki Matsutake

Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) is a Japanese electropop band formed in 1978, known for pioneering the electropop music genre.[1] The principal members are Haruomi Hosono (bass), Yukihiro Takahashi (drums and vocals) and Ryuichi Sakamoto (keyboards).

Contents

Biography

Formation and early years

The band was conceived as a one-off studio project by Hosono, the other two members being recruited session musicians—the idea was to produce an album fusing orientalist exotica (cf. their cover version of Martin Denny's Firecracker) with modern electronics. However, the first album (with its cutting-edge production) was very popular, and the studio project grew into a fully fledged touring band and career for its three members.

Sakamoto first worked with Hosono as a member of his live band in 1976, while Takahashi recruited Sakamoto to produce his debut solo recording in 1977 following the split of the Sadistic Mika Band. Hosono invited both to work on his exotica flavoured album "Paraiso", followed by electronic material for the anthology collection "Pacific". Following the release of the debut "Yellow Magic Orchestra" a live date at the Roppongi Pit Inn was seen by executives of A&M Records of the USA who were in the process of setting up a partnership deal with Alfa Records. This led to the YMO being offered an international deal, at which point (early 1979) the three members decided the group would be given priority over their solo careers.

Success and breakup

An advertising deal with Fuji Cassette and the group sparked a boom in the popularity of electronic pop music (called "Technopop" in Japan) that had an impact similar to that of The Beatles and Merseybeat in 1960s Britain. A testament to the influence of YMO on fashion is how many middle aged Japanese businessmen still have the "Techno cut" haircut, modeled after the group. Successful solo act Akiko Yano (later married to Sakamoto) joined the band for its live performances in the late 70's and early 80's, but did not participate in the studio recordings. On the other hand, the YMO trio contributed to her own albums and became part of her live band, during these same years.

Making abundant use of new synthesizers, samplers, sequencers and digital recording technology as it became available, as well as utilizing cyberpunk-ish lyrics sung mostly in English, their popularity and influence extended beyond Japan. Generally the band are highly regarded as pioneers of electronic music, and continue to be remixed and sampled by modern artists.

Solid State Survivor, released in 1979, was YMO's pinnacle recording in Japan, winning the 1980 Best Album Award in the Japan Record Awards. It featured English lyrics by Chris Mosdell, whose sci-fi themes often depicted a human condition alienated by dystopic futures, much like the emerging cyberpunk movement in fiction at that time. The album’s major single and YMO’s biggest international hit, “Behind the Mask”, with lyrics penned by Chris Mosdell, was later revised by Ryuichi Sakamoto for a 1987 solo release of the same name (it was also covered by Greg Phillinganes and Eric Clapton).

The band had stopped working as a group in 1984, after the release of their motion picture "Propaganda", the three members returning to their solo careers. The group were careful to avoid saying they had "split up", preferring to use the Japanese phrase meaning "spreading out" (散開 sankai?), and in fact the trio continued to play on each other's recordings and made guest appearances at live shows. Takahashi, in particular, would play YMO material in his concerts and as "lead singer" was arguably best placed to do so. To dodge lawsuits and "spread out" creatively they released the next one-off reunion album, Technodon, and credited it to 'NOT YMO' (YMO crossed out with a calligraphy X) or YMO in 1993. Instead of traditional vocals, about half of which features field audio recordings and samples of authors and scientists reading their work.

Post "breakup"

The early 2000s saw Hosono & Takahashi reunited in a project called Sketch Show. On a number of occasions Ryuichi Sakamoto has joined in on Sketch Show performances and recording sessions. He later proposed they rename the group Human Audio Sponge when he participates. Barcelona performance at Sonar festival and Wild Sketch Show DVDs chronicle these reunions, and include a tongue-in-cheek Japanese text only history of the group that spans to 2036.

The band have reunited in 2007 for an advertising campaign for Kirin Lager which lampooned their longevity and charted No.1 on various Japanese digital download charts (including iTunes Store chart) with the song "Rydeen 79/07", released on Sakamoto's new label commmons.

Recently performing live as Human Audio Sponge; Hosono, Sakamoto and Takahashi did a live performance together as Yellow Magic Orchestra for the Live Earth, Kyoto event on July 7 2007, which raised money and awareness of a "climate in crisis."

In August 2007, the band once again reformed, taking the name HASYMO or HAS/YMO, ( is Human Audio Sponge=HAS+Yellow Magic Orchestra=YMO)combining the names of Human Audio Sponge and Yellow Magic Orchestra. Their first single under this name, "Rescue", was written for the film Appleseed EX Machina. They released a new two song single titled "The City of Light/Tokyo Town Pages" on August 6, 2008.

HASYMO played two live concerts in Europe in the summer of 2008, one at the Royal Festival Hall, London on 15 June, as part of the Meltdown festival of music curated by Massive Attack and another in Gijon, Spain on the 19th. Although the primary YMO members (Yukihiro Takahashi, Haruomi Hosono, and Ryuichi Sakamoto) are effectively known as HASYMO and played both these concerts, these concerts were billed simply as "YMO" but featured only 4 YMO songs in each concert while the rest of the concert featured Sketch Show, HASYMO music and member's solo works.

A documentary film about lyricist Chris Mosdell and his various collaborators, Ink Music: In the Land of the Hundred-Tongued Lyricist, screened in Tokyo in June 2009. Mosdell is featured extensively as an interview subject, as are two of his YMO collaborators, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Yukihiro Takahashi. The film's soundtrack also features several of YMO’s songs, and solo recordings from Sakamoto, Takahashi, and Mosdell’s cult album Equasian.

A cover of "Kimi ni Munekyun" was used as the ending theme song for the 2009 anime Maria Holic, sung by Asami Sanada, Marina Inoue, and Yū Kobayashi, the voice actresses of the main characters.[2]

In August 2009, the band played the World Happiness festival in Japan, featuring many Japanese artists. The band closed the night, and confirmed that "Yellow Magic Orchestra" is their official name, dropping the HASYMO title. They opened with a cover of "Hello, Goodbye" and performed old YMO songs along with their newer songs.[3]

In May 2010, Keane released a new EP entitled Night Train which includes a cover of "You've Got to Help Yourself", featuring MC Tigarah.

Discography

Original singles

Original albums and variations

Live albums

Best of albums

Remix albums

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Yellow Magic Orchestra profile". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:kifixqr5ldfe. Retrieved 2009-06-03. 
  2. ↑ http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=10200
  3. ↑ http://www.world-happiness.com/

External links

Yellow Magic Orchestra
Haruomi Hosono · Ryuichi Sakamoto · Yukihiro Takahashi
Albums
Yellow Magic Orchestra · Solid State Survivor · ×∞Multiplies · BGM · Technodelic · Naughty Boys (Instrumental) · Service · Technodon
Singles
"Firecracker" · "Tong Poo" · "Technopolis" · "La femme chinoise" · "Rydeen" · "Behind the Mask" · "Nice Age" · "Tighten Up" · "Cue" · "Mass" · "Taisō" · "Pure Jam" · "Kimi ni, mune kyun." · "Kageki na Shukujo" · "You've Got to Help Yourself" · "Every Time I Look Around (I Hear THE MADMEN Call)" · "Pocketful of Rainbows" · "Be a Superman"
As HASYMO
Rescue / Rydeen 79/07 · The City of Light / Tokyo Town Pages
Live releases
Public Pressure · After Service · Faker Holic · Complete Service · HAS/YMO (as HASYMO) · EUYMO
Related
People
Akiko Yano · Chris Mosdell · Peter Barakan · Takashi Matsumoto · Hideki Matsutake
Bands
Sketch Show