Ryuichi Sakamoto

If there’s one tune for which the Japanese-born composer, pianist, and record producer Ryuichi Sakamoto will always be remembered, it’s his haunting melody for Nagisa Ōshima’s Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983). The piece launched his career as a film composer that would see him collaborate with directors Bernardo Bertolucci—his themes for the Qing dynasty epic The Last Emperor emulating the musical traditions of Imperial China with the use of traditional percussion instruments and erhu (two-stringed spike fiddle)—Pedro Almodóvar, Brian De Palma, and Oliver Stone, among others. But cinema was just one of Sakamoto’s many inspirations. Born in Tokyo, in 1952, he began musical life as a composer of avant-garde music, immersing himself in the conceptually-driven performance art of the underground 1960s New York scene. As one of the founding members of the Yellow Magic Orchestra, he went on to work at the cutting edge of electronic pop (the band introduced the world to the sound of the Roland TR-808 drum machine): like Kraftwerk’s, their sound seemed ahead of their time. The fidgety, funky electronica of “Riot in Lagos,” from YMO’s album B-2 Unit, became a dance hit and has since inspired producers and artists across the hip-hop and electronica landscape. A deep thinker, Sakamoto explored the aesthetics of music from all angles, whether working with drones, Bach, or minimalist styes with German artist and musician Alva Noto. Sakamoto died from cancer in 2023.