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{{see also|Haruomi Hosono|Ryuichi Sakamoto|Yukihiro Takahashi|Yellow Magic Orchestra (album)}}
{{see also|Haruomi Hosono|Ryuichi Sakamoto|Yukihiro Takahashi|Yellow Magic Orchestra (album)}}


Prior to the group's formation, Sakamoto had been experimenting with [[Electronic musical instrument|electronic music equipment]] at the [[Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music]], which he entered in 1970, including [[synthesizer]]s such as the [[Buchla]], [[Moog synthesizer|Moog]], and [[ARP Instruments, Inc.|ARP]].<ref name="dayal_interview">{{cite web|last=Dayal|first=Gheeta|title=Yellow Magic Orchestra|url=http://www.theoriginalsoundtrack.com/blog/archives/00000615.htm|work=Groove|publisher=The Original Soundtrack|accessdate=17 June 2011|date=07/07/2006}}</ref> At around the same time, Hosono had been involved in the recording of several early [[electronic rock]] records, including [[Inoue Yousui]]'s [[Folk rock|folk]] [[pop rock]] album ''Ice World'' (1973) and [[Osamu Kitajima]]'s [[Progressive rock|progressive]] [[psychadelic rock]] album ''Benzaiten'' (1974), both of which utilized synthesizers, [[electric guitar]]s, [[electric bass]], and in the latter, [[electronic drum]]s and [[Drum machine|rhythm machines]].<ref>{{Discogs release|2509617|井上陽水 – 氷の世界}} ([http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&tl=en&u=http://www.discogs.com/%E4%BA%95%E4%B8%8A%E9%99%BD%E6%B0%B4-%E6%B0%B7%E3%81%AE%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C/release/2509617 Translation])</ref><ref>{{Discogs release|1303605|Osamu Kitajima – Benzaiten}}</ref> Also around the same time, the band's future "fourth member" [[Hideki Matsutake]] was the assistant for the internationally successful electronic musician [[Isao Tomita]]. Much of the methods and techniques developed by both Tomita and Matsutake during the early 1970s would later be employed by Yellow Magic Orchestra.<ref name="sound_147"/>
Prior to the group's formation, Sakamoto had been experimenting with [[Electronic musical instrument|electronic music equipment]] at the [[Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music]], which he entered in 1970, including [[synthesizer]]s such as the [[Buchla]], [[Moog synthesizer|Moog]], and [[ARP Instruments, Inc.|ARP]].<ref name="dayal_interview">{{cite web|last=Dayal|first=Gheeta|title=Yellow Magic Orchestra|url=http://www.theoriginalsoundtrack.com/blog/archives/00000615.htm|work=Groove|publisher=The Original Soundtrack|accessdate=17 June 2011|date=07/07/2006}}</ref> At around the same time, Hosono had been involved in the recording of several early [[electronic rock]] records, including [[Inoue Yousui]]'s [[Folk rock|folk]] [[pop rock]] album ''Ice World'' (1973) and [[Osamu Kitajima]]'s [[Progressive rock|progressive]] [[psychadelic rock]] album ''Benzaiten'' (1974), both of which utilized synthesizers, [[electric guitar]]s, [[electric bass]], and in the latter, [[electronic drum]]s and [[Drum machine|rhythm machines]].<ref>{{Discogs release|2509617|井上陽水 – 氷の世界}} ([http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&tl=en&u=http://www.discogs.com/%E4%BA%95%E4%B8%8A%E9%99%BD%E6%B0%B4-%E6%B0%B7%E3%81%AE%E4%B8%96%E7%95%8C/release/2509617 Translation])</ref><ref>{{Discogs release|1303605|Osamu Kitajima – Benzaiten}}</ref> Also around the same time, the band's future "fourth member" [[Hideki Matsutake]] was the assistant for the internationally successful electronic musician [[Isao Tomita]]. Much of the methods and techniques developed by both Tomita and Matsutake during the early 1970s would later be employed by Yellow Magic Orchestra.<ref name="sound_147"/> Other early influences on the band included [[Kraftwerk]] and [[Giorgio Moroder]].<ref name="allmusic_ymo"/> The former was particularly an influence on Sakamoto, who heard the band in the mid-1970s and later introduced them to his fellow band members in the late 1970s.<ref name="sfweekly_interview"/> However, they wanted to avoid imitating Kraftwerk,<ref name="sfweekly_interview"/> whose "German" approach Sakamoto viewed as "theoretical, very focused, simple and minimal and strong," which he contrasted with YMO's "very Japanese" approach of [[Fusion (music)|fusing]] many different styles of music, like a musical equivalent to a [[bento]] box.<ref name="dayal_interview"/>


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'', which included [[Electronic music|electronic songs]] produced using various electronic equipment such as the [[Yamaha CS-80]] [[polyphonic synthesizer]], [[Roland Corporation|Roland]] and [[ARP Odyssey]] synthesizers, the [[List of Yamaha products|Yamaha CP-30]] and [[Rhodes piano|Rhodes]] [[electric piano]]s, and [[electric guitar]]. The band was named "Harry Hosono and the Yellow Magic Band" and, having been recorded in late 1977, ''Paraiso'' was released in early 1978.<ref name="discogs_paraiso">{{Discogs release|1188801|Harry Hosono And The Yellow Magic Band – Paraiso}}</ref> The three worked together again for the 1978 electronic album ''Pacific'', which included an early version of the song "Cosmic Surfin".<ref>{{Discogs release|2561274|Pacific}}</ref> Hosono and Sakamoto also worked together alongside [[Hideki Matsutake]] in early 1978 for Hosono's experimental "electro-exotica" [[Fusion (music)|fusion]] album ''Cochin Moon'', which fused electronic music with [[Music of India|Indian music]] (reminiscent of [[Ravi Shankar]] and [[Filmi|Bollywood music]]), including an early "synth [[raga]]" song "Hum Ghar Sajan".<ref name="pitchfork">{{cite web|author=Dominique Leone|date=July 19, 2005|title=Hosono & Yokoo: Cochin Moon|publisher=[[Pitchfork Media]]|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/4016-cochin-moon/|accessdate=2011-05-26}}</ref> The same year, Sakamoto released his own solo album, ''The Thousand Knives of Ryuichi Sakamoto'', experimenting with a similar fusion between electronic music and traditional [[Music of Japan|Japanese music]] in early 1978. Hosono also contributed to one of Sakamoto's songs, "Thousand Knives", in the album.<ref>{{Discogs release|325757|Ryuichi Sakamoto – Thousand Knives Of}}</ref> ''Thousand Knives'' was also notable for its early use of the [[microprocessor]]-based [[Roland MC-8 Microcomposer]] [[music sequencer]], with Matsutake as its [[Programming (music)|music programmer]] for the album.<ref name="knives_cd">{{Discogs release|1156483|Ryuichi Sakamoto – Thousand Knives Of (CD)}}</ref> Hosono, Sakamoto and Takahashi eventually collaborated again to form the Yellow Magic Orchestra and they began recording their self-titled album at a [[Shibaura]] studio in July 1978.<ref name="discogs_ymo_lp"/>
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'', which included [[Electronic music|electronic songs]] produced using various electronic equipment such as the [[Yamaha CS-80]] [[polyphonic synthesizer]], [[Roland Corporation|Roland]] and [[ARP Odyssey]] synthesizers, the [[List of Yamaha products|Yamaha CP-30]] and [[Rhodes piano|Rhodes]] [[electric piano]]s, and [[electric guitar]]. The band was named "Harry Hosono and the Yellow Magic Band" and, having been recorded in late 1977, ''Paraiso'' was released in early 1978.<ref name="discogs_paraiso">{{Discogs release|1188801|Harry Hosono And The Yellow Magic Band – Paraiso}}</ref> The three worked together again for the 1978 electronic album ''Pacific'', which included an early version of the song "Cosmic Surfin".<ref>{{Discogs release|2561274|Pacific}}</ref> Hosono and Sakamoto also worked together alongside [[Hideki Matsutake]] in early 1978 for Hosono's experimental "electro-exotica" [[Fusion (music)|fusion]] album ''Cochin Moon'', which fused electronic music with [[Music of India|Indian music]] (reminiscent of [[Ravi Shankar]] and [[Filmi|Bollywood music]]), including an early "synth [[raga]]" song "Hum Ghar Sajan".<ref name="pitchfork">{{cite web|author=Dominique Leone|date=July 19, 2005|title=Hosono & Yokoo: Cochin Moon|publisher=[[Pitchfork Media]]|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/4016-cochin-moon/|accessdate=2011-05-26}}</ref> The same year, Sakamoto released his own solo album, ''The Thousand Knives of Ryuichi Sakamoto'', experimenting with a similar fusion between electronic music and traditional [[Music of Japan|Japanese music]] in early 1978. Hosono also contributed to one of Sakamoto's songs, "Thousand Knives", in the album.<ref>{{Discogs release|325757|Ryuichi Sakamoto – Thousand Knives Of}}</ref> ''Thousand Knives'' was also notable for its early use of the [[microprocessor]]-based [[Roland MC-8 Microcomposer]] [[music sequencer]], with Matsutake as its [[Programming (music)|music programmer]] for the album.<ref name="knives_cd">{{Discogs release|1156483|Ryuichi Sakamoto – Thousand Knives Of (CD)}}</ref> Hosono, Sakamoto and Takahashi eventually collaborated again to form the Yellow Magic Orchestra and they began recording their self-titled album at a [[Shibaura]] studio in July 1978.<ref name="discogs_ymo_lp"/>
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==Legacy==
==Legacy==
In 1993, Johnny Black of ''[[Hi-Fi News]]'', in a review for the record ''Hi-Tech/No Crime'', described Yellow Magic Orchestra as "the most adventurous and influential [[Electronic dance music|electro-techno-dance]] technicians the world has produced" and further argued that "today's music would still sound like yesterday's music" without them.<ref name="fidelity_1993">{{citation|title=Yellow Magic Orchestra: Hi Tech/No Crime|journal=[[Hi-Fi News]]|volume 38|issue=1-6|publisher=Link House Publications|author=Johnny Black|year=1993|page=93|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=-zg9AQAAIAAJ|accessdate=2011-05-29}}</ref> In 2001, Jason Ankeny of the ''[[Allmusic|Allmusic Guide to Electronica]]'' described the band as "a seminal influence on contemporary electronic music &ndash; hugely popular both at home and abroad" and placed them "second only to [[Kraftwerk]] as innovators of today's electronic culture."<ref>{{cite book|last=Bogdanov|first=Vladimir|title=All music guide to electronica: the definitive guide to electronic music|year=2001|publisher=Backbeat Books|author=Jason Ankeny|isbn=0879306289|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=GJNXLSBlL7IC&pg=PT515|edition=4th|accessdate=26 May 2011|page=564}}</ref>
In 1993, Johnny Black of ''[[Hi-Fi News]]'', in a review for the record ''Hi-Tech/No Crime'', described Yellow Magic Orchestra as "the most adventurous and influential [[Electronic dance music|electro-techno-dance]] technicians the world has produced" and further argued that "today's music would still sound like yesterday's music" without them.<ref name="fidelity_1993">{{citation|title=Yellow Magic Orchestra: Hi Tech/No Crime|journal=[[Hi-Fi News]]|volume 38|issue=1-6|publisher=Link House Publications|author=Johnny Black|year=1993|page=93|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=-zg9AQAAIAAJ|accessdate=2011-05-29}}</ref> In 2001, Jason Ankeny of the ''[[Allmusic|Allmusic Guide to Electronica]]'' described the band as "a seminal influence on contemporary electronic music &ndash; hugely popular both at home and abroad" and placed them "second only to [[Kraftwerk]] as innovators of today's electronic culture."<ref>{{cite book|last=Bogdanov|first=Vladimir|title=All music guide to electronica: the definitive guide to electronic music|year=2001|publisher=Backbeat Books|author=Jason Ankeny|isbn=0879306289|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=GJNXLSBlL7IC&pg=PT515|edition=4th|accessdate=26 May 2011|page=564}}</ref> In [[HMV Group|HMV Japan]]'s list of top 100 Japanese musicians of all time, YMO were voted second place, behind only [[Southern All Stars]], a [[Pop rock|pop-rock]] band who remain largely unknown outside of Japan.<ref name="geek_20">{{citation|title=Geek Monthly, Volumes 17-22|work=[[Geek Monthly]]|year=2008|publisher=CFQ Media|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=oADsAAAAMAAJ|accessdate=12 June 2011|page=20}}</ref>


===Innovations===
===Innovations===
Yellow Magic Orchestra were pioneers in their use of [[synthesizer]]s, [[Sampler (musical instrument)|samplers]], [[music sequencer|sequencers]], [[drum machine]]s, [[computer]]s, and [[Digital audio|digital recording]] technology in popular music,<ref name="allmusic_ymo"/><ref name="sarasota"/><ref name="clashmusic"/> in a time when these technologies were still seen as novelties.<ref name="clashmusic"/> The band is regarded as being "ahead of their time," for anticipating the global trend towards drum machines and [[Sampling (music)|sampling]],<ref>{{cite book|title=Tokyo city guide|author=Mayumi Yoshida Barakan & Judith Connor Greer|publisher=Tuttle Publishing|year=1996|isbn=0804819645|page=144|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=vJbd43uxLiMC&pg=PA144|accessdate=2011-06-06}}</ref> for having anticipated the "[[electropop]] boom" of the 1980s,<ref>{{cite web|title=Sakamoto hears music's sounds, not its styles|work=[[The Baltimore Sun]]|author=J.D. Considine|date=March 23, 2000|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/baltsun/access/51630773.html?dids=51630773:51630773&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Mar+23%2C+2000&author=J.D.+Considine&pub=The+Sun&desc=Sakamoto+hears+music's+sounds%2C+not+its+styles%3B+Performance%3A+The+popular+Japanese+pianist+is+moving+toward+acoustic+music+because+he+is+not+sure+he+can+rely+on+electricity.&pqatl=google|accessdate=2011-06-09}}</ref> their "pro-technological viewpoint," and their use of [[Video game music|video game sounds]] and [[Beep (sound)|bleeps]] (as in 1978's "[[Yellow Magic Orchestra (album)|Computer Game]]", for example).<ref>{{cite book|title=Incredibly Strange Music, Volume 15|author=V. Vale & Andrea Juno|publisher=[[RE/Search|RE/Search Publications]]|year=1994|isbn=0940642212|page=89|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=A4g7AQAAIAAJ|accessdate=2011-06-06}}</ref> YMO's approach to sampling music was a precursor to the contemporary approach of constructing music by cutting fragments of sounds and [[Music loop|looping]] them using computer technology.<ref name="condry_59">{{cite book|last=Condry|first=Ian|title=Hip-hop Japan: rap and the paths of cultural globalization|year=2006|publisher=[[Duke University Press]]|isbn=0822338920|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=37QWE3yRY-4C&pg=PA59|accessdate=12 June 2011|page=60}}</ref> Their 1978 hit "[[Yellow Magic Orchestra (album)|Computer Game / Firecracker]]", for example, sampled [[Martin Denny]]'s 1959 [[exotica]] melody "Firecracker"<ref name="guardian_ymo"/> and [[Arcade game|arcade]] [[Video game music|game sounds]] from ''[[Space Invaders]]'' and ''[[Circus (video game)|Circus]]''.<ref name="guardian_ymo"/><ref name="wire_2002"/>
Yellow Magic Orchestra were pioneers in their use of [[synthesizer]]s, [[Sampler (musical instrument)|samplers]], [[music sequencer|sequencers]], [[drum machine]]s, [[computer]]s, and [[Digital audio|digital recording]] technology in popular music,<ref name="allmusic_ymo"/><ref name="sarasota"/><ref name="clashmusic"/> in a time when these technologies were still seen as novelties.<ref name="clashmusic"/> The band is regarded as being "ahead of their time," for anticipating the global trend towards drum machines and [[Sampling (music)|sampling]],<ref>{{cite book|title=Tokyo city guide|author=Mayumi Yoshida Barakan & Judith Connor Greer|publisher=Tuttle Publishing|year=1996|isbn=0804819645|page=144|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=vJbd43uxLiMC&pg=PA144|accessdate=2011-06-06}}</ref> for having anticipated the "[[electropop]] boom" of the 1980s,<ref>{{cite web|title=Sakamoto hears music's sounds, not its styles|work=[[The Baltimore Sun]]|author=J.D. Considine|date=March 23, 2000|url=http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/baltsun/access/51630773.html?dids=51630773:51630773&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Mar+23%2C+2000&author=J.D.+Considine&pub=The+Sun&desc=Sakamoto+hears+music's+sounds%2C+not+its+styles%3B+Performance%3A+The+popular+Japanese+pianist+is+moving+toward+acoustic+music+because+he+is+not+sure+he+can+rely+on+electricity.&pqatl=google|accessdate=2011-06-09}}</ref> their "pro-technological viewpoint," and their use of [[Video game music|video game sounds]] and [[Beep (sound)|bleeps]] (as in 1978's "[[Yellow Magic Orchestra (album)|Computer Game]]", for example).<ref>{{cite book|title=Incredibly Strange Music, Volume 15|author=V. Vale & Andrea Juno|publisher=[[RE/Search|RE/Search Publications]]|year=1994|isbn=0940642212|page=89|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=A4g7AQAAIAAJ|accessdate=2011-06-06}}</ref> YMO's approach to sampling music was a precursor to the contemporary approach of constructing music by cutting fragments of sounds and [[Music loop|looping]] them using computer technology.<ref name="condry_59">{{cite book|last=Condry|first=Ian|title=Hip-hop Japan: rap and the paths of cultural globalization|year=2006|publisher=[[Duke University Press]]|isbn=0822338920|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=37QWE3yRY-4C&pg=PA59|accessdate=12 June 2011|page=60}}</ref> Their 1978 hit "[[Yellow Magic Orchestra (album)|Computer Game / Firecracker]]", for example, sampled [[Martin Denny]]'s 1959 [[exotica]] melody "Firecracker"<ref name="guardian_ymo"/> and [[Arcade game|arcade]] [[Video game music|game sounds]] from ''[[Space Invaders]]'' and ''[[Circus (video game)|Circus]]''.<ref name="guardian_ymo"/><ref name="wire_2002"/>


According to music writer [[Piero Scaruffi]], YMO were pioneers of [[synthpop]],<ref name="scaruffi"/> a genre development he believes to be "perhaps the single most significant event in [[melodic music]] since [[Beat music|Mersey-beat]]" with its influence still evident in contemporary [[Rock music|rock]] and [[pop music]].<ref name="scaruffi"/> While their contemporaries in [[Düsseldorf]], and later [[Detroit]], were using synthesizer technology to create bleak [[dystopia|dystopian]] music, YMO introduced a more "joyous and liberating" approach to electronic music, something that Sakamoto regards as "a Japanese thing."<ref name="guardian_ymo"/> In contrast to Kraftwerk's "robot pop"<ref>{{allmusic|id=p4706|label=Kraftwerk}}</ref> which was more [[Minimalism|minimalistic]] and statuesque, YMO's template for electronic pop was less minimalistic and made more varying use of synthesizer lines, while introducing "fun-loving and breezy" sounds.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bogdanov|first=Vladimir|title=All music guide to electronica: the definitive guide to electronic music|year=2001|publisher=[[Hal Leonard Corporation|Backbeat Books]]|isbn=0879306289|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=GJNXLSBlL7IC&pg=PT516|edition=4th|accessdate=26 May 2011|page=565}}</ref> The band also expanded the scope of electronic music by drawing from a wider range of influences,<ref name="sicko_brewster">{{citation|title=Techno Rebels|author=Dan Sicko & Bill Brewster|edition=2nd|publisher=[[Wayne State University Press]]|year=2010|isbn=0814334385|pages=27–8|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=h6TNjUt-QrkC&pg=PA27|accessdate=2011-05-28}}</ref> including [[Electronic music#Japanese electronic music|Japanese electronic music]] (such as [[Isao Tomita]]), European electronic music (such as Kraftwerk),<ref name="loubet_couroux">{{cite journal|title=Laptop Performers, Compact Disc Designers, and No-Beat Techno Artists in Japan: Music from Nowhere|journal=[[Computer Music Journal]]|date=Winter 2000|volume=24|issue=4|pages=19–32|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/3681552|accessdate=28 May 2011|author=Emmanuelle Loubet & Marc Couroux|publisher=[[MIT Press]]}}</ref> [[exotica]] (such as [[Martin Denny]]),<ref name="sicko_brewster"/> traditional [[Music of Japan|Japanese music]], [[Music of India|Indian music]] (such as [[Ravi Shankar]] and [[Filmi|Bollywood music]]),<ref name="pitchfork"/> [[disco]] (such as [[Giorgio Moroder]]),<ref name="allmusic_ymo"/> [[video game]] samples (such as ''Space Invaders''),<ref name="guardian_ymo"/><ref name="wire_2002">{{citation|title=The Wire, Issues 221-226|work=[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]]|year=2002|page=44|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=qyFMAAAAYAAJ|accessdate=2011-05-25}}</ref> American [[Rapping|rap]],<ref name="allmusic_bgm"/> British [[pop rock]] (such as The Beatles), [[List of Caribbean music genres|Caribbean]] ska,<ref name="sicko_brewster"/> and [[Zoomusicology|animal sounds]] (such as the horse-running rhythms in 1979's "[[Solid State Survivor|Rydeen]]").<ref>{{YouTube|vKRIt8S5ArY|YMO - Rydeen 2 (2003 television interview)}}</ref> Sakamoto referred to the band's [[Fusion (music)|fusion]] of many different sounds and styles as the musical equivalent to a Japanese [[bento]] box.<ref name="geeta_disco">{{cite web|author=Geeta Dayal|publisher=The Original Soundtrack|accessdate=2011-06-03|title=‘Studio 84′: Digging into the History of Disco in India|date=August 29, 2010|url=http://www.theoriginalsoundtrack.com/2010/08/studio-84-the-history-of-disco-in-india/}}</ref>
According to music writer [[Piero Scaruffi]], YMO were pioneers of [[synthpop]],<ref name="scaruffi"/> a genre development he believes to be "perhaps the single most significant event in [[melodic music]] since [[Beat music|Mersey-beat]]" with its influence still evident in contemporary [[Rock music|rock]] and [[pop music]].<ref name="scaruffi"/> While their contemporaries in [[Düsseldorf]], and later [[Detroit]], were using synthesizer technology to create bleak [[dystopia|dystopian]] music, YMO introduced a more "joyous and liberating" approach to electronic music, something that Sakamoto regards as "a Japanese thing."<ref name="guardian_ymo"/> In contrast to Kraftwerk's "robot pop"<ref>{{allmusic|id=p4706|label=Kraftwerk}}</ref> which was more [[Minimalism|minimalistic]] and statuesque, YMO's template for electronic pop was less minimalistic and made more varying use of synthesizer lines, while introducing "fun-loving and breezy" sounds,<ref>{{cite book|last=Bogdanov|first=Vladimir|title=All music guide to electronica: the definitive guide to electronic music|year=2001|publisher=[[Hal Leonard Corporation|Backbeat Books]]|isbn=0879306289|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=GJNXLSBlL7IC&pg=PT516|edition=4th|accessdate=26 May 2011|page=565}}</ref> and with a stronger focus on [[melody]].<ref name="sfweekly_interview"/> The band also expanded the scope of electronic music by drawing from a wider range of influences,<ref name="sicko_brewster">{{citation|title=Techno Rebels|author=Dan Sicko & Bill Brewster|edition=2nd|publisher=[[Wayne State University Press]]|year=2010|isbn=0814334385|pages=27–8|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=h6TNjUt-QrkC&pg=PA27|accessdate=2011-05-28}}</ref> including [[Electronic music#Japanese electronic music|Japanese electronic music]] (such as [[Isao Tomita]]), European electronic music (such as Kraftwerk),<ref name="loubet_couroux">{{cite journal|title=Laptop Performers, Compact Disc Designers, and No-Beat Techno Artists in Japan: Music from Nowhere|journal=[[Computer Music Journal]]|date=Winter 2000|volume=24|issue=4|pages=19–32|url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/3681552|accessdate=28 May 2011|author=Emmanuelle Loubet & Marc Couroux|publisher=[[MIT Press]]}}</ref> [[exotica]] (such as [[Martin Denny]]),<ref name="sicko_brewster"/> traditional [[Music of Japan|Japanese music]], experimental [[Music of China|Chinese music]] (of the [[Cultural Revolution]] era),<ref name="sfweekly_interview">{{cite web|last=Stout|first=Andrew|title=Yellow Magic Orchestra on Kraftwerk and How to Write a Melody During a Cultural Revolution|url=http://blogs.sfweekly.com/shookdown/2011/06/yellow_magic_orchestras_ryuich.php|work=[[SF Weekly]]|accessdate=30 June 2011|month=June 24|year=2011}}</ref> [[Music of India|Indian music]] (such as [[Ravi Shankar]] and [[Filmi|Bollywood music]]),<ref name="pitchfork"/> [[disco]] (such as [[Giorgio Moroder]]),<ref name="allmusic_ymo"/> [[video game]] samples (such as ''Space Invaders''),<ref name="guardian_ymo"/><ref name="wire_2002">{{citation|title=The Wire, Issues 221-226|work=[[The Wire (magazine)|The Wire]]|year=2002|page=44|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=qyFMAAAAYAAJ|accessdate=2011-05-25}}</ref> American [[Rapping|rap]],<ref name="allmusic_bgm"/> British [[pop rock]] (such as The Beatles), [[List of Caribbean music genres|Caribbean]] ska,<ref name="sicko_brewster"/> [[classical music]],<ref name="dayal_interview"/> and [[Zoomusicology|animal sounds]] (such as the horse-running rhythms in 1979's "[[Solid State Survivor|Rydeen]]").<ref>{{YouTube|vKRIt8S5ArY|YMO - Rydeen 2 (2003 television interview)}}</ref> Sakamoto referred to the band's [[Fusion (music)|fusion]] of many different sounds and styles as the musical equivalent to a Japanese [[bento]] box.<ref name="geeta_disco">{{cite web|author=Geeta Dayal|publisher=The Original Soundtrack|accessdate=2011-06-03|title=‘Studio 84′: Digging into the History of Disco in India|date=August 29, 2010|url=http://www.theoriginalsoundtrack.com/2010/08/studio-84-the-history-of-disco-in-india/}}</ref> The way in which the band's music evolved at a quick pace has also been compared to that of [[The Beatles]] during the 1960s.<ref name="sfweekly_interview"/>


For their album ''[[Yellow Magic Orchestra (album)|Yellow Magic Orchestra]]'' (1978), the band utilized a wide variety of [[electronic musical instrument|electronic music equipment]], including the [[Korg PS-3300|Korg PS-3100]] [[polyphonic synthesizer]], [[Moog modular synthesizer|Moog III-C]] and [[Minimoog]] [[monosynth]]s, [[Polymoog]] and [[ARP Odyssey]] [[analog synthesizer]]s, [[Oberheim polyphonic|Oberheim Eight-Voice]] synthesizer, [[Fender Rhodes]] [[electric piano]], [[Korg VC-10]] [[vocoder]], the [[electronic drum]] [[Drum kit|kits]] [[Yamaha Drums]] and [[Pollard Syndrum|Syn-Drums]], and the [[Fender Musical Instruments Corporation|Fender Bass]] [[electric bass]].<ref name="discogs_ymo_lp">{{Discogs release|453067|Yellow Magic Orchestra – Yellow Magic Orchestra}}</ref> It was also one of the earliest [[popular music]] albums to utilize the [[Roland MC-8 Microcomposer]], which was programmed by [[Hideki Matsutake]] during recording sessions;<ref name="discogs_ymo_lp"/> the other early popular music record to utilize it was Sakamoto's solo album ''Thousand Knives'', where it was also programmed by Matsutake.<ref name="knives_cd"/> Roland called the MC-8 a "[[computer music]] composer" and it was the first stand-alone [[microprocessor]]-based [[music sequencer]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Russ|first=Martin|title=Sound Synthesis and Sampling|year=2008|publisher=[[Focal Press]]|isbn=0240521056|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=_D2cTt5DPmEC&pg=PA346|accessdate=21 June 2011|page=346}}</ref><ref name="SOS Nov. 2004">{{cite journal |author=Gordon Reid |title=The History Of Roland Part 1: 1930-1978 |date=Nov. 2004 |url=http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov04/articles/roland.htm |journal=[[Sound On Sound]] |accessdate=2011-06-19}}</ref><ref>Chadabe, Joel. 1997. Electric Sound: The Past and Promise of Electronic Music. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, (p. 194).</ref> It also introduced features such as a [[keypad]] to enter [[note]] information and 16 [[Kilobyte|KB]] of [[random access memory|RAM]] which allowed a maximum sequence length of 5200 notes, a huge step forward from the 8-16 [[step sequencer]]s of the era.<ref name="SOS Nov. 2004"/> While it was commercially unsuccessful due to its high price,<ref name="SOS Nov. 2004"/> the band were among the few bands at the time to utilize the MC-8, which they described as, along with its [[Programming (music)|music programmer]] Hideki Matsutake, an "inevitable factor" in both their music production and [[Concert|live performances]].<ref name="sound_147">{{cite book|title=Sound International, Issues 33-40|work=[[Sound International]]|year=1981|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Sj5LAAAAYAAJ|accessdate=21 June 2011|page=147}}</ref> At the time, ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' noted that the use of such computer-based technology in conjunction with synthesizers allowed Yellow Magic Orchestra to create new sounds that were not possible until then.<ref name="billboard_1979">{{citation|title=Artists and producers strive for inroads overseas|work=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=26 May 1979|volume=91|issue=20|issn=0006-2510|page=61|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=_iQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT61|accessdate=2011-05-29}}</ref> ''Yellow Magic Orchestra'' was also the first computer-themed music album, predating Kraftwerk's ''[[Computer World]]'' (1981) by several years.<ref name="japantimes"/> As a result of such innovations, YMO were credited at the time for having "ushered in the age of the computer programmer as [[rock star]]."<ref name="sarasota"/>
For their album ''[[Yellow Magic Orchestra (album)|Yellow Magic Orchestra]]'' (1978), the band utilized a wide variety of [[electronic musical instrument|electronic music equipment]], including the [[Korg PS-3300|Korg PS-3100]] [[polyphonic synthesizer]], [[Moog modular synthesizer|Moog III-C]] and [[Minimoog]] [[monosynth]]s, [[Polymoog]] and [[ARP Odyssey]] [[analog synthesizer]]s, [[Oberheim polyphonic|Oberheim Eight-Voice]] synthesizer, [[Fender Rhodes]] [[electric piano]], [[Korg VC-10]] [[vocoder]], the [[electronic drum]] [[Drum kit|kits]] [[Yamaha Drums]] and [[Pollard Syndrum|Syn-Drums]], and the [[Fender Musical Instruments Corporation|Fender Bass]] [[electric bass]].<ref name="discogs_ymo_lp">{{Discogs release|453067|Yellow Magic Orchestra – Yellow Magic Orchestra}}</ref> It was also one of the earliest [[popular music]] albums to utilize the [[Roland MC-8 Microcomposer]], which was programmed by [[Hideki Matsutake]] during recording sessions;<ref name="discogs_ymo_lp"/> the other early popular music record to utilize it was Sakamoto's solo album ''Thousand Knives'', where it was also programmed by Matsutake.<ref name="knives_cd"/> Roland called the MC-8 a "[[computer music]] composer" and it was the first stand-alone [[microprocessor]]-based [[music sequencer]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Russ|first=Martin|title=Sound Synthesis and Sampling|year=2008|publisher=[[Focal Press]]|isbn=0240521056|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=_D2cTt5DPmEC&pg=PA346|accessdate=21 June 2011|page=346}}</ref><ref name="SOS Nov. 2004">{{cite journal |author=Gordon Reid |title=The History Of Roland Part 1: 1930-1978 |date=Nov. 2004 |url=http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/nov04/articles/roland.htm |journal=[[Sound On Sound]] |accessdate=2011-06-19}}</ref><ref>Chadabe, Joel. 1997. Electric Sound: The Past and Promise of Electronic Music. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, (p. 194).</ref> It also introduced features such as a [[keypad]] to enter [[note]] information and 16 [[Kilobyte|KB]] of [[random access memory|RAM]] which allowed a maximum sequence length of 5200 notes, a huge step forward from the 8-16 [[step sequencer]]s of the era.<ref name="SOS Nov. 2004"/> While it was commercially unsuccessful due to its high price,<ref name="SOS Nov. 2004"/> the band were among the few bands at the time to utilize the MC-8, which they described as, along with its [[Programming (music)|music programmer]] Hideki Matsutake, an "inevitable factor" in both their music production and [[Concert|live performances]].<ref name="sound_147">{{cite book|title=Sound International, Issues 33-40|work=[[Sound International]]|year=1981|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Sj5LAAAAYAAJ|accessdate=21 June 2011|page=147}}</ref> At the time, ''[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' noted that the use of such computer-based technology in conjunction with synthesizers allowed Yellow Magic Orchestra to create new sounds that were not possible until then.<ref name="billboard_1979">{{citation|title=Artists and producers strive for inroads overseas|work=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=26 May 1979|volume=91|issue=20|issn=0006-2510|page=61|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=_iQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT61|accessdate=2011-05-29}}</ref> ''Yellow Magic Orchestra'' was also the first computer-themed music album, predating Kraftwerk's ''[[Computer World]]'' (1981) by several years.<ref name="japantimes"/> As a result of such innovations, YMO were credited at the time for having "ushered in the age of the computer programmer as [[rock star]]."<ref name="sarasota"/>
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Yellow Magic Orchestra are highly regarded as pioneers of popular electronic music, and continue to be remixed and sampled by modern artists,<ref name="allmusic_ymo"/> ranging from [[electronica]] acts [[Yamantaka Eye]] and [[LFO (band)|LFO]], [[Drum and bass|jungle]] band [[4hero]], electrolatino artist [[Uwe Schmidt|Senor Coconut]], and [[ambient house]] pioneers [[The Orb]] and [[808 State]],<ref name="dayal_interview"/> to electronic dance groups [[Orbital (band)|Orbital]]<ref name="camera_mosdell"/> and [[The Human League]],<ref name="YMO_League"/> hip hop pioneer [[Afrika Bambaataa]],<ref name="wire_1996"/> and mainstream pop musicians such as [[Michael Jackson]], [[Quincy Jones]], [[Greg Phillinganes]],<ref name="camera_mosdell">{{cite web|title=Chris Mosdell, quirky Boulder lyricist, wrote lyrics for newly released Michael Jackson song|author=Aimee Heckel|date=01/15/2011|work=[[Camera (newspaper)|Daily Camera]]|url=http://www.dailycamera.com/entertainment/ci_17086830|accessdate=2011-06-19}}</ref> [[Eric Clapton]],<ref name="dailymail_michael">{{cite web|title=It's not Bad, but not good either! A track-by-track review of the 'new' Michael Jackson album|work=[[Daily Mail]]|author=Adrian Thrills|date=9 December 2010|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/reviews/article-1337281/Its-Bad-good-A-track-track-review-new-Michael-Jackson-album.html|accessdate=2011-05-30}}</ref> [[Mariah Carey]], and [[Jennifer Lopez]].<ref name="fox_mariah_jlo"/>
Yellow Magic Orchestra are highly regarded as pioneers of popular electronic music, and continue to be remixed and sampled by modern artists,<ref name="allmusic_ymo"/> ranging from [[electronica]] acts [[Yamantaka Eye]] and [[LFO (band)|LFO]], [[Drum and bass|jungle]] band [[4hero]], electrolatino artist [[Uwe Schmidt|Senor Coconut]], and [[ambient house]] pioneers [[The Orb]] and [[808 State]],<ref name="dayal_interview"/> to electronic dance groups [[Orbital (band)|Orbital]]<ref name="camera_mosdell"/> and [[The Human League]],<ref name="YMO_League"/> hip hop pioneer [[Afrika Bambaataa]],<ref name="wire_1996"/> and mainstream pop musicians such as [[Michael Jackson]], [[Quincy Jones]], [[Greg Phillinganes]],<ref name="camera_mosdell">{{cite web|title=Chris Mosdell, quirky Boulder lyricist, wrote lyrics for newly released Michael Jackson song|author=Aimee Heckel|date=01/15/2011|work=[[Camera (newspaper)|Daily Camera]]|url=http://www.dailycamera.com/entertainment/ci_17086830|accessdate=2011-06-19}}</ref> [[Eric Clapton]],<ref name="dailymail_michael">{{cite web|title=It's not Bad, but not good either! A track-by-track review of the 'new' Michael Jackson album|work=[[Daily Mail]]|author=Adrian Thrills|date=9 December 2010|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/reviews/article-1337281/Its-Bad-good-A-track-track-review-new-Michael-Jackson-album.html|accessdate=2011-05-30}}</ref> [[Mariah Carey]], and [[Jennifer Lopez]].<ref name="fox_mariah_jlo"/>


YMO's success with music technology encouraged many others, with their influence strongly felt in the British electronic scene of the early 1980s in particular.<ref name="Hardy_1987"/> They influenced many early synthpop acts, including [[Ultravox]], [[John Foxx]], [[Gary Numan]], [[Duran Duran]], Eric Clapton,<ref name="guardian_ymo"/> [[Depeche Mode]], and [[Camouflage (band)|Camouflage]],<ref name="allmusic_ymo"/> as well as [[rock music]]ians such as [[Todd Rundgren]].<ref name="guardian_ymo"/> They also influenced the [[New Romanticism|New Romantic]] movement,<ref name="takamura_1997"/> including British bands Duran Duran<ref name="guardian_ymo"/> and [[Japan (band)|Japan]], whose member [[Steve Jansen]] was influenced by drummer Takahashi,<ref name="japan_lifeintokyo">{{cite web|title=The Japanese Connection|date=July 1982|publisher=Japan: Life in Tokyo|url=http://www.lifeintokyo.net/articles_fl_japaneseconnection.html|accessdate=2011-04-01}}</ref> while another member [[David Sylvian]] was influenced by Sakamoto,<ref>{{citation|title=A history of rock music 1951-2000|author=[[Piero Scaruffi]]|publisher=[[iUniverse]]|year=2003|isbn=0595295657|chapter=British sound-painters, 1980-83|page=252|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=04KtwVkHNv0C&pg=PA252|accessdate=2011-05-26}}</ref> who would later collaborate with Sylvian.<ref name="japan_lifeintokyo"/> YMO also popularized a style of [[Concert|live performance]] that eschewed human movement in favour of electronics such as [[Drum machine|rhythm boxes]] and samplers.<ref name="takamura_1997">{{citation|title=Roots of street style|author=Zeshu Takamura|publisher=Graphic-sha Publishing|year=1997|isbn=4766108957|page=90|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=nW21AAAAIAAJ|accessdate=2011-05-01}}</ref>
YMO's success with music technology encouraged many others, with their influence strongly felt in the [[Second British Invasion|British electronic scene]] of the early 1980s in particular.<ref name="Hardy_1987"/> They influenced many early British synthpop acts, including [[Ultravox]], [[John Foxx]], [[Gary Numan]], [[Duran Duran]], Eric Clapton,<ref name="guardian_ymo"/> [[Depeche Mode]], [[Camouflage (band)|Camouflage]],<ref name="allmusic_ymo"/> [[Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark|OMD]], and The Human League,<ref name="sfweekly_interview"/> as well as American [[rock music]]ians such as [[Todd Rundgren]].<ref name="guardian_ymo"/> They also influenced the [[New Romanticism|New Romantic]] movement,<ref name="takamura_1997"/> including British bands Duran Duran<ref name="guardian_ymo"/> and [[Japan (band)|Japan]], whose member [[Steve Jansen]] was influenced by drummer Takahashi,<ref name="japan_lifeintokyo">{{cite web|title=The Japanese Connection|date=July 1982|publisher=Japan: Life in Tokyo|url=http://www.lifeintokyo.net/articles_fl_japaneseconnection.html|accessdate=2011-04-01}}</ref> while another member [[David Sylvian]] was influenced by Sakamoto,<ref>{{citation|title=A history of rock music 1951-2000|author=[[Piero Scaruffi]]|publisher=[[iUniverse]]|year=2003|isbn=0595295657|chapter=British sound-painters, 1980-83|page=252|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=04KtwVkHNv0C&pg=PA252|accessdate=2011-05-26}}</ref> who would later collaborate with Sylvian.<ref name="japan_lifeintokyo"/> YMO also popularized a style of [[Concert|live performance]] that eschewed human movement in favour of electronics such as [[Drum machine|rhythm boxes]] and samplers.<ref name="takamura_1997">{{citation|title=Roots of street style|author=Zeshu Takamura|publisher=Graphic-sha Publishing|year=1997|isbn=4766108957|page=90|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=nW21AAAAIAAJ|accessdate=2011-05-01}}</ref>


The 1978 song "[[Behind the Mask (song)|Behind the Mask]]" was an international hit [[Cover song|covered]] by various later artists, most famously [[Michael Jackson]].<ref name="camera_mosdell"/><ref>{{cite web|title=The New Michael Jackson Album: Not Bad, but Pretty Good|author=David Browne|date=December 10, 2010|work=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|url=http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,2036294,00.html|accessdate=2011-06-19}}</ref> Alongside [[Quincy Jones]], Jackson produced a slightly more [[Dance music|dance]]-[[funk]] version of the techno classic with additional lyrics, originally intended for his [[List of best-selling albums worldwide|best-selling album]] ''[[Thriller (album)|Thriller]]'' (1982). Despite the approval of songwriter Sakamoto and lyricist [[Chris Mosdell]], it was eventually removed from the album due to legal issues with YMO's management. Nevertheless, various cover versions were later performed by [[Greg Phillinganes]], [[Eric Clapton]], [[Orbital (band)|Orbital]], and [[The Human League]], among others, before Jackson's cover version eventually appeared on the posthumous ''[[Michael (album)|Michael]]'' album in 2010.<ref name="camera_mosdell"/>
The 1978 song "[[Behind the Mask (song)|Behind the Mask]]" was an international hit [[Cover song|covered]] by various later artists, most famously [[Michael Jackson]].<ref name="camera_mosdell"/><ref>{{cite web|title=The New Michael Jackson Album: Not Bad, but Pretty Good|author=David Browne|date=December 10, 2010|work=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|url=http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,2036294,00.html|accessdate=2011-06-19}}</ref> Alongside [[Quincy Jones]], Jackson produced a slightly more [[Dance music|dance]]-[[funk]] version of the techno classic with additional lyrics, originally intended for his [[List of best-selling albums worldwide|best-selling album]] ''[[Thriller (album)|Thriller]]'' (1982). Despite the approval of songwriter Sakamoto and lyricist [[Chris Mosdell]], it was eventually removed from the album due to legal issues with YMO's management. Nevertheless, various cover versions were later performed by [[Greg Phillinganes]], [[Eric Clapton]], [[Orbital (band)|Orbital]], and [[The Human League]], among others, before Jackson's cover version eventually appeared on the posthumous ''[[Michael (album)|Michael]]'' album in 2010.<ref name="camera_mosdell"/>
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}}
}}


The band was popular with the emerging [[hip hop]] community, which appreciated the group's new electronic sounds, and in [[the Bronx]] where "[[Yellow Magic Orchestra (album)|Firecracker]]" was a success and sampled in the famous ''Death Mix'' by [[Afrika Bambaataa]].<ref name="wire_1996"/><ref name="buckley_2003"/> According to ''[[The Guardian]]'', they "may have just invented hip-hop"; the hip-hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa credited the band as an inspiration and once remarked that YMO invented [[hip hop music]] (in a half-joking manner).<ref name="guardian_ymo"/> Afrika Bambaataa's influential song "[[Planet Rock (song)|Planet Rock]]" was partly inspired by YMO.<ref name="perkins_1996">{{citation|title=Droppin' science: critical essays on rap music and hip hop culture|author=William Eric Perkins|publisher=[[Temple University Press]]|year=1996|isbn=1566393620|page=12|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=zGC_ZNOrKDwC&pg=PA12|accessdate=2011-05-26}}</ref><ref name="cmj_1999">{{citation|title=Father Afrika Bombaataa|work=[[CMJ New Music Monthly]]|date=December 1999|issue=76|issn=1074-6978|page=72|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=bCoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA72|accessdate=2011-05-26}}</ref> The "terse videogame-[[funk]]" sounds of YMO's "Computer Game" would have a strong influence on the emerging [[Electro music|electro]] and hip hop genres.<ref name="dayal_interview">{{cite web|last=Dayal|first=Gheeta|title=Yellow Magic Orchestra|url=http://www.theoriginalsoundtrack.com/blog/archives/00000615.htm|work=Groove|publisher=The Original Soundtrack|accessdate=17 June 2011|date=07/07/2006}}</ref> Sakamoto's "Riot in Lagos" was cited by [[Kurtis Mantronik]] as a major influence on his early [[Electro hop|electro hip hop]] group [[Mantronix]];<ref>{{citation|title=Kurtis Mantronik Interview|work=Hip Hop Storage|date=July 2002|url=http://www.cheebadesign.com/legends/articleX.html|accessdate=2011-05-25}}</ref> he included both "Computer Game" and "Riot in Lagos" in his compilation album ''[[That's My Beat]]'' (2002) which consists of the songs that influenced his early career.<ref>{{allmusic|album|r607041|That's My Beat: Mantronix}}</ref> "Riot in Lagos" was also later included in [[Playgroup (band)|Playgroup]]'s [[compilation album]] ''Kings of Electro'' (2007), alongside later electro classics such as [[Hashim Music|Hashim]]'s "Al-Nafyish" (1983).<ref>{{allmusic|album|r2003688|Kings of Electro}}</ref> YMO's use of [[Video game music|video game sounds]] and [[Beep (sound)|bleeps]] also had a particularly big influence on 1980s hip hop music.<ref>{{cite book|title=Rap attack 3: African rap to global hip hop, Issue 3|author=David Toop|edition=3rd|publisher=[[Serpent's Tail]]|year=2000|isbn=1852426276|page=129|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=xnruAAAAMAAJ|accessdate=2011-06-06}}</ref> Beyond electro acts, "[[Yellow Magic Orchestra (album)|Computer Game / Firecracker]]" was also sampled by a number of other later artists, including [[2 Live Crew]]'s "Mega-Mixx II" (1988),<ref name="whosampled">{{cite web|title=Yellow Magic Orchestra|work=whosampled.com|url=http://www.whosampled.com/sampled/Yellow%20Magic%20Orchestra/|accessdate=2011-05-28}}</ref> [[Warp (record label)|Warp]]'s "[[WarpVision|Testone]]" (1990),<ref>{{citation|title=Techno Rebels|author=Dan Sicko & Bill Brewster|edition=2nd|publisher=[[Wayne State University Press]]|year=2010|isbn=0814334385|page=76|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=h6TNjUt-QrkC&pg=PA76|accessdate=2011-05-28}}</ref> [[De La Soul]]'s "Funky Towel" (for the 1996 film ''[[Joe's Apartment]]''),<ref>{{citation|title=|work=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=29 June 1996|volume=108|issue=26|issn=0006-2510|page=68|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=pgkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA68|accessdate=2011-06-13}}</ref> [[Jennifer Lopez]]'s worldwide hit "[[I'm Real (Jennifer Lopez song)|I'm Real]]" (2001), and the original unreleased version of [[Mariah Carey]]'s "[[Loverboy (Mariah Carey song)|Loverboy]]" (2001).<ref name="fox_mariah_jlo">{{cite web|title=Mariah 'Ripped Off' Twice on Same Record|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,49437,00.html|publisher=[[Fox News Channel|Fox News]]|date=April 4, 2002|accessdate=2011-05-28}}</ref>
The band was popular with the emerging [[hip hop]] community, which appreciated the group's new electronic sounds, and in [[the Bronx]] where "[[Yellow Magic Orchestra (album)|Firecracker]]" was a success and sampled in the famous ''Death Mix'' by [[Afrika Bambaataa]].<ref name="wire_1996"/><ref name="buckley_2003"/> According to ''[[The Guardian]]'', they "may have just invented hip-hop"; the hip-hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa credited the band as an inspiration and once remarked that YMO invented [[hip hop music]] (in a half-joking manner).<ref name="guardian_ymo"/> Afrika Bambaataa's influential song "[[Planet Rock (song)|Planet Rock]]" was partly inspired by YMO.<ref name="perkins_1996">{{citation|title=Droppin' science: critical essays on rap music and hip hop culture|author=William Eric Perkins|publisher=[[Temple University Press]]|year=1996|isbn=1566393620|page=12|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=zGC_ZNOrKDwC&pg=PA12|accessdate=2011-05-26}}</ref><ref name="cmj_1999">{{citation|title=Father Afrika Bombaataa|work=[[CMJ New Music Monthly]]|date=December 1999|issue=76|issn=1074-6978|page=72|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=bCoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA72|accessdate=2011-05-26}}</ref> The "terse videogame-[[funk]]" sounds of YMO's "Computer Game" would have a strong influence on the emerging [[Electro music|electro]] and hip hop genres.<ref name="dayal_interview">{{cite web|last=Dayal|first=Gheeta|title=Yellow Magic Orchestra|url=http://www.theoriginalsoundtrack.com/blog/archives/00000615.htm|work=Groove|publisher=The Original Soundtrack|accessdate=17 June 2011|date=07/07/2006}}</ref> Sakamoto's "Riot in Lagos" was cited by [[Kurtis Mantronik]] as a major influence on his early [[Electro hop|electro hip hop]] group [[Mantronix]];<ref>{{citation|title=Kurtis Mantronik Interview|work=Hip Hop Storage|date=July 2002|url=http://www.cheebadesign.com/legends/articleX.html|accessdate=2011-05-25}}</ref> he included both "Computer Game" and "Riot in Lagos" in his compilation album ''[[That's My Beat]]'' (2002) which consists of the songs that influenced his early career.<ref>{{allmusic|album|r607041|That's My Beat: Mantronix}}</ref> "Riot in Lagos" was also later included in [[Playgroup (band)|Playgroup]]'s [[compilation album]] ''Kings of Electro'' (2007), alongside later electro classics such as [[Hashim Music|Hashim]]'s "Al-Nafyish" (1983).<ref>{{allmusic|album|r2003688|Kings of Electro}}</ref> YMO's use of [[Video game music|video game sounds]] and [[Beep (sound)|bleeps]] also had a particularly big influence on 1980s hip hop<ref>{{cite book|title=Rap attack 3: African rap to global hip hop, Issue 3|author=David Toop|edition=3rd|publisher=[[Serpent's Tail]]|year=2000|isbn=1852426276|page=129|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=xnruAAAAMAAJ|accessdate=2011-06-06}}</ref> and synthpop.<ref name="sfweekly_interview"/> Beyond electro acts, "[[Yellow Magic Orchestra (album)|Computer Game / Firecracker]]" was also sampled by a number of other later artists, including [[2 Live Crew]]'s "Mega-Mixx II" (1988),<ref name="whosampled">{{cite web|title=Yellow Magic Orchestra|work=whosampled.com|url=http://www.whosampled.com/sampled/Yellow%20Magic%20Orchestra/|accessdate=2011-05-28}}</ref> [[Warp (record label)|Warp]]'s "[[WarpVision|Testone]]" (1990),<ref>{{citation|title=Techno Rebels|author=Dan Sicko & Bill Brewster|edition=2nd|publisher=[[Wayne State University Press]]|year=2010|isbn=0814334385|page=76|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=h6TNjUt-QrkC&pg=PA76|accessdate=2011-05-28}}</ref> [[De La Soul]]'s "Funky Towel" (for the 1996 film ''[[Joe's Apartment]]''),<ref>{{citation|title=|work=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|date=29 June 1996|volume=108|issue=26|issn=0006-2510|page=68|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=pgkEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA68|accessdate=2011-06-13}}</ref> [[Jennifer Lopez]]'s worldwide hit "[[I'm Real (Jennifer Lopez song)|I'm Real]]" (2001), and the original unreleased version of [[Mariah Carey]]'s "[[Loverboy (Mariah Carey song)|Loverboy]]" (2001).<ref name="fox_mariah_jlo">{{cite web|title=Mariah 'Ripped Off' Twice on Same Record|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,49437,00.html|publisher=[[Fox News Channel|Fox News]]|date=April 4, 2002|accessdate=2011-05-28}}</ref>


YMO also had an impact on [[techno]] music,<ref name="bogdanov_1996">{{cite book|last=Bogdanov|first=Vladimir|title=All music guide to electronica: the definitive guide to electronic music|year=2001|publisher=[[Hal Leonard Corporation|Backbeat Books]]|isbn=0879306289|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=GJNXLSBlL7IC&pg=PT582|edition=4th|accessdate=26 May 2011|page=582}}</ref> including its pioneers [[Juan Atkins]], [[Kevin Saunderson]], and [[Derrick May]],<ref>[[Simon Reynolds|Reynolds, Simon]], ''Energy Flash: a Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture'', p. 15, Pan Macmillan, 1998 (ISBN 978-0330350563)</ref> as well as later techno musicians such as [[Surgeon (musician)|Surgeon]], [[Mike Paradinas|μ-Ziq]], and [[Harald Blüchel|Cosmic Baby]].<ref name="allmusic_ymo"/> Their 1978 song "Computer Game" was later included in [[Carl Craig]]'s compilation album ''Kings of Techno'' (2006).<ref>{{allmusic|album|r2014069|The Kings of Techno (Carl Craig)}}</ref> In the 1990s, YMO had an impact on [[ambient house]] pioneers such as [[The Orb]] and [[808 State]],<ref name="dayal_interview"/> as well as [[Ultramarine (band)|Ultramarine]] and other ambient/house artists.<ref name="allmusic_ymo"/> This resulted in the release of the tribute remix album ''Yellow Magic Orchestra: Hi-Tech/No Crime'' in 1993,<ref name="allmusic_ymo"/> by leading [[Ambient music|ambient]], [[House music|house]] and techno musicians at the time, including The Orb, 808 State, and Orbital.<ref>{{allmusic|album|r276109|Hi-Tech/No Crime: Yellow Magic Orchestra Reconstructed|accessdate=2011-06-19}}</ref> The music YMO produced during their comeback in the early 1990s also played an instrumental role in the techno and [[acid house]] movements towards the end of the 20th century.<ref name="UGO"/> The band's use of [[oriental musical scale]]s and video game sounds has continued to be an influence on 21st-century [[electronica]] acts such as [[Dizzee Rascal]] and [[Kieran Hebden]].<ref name="guardian_ymo"/> In 2006, [[Uwe Schmidt|Senor Coconut]] paid tribute to the band with his ''[[Yellow Fever!]]'' album.<ref name="clashmusic"/>
YMO also had an impact on [[techno]] music,<ref name="bogdanov_1996">{{cite book|last=Bogdanov|first=Vladimir|title=All music guide to electronica: the definitive guide to electronic music|year=2001|publisher=[[Hal Leonard Corporation|Backbeat Books]]|isbn=0879306289|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=GJNXLSBlL7IC&pg=PT582|edition=4th|accessdate=26 May 2011|page=582}}</ref> including its pioneers [[Juan Atkins]], [[Kevin Saunderson]], and [[Derrick May]],<ref>[[Simon Reynolds|Reynolds, Simon]], ''Energy Flash: a Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture'', p. 15, Pan Macmillan, 1998 (ISBN 978-0330350563)</ref> as well as later techno musicians such as [[Surgeon (musician)|Surgeon]], [[Mike Paradinas|μ-Ziq]], and [[Harald Blüchel|Cosmic Baby]].<ref name="allmusic_ymo"/> Their 1978 song "Computer Game" was later included in [[Carl Craig]]'s compilation album ''Kings of Techno'' (2006).<ref>{{allmusic|album|r2014069|The Kings of Techno (Carl Craig)}}</ref> In the 1990s, YMO had an impact on [[ambient house]] pioneers such as [[The Orb]] and [[808 State]],<ref name="dayal_interview"/> as well as [[Ultramarine (band)|Ultramarine]] and other ambient/house artists.<ref name="allmusic_ymo"/> This resulted in the release of the tribute remix album ''Yellow Magic Orchestra: Hi-Tech/No Crime'' in 1993,<ref name="allmusic_ymo"/> by leading [[Ambient music|ambient]], [[House music|house]] and techno musicians at the time, including The Orb, 808 State, and Orbital.<ref>{{allmusic|album|r276109|Hi-Tech/No Crime: Yellow Magic Orchestra Reconstructed|accessdate=2011-06-19}}</ref> The music YMO produced during their comeback in the early 1990s also played an instrumental role in the techno and [[acid house]] movements towards the end of the 20th century.<ref name="UGO"/> The band's use of [[oriental musical scale]]s and video game sounds has continued to be an influence on 21st-century [[electronica]] acts such as [[Dizzee Rascal]] and [[Kieran Hebden]].<ref name="guardian_ymo"/> In 2006, [[Uwe Schmidt|Senor Coconut]] paid tribute to the band with his ''[[Yellow Fever!]]'' album.<ref name="clashmusic"/>


The band has also been very influential in its homeland Japan, where they had become more popular than [[The Beatles]] during the late 1970s and 1980s.<ref name="guardian_ymo"/> Their albums ''Solid State Survivor'' and ''[[X∞Multiplies]]'' held the top two spots on the [[Oricon]] charts for seven consecutive weeks in 1980, making YMO the only band in Japanese chart history to achieve this feat.<ref name="oricon_ymo"/> Young fans of their music during this period became known as the {{Nihongo|"YMO Generation"|YMO世代|YMO Sedai}}.<ref>{{Cite web| url=http://www.apple.com/jp/articles/interviews/sakamotoryuichi/ |title=Ryuichi Sakamoto Special Interview|publisher=[[Apple Inc.]]|date=2007-03-19|language=Japanese|accessdate=2009-01-08}}</ref> The band had a significant impact on Japanese pop music, which started becoming increasingly dominated by electronic and computer music due to YMO's influence.<ref name="loubet_couroux"/> YMO were one of the most important acts in Japan's "[[J-pop#1970s: Development of "New Music"|New Music]]" movement and paved the way for the emergence of the [[J-pop]] genre in the 1980s.<ref name="whonejp">{{Cite web|url=http://www.who.ne.jp/modules/page05/content/index.php?id=10|title=New Music|publisher=Who.ne.jp|language=Japanese|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20090603164729/http://idol.who.ne.jp/modules/page05/content/index.php?id=10|archivedate=2009-06-03|accessdate=2011-06-13}} [http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&tl=en&u=http://web.archive.org/web/20090603164729/http://idol.who.ne.jp/modules/page05/content/index.php?id=10 Translation])</ref> In [[HMV Group|HMV Japan]]'s list of top 100 Japanese musicians of all time, YMO were voted second place, behind only [[Southern All Stars]], a [[Pop rock|pop-rock]] band who remain largely unknown outside of Japan.<ref name="geek_20">{{citation|title=Geek Monthly, Volumes 17-22|work=[[Geek Monthly]]|year=2008|publisher=CFQ Media|url=http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=oADsAAAAMAAJ|accessdate=12 June 2011|page=20}}</ref>
The band has also been very influential in its homeland Japan, where they had become more popular than [[The Beatles]] during the late 1970s and 1980s.<ref name="guardian_ymo"/> Their albums ''Solid State Survivor'' and ''[[X∞Multiplies]]'' held the top two spots on the [[Oricon]] charts for seven consecutive weeks in 1980, making YMO the only band in Japanese chart history to achieve this feat.<ref name="oricon_ymo"/> Young fans of their music during this period became known as the {{Nihongo|"YMO Generation"|YMO世代|YMO Sedai}}.<ref>{{Cite web| url=http://www.apple.com/jp/articles/interviews/sakamotoryuichi/ |title=Ryuichi Sakamoto Special Interview|publisher=[[Apple Inc.]]|date=2007-03-19|language=Japanese|accessdate=2009-01-08}}</ref> The band had a significant impact on Japanese pop music, which started becoming increasingly dominated by electronic and computer music due to YMO's influence.<ref name="loubet_couroux"/> YMO were one of the most important acts in Japan's "[[J-pop#1970s: Development of "New Music"|New Music]]" movement and paved the way for the emergence of the [[J-pop]] genre in the 1980s.<ref name="whonejp">{{Cite web|url=http://www.who.ne.jp/modules/page05/content/index.php?id=10|title=New Music|publisher=Who.ne.jp|language=Japanese|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20090603164729/http://idol.who.ne.jp/modules/page05/content/index.php?id=10|archivedate=2009-06-03|accessdate=2011-06-13}} [http://translate.google.co.uk/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&tl=en&u=http://web.archive.org/web/20090603164729/http://idol.who.ne.jp/modules/page05/content/index.php?id=10 Translation])</ref>


YMO also influenced many [[List of video game musicians|video game composers]] and had a major impact on the sounds used in much of the [[chiptune]] and [[video game music]] produced during the [[History of video game consoles (third generation)|8-bit]] and [[History of video game consoles (fourth generation)|16-bit eras]].<ref name="japantimes">{{cite web|date=February 29, 2008|title=YMCK takes 'chiptune' revolution major|author=Daniel Robson|work=[[The Japan Times]]|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fm20080229a1.html|accessdate=2011-06-11}}</ref> As a result, several video game composers, including [[Shinji Hosoe]] and [[Nobuyoshi Sano]], formed a parody band called "Oriental Magnetic Yellow" (OMY) in 1994, producing parody cover versions of various YMO records.<ref>{{cite web|title=Oriental Magnetic Yellow|work=VGMdb.net|url=http://vgmdb.net/artist/2121|accessdate=2011-06-13}}</ref> Various cover versions of "[[Naughty Boys|Kimi ni Mune Kyun]]" (1983) have also been produced by other artists,<ref name="whosampled"/> including [[The Human League]] in 1993 ("[[YMO Versus The Human League]]")<ref name="YMO_League">{{cite web|title=Yellow Magic Orchestra Versus Human League, The – YMO Versus The Human League|publisher=[[Discogs]]|url=http://www.discogs.com/release/504204|accessdate=2011-05-28}}</ref> and [[Asako Toki]] in 2006.<ref name="whosampled"/> In 2009, a cover of "Kimi ni Mune Kyun" was used as the [[Music in Japanese animation|ending theme song]] for the [[anime]] series ''[[Maria Holic]]'', sung by [[Asami Sanada]], [[Marina Inoue]], and [[Yū Kobayashi]], the [[Seiyū|voice actresses]] of the main characters.
YMO also influenced many [[List of video game musicians|video game composers]] and had a major impact on the sounds used in much of the [[chiptune]] and [[video game music]] produced during the [[History of video game consoles (third generation)|8-bit]] and [[History of video game consoles (fourth generation)|16-bit eras]].<ref name="japantimes">{{cite web|date=February 29, 2008|title=YMCK takes 'chiptune' revolution major|author=Daniel Robson|work=[[The Japan Times]]|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fm20080229a1.html|accessdate=2011-06-11}}</ref> As a result, several video game composers, including [[Shinji Hosoe]] and [[Nobuyoshi Sano]], formed a parody band called "Oriental Magnetic Yellow" (OMY) in 1994, producing parody cover versions of various YMO records.<ref>{{cite web|title=Oriental Magnetic Yellow|work=VGMdb.net|url=http://vgmdb.net/artist/2121|accessdate=2011-06-13}}</ref> Various cover versions of "[[Naughty Boys|Kimi ni Mune Kyun]]" (1983) have also been produced by other artists,<ref name="whosampled"/> including [[The Human League]] in 1993 ("[[YMO Versus The Human League]]")<ref name="YMO_League">{{cite web|title=Yellow Magic Orchestra Versus Human League, The – YMO Versus The Human League|publisher=[[Discogs]]|url=http://www.discogs.com/release/504204|accessdate=2011-05-28}}</ref> and [[Asako Toki]] in 2006.<ref name="whosampled"/> In 2009, a cover of "Kimi ni Mune Kyun" was used as the [[Music in Japanese animation|ending theme song]] for the [[anime]] series ''[[Maria Holic]]'', sung by [[Asami Sanada]], [[Marina Inoue]], and [[Yū Kobayashi]], the [[Seiyū|voice actresses]] of the main characters.

Revision as of 01:43, 30 June 2011

Yellow Magic Orchestra

Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) is a Japanese electronic music band consisting of principal members Haruomi Hosono (bass and keyboards), Yukihiro Takahashi (drums and lead vocals) and Ryuichi Sakamoto (keyboards and vocals).[1] The group began under the name "Yellow Magic Band" in 1977,[2] and then renamed itself as "Yellow Magic Orchestra" in 1978. The band's former "fourth member" was music programmer Hideki Matsutake.[3]

They are regarded as influential innovators of popular electronic music.[1][4] They helped pioneer synthpop[5][6] and ambient house,[1] ushered in electronica,[7] anticipated the beats and sounds of electro music,[8] laid the foundations for J-pop,[9] and influenced the house,[1][10] techno[10][11] and hip-hop movements.[7] More broadly, their influence is evident across many genres of popular music, including electronic dance,[4] ambient music,[1][12] chiptune, game music,[13] pop,[5][12] rock, and melodic music.[5]

History

Early years and formation (1976–1978)

Prior to the group's formation, Sakamoto had been experimenting with electronic music equipment at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, which he entered in 1970, including synthesizers such as the Buchla, Moog, and ARP.[14] At around the same time, Hosono had been involved in the recording of several early electronic rock records, including Inoue Yousui's folk pop rock album Ice World (1973) and Osamu Kitajima's progressive psychadelic rock album Benzaiten (1974), both of which utilized synthesizers, electric guitars, electric bass, and in the latter, electronic drums and rhythm machines.[15][16] Also around the same time, the band's future "fourth member" Hideki Matsutake was the assistant for the internationally successful electronic musician Isao Tomita. Much of the methods and techniques developed by both Tomita and Matsutake during the early 1970s would later be employed by Yellow Magic Orchestra.[3] Other early influences on the band included Kraftwerk and Giorgio Moroder.[1] The former was particularly an influence on Sakamoto, who heard the band in the mid-1970s and later introduced them to his fellow band members in the late 1970s.[17] However, they wanted to avoid imitating Kraftwerk,[17] whose "German" approach Sakamoto viewed as "theoretical, very focused, simple and minimal and strong," which he contrasted with YMO's "very Japanese" approach of fusing many different styles of music, like a musical equivalent to a bento box.[14]

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, which included electronic songs produced using various electronic equipment such as the Yamaha CS-80 polyphonic synthesizer, Roland and ARP Odyssey synthesizers, the Yamaha CP-30 and Rhodes electric pianos, and electric guitar. The band was named "Harry Hosono and the Yellow Magic Band" and, having been recorded in late 1977, Paraiso was released in early 1978.[2] The three worked together again for the 1978 electronic album Pacific, which included an early version of the song "Cosmic Surfin".[18] Hosono and Sakamoto also worked together alongside Hideki Matsutake in early 1978 for Hosono's experimental "electro-exotica" fusion album Cochin Moon, which fused electronic music with Indian music (reminiscent of Ravi Shankar and Bollywood music), including an early "synth raga" song "Hum Ghar Sajan".[19] The same year, Sakamoto released his own solo album, The Thousand Knives of Ryuichi Sakamoto, experimenting with a similar fusion between electronic music and traditional Japanese music in early 1978. Hosono also contributed to one of Sakamoto's songs, "Thousand Knives", in the album.[20] Thousand Knives was also notable for its early use of the microprocessor-based Roland MC-8 Microcomposer music sequencer, with Matsutake as its music programmer for the album.[21] Hosono, Sakamoto and Takahashi eventually collaborated again to form the Yellow Magic Orchestra and they began recording their self-titled album at a Shibaura studio in July 1978.[22]

The band was initially 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 with modern electronics, as a subversion of Orientalism and exoticization, while exploring similar themes such as Asianness. The album would eventually be called Yellow Magic Orchestra, as a satire of Japan's obsession with black magic at the time.[7] The album featured the use of computer technology (along with synthesizers) which, according to Billboard, allowed the group to create a new sound that was not possible until then.[23]

National and international success (1978–1983)

The band's 1978 self-titled album Yellow Magic Orchestra, 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. Following the release of the album 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. The most popular international hit from the album was "Firecracker", which would be released as a single the following year and again as "Computer Game", which became a success in the United States and Europe.[citation needed]

Following an advertising deal with Fuji Cassette, the group sparked a boom in the popularity of electronic pop music, called "Technopop" in Japan,[7][24] where they had an impact similar to that of The Beatles and Merseybeat in 1960s Britain.[7] For some time, YMO was the most popular band in Japan.[7] 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.[citation needed] Successful solo act Akiko Yano (later married to Sakamoto) joined the band for its live performances in the late 1970s and early 1980s, 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.[citation needed]

Making abundant use of new synthesizers, samplers, sequencers, drum machines, computers and digital recording technology as it became available, as well as utilizing cyberpunk-ish lyrics sung mostly in English, they extended their popularity and influence beyond Japan.[1][24][25]

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 one of the band's biggest international hits, was "Behind the Mask", which YMO had first produced in 1978 for a Seiko quartz wristwatch commercial,[26] and then for Solid State Survivor with lyrics penned by Chris Mosdell. The song was later revised by Michael Jackson, who added new lyrics in the early 1980s.[27] Jackson's version was never released until his first posthumous album, Michael, though his additional lyrics were included in later cover versions of the song by Greg Phillinganes, Eric Clapton,[28] and Ryuichi Sakamoto himself in his 1986 solo release Media Bahn Live.[citation needed]

Their second album Solid State Survivor went on to sell over 2 million records worldwide.[29] By 1980, YMO had become the most popular group in Japan, where they were performing to sold out crowds. Their first live album Public Pressure set a record in Japan, topping the charts and selling 250,000 copies within two weeks, while their next studio album X∞Multiplies had 200,000 pre-orders before release.[24] The same year, their albums Solid State Survivor and X∞Multiplies held the top two spots on the Oricon charts for seven consecutive weeks, making YMO the only band in Japanese chart history to achieve this feat.[30]

They also had similar success abroad, performing to sold-out crowds during tours in the United States and Europe.[24] The single "Computer Game" had sold 400,000 copies in the United States[24] and reached #17 in the UK Charts. The group also performed "Firecracker" and "Tighten Up" live on the Soul Train television show. At around the same time, the 1980 song "Riot in Lagos" by YMO member Sakamoto pioneered the beats and sounds of electro music.[8][31] The band was particularly popular with the emerging hip hop community, which appreciated the group's electronic sounds, and in the Bronx where "Firecracker" was a success and sampled in the famous Death Mix (1983) by Afrika Bambaataa.[8][32] Meanwhile in Japan, YMO remained the best-selling music act there up until 1982.[33]

Breakup and brief reunion (1984–1993)

The band had stopped working as a group by 1984, after the release of their musical 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. Meanwhile, Sakamoto would gain international success for his work as a solo artist, actor, and film composer,[12] winning Grammy, Oscar and Golden Globe awards.[34]

The trio would eventually release a one-off reunion album, Technodon, and credited it to 'NOT YMO' (YMO crossed out with a calligraphy X) or YMO in 1993.[citation needed] Instead of traditional vocals, about half of it features field audio recordings and samples of authors and scientists reading their work.[citation needed] During their brief reunion in the early 1990s, they continued to experiment with new styles of electronic music, playing an instrumental role in the techno and acid house movements of the era.[10]

Post-breakup and reformation (1994–present)

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, 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.

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

In August 2010, YMO once again closed their World Happiness festival. They added classic songs from their back catalog into their set list. They also covered "Hello, Goodbye" and "Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)".[36] In January 2011, KCRW announced for their World Festival concert series that Yellow Magic Orchestra will perform at the Hollywood Bowl on June 26, 2011.[37] Not long after, a concert for June 27, 2011 at The Warfield was added.[38] It was announced in February that YMO will perform at the Fuji Rock festival in July and the World Happiness festival 2011 on 7 August.

Legacy

In 1993, Johnny Black of Hi-Fi News, in a review for the record Hi-Tech/No Crime, described Yellow Magic Orchestra as "the most adventurous and influential electro-techno-dance technicians the world has produced" and further argued that "today's music would still sound like yesterday's music" without them.[4] In 2001, Jason Ankeny of the Allmusic Guide to Electronica described the band as "a seminal influence on contemporary electronic music – hugely popular both at home and abroad" and placed them "second only to Kraftwerk as innovators of today's electronic culture."[39] In HMV Japan's list of top 100 Japanese musicians of all time, YMO were voted second place, behind only Southern All Stars, a pop-rock band who remain largely unknown outside of Japan.[40]

Innovations

Yellow Magic Orchestra were pioneers in their use of synthesizers, samplers, sequencers, drum machines, computers, and digital recording technology in popular music,[1][24][25] in a time when these technologies were still seen as novelties.[25] The band is regarded as being "ahead of their time," for anticipating the global trend towards drum machines and sampling,[41] for having anticipated the "electropop boom" of the 1980s,[42] their "pro-technological viewpoint," and their use of video game sounds and bleeps (as in 1978's "Computer Game", for example).[43] YMO's approach to sampling music was a precursor to the contemporary approach of constructing music by cutting fragments of sounds and looping them using computer technology.[44] Their 1978 hit "Computer Game / Firecracker", for example, sampled Martin Denny's 1959 exotica melody "Firecracker"[7] and arcade game sounds from Space Invaders and Circus.[7][45]

According to music writer Piero Scaruffi, YMO were pioneers of synthpop,[5] a genre development he believes to be "perhaps the single most significant event in melodic music since Mersey-beat" with its influence still evident in contemporary rock and pop music.[5] While their contemporaries in Düsseldorf, and later Detroit, were using synthesizer technology to create bleak dystopian music, YMO introduced a more "joyous and liberating" approach to electronic music, something that Sakamoto regards as "a Japanese thing."[7] In contrast to Kraftwerk's "robot pop"[46] which was more minimalistic and statuesque, YMO's template for electronic pop was less minimalistic and made more varying use of synthesizer lines, while introducing "fun-loving and breezy" sounds,[47] and with a stronger focus on melody.[17] The band also expanded the scope of electronic music by drawing from a wider range of influences,[48] including Japanese electronic music (such as Isao Tomita), European electronic music (such as Kraftwerk),[49] exotica (such as Martin Denny),[48] traditional Japanese music, experimental Chinese music (of the Cultural Revolution era),[17] Indian music (such as Ravi Shankar and Bollywood music),[19] disco (such as Giorgio Moroder),[1] video game samples (such as Space Invaders),[7][45] American rap,[50] British pop rock (such as The Beatles), Caribbean ska,[48] classical music,[14] and animal sounds (such as the horse-running rhythms in 1979's "Rydeen").[51] Sakamoto referred to the band's fusion of many different sounds and styles as the musical equivalent to a Japanese bento box.[52] The way in which the band's music evolved at a quick pace has also been compared to that of The Beatles during the 1960s.[17]

For their album Yellow Magic Orchestra (1978), the band utilized a wide variety of electronic music equipment, including the Korg PS-3100 polyphonic synthesizer, Moog III-C and Minimoog monosynths, Polymoog and ARP Odyssey analog synthesizers, Oberheim Eight-Voice synthesizer, Fender Rhodes electric piano, Korg VC-10 vocoder, the electronic drum kits Yamaha Drums and Syn-Drums, and the Fender Bass electric bass.[22] It was also one of the earliest popular music albums to utilize the Roland MC-8 Microcomposer, which was programmed by Hideki Matsutake during recording sessions;[22] the other early popular music record to utilize it was Sakamoto's solo album Thousand Knives, where it was also programmed by Matsutake.[21] Roland called the MC-8 a "computer music composer" and it was the first stand-alone microprocessor-based music sequencer.[53][54][55] It also introduced features such as a keypad to enter note information and 16 KB of RAM which allowed a maximum sequence length of 5200 notes, a huge step forward from the 8-16 step sequencers of the era.[54] While it was commercially unsuccessful due to its high price,[54] the band were among the few bands at the time to utilize the MC-8, which they described as, along with its music programmer Hideki Matsutake, an "inevitable factor" in both their music production and live performances.[3] At the time, Billboard noted that the use of such computer-based technology in conjunction with synthesizers allowed Yellow Magic Orchestra to create new sounds that were not possible until then.[23] Yellow Magic Orchestra was also the first computer-themed music album, predating Kraftwerk's Computer World (1981) by several years.[13] As a result of such innovations, YMO were credited at the time for having "ushered in the age of the computer programmer as rock star."[24]

In 1980, Yellow Magic Orchestra was the first band to utilize the Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, one of the first programmable drum machines, which since the mid-1980s has been used in more hit records than any other drum machine.

They were also the first band to utilize the Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, one of the first and most influential programmable drum machines, as soon as it was released in 1980.[56] While the machine was initially unsuccessful due to its lack of digital sampling that the rival Linn LM-1 offered, the TR-808 featured various unique artificial percussion sounds,[56] including a deep bass kick drum,[57][58] "tinny handclap sounds,"[58] "the ticky snare, the tishy hi-hats (open and closed)," and "the spacey cowbell."[56] Despite the machine's initial lack of success, YMO utilized and demonstrated the TR-808 in their music, paving the way for its mainstream popularity several years later,[56][57] after which it would be used for more hit records than any other drum machine[59] and continue to be widely used through to the present day.[56]

The band has been described as "the original cyberpunks"[60] and their early work has been described as "proto-techno" music.[61][62] They had used the term "techno" for several songs such as "Technopolis" (1979); the song's tribute to Tokyo as an electronic mecca also foreshadowed the concepts that Juan Atkins and Rick Davis would later have with the group Cybotron.[48] The 1979 Solid State Survivor album also included several early computerized synth rock songs,[24][34] including a mechanized cover version of "Day Tripper" by The Beatles.[34] The 1980 song "Multiplies" was an early experiment in electronic ska.[48] The beats and sounds of electro music were pioneered by Sakamoto's 1980 song "Riot in Lagos".[8][31] "Rap Phenomena" from YMO's 1981 album BGM was an early attempt at electronic rap.[50] By the 1990s, YMO were also frequently cited as pioneers of ambient house music.[1]

Influence

Yellow Magic Orchestra are highly regarded as pioneers of popular electronic music, and continue to be remixed and sampled by modern artists,[1] ranging from electronica acts Yamantaka Eye and LFO, jungle band 4hero, electrolatino artist Senor Coconut, and ambient house pioneers The Orb and 808 State,[14] to electronic dance groups Orbital[63] and The Human League,[64] hip hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa,[8] and mainstream pop musicians such as Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, Greg Phillinganes,[63] Eric Clapton,[28] Mariah Carey, and Jennifer Lopez.[65]

YMO's success with music technology encouraged many others, with their influence strongly felt in the British electronic scene of the early 1980s in particular.[29] They influenced many early British synthpop acts, including Ultravox, John Foxx, Gary Numan, Duran Duran, Eric Clapton,[7] Depeche Mode, Camouflage,[1] OMD, and The Human League,[17] as well as American rock musicians such as Todd Rundgren.[7] They also influenced the New Romantic movement,[66] including British bands Duran Duran[7] and Japan, whose member Steve Jansen was influenced by drummer Takahashi,[67] while another member David Sylvian was influenced by Sakamoto,[68] who would later collaborate with Sylvian.[67] YMO also popularized a style of live performance that eschewed human movement in favour of electronics such as rhythm boxes and samplers.[66]

The 1978 song "Behind the Mask" was an international hit covered by various later artists, most famously Michael Jackson.[63][69] Alongside Quincy Jones, Jackson produced a slightly more dance-funk version of the techno classic with additional lyrics, originally intended for his best-selling album Thriller (1982). Despite the approval of songwriter Sakamoto and lyricist Chris Mosdell, it was eventually removed from the album due to legal issues with YMO's management. Nevertheless, various cover versions were later performed by Greg Phillinganes, Eric Clapton, Orbital, and The Human League, among others, before Jackson's cover version eventually appeared on the posthumous Michael album in 2010.[63]

The band was popular with the emerging hip hop community, which appreciated the group's new electronic sounds, and in the Bronx where "Firecracker" was a success and sampled in the famous Death Mix by Afrika Bambaataa.[8][32] According to The Guardian, they "may have just invented hip-hop"; the hip-hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa credited the band as an inspiration and once remarked that YMO invented hip hop music (in a half-joking manner).[7] Afrika Bambaataa's influential song "Planet Rock" was partly inspired by YMO.[70][71] The "terse videogame-funk" sounds of YMO's "Computer Game" would have a strong influence on the emerging electro and hip hop genres.[14] Sakamoto's "Riot in Lagos" was cited by Kurtis Mantronik as a major influence on his early electro hip hop group Mantronix;[72] he included both "Computer Game" and "Riot in Lagos" in his compilation album That's My Beat (2002) which consists of the songs that influenced his early career.[73] "Riot in Lagos" was also later included in Playgroup's compilation album Kings of Electro (2007), alongside later electro classics such as Hashim's "Al-Nafyish" (1983).[74] YMO's use of video game sounds and bleeps also had a particularly big influence on 1980s hip hop[75] and synthpop.[17] Beyond electro acts, "Computer Game / Firecracker" was also sampled by a number of other later artists, including 2 Live Crew's "Mega-Mixx II" (1988),[76] Warp's "Testone" (1990),[77] De La Soul's "Funky Towel" (for the 1996 film Joe's Apartment),[78] Jennifer Lopez's worldwide hit "I'm Real" (2001), and the original unreleased version of Mariah Carey's "Loverboy" (2001).[65]

YMO also had an impact on techno music,[11] including its pioneers Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson, and Derrick May,[79] as well as later techno musicians such as Surgeon, μ-Ziq, and Cosmic Baby.[1] Their 1978 song "Computer Game" was later included in Carl Craig's compilation album Kings of Techno (2006).[80] In the 1990s, YMO had an impact on ambient house pioneers such as The Orb and 808 State,[14] as well as Ultramarine and other ambient/house artists.[1] This resulted in the release of the tribute remix album Yellow Magic Orchestra: Hi-Tech/No Crime in 1993,[1] by leading ambient, house and techno musicians at the time, including The Orb, 808 State, and Orbital.[81] The music YMO produced during their comeback in the early 1990s also played an instrumental role in the techno and acid house movements towards the end of the 20th century.[10] The band's use of oriental musical scales and video game sounds has continued to be an influence on 21st-century electronica acts such as Dizzee Rascal and Kieran Hebden.[7] In 2006, Senor Coconut paid tribute to the band with his Yellow Fever! album.[25]

The band has also been very influential in its homeland Japan, where they had become more popular than The Beatles during the late 1970s and 1980s.[7] Their albums Solid State Survivor and X∞Multiplies held the top two spots on the Oricon charts for seven consecutive weeks in 1980, making YMO the only band in Japanese chart history to achieve this feat.[30] Young fans of their music during this period became known as the "YMO Generation" (YMO世代, YMO Sedai).[82] The band had a significant impact on Japanese pop music, which started becoming increasingly dominated by electronic and computer music due to YMO's influence.[49] YMO were one of the most important acts in Japan's "New Music" movement and paved the way for the emergence of the J-pop genre in the 1980s.[9]

YMO also influenced many video game composers and had a major impact on the sounds used in much of the chiptune and video game music produced during the 8-bit and 16-bit eras.[13] As a result, several video game composers, including Shinji Hosoe and Nobuyoshi Sano, formed a parody band called "Oriental Magnetic Yellow" (OMY) in 1994, producing parody cover versions of various YMO records.[83] Various cover versions of "Kimi ni Mune Kyun" (1983) have also been produced by other artists,[76] including The Human League in 1993 ("YMO Versus The Human League")[64] and Asako Toki in 2006.[76] In 2009, a cover of "Kimi ni Mune Kyun" was used as the ending theme song for the anime series Maria Holic, sung by Asami Sanada, Marina Inoue, and Yū Kobayashi, the voice actresses of the main characters.

Discography

Yellow Magic Orchestra discography
Studio albums9
Live albums13
Compilation albums6
Singles23

Studio albums and variations

Live albums

Compilation albums

Remix albums

  • 1992 Hi-tech/No Crime (Yellow Magic Orchestra Reconstructed) (UK compilation of remixes by British artists)
  • 2000 YMO Remixes Technopolis 2000-00 (Japanese compilation of remixes by Japanese artists)

Original singles

See also

References

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