Yellow Magic Orchesta is a japanese electronic/synthpop band
that formed in 1978 with members Haruomi Hosono (bass/keyboard),
Ryuichi Sakamoto (keyboard),
and Yukihiro Takahashi (vocals/drums)
they have released a small number of albums-- unfortunately quickly disbanding in 1984.
but despite their short career, ymo has massively influenced the sound of synthpop and jpop
through their innovative use of synthesizers, samples, and drum machines.
i have known abt ymo for a while and i was always planning on
getting into them. i dont remember tbh the very first time that
i listened to them, but im guessing like 2024? idk but i remember
not liking them for some reason LOL. the first album i listened to was
solid state survivor. i was stupid back then.
but anyways after that i just kinda dropped them unfortunately.
about a year later i would listen to them again, but this time i
started with their debut album and oh my god it was the greatest thing
ive ever heard in my entire life. i enjoyed every song. and my ymo
obsession was in full throttle.
but that actually wasnt my first encounter with ymo.
my first "real" encounter with ymo was when i was around 6/8(?) years old.
it was summer and i was in my mom's car. and my mom was playing music from her phone.
she was playing merry christmas mr lawrence. i didnt know ryuichi sakamoto's name at that time,
but that song always stayed a permanent part of my mind.
ymo is my favorite band of all time. before getting into ymo,
i honestly didnt take music that seriously (my bad). i liked music but
i didnt really have any particular favorites. just listened to whatever
pleased my ears. but when i discovered ymo, i absolutely fell in love
with the band. and i started to appreciate music more as an artform.
ymo is absolutely everything i could ever want in a band. their electronic sound
just tingles my ears so good. i love them for both their artistry and my own
personal enjoyment. it was probably the first time ever where i discovered a band
and instantly knew that their sound was going to stick with me forever. i was/still am
very fond of video game music so ymo was just so perfect for me
as i mentioned before, ryuichi has been a central part of my life unbeknownst to me.
even when i was a kid, his music has affected me without me even knowing his name.
i would consider merry christmas mr lawrence as one of my favorite songs of all time.
and also one of the most important.
when i discovered ymo years later, i was of course one of those people that were like
"omg!! this is the mcml guy!!!!" (lol)
and maybe that fact just made me more interested in him than the other two members even
tho i still love you (haruomi hosono and yukihiro takahashi my goats)
but as i delved more into his own solo discography and watched and read his interviews.
i quickly became drawn to ryuichi sakamoto. and his worldviews affected me greatly.
watching his 2017 documentary film CODA made me want to sob from just how much i could tell
that he loved music. i still think about what he said about how silence is essential to humanity and music.
and the way he viewed everything with such a childlike wonder and never got jealous
over younger and newer artists inspired me so much as a person who gets jealous of other talented people often.
sometimes i want to give up on everything, on my passions and even life,
but thinking about ryuichi always pulls me out of these thoughts.
his diverse discography ranging from thousand knives to onganku zukan to esperanto are all just so
incredible and it inspires me to create my own art. even if its bad or i cant find satisfaction in it.
and when i think about how ryuichi is no longer in this world, i genuinely get sad.
sakamoto has done so much not just for me but for so many other people. he is my biggest inspiration ever
and my biggest goal in life is to follow my passion of creating something beautiful just like he did as well.
thank you ryuichi sakamoto for everything.
