A trailblazing producer and composer who was among the first musicians to incorporate electronic production, Ryuichi Sakamoto, has died at 71.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!After several years of battles with cancer, the Japanese composer died on March 28.
On Sunday, a statement on his website shared one of his favorite quotes: Ars longa, vita brevis. Art is long; life is short.
Sakamoto had an exceptional career; he was a synth-pop idol and the main composer of film scores and gentle sound environments.
Besides, he collaborated with popular artists like Iggy Pop, David Bowie, and Bernardo Bertolucci.
As a member of Japan’s band Yellow Magic Orchestra, Ryuichi Sakamoto was a grandfather of electronic music pop.
Born in 1952, he enjoyed a culturally rich childhood
For example, his father was the editor for famous postwar novelists like Yukio Mishima and Kenzaburo Oe.
He began having piano lessons when he was six years old, which made him write his music later.
Ryuichi Sakamoto became enamored of the work of composer Claude Debussy who Asian musical tastes, including Japan had inspired.
In 1988, Sakamoto told Weekend Edition that his music is based on the Western system since there is a beat, melody, and harmony.
However, some feelings and atmosphere of his music are slightly Asian.
Ryuichi Sakamoto publicly announced that he had rectal cancer in January 2021.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia
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