Ryuichi Sakamoto was a highly influential Japanese composer, keyboardist, record producer, and actor. He achieved international recognition both as a solo artist and as a founding member of the pioneering synth-pop band Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). Alongside fellow YMO members Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, Sakamoto played a crucial role in shaping and innovating numerous electronic music genres, leaving a lasting impact on the music industry.
On January 17, 1952, Ryuichi Sakamoto was born in Japan. He would later become a renowned composer, keyboardist, record producer, and actor.
In 1970, Sakamoto entered the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, marking the beginning of his formal musical education.
In 1972, Sakamoto married Natsuko Sakamoto.
In 1974, Sakamoto earned a B.A. in music composition from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music.
In 1975, Sakamoto collaborated with percussionist Tsuchitori Toshiyuki to release 'Disappointment-Hateruma'.
In 1976, Sakamoto earned a M.A. in music from the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, specializing in electronic and ethnic music.
In 1977, Sakamoto worked as a session musician with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi.
In July 1978, Sakamoto released his first solo album, 'Thousand Knives of Ryūichi Sakamoto'.
In 1978, Sakamoto co-founded the synth-based band Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO), marking a major milestone in his career.
In 1979, Sakamoto composed 'Technopolis', which is credited as a contribution to the development of techno music.
In 1980, Sakamoto released his solo album 'B-2 Unit', which included the track 'Riot in Lagos,' a significant contribution to the development of electro and hip hop music.
In 1980, Sakamoto released the single 'War Head/Lexington Queen' and began a long-standing collaboration with David Sylvian.
In 1980, Sakamoto released the track "Riot in Lagos", which was listed by The Guardian in 2011 as one of the 50 key events in the history of dance music.
In 1980, Yellow Magic Orchestra performed "1000 Knives" live.
In 1981, Yellow Magic Orchestra released their album BGM which contains a version of Thousand Knives and an early use of the Roland TR-808 drum machine.
In 1982, Melle Mel and Duke Bootee released "Message II (Survival)", and Whodini and Thomas Dolby released "Magic's Wand", which incorporated Sakamoto's squelching bounce sounds and mechanical beats.
In 1982, Sakamoto divorced Natsuko Sakamoto and married Akiko Yano.
In 1982, Sakamoto worked on another collaboration with David Sylvian, a single entitled "Bamboo Houses/Bamboo Music".
In 1983, Hashim's "Al-Naafyish" was released alongside "Riot in Lagos".
In 1983, Sakamoto composed the score and acted in Nagisa Oshima's "Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence", also writing "Forbidden Colours" with David Sylvian.
In 1983, Sakamoto produced Mari Iijima's debut album Rosé.
In 1983, Sakamoto starred in 'Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence', composed the film's musical score and collaborated with David Sylvian on the main theme.
In 1983, Sakamoto was the songwriter and composer for a number of YMO's songs, including "Ongaku" and "You've Got to Help Yourself".
In 1983, Twilight 22 released "Electric Kingdom", which incorporated Sakamoto's squelching bounce sounds and mechanical beats.
In 1984, Sakamoto broadened his musical range with the release of 'Ongaku Zukan'.
In 1984, Sakamoto won the BAFTA Award for Best Film Music for his score for "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence,"
In 1985, Kurt Mantronik released 'The Album', which incorporated Sakamoto's squelching bounce sounds and mechanical beats.
In 1985, Sakamoto was commissioned to score a dance composition by New York choreographer Molissa Fenley called Esperanto.
In 1985, Sakamoto was the subject of Elizabeth Lennard's documentary "Tokyo Melody", exploring his musical philosophy.
In 1987, Sakamoto composed the score for Bernardo Bertolucci's "The Last Emperor", winning an Academy Award with David Byrne and Cong Su.
In 1987, Sakamoto released the solo album 'Neo Geo'.
In 1987, Sakamoto won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for 'The Last Emperor', becoming the first Japanese composer to achieve this honor.
In 1989, Sakamoto received a BAFTA nomination for scoring "The Last Emperor".
In 1989, Sakamoto released the solo album 'Beauty'.
In 1990, Sakamoto composed the film score for 'The Sheltering Sky'.
In 1990, Sakamoto moved to New York City, where he lived until 2020.
In 1990, Sakamoto won the Golden Globe Award for his score for "The Sheltering Sky".
In 1991, Sakamoto released "Heartbeat" which features Sakamoto's collaborations with a global range of artists.
In 1991, Sakamoto scored Pedro Almodóvar's film "High Heels".
In 1992, Sakamoto composed music for the opening ceremony of the Barcelona Summer Olympic Games.
In 1993, Roddy Frame of Aztec Camera discussed his experience working with Sakamoto, noting his impressive compositions and atmosphere.
In 1993, Sakamoto composed the film score for 'Little Buddha'.
In 1993, Sakamoto received a Grammy Award nomination for his score for "Little Buddha".
In 1993, Sakamoto scored Bertolucci's "The Little Buddha" and Oliver Stone's "Wild Palms".
In 1994, Sakamoto co-produced Imai Miki's album "A Place In The Sun".
In 1994, Sakamoto released "Sweet Revenge" which features Sakamoto's collaborations with a global range of artists.
In 1995 Sakamoto released Smoochy, described as Sakamoto's "excursion into the land of easy-listening and Latin".
During December 1996 Sakamoto, composed the entirety of an hour-long orchestral work entitled "Untitled 01".
In 1996, Sakamoto produced "Mind Circus", the first single from actress Miki Nakatani, leading to a long-term collaboration.
In 1996, Sakamoto released "Bibo No Aozora."
In 1997, Sakamoto's collaboration with Toshio Iwai, "Music Plays Images X Images Play Music", was awarded the Golden Nica at the Prix Ars Electronica competition.
In 1998 Sakamoto released the album Discord, a recording that was condensed from nine live performances of the work, recorded during a Japanese tour.
In 1998, Italian ethnomusicologist Massimo Milano published Ryuichi Sakamoto. Conversazioni through the Padova, Arcana imprint.
In 1998, Sakamoto scored John Maybury's "Love Is the Devil" and Brian De Palma's "Snake Eyes".
In 1999, Sakamoto released 'BTTB', a series of original pieces on solo piano influenced by Debussy and Satie.
In 1999, Sakamoto scored Oshima's "Gohatto".
In 1999, Sakamoto's composition 'Energy Flow' became the first instrumental number-one single in Japan's Oricon charts history.
In 2001, Sakamoto teamed with cellist Jaques Morelenbaum and singer Paula Morelenbaum to record their first album, Casa.
Through 2001, Sakamoto continued his collaboration with Miki Nakatani, spanning 9 singles and 7 albums.
In 2002, Sakamoto scored Brian De Palma's "Femme Fatale".
In 2002, the album Casa was included in the list of The New York Times's top albums.
In 2003, a variation of "Chinsagu No Hana" was used in the soundtrack for Sue Brooks's "Japanese Story".
In 2004, Sakamoto collaborated with Alva Noto to release "Vrioon", an album featuring Sakamoto's piano clusters treated by digital manipulation. The album was voted record of the year in the electronica category by The Wire.
In 2004, Sakamoto released "Undercooled".
In 2005, Sakamoto and Alva Noto released "Insen", a minimalist album produced similarly to "Vrioon".
In 2005, Sakamoto scored Jun Ichikawa's "Tony Takitani".
In 2005, Sakamoto was hired by Nokia to compose ring and alert tones for their high-end Nokia 8800 phone.
In August 2006, Sakamoto divorced Akiko Yano after living separately for 14 years.
In 2006, Nokia offered Sakamoto's ringtones for free on their website.
In 2006, Sakamoto contributed to the Academy Award winning soundtrack for "Babel", including the closing theme "Bibo no Aozora".
In 2006, Sakamoto founded commmons with Avex Group, a record label designed as a collaborative platform for artists. Sakamoto envisioned commmons as a means to foster innovation and make meaningful contributions to culture and society.
In 2006, a variation of "Bibo No Aozora" was used in the soundtrack for Alejandro González Iñárritu's "Babel".
In 2007, 'Riot in Lagos' was included in Playgroup's compilation album 'Kings of Electro'.
In 2007, Sakamoto collaborated with Shiro Takatani on installations, including "LIFE – fluid, invisible, inaudible...", commissioned by YCAM, Yamaguchi.
In 2007, Sakamoto reunited with YMO cofounders and they released the single "Rescue".
In 2007, the visual images and sound from LIFE were "deconstructed" to create an art installation.
In 2008, Sakamoto and Alva Noto released "utp_", another collaboration album.
In 2008, Sakamoto and his YMO cofounders released a DVD, "HAS/YMO".
In July 2009, Sakamoto was honored as Officier of Ordre des Arts et des Lettres at the French embassy in Tokyo.
In 2009, Sakamoto argued that copyright law is antiquated in the Information Age.
In 2009, Sakamoto was awarded the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres from France's Ministry of Culture for his musical contributions.
In 2011, Sakamoto and Alva Noto released "Summvs", continuing their collaborative work.
In 2011, The Guardian listed the 1980 release of "Riot in Lagos" as one of the 50 key events in the history of dance music.
In 2012, Sakamoto collaborated with Shiro Takatani for "collapsed and silence spins" at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo.
In 2012, Sakamoto organized the No Nukes 2012 concert, featuring performances by 18 groups.
On April 14, 2013, Sakamoto participated in a performance of film and music by video pioneer Nam June Paik.
In 2013, Sakamoto collaborated with Shiro Takatani for Sharjah Biennial (U.A.E.) and LIFE-WELL installation.
In 2013, Sakamoto served as a jury member at the 70th Venice International Film Festival, where the jury viewed 20 films.
In 2013, Sakamoto won the Golden Pine Award (Lifetime Achievement) at the International Samobor Film Music Festival.
Beginning in June 2014, Sakamoto took a year-long break after being diagnosed with oropharyngeal cancer.
In 2014, Sakamoto and Shiro Takatani created a special version of LIFE-WELL for Park Hyatt Tokyo's 20th anniversary.
In 2014, Sakamoto became the first guest artistic director of the Sapporo International Art Festival. In late June 2014, he was diagnosed with oropharyngeal cancer and announced a break from work.
On August 3, 2015, Sakamoto announced his return to work after cancer treatment and that he would be providing music for Yoji Yamada's "Haha to Kuraseba" (Living with My Mother).
In 2015, Sakamoto composed the film score for 'The Revenant'.
In 2015, Sakamoto provided music for Shiro Takatani's performance "ST/LL".
In 2015, Sakamoto returned from his break, discussing his health and the potential for cancer recurrence.
In 2015, Sakamoto scored Iñárritu's film "The Revenant".
In 2015, Sakamoto supported opposition to the relocation of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma.
In 2015, Sakamoto's score for "The Revenant" was nominated for the Golden Globe and BAFTA, and won Best Musical Score from the Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association.
In a 2016 interview, Sakamoto reflected on his time acting in the film 'Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence', and working with David Bowie.
In January 2017, it was announced that Sakamoto would release a solo album in April 2017 through Milan Records; the new album, titled async.
On March 29, 2017, async was released to critical acclaim.
In April 2017, Sakamoto released his solo album, "async", through Milan Records.
In 2017, Sakamoto scored Hwang Dong-hyuk's "The Fortress".
In February 2018, Sakamoto was selected to be on the jury for the main competition section of the 68th Berlin International Film Festival.
On June 14, 2018, "Ryuichi Sakamoto: Coda", a documentary about Sakamoto's life and work, was released.
In 2020, Sakamoto scored Andrew Levitas's "Minamata".
On January 21, 2021, Sakamoto announced that he had been diagnosed with rectal cancer and was undergoing treatment.
In 2021, Sakamoto was the associate artist of Holland Festival in Amsterdam where he presented the world premiere of TIME, his last collaboration with Shiro Takatani.
In 2022, Sakamoto took part in the creation of Dumb Type's new installation 2022 as a new member of the Japanese collective, for the Japan Pavilion at the 59th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia.
In early March 2023, Sakamoto sent a letter to Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike calling for the suspension and review of the planned redevelopment of the Jingūmae neighborhood.
On March 28, 2023, Ryuichi Sakamoto died at the age of 71 after battling colorectal cancer.
Ryuichi Sakamoto died on March 28, 2023 from colorectal cancer at the age of 71.
On April 24, 2023, the song "Snooze" was released by Agust D (Suga of BTS), in loving memory of Ryuichi Sakamoto, in which he is featured in the song as keyboards.
In 2023, Sakamoto's final score was released in Hirokazu Kore-eda's film, "Monster".
In 2023, filmmaker Neo Sora directed a final performance of Sakomoto playing solo piano, released as Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus. It premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2023.
Christmas is an annual festival celebrated on December th commemorating...
Japan is an East Asian island country in the Pacific...
David Bowie born David Robert Jones was a highly influential...
Football is a category of team sports primarily involving kicking...
Barcelona is a major city located on the northeastern coast...
Dallas Texas is the most populous city in the Dallas...
41 minutes ago Microsoft's vision, Bill Gates' prediction, and AI evolution discussed by President.
41 minutes ago Corbin Carroll to play Tuesday; Diamondbacks Opening Day odds and schedule released.
41 minutes ago Gretzky's Trump link sparks controversy; Ovechkin nears Gretzky's record; tariffs stir debate.
41 minutes ago Kevin Bacon stars in Amazon's 'The Bondsman', a horror dramedy with mixed reviews.
42 minutes ago Yankees address Jasson Domínguez's struggles, signaling concern with rookie top prospect's performance.
42 minutes ago Budenholzer anticipates Durant's return before season's end; Durant suffers ankle sprain.
Bruce Pearl is an American college basketball coach currently head...
Jasmine Crockett is an American lawyer and politician currently serving...
LeBron James nicknamed King James is a highly decorated American...
Cristiano Ronaldo nicknamed CR is a Portuguese professional footballer widely...
Michael Jordan also known as MJ is a celebrated American...
Pamela Jo Bondi is an American attorney lobbyist and politician...