Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) has been one of the central figures in the techno/new wave movement starting in the late 70s, along with Kraftwerk and DEVO, and have influenced countless techno/ hip-hop / pop / musicians throughout the world. The principal members are Haruomi Hosono (bass), Yukihiro Takahashi (drums and vocals) and Ryuichi Sakamoto (keyboards).
The band was originally 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 (of their cover version of Martin Denny's Firecracker) with modern electronics. However the first album (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.
An advertising deal with Fuji Cassette and the group sparked off a boom in the popularity of electronic pop music (called "Technopop" in Japan) that had an impact similar to that of The Beatles and Merseybeat in 1960s Britain. 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. Making abundant use of new synthesizers, samplers, sequencers and digital recording technology as it became available, their popularity and influence extended beyond Japan. Generally the band are highly regarded as pioneers of electronic music, and continue to be remixed and sampled by modern artists.
Real-time transmission to the Earth's largest television.
TV WAR was an open-air concert in participation with the 85 Expo in Tsukuba. It took place at night in front of the first ever Sony Jumbotron. Stationed in front of the Jumbotron Kuroki, a young Ryuichi Sakamoto of YMO makes music, and the duo Haruhiko Shono and Daizaburo Harada , under the rubric of RADICAL TV, deals with live video performance . That is, video editing and live image manipulation. TV War is a grim affair and the music reflects this: pounding rhythms, industrial sounds, no tunes.
TV WAR does not promise anything. The signal is momentarily interrupted by the intervention of foreign agents. What we see is not pleasant or funny.
The factory of the world is not in the hands of the god of Progress, but of war, conflict, destruction of one another and human stupidity.
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