As minimal as it is in terms of instrumentation, Sakamoto transforms it into an arresting cinematic journey.Ī milestone anniversary alone does not a reissue warrant, but BTTB is special. Similarly, “Snake Eyes” merges Sakamoto’s skill for relaxing, borderline-new age sounds and high drama, a spacious start giving way to spikes of panic.
The juxtaposition is exciting, a perfect example of how Sakamoto mixes basics and elevates every style he touches. Perhaps most intriguing in this regard is “Sonata”, where Sakamoto plays quick, classical runs of notes with ultramodern, percussive synth sounds, dull and metallic. On languid “Energy Flow”, he glides smoothly from one chord to another, letting the momentum of the piece build naturally and drive him forward. When precision is called for, Sakamoto turns out the sparkling notes of tracks like “Distant Echo”. The composer’s relationship with music always seems to be an organic one, displayed in the ease with which he steps from the adagio waltz of “Opus” to the sunshine of “Sonatine”, from the watery effects of “Uetax” to the reverent “Aqua”. This year, its 20th anniversary rerelease on Milan Records gives a broader audience (the original album, is hard to run across outside of Japan) a chance to experience some of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s most intimate work.Īrticulation is foremost from start to finish on BTTB, Sakamoto’s fingertips delicate and conscious of every note, every tone, every emotion that he wants to convey. The 1999 album BTTB - standing for “back to the basics” - is Sakamoto at his simplest, primarily playing stripped-down piano solos that are sometimes lush, sometimes minimalist, and sometimes carefully distorted. Though innovation is certainly a hallmark of his catalog, Sakamoto is an excellent musician regardless, technical and sensitive in every piece he plays. The complete Sakamoto oeuvre has, to put it mildly, a range, every new work revealing some new facet of Sakamoto as composer and artist. Maybe you know him better for his more recent avant-garde work, including last year’s Glass with Alva Noto or 2017 solo release async.
Lawrence, the latter two of which he also acted in. You might know Ryuichi Sakamoto best for his role as one-third of pioneering electropop group Yellow Magic Orchestra, or as the mind behind soundtracks for films like The Revenant, The Last Emperor, and Merry Christmas, Mr.
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