And to understand this quality of the 67-year-oldâs approach in the present day is to understand that the underground deification of his past catalogue, that of crate-diggers and DJs in pursuit of J-Pop esoteria by Sakamoto and his peers, is taking place beyond his own will to comprehend it. This much is evident by his chain-link sequence of collaborations, soundtracks, artistic installations, commissions, and the occasional fashion modelling appearance, that are connected with no fixed ending. Sakamoto speaks with a measured hesitancy that borders on discomfort, but in his utterances itâs clear that the composer is more content to move through the world as a realm for new possibilities, than to retread past journeys. Framed records line the hallway â one announces the platinum sales status of Travis Scottâs Astroworld â and on the wall above us, thereâs a black-and-white print of Jimi Hendrix, wailing as he strikes out a chord. ÂI was holding myself back,â Sakamoto says of the impromptu performance today. Weâre sitting in a small, airless room adjacent to a recording studio in New Yorkâs SoHo neighbourhood, where the composer has been finalising mixes for a score to a new short film by the director Luca Guadagnino. It was the first time in six years that the trio, one of Japanâs cult musical exports, had played a song together in front of paying audience. A video of the performance shows Sakamoto tentatively stabbing out the chord progressions with one hand as he stands in front of a Nord keyboard. Last summer, Sakamoto, along with former bandmate Yukihiro Takahashi, shocked the audience at Londonâs Barbican Theatre when they joined YMOâs founder, Haroumi Hosono, onstage to play a sedated version of the song as a surprise encore.
The song in question turns out to be â Absolute Ego Danceâ, a tight, lurching groove from 1979âs Solid State Survivor, Yellow Magic Orchestraâs second album. âThere are many songs,â Sakamoto says to me, almost apologetically. Sakamotoâs assistant, who is standing nearby, begins searching on his own phone, offering up song titles. He canât find it, and his frustration is evident. You can use the albums in this factual list to create a new list, re-rank it to fit your opinion, then publish it.Ryuichi Sakamoto is bent over, swiping through the Discogs page of Yellow Magic Orchestra, in search of the name of a song heâd written long ago. List albums include Tokyo Joe, Insen and more.This list of popular Ryuichi Sakamoto CDs has been voted on by music fans around the world, so the order of this list isn't just one person's opinion. If you want to know, "What is the Best Ryuichi Sakamoto album of all time?" or "What are the top Ryuichi Sakamoto albums?" then this list will answer your questions. Make sure you don't just vote for critically acclaimed albums if you have a favorite Ryuichi Sakamoto album, then vote it up, even if it's not necessarily the most popular. If you think the greatest Ryuichi Sakamoto album isn't high enough on the list, then be sure to vote for it so it receives the credit it deserves. To make it easy for you, we haven't included Ryuichi Sakamoto singles, EPs, or compilations, so everything you see here should only be studio albums. This Ryuichi Sakamoto discography is ranked from best to worst, so the top Ryuichi Sakamoto albums can be found at the top of the list. List of the best Ryuichi Sakamoto albums, including pictures of the album covers when available.