About

“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. Lawrence, the latter two of which he also acted in. 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. The complete Sakamoto oeuvre has, to put it mildly, a range, every new work revealing some new facet of Sakamoto as composer and artist.

Though innovation is certainly a hallmark of his catalog, Sakamoto is an excellent musician regardless, technical and sensitive in every piece he plays. 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. 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.” – Pop Matters

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