[HN Gopher] Ryuichi Sakamoto has died
       ___________________________________________________________________
        
       Ryuichi Sakamoto has died
        
       Author : mellosouls
       Score  : 416 points
       Date   : 2023-04-02 13:16 UTC (9 hours ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.clashmusic.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.clashmusic.com)
        
       | mastazi wrote:
       | Bibo no Aozora is a favourite of mine. RIP master.
       | 
       | Played live on the piano by Sakamoto
       | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwhYiHJq16c
       | 
       | Orchestral version from Babel soundtrack
       | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsKlf_x9zRE
        
       | steponlego wrote:
       | My wife and I were just talking yesterday about how we hoped
       | Ryuichi would make another album before he died.
        
         | davidjade wrote:
         | "12" was released just this last January.
         | 
         | https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/12_(Ryuichi_Sakamoto_album)
        
       | aledalgrande wrote:
       | I did not know him, but after listening to his music I really
       | wish I was able to attend one of his live performances.
        
       | folex wrote:
       | /05
        
       | jmfldn wrote:
       | So sad to hear this. One of my all time favorite artists. I
       | discovered him years ago as Yellow Magic Orchestra were a crucial
       | influence on electro and techno. As someone into the early roots
       | of those genres, YMO became my gateway drug into Sakamoto's wider
       | oeuvre.
       | 
       | I always identified with his taste, an eclectic mix of pop, art
       | music, classical and electronic. A true original, I will miss him
       | greatly.
        
       | blondin wrote:
       | sad news. truly love listening to his work. RIP
        
       | cozzyd wrote:
       | Rise crystal spear
        
       | processing wrote:
       | "An artist's initial broad stroke is always most impactful, and
       | obsessively adding layer upon layer of paint to fill in details
       | often diminishes the painting's aura. When an aura is lost, it is
       | impossible to get back." - Ryuichi Sakamoto
        
         | creamyhorror wrote:
         | Very true. Farewell, Mr. Sakamoto.
        
       | deepzn wrote:
       | RIP sir. I love listening to his music while studying or working.
       | Truly a great.
        
       | jjulius wrote:
       | "The industrial revolution made the production of an instrument
       | like [the piano] possible. Several planks of wood - six I think
       | in this case - are overlaid and pressed into shape by tremendous
       | force for six months. Nature is molded into shape. Many tons of
       | force and pressure are applied, making the strings what they are.
       | Matter taken from nature is molded by human industry, by the sum
       | strength of civilization. Nature is forced into shape.
       | Interestingly, the piano requires re-tuning. We humans say, 'It
       | falls out of tune', but that's not exactly accurate - matter is
       | struggling to return to a natural state. The tsunami, in one
       | moment, became a force of restoration. The [tsunami-damaged]
       | piano re-tuned by nature actually sounds good to me now. In
       | short, the piano is tuned by force to please our ears or ideals;
       | it's a condition that feels natural to us humans. But from
       | nature's perspective, it's very unnatural. I think deep inside me
       | somewhere, I have a strong aversion to that."
       | 
       | - Ryuichi Sakamoto
        
         | ChatGTP wrote:
         | Probably one of the last beautiful thing I've ever read. Wow.
        
         | pantulis wrote:
         | This a great, deep quote! thanks!
        
         | hungryforcodes wrote:
         | Though we ourselves are by definition part of the universe and
         | thus nature.
        
           | tantivy wrote:
           | "Nature" and "natural" are normative terms that commonly
           | distinguish the world altered and created by humans from the
           | world that isn't altered or created by humans. It's clear in
           | context that Sakamoto is using the term accurately in a
           | normative sense, not making a semantic error.
        
           | PicassoCTs wrote:
           | The whole nature vs civilization narrative, is a story told
           | by happy regressors, who want to return to a ilusionary
           | before time, were all things were harmony and civilization
           | was not. It is of course, a call for mass murder on billions
           | of humans with the rumbling instincts from the brain stem and
           | guts as justification. Were it justified with any other
           | argument, civilized society would tear them to shreds, but in
           | the robe of the shaman, they are exempt from the duty of
           | reasoning.
           | 
           | None the less, his music is great and can be enjoyed, like
           | any other artists, without listening to the political and
           | culture drivel that artists sadly often produce. They are
           | easily captured and swayed by instinct tautological
           | ideologies.
           | 
           | Just because it feels right does not mean it to be true.
           | 
           | My favorite rendition of his "My love wears forbidden colors"
           | 
           | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4tLtg-DMb8
        
             | ChatGTP wrote:
             | That's also a story you tell yourself.
        
             | hutzlibu wrote:
             | "The whole nature vs civilization narrative, is a story
             | told by happy regressors, who want to return to a
             | ilusionary before time"
             | 
             | Or maybe it is a bit more complex. And the story maybe
             | begins with civilized people who explicitly wanted to
             | conquer nature. To make it bow to mens will. And quite some
             | still want to exactly this. They were the ones creating
             | that artificial distinction.
             | 
             | The romanticism of nature that you are criticize, is more
             | of a counter movement to that philosophy, that we are in
             | fact part of nature and we have to find our balance within
             | the greater cycles.
        
         | 867-5309 wrote:
         | quite a strange example. to choose piano components yet omit
         | ivory. not all pianos are made from wood and strings either.
         | perhaps a worn-out sword or a bursting dam would have been
         | better, but what do I know. nice sentiment nonetheless
        
           | jjulius wrote:
           | The piano fits for Sakamoto over a sword or a dam because he
           | is a musician who spent his life with the piano as his
           | primary instrument. It's where he is most experienced and he
           | has a much closer relationship to that than a dam or a sword.
           | 
           | Ivory is also typically only used for the keys, and doesn't
           | actually impact the tuning of the instrument.
        
             | vintermann wrote:
             | He was also referencing a specific piano, an old Yamaha
             | piano in the gymnasium of Miyagi Agricultural High School,
             | which had been damaged by the tsunami. It seems very
             | unlikely that a high school Yamaha grand piano had ivory
             | keys.
        
             | jacquesm wrote:
             | And it's been a very long time since Ivory was used for the
             | keys.
        
           | mastazi wrote:
           | Ivory is no longer used for piano keys for obvious reasons,
           | that's why in marketing materials you will usually see
           | descriptions like "ivory-feel keys".
        
         | xdavidliu wrote:
         | reads like a digression by Hugo in Les Miserables or Tolstoy in
         | War and Peace
        
       | 50 wrote:
       | https://fenneszreleases.bandcamp.com/track/haru-2
        
       | birriel wrote:
       | My favorite live performance of "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence".
       | RIP
       | 
       | https://youtu.be/L49FRjnhrWI
        
         | 2h wrote:
         | earlier post:
         | 
         | https://youtube.com/watch?v=sk4qdZq0bOE
        
         | bibelo wrote:
         | I must have listened to this piece like 2000 times
        
           | jacquesm wrote:
           | I had a tape of it when I was a lot younger and on the
           | reverse was Japan, Oil on canvas. I ended up wearing it out.
        
         | nathankot wrote:
         | It's very interesting to compare with a more recent performance
         | (2020): https://youtu.be/X6td9KUZMfw?t=5259
        
           | shuckles wrote:
           | "After the concert, we started talking, and he complained
           | that I played much slower than the original songs or pieces.
           | He asked, "Why?" That made me think, "Why do I want to play
           | much slower than before?" Because I wanted to hear the
           | resonance. I want to have less notes and more spaces. Spaces,
           | not silence. Space is resonant, is still ringing. I want to
           | enjoy that resonance, to hear it growing, then the next
           | sound, and the next note or harmony can come. That's exactly
           | what I want."
           | 
           | - Ryuichi Sakamoto,
           | https://thecreativeindependent.com/people/ryuichi-
           | sakamoto-o...
        
             | least wrote:
             | Gabriel Faure's Pavane Op. 50 is an example of a song that
             | really turns into something drastically different when
             | played much slower than the prescribed tempo. To me it
             | sounds much better that way. In the case of this rendition
             | of Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, it's a bit more subtle
             | though. It really does allow you to hear the strings
             | resonate more like you quoted, and to me, it makes the
             | entire piece sound even more contemplative than it already
             | did.
        
         | vonbaum wrote:
         | This performance is magical.
        
       | AraceliHarker wrote:
       | Sakamoto must have died with a bitter taste in his mouth,
       | watching the government try to restart the nuclear plants under
       | the pretext of power shortage. He had always been a vocal
       | opponent of nuclear power, a rare voice in a country that seemed
       | to have forgotten the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He had a
       | sharp wit and a playful style, but also a deep sense of justice
       | and compassion. He would have hated to see his beloved country go
       | down this path of self-destruction.
        
         | shuckles wrote:
         | Always a good reminder that genius often does not transcend
         | fields.
        
         | deepzn wrote:
         | People and admins here should stop downvoting everything,
         | otherwise it turns into too much of censorship/taboo. I find
         | nothing wrong with this comment, and find it informative. I
         | didn't know this view of Sakamoto, and I'm glad to know it.
         | Here's more information in an interview with Mr.Sakamoto on the
         | topic of Fukushima- https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/14222706
        
           | efdee wrote:
           | I downvoted because I feel it's abusing Sakamoto's passing
           | for the personal agenda of the poster. This is far from
           | neutral information, especially the way it is presented.
        
         | ChadNauseam wrote:
         | > He had always been a vocal opponent of nuclear power, a rare
         | voice in a country that seemed to have forgotten the horrors of
         | Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
         | 
         | What is the connection between nuclear power and Hiroshima and
         | Nagasaki?
        
           | retrac wrote:
           | Nuclear reactors produce plutonium. A world without any
           | nuclear reactors or uranium enrichment facilities, is a world
           | without nuclear weapons.
           | 
           | It's perhaps particularly relevant with Japan; they are the
           | nation probably most often used as an example of a country
           | that could develop nuclear weapons almost overnight, should
           | the political will materialize. They have the know-how,
           | industry, missiles, and because of the nuclear power program,
           | both stockpiles of, and the ability to produce, both enriched
           | uranium and plutonium.
           | 
           | Edit: Did I hit a nerve or something folks?
           | 
           | For the record I personally strongly support nuclear power.
           | Parent asked a question. It's obvious to me why anti-nuclear
           | activists link weapons and power reactors. It's not
           | (necessarily) lack of scientific understanding -- power
           | reactors produce the material for nuclear bombs. Some people
           | think that is unacceptable as a proliferation risk. Don't
           | shoot the messenger? Was just trying to contribute to the
           | discussion positively.
        
             | Zealotux wrote:
             | >A world without any nuclear reactors or uranium enrichment
             | facilities, is a world without nuclear weapons.
             | 
             | But this is a plain naive argument to make. At this point
             | saying "destroying all nuclear bombs means no more nuclear
             | bombs" is also technically correct, but even if, let's say,
             | civil nuclear energy was impossible to manage, there would
             | still be uranium enrichment facilities designed with the
             | sole purpose of creating nuclear weapons, because they give
             | such a significant strategic advantage to superpowers; they
             | just wouldn't allow not to have it when others can.
             | 
             | So even without nuclear power plants you would still have
             | nuclear weapons, I really never understood the argument of
             | causation civilian and military nuclear energy, on can
             | exist without the other.
        
             | PaulHoule wrote:
             | ... and so? The death toll due to to nuclear weapons is a
             | small fraction of people killed since them by either small
             | arms or fossil fuel pollution.
             | 
             | If one attributes the U.S. stepping back from nuclear power
             | to the anti-proliferation scare of the mid-1970s (good
             | heavens, brown people are making plutonium!) you might then
             | consider the alternate path where the U.S. had stayed the
             | course, built the 500 reactors it had planned to build by
             | 2000, and we'd be talking about some other crisis than the
             | "climate crisis."
             | 
             | The constant drumbeat about Hiroshima and Nagasaki is part
             | of a larger syndrome where Japan never reconciled with its
             | neighbors after WWII the way Germany did and now is stuck
             | with a pacifist constitution that seems more of a problem
             | than a solution year after year as that part of the word
             | becomes increasingly dangerous.
        
               | jfk13 wrote:
               | > we'd be talking about some other crisis than the
               | "climate crisis."
               | 
               | I doubt that. Perhaps it'd be slightly less acute, that's
               | all.
        
             | andsoitis wrote:
             | While nuclear power came before nuclear weapons, nuclear
             | power was developed with the express purpose of producing
             | weapons (Manhattan Project). Only in the 50s did nuclear
             | power find civilian (i.e. non-violent) application.
             | 
             | While nuclear power and weapons use similar technology,
             | their purpose is diametrically opposed.
        
               | retrac wrote:
               | > Only in the 50s did nuclear power find civilian (i.e.
               | non-violent) application.
               | 
               | Many of the early designs like Magnox and RBMK were for
               | producing plutonium first, and power second. Nuclear
               | power was a public relations project more than anything
               | else, at least initially. The UK and Russia continue dual
               | use with their power reactors today.
               | 
               | > their purpose is diametrically opposed
               | 
               | The purpose is decided by those who control the reactors.
               | For example, the power reactors used in Canada produce
               | plutonium, from natural uranium. Canada built a small
               | heavy water research reactor in India; the material for
               | their first nuclear bomb was made in that reactor. This
               | was expressly not the intent of Canada.
        
               | andsoitis wrote:
               | The thrust of my argument, just to make it explicit, is
               | that I think it is unwise to jettison nuclear power as an
               | abundant source of energy because of the nuclear weapon
               | connection. Alas, these days this view is rather in the
               | minority.
        
           | nwatson wrote:
           | Incidentally ... the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs were
           | dramatic single events that unleashed great destruction, but
           | the results for those cities were not worse than those in
           | other cities in Japan facing bomb firestorms. The nuclear
           | bombs didn't factor much into Japan's eventual surrender.
           | 
           | "There is general agreement that the bombing of Nagasaki did
           | little in the way of changing the hearts and minds of the
           | Japanese military. By blaming their surrender on the atomic
           | bombs, Japan avoided the Soviet Union having a hand in the
           | post-war reconstruction process. Japan was afraid that the
           | Soviet Union might try to push a communist regime onto the
           | country. It was also very convenient for the U.S. that Japan
           | attributed their surrender to the atomic bombings."
           | 
           | https://outrider.org/nuclear-weapons/articles/japans-
           | surrend...
           | 
           | EDIT: incidentally
        
           | JoeAltmaier wrote:
           | Only an artist can draw such strained pictures I guess.
        
       | indigoabstract wrote:
       | I listened to some of his songs and enjoyed them. Beautiful
       | music. Farewell!
        
       | Hamuko wrote:
       | Following the death of Takahashi in January, this leaves Hosono
       | as the only surviving member of Yellow Magic Orchestra.
        
         | paganel wrote:
         | RIP to a very talented guy. I haven't listen to much of his
         | solo work, but Yellow Magic Orchestra was something very
         | special, I saw it as "out of this world" music.
        
         | 79a6ed87 wrote:
         | I like Takahashi's music a lot and I just learned through your
         | comment about his passing. This day got sader out of nowhere
        
         | AraceliHarker wrote:
         | Haruomi Hosono became the only member of YMO, just like his
         | grandfather who was the only Japanese survivor of the Titanic.
        
       | gHA5 wrote:
       | Ryuichi Sakamoto - "andata" (Electric Youth remix)
       | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g9LEBYJ1oU
        
       | karpour wrote:
       | I just found out about YMO in January and have been slightly
       | obsessed with them since then. Now another member dies, it's sad
       | to read. Seeing this on the front page of HN is nice though, and
       | I just am now realizing the massive breadth of Mr. Sakamoto's
       | musical skills. There's still so much amazing music to discover
       | out there, and I'm glad to see that his legacy will remain, and
       | that his music will be listened to by many people who might have
       | never heard it before!
        
       | BossHogg wrote:
       | This is as surprising to me as it is sad. 2 of 3 YMO members now
       | gone at 70 and 71 which seems very young given the renown of
       | Japanese longevity. Anyway, Beauty is a favorite album from my
       | childhood so probably time for a re-listen.
        
         | toyg wrote:
         | _> seems very young given the renown of Japanese longevity_
         | 
         | Well, Sakamoto-san didn't exactly live a traditional Japanese
         | life. Three marriages, playing in a band in the '70s (so
         | disreputable!), jet-setting around the world... Shit takes its
         | toll (unless you're Mick Jagger, of course).
        
       | mrandish wrote:
       | I first discovered him when I bought Wild Palms soundtrack, a
       | lesser known composition but still amazing.
       | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gMy_Hvk7cGI
        
       | SmartestUnknown wrote:
       | "Rain" is one of my favorites. RIP.
        
       | somberi wrote:
       | Annoyed by Restaurant Playlists Ryuichi Sakamoto assembled the
       | soundtrack for Kajitsu,(a Japanese restaurant) in Murray Hill
       | (NYC), and what it says about the sounds we hear (or should)
       | while we eat.
       | 
       | NY Times article: https://nyti.ms/3zmI4XD
       | 
       | Sans Paywall: https://archive.is/9knVL
       | 
       | The songs listed, as Spotify Playlist: https://spoti.fi/3znZ4fY
       | 
       | I will miss him.
        
       | Overtonwindow wrote:
       | It's a miracle he lived as long as he did. The cancer just kept
       | coming back.
        
       | toomuchtodo wrote:
       | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryuichi_Sakamoto
        
       | tomduncalf wrote:
       | Sad news. I love his work with Alva Noto, the blend of
       | experimental piano with raw electronic sounds and glitches is
       | really something special: https://spotify.link/2LzLYmBKFyb.
       | 
       | I was lucky enough to see them play together a couple of times
       | and it was spellbinding. His album "async" is a favourite too.
       | I'll have to dig more into his back catalogue.
        
         | Lapsa wrote:
         | oooooh... mentioning Alva Noto did the trick for me and I
         | remembered who the guy is. contemplated a lot regarding to what
         | folks around those lands mean by a negative space. brilliant
         | music
        
         | cloudripper wrote:
         | Same. I'm a big fan. I caught their performance once in Hong
         | Kong many years ago. Very captivating. Good reminder to
         | celebrate a life well lived by rediscovering his beautiful
         | artwork.
        
         | ok_computer wrote:
         | Alva Noto + Sakamoto Insen is one of my favorite ambient
         | albums. I have the insen & utp_ dvds. I'd have loved to see
         | those concerts live.
         | 
         | Async was solid. He was next level in writing and producing.
         | 
         | Sakamoto's music will be missed. He was one of the greats.
         | 
         | Logic moon:
         | 
         | https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BTaAs8OdvX4
         | 
         | Solari:
         | 
         | https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=v2Okyb-2jLo
         | 
         | & some moog ad where his off the cuff work sounds huge and both
         | discordant and melodic simultaneously. He's a legend.
         | 
         | https://youtu.be/wdhzVFZlKsM?t=886
         | 
         | Rip
         | 
         | Edit: last one
         | 
         | Monomom from Two where they played in Sydney
         | 
         | https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=JaEyh-Y42Dc
        
           | jacquesm wrote:
           | Wow... thank you for posting this.
        
       | JohnBooty wrote:
       | I never see his soundtrack for Aile de Honneamise / Wings of
       | Honneamise / Royal Space Force talked about.
       | 
       | I really think it's one of his best!
       | 
       | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvgKK67WiLY
        
       | pacomerh wrote:
       | Truly admire Sakamoto's work, a big influence in my life. From
       | Yellow Magic Orchestra to all his solo career. RIP
       | 
       | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWI5aVKvkCg
        
       | amelius wrote:
       | The advertisements on this page are extra annoying, given the
       | topic. The industry has no moral code.
        
       | jacquesm wrote:
       | Oh that sucks. Only 71... I was listening to Merry Christmas Mr.
       | Lawrence just yesterday in the car. Amazing music and a pretty
       | good movie too, if you have the stomach for it.
       | 
       | https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085933/
       | 
       | More and more of my musical heroes are dying and I'm well aware
       | of the fact that they aren't all that far ahead of me.
        
       | hoherd wrote:
       | I had heard him here and there, but the first time I really
       | started paying attention to him was the Zero Landmine[1] project.
       | After that I watched him alongside David Bowie in Merry Christmas
       | Mr. Lawrence[2] and realized he was the creator of that famous
       | melody. After that I was hooked. Like others in this thread I
       | really love his collaborations with Alva Noto, especially By This
       | River[3]. I'm sad he's gone, but I'm happy we will always have
       | the great things he created.
       | 
       | 1. https://youtu.be/_CQXI01usj0
       | 
       | 2. https://youtu.be/AALrrgEOlvU?t=119
       | 
       | 3. https://youtu.be/rTv8m8vjjTk
        
         | rado wrote:
         | He agreed to act in the film after they let him compose the
         | music. It turned out well. RIP sensei
        
       | xdavidliu wrote:
       | My favorite Sakamoto piece is Bolerish, and obvious homage to
       | Ravel's Bolero; from the soundtrack of the little-known film
       | "Femme Fatale"
        
       | FpUser wrote:
       | One of my favorite composers. RIP.
        
       | daviddaviddavid wrote:
       | Just want to share a couple great works by Sakamoto. I'm a big
       | fan. One of my favorite bossa nova albums is A Day In New York by
       | Morelenbaum/Sakamoto. Here's Desafinado from that album:
       | 
       | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rtdR9WkOOY
       | 
       | And his early synth-y stuff is just so hip. Thousand Knives of
       | Ryuichi Sakamoto (1978) is some badass stuff.
       | 
       | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGo7n6CMCcE
        
         | Aco- wrote:
         | Couldn't agree more with this comment. I came here to share
         | these, too. Some of his best work, imo.
         | 
         | Here's the full album ("Casa") for those interested:
         | https://youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_kD_LK3RoPwL6UNzGT2...
        
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       (page generated 2023-04-02 23:00 UTC)