|
Ryuichi Sakamoto (born
January 17,
1952) (坂本 龍一) is a Japanese
musician,
composer and
actor.
Sakamoto came to fame as a member of Japanese synth-rock outfit
Yellow Magic Orchestra with co-founders
Haruomi Hosono and
Yukihiro Takahashi; the band were a seminal influence on the
Acid House and
Techno movements of the late
1980s and early
1990s. He collaborated with
David Sylvian on a number of
singles and most of Sylvian's albums.
He appeared in the
1983
Nagisa Oshima film
Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence alongside
British rock singer
David Bowie; he also wrote the film's musical score, and the theme
song "Forbidden Colours," sung by Sylvian, became a minor hit. He won the
Academy Award for his score to the
1987
Bernardo Bertolucci film
The Last Emperor. He has also written soundtracks for
Pedro Almodovar's film
High Heels, and
Oliver Stone's
Wild Palms.
In 1992, Sakamoto composed the score of the opening ceremony of the
Barcelona Olympic Games, a telecast with an audience of over a billion
viewers.
Sakamoto was married to a Japanese pianist and singer
Akiko Yano, collaborating with her on some of her recordings.
He is also known as a critic of copyright law, saying it is antiquated
in the
information age.
|
