Yellow Magic Orchestra

Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) is a Japanese technopop band formed in 1978, known for pioneering the electropop music genre. The principal members are Haruomi Hosono (bass), Yukihiro Takahashi (drums and vocals) and Ryuichi Sakamoto (keyboards).

Formation and early years
The band was conceived as a one-off studio project by Hosono, the other two members being recruited session musicians—the idea was to produce an album fusing orientalist exotica (cf. their cover version of Martin Denny's Firecracker) with modern electronics. However, the first album (with its cutting-edge production) was very popular, and the studio project grew into a fully fledged touring band and career for its three members.

Sakamoto first worked with Hosono as a member of his live band in 1976, while Takahashi recruited Sakamoto to produce his debut solo recording in 1977 following the split of the Sadistic Mika Band. Hosono invited both to work on his exotica flavoured album "Paraiso", followed by electronic material for the anthology collection "Pacific". Following the release of the debut "Yellow Magic Orchestra" a live date at the Roppongi Pit Inn was seen by executives of A&M Records of the USA who were in the process of setting up a partnership deal with Alfa Records. This led to the YMO being offered an international deal, at which point (early 1979) the three members decided the group would be given priority over their solo careers.

Success and breakup
An advertising deal with Fuji Cassette and the group sparked a boom in the popularity of electronic pop music (called "Technopop" in Japan) that had an impact similar to that of The Beatles and Merseybeat in 1960s Britain. A testament to the influence of YMO on fashion is how many middle aged Japanese businessmen still have the "Techno cut" haircut, modeled after the group. Successful solo act Akiko Yano (later married to Sakamoto) joined the band for its live performances in the late 70's and early 80's, but did not participate in the studio recordings. On the other hand, the YMO trio contributed to her own albums and became part of her live band, during these same years.

Making abundant use of new synthesizers, samplers, sequencers and digital recording technology as it became available, as well as utilizing cyberpunk-ish lyrics sung mostly in English, their popularity and influence extended beyond Japan. Generally the band are highly regarded as pioneers of electronic music, and continue to be remixed and sampled by modern artists.

Solid State Survivor, released in 1979, was YMO's pinnacle recording in Japan, winning the 1980 Best Album Award in the Japan Record Awards. It featured English lyrics by Chris Mosdell, whose sci-fi themes often depicted a human condition alienated by dystopic futures, much like the emerging cyberpunk movement in fiction at that time. The album’s major single and YMO’s biggest international hit, “Behind the Mask”, with lyrics penned by Chris Mosdell, was later revised by Ryuichi Sakamoto for a 1987 solo release of the same name (it was also covered by Greg Phillinganes and Eric Clapton).

The band had stopped working as a group in 1984, after the release of their motion picture "Propaganda", the three members returning to their solo careers. The group were careful to avoid saying they had "split up", preferring to use the Japanese phrase meaning "spreading out" (散開), and in fact the trio continued to play on each other's recordings and made guest appearances at live shows. Takahashi, in particular, would play YMO material in his concerts and as "lead singer" was arguably best placed to do so. To dodge lawsuits and "spread out" creatively they released the next one-off reunion album, Technodon, and credited it to (YMO crossed out) in 1993. Instead of traditional vocals, about half of which features field audio recordings and samples of authors and scientists reading their work.

Post "breakup"
The early 2000s saw Hosono & Takahashi reunited in a project called Sketch Show. On a number of occasions Ryuichi Sakamoto has joined in on Sketch Show performances and recording sessions. He later proposed they rename the group Human Audio Sponge when he participates. Barcelona performance at Sonar festival and Wild Sketch Show DVDs chronicle these reunions, and include a tongue-in-cheek Japanese text only history of the group that spans to 2036.

The band have reunited in 2007 for an advertising campaign for Kirin Lager which lampooned their longevity and charted No.1 on various Japanese digital download charts (including iTunes Store chart) with the song "Rydeen 79/07", released on Sakamoto's new label commmons.

Recently performing live as Human Audio Sponge; Hosono, Sakamoto and Takahashi did a live performance together as Yellow Magic Orchestra for the Live Earth, Kyoto event on July 7, 2007, which raised money and awareness of a "climate in crisis."

In August 2007, the band once again reformed, taking the name HASYMO or HAS/YMO, ( is Human Audio Sponge=HAS+Yellow Magic Orchestra=YMO)combining the names of Human Audio Sponge and Yellow Magic Orchestra. Their first single under this name, "Rescue", was written for the film Appleseed EX Machina. They released a new two song single titled "The City of Light/Tokyo Town Pages" on August 6, 2008.

HASYMO played two live concerts in Europe in the summer of 2008, one at the Royal Festival Hall, London on 15 June, as part of the Meltdown festival of music curated by Massive Attack and another in Gijon, Spain on the 19th. Although the primary YMO members (Yukihiro Takahashi, Haruomi Hosono, and Ryuichi Sakamoto) are effectively known as HASYMO and played both these concerts, these concerts were billed simply as "YMO" but featured only 4 YMO songs in each concert while the rest of the concert featured Sketch Show, HASYMO music and member's solo works.

A documentary film about lyricist Chris Mosdell and his various collaborators, Ink Music: In the Land of the Hundred-Tongued Lyricist, screened in Tokyo in June 2009. Mosdell is featured extensively as an interview subject, as are two of his YMO collaborators, Ryuichi Sakamoto and Yukihiro Takahashi. The film's soundtrack also features several of YMO’s songs, and solo recordings from Sakamoto, Takahashi, and Mosdell’s cult album Equasian.

A cover of "Kimi ni Mune kyun" was used as the ending theme song for the 2009 anime Maria Holic, sung by Asami Sanada, Marina Inoue, and Yū Kobayashi, the voice actresses of the main characters.

In August 2009, the band played the World Happiness festival in Japan, featuring many Japanese artists. The band closed the night, and confirmed that "Yellow Magic Orchestra" is their official name, dropping the HASYMO title. They opened with a cover of "Hello, Goodbye" and performed old YMO songs along with their newer songs.

In May 2010, Keane released a new EP entitled Night Train which includes a cover of "You've Got to Help Yourself", featuring MC Tigarah.

Live tours

 * Yellow Magic Orchestra Trans Atlantic Tour (1979)
 * Yellow Magic Orchestra Technopolis 2000-20 (1980, Japan)
 * Yellow Magic Orchestra World Tour '80 –From Tokio To Tokyo– (1980)
 * YMO Winter Live 1981
 * YMO Japan Tour 1983

Original singles

 * "Firecracker" (1979, US)
 * "Yellow Magic" (Tong Poo) (1979, UK)
 * "Technopolis" (1979, Japan)
 * "La Femme Chinoise" (1979, UK) (Lyrics: Chris Mosdell)
 * "Computer Game" (1980, UK, Italy, Spain)
 * "Rydeen" (1980, Japan 1982, UK)
 * "Behind the Mask" (1980, UK, US, Italy) (Lyrics: Chris Mosdell)
 * "Nice Age" (1980, UK, the Netherlands) (Lyrics: Chris Mosdell)
 * "Tighten Up" (Japanese Gentlemen Stand Up Please) (their version of the Archie Bell & the Drells hit; 1980, US, Japan; 1981, UK)
 * "Cue" (1981, Japan)
 * "Mass" (1981, Japan)
 * "Taiso" (1982, Australia, Japan)
 * "Pure Jam" (1982, Spain)
 * "Kimi ni Munekyun" (1983, Japan)
 * "Kageki na Shukujo" (1983, Japan)
 * "Ishin Denshin (You've Got To Help Yourself)" (1983, Japan)
 * "Every Time I Look Around (I Hear The Madmen Call)" (1983, Holland)
 * Reconstructions EP (1992, UK)
 * "Pocketful of Rainbows" (1993, Japan)
 * "Be A Superman" (1993, Japan)
 * "Rescue / Rydeen 79/07" (2007, Japan) - Digital download release: 10 March 2007, CD release: 22 August 2007
 * "The City of Light / Tokyo Town Pages" (2008, Japan)
 * "good morning,good night" (2009, Japan)-for HP NTT docomo N-04A by HASYMO

Original albums and variations

 * 1978 Yellow Magic Orchestra
 * 1979 Solid State Survivor
 * 1980 &times;&infin; Multiplies (a.k.a Zoshoku)
 * 1981 BGM
 * 1981 Technodelic
 * 1983 Naughty Boys
 * 1983 Naughty Boys Instrumental
 * 1983 Service
 * 1993 Technodon (as YMO )

Live albums

 * 1980 Public Pressure
 * 1984 After Service
 * 1991 Faker Holic (Transatlantic Tour 1979)
 * 1992 Complete Service (mixed by Brian Eno)
 * 1993 Technodon Live
 * 1993 Live At The Budokan 1980
 * 1993 Live At Kinokuniya Hall 1978
 * 1995 Winter Live 1981
 * 1996 World Tour 1980
 * 1997 Live At The Greek Theatre 1979
 * 2008 EUYMO-YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA LIVE IN LONDON+GIJON 2008-
 * 2008 LONDONYMO - Yellow Magic Orchestra Live in London 15/6 08
 * 2008 GIJONYMO-YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA LIVE IN GIJON 19/6 08-

Best of albums

 * 1984 Sealed
 * 1992 Technobible
 * 1992 Kyoretsu Na Rhythm
 * 2000 YMO Go Home! : The Best of Yellow Magic Orchestra, (compiled by Haruomi Hosono)
 * 2001 One More YMO: The Best of YMO Live" (compiled by Yukihiro Takahashi)
 * 2003 UC YMO: Ultimate Collection of Yellow Magic Orchestra (compiled by Ryuichi Sakamoto)

Remix albums

 * 1992 Hi-tech/No Crime (Yellow Magic Orchestra Reconstructed) (UK compilation of remixes by British artists)
 * 2000 YMO Remixes Technopolis 2000-00 (Japanese compilation of remixes by Japanese artists)