Ryuichi Sakamoto's 1981 Album "Left Handed Dream"

It’s funny to think back now, but my first early impressions of Japan were that the Japanese eat a lot of fish, Akio Kurasawa films, and the Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) band. Beyond that, Japan was a total question mark to me. I have visited Japan and even lived there for the entire four seasons for the past 34 years. Due to my David Bowie obsessions, the first time I knew Ryuichi Sakamoto’s music was not through his band YMO. Still, through the soundtrack, he did for the Nagisa Oshima 1983 film Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence, starring both Bowie and Sakamoto.

Over the decades, Sakamoto has made different types of music for his solo and soundtrack works. My favorite besides Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence is his album from 1981, Left Handed Dream (左うでの夢), and I find it interesting because the music reflects old Japanese Shinto court music as the basis for most of this album. Electronic but percussion-based music represents the past but into the present and perhaps the future as well. At the same time, I heard this album, I became aware of the group Japan, with their shared aesthetics of taking something old and bringing it into a new package. It’s not a stretch to have the singer/writer of Japan, David Sylvian, working with Sakamoto on the song Forbidden Colours for the Mr. Lawrence soundtrack. And those two are great collaborators with both of their future projects, and their willingness to work with many in the music field. Sakamoto doesn’t only represent his world, but he’s an entranceway to many other artists.

As Kraftwerk displayed touches of German culture through their music, so did Sakamoto express Japanese aesthetics through his solo work and with YMO. This is electronic music on a very organic playing field. There is one thing that Sakamoto does: elegant music and presentation. Even when he does a musique-concrete piece such as サルの家, it is not harsh, but sound sources put together as if he’s a master chef, and Sakamoto is making you a meal.

Within a few days, I’ll be leaving for Japan on my… I lost count of how many times I’ve gone to Japan. Maybe over 30, but who’s counting? The thing is, Left Handed Dream reminds me of traveling through Tokyo on the Yamanote Line, which is a loop train that circles the metropolis. There is something about the rhythms: the Eastern version of Kraftwerk’s Autobahn. Both albums take you places, and the beauty of it is that it all can be from your couch in your living room.