Ryuichi Sakamoto

Ryuichi Sakamoto (born January 17, 1942) (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 Haruomo Hosono[?] and Yukihiro Takahashi[?]; the band were a seminal influence on the Acid House and Techno movements of the late 1980s and early 1990s. Collaborated with David Sylvian[?] on the album Brilliant Trees[?] and others.

Appeared in the 1983 film, Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence[?] alongside the English rock singer David Bowie; he also wrote the soundtrack for this film. He worked with Bernardo Bertolucci on the soundtrack for the film The Last Emperor, released in 1987. He has also written soundtracks for Pedro Almodovar's film High Heels[?], and Oliver Stone's Wild Palms[?].

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[?].

External Links

• The official Ryuichi Sakamoto web site (http://www.sitesakamoto.com/)