Ryuichi Sakamoto has returned after a year fighting with throat cancer and what a return it is. Together with Alva Noto Ryuichi Sakamoto has made the music to the new block buster movie The Revenant featuring the “I want to win an Oscar”-Di Caprio. Movie or not, the music is really filled with nature and a shot at electronic ambience at its best.

Apart from its clear ambient nature it is quite intriguing to hear how Sakamoto/Alva Noto blend rhythmic sounds to fill up space in the music production, or as Ryuchi himself explains it in a recent interview:

Since the beginning, I always thought the real main character in this film is nature. Not only the images but the sounds of nature act — including the sound of the bear [laughs]. So to respect the sounds of nature, I thought the music shouldn’t be too narrative. I wanted my music to be like a part of the sound of nature. You want it to show the emotions of the characters, so finding a balance — it was fun.

Here at Stereoklang we have always been hard core fans of Ryuichi and YMO so it with great pleasure we welcome him back on center stage. Below are two tracks for your enjoyment – the first is of course a piece from The Revenant and then we have also included a small tribute performed by Bears in Nippon, who have YMO as their main source of inspiration in their music creation process.

Bears in Nippon

Japanese ambient electro pop act has delivered a new and exciting mix of classic synth pop tunes and ambient electronic sounds paired with many traditional Japanese sounds and voices. Vocals performed on Fuji by Victor Graphics.