Music Magazine June 2023

Special feature] In memoriam坂本龍一

On March 28, the musician坂本龍一His musical achievements, including worldwide success with YMO and film music, and the influence he had on artists who followed in his footsteps are immeasurable. He also left a significant mark as an activist who actively communicated about social and environmental issues. We look back on his career with the words of various musicians who loved him.

■ 坂本龍一The memorial letter is derived from his music and personal experiences.
Interview with Masafumi Goto? Ultimately, a person who stays on the street (Akimasa Munakata)
Interview with TOWA TEI? The most important thing he taught me was not to be dexterous (Dai Onoshima)
Interview with OTOMO Yoshihide Professor Otomo left us homework to continue to be a lighthouse illuminating the future (Ryohei Matsunaga)
■ 坂本龍一A song to remember (Shohei Amimori, Tasuku Arauchi [cero], Tomomi Oda [CRCK/LCKS], Keigo Oyamada [Cornelius], Yasuhiro Konishi [PIZZICATO ONE], Mir Shinoda [yahyel], SUGIZO [LUNA SEA / X JAPAN], TAIHEI [Suchmos / Sai], Ren Takada, Hiroshi Takano, TOSHI-LOW [BRAHMAN], Peter Barakan, Takeshi Hosomi [ELLEGARDEN / the HIATUS / MONOEYES], Katsumi Watanabe, Flying Lotus, One Autrix Point Never, SUGA [BTS / Agust D])
■ 坂本龍一Solo albums by (Masao Ishikawa, Shino Okamura, Dai Onoshima, Yumiko Koi, Hitoshi Kurimoto, Minoru Hatanaka, Yasuro Murao, Toru Watanabe)
Collaboration work? An attempt to show a straightforward spirit of insatiable inquiry (Mamoru Koyama)
■ 坂本龍一An important soundtrack work for a film? A record of my struggle as a musician against the culture of film (Akimasa Munakata)
A compilation by Iñárritu and the soundtrack to the film "Monster" (Ariake Tosa)
The conflict with YMO reveals坂本龍一The peculiarity of YMO (Minoru Hatanaka)
The work that he produced/composed/arranged? Musical expression that offers a glimpse of essential aspects (Masao Ishikawa)


Special feature] cero

Five years after their last album "POLY LIFE MULTI SOUL", cero's fifth album "eo" has finally arrived. We conducted a long interview with the band, who have undergone another astonishing musical transformation after their respective solo works. We would like to trace the steps of the three members who have renewed the music scene in Japan, while exploring the whole story of their latest work.

Three members talk about their first new album in five years (Toshihiro Yano)
cero original album? Solo Album Guide (Masaaki Hara)


Alpha Mist - UK's leading jazz pianist and track maker (Kou Hanaki)
Cassa Overall? The first Warp album with interesting guests (Masaaki Hara)
Squid? Thrilling second album from a band undergoing rapid change (Junnosuke Tomei)
Nair Mirablat? Uruguay's new generation of musicians comes to Japan (Kentaro Takahashi)
Moriken Maekawa? New work by Okinawan folk singer/songwriter (Masakazu Kitanaka)
Chisato Oe? A work commemorating the 40th anniversary of her debut, which mixes new songs with jazzed-up versions of works from her pop music days (Naoshi Ikegami).
□ New Standard 2020s?41st Experimental Hip-Hop (Masashi Yoshida, Minako Ikejo, Yin Treadio, Daiki Takaku, Tsuya-chan, Machizo Hasegawa, Makoto Niki)
□ Liv (Tsuyoshi Hayashi)
□ Lucinda Chua (Masashi Yunoh)
□ Gretchen Parlato & Lionel Ruecke (Ariake Tosa)
Nora Brown (Tadashi Igarashi)
□ Sensible Soccerz (Shiori Yamaguchi)
□ Extension坂本龍一In Pursuit of the Sound I Really Want to Hear" (Osamu Takahashi)


Front Line
◇ Lewis Cole
◇ Boy Genius
◇ The Acids
◇ Rancid
◇ King Krull
◇ King Krull ◇ ◇ Protomater
◇ KIKI VIVI LILY


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