the first is something that just hit me today as i was returning from my holiday (from life/work/music): this year i re-discovered techno music. thinking about 2008, there are two main currents/themes for me, and both are clearly inter-related. i know there has been much talk about whether the music we love is still keeping strong or starting to get a bit stale, and the related discussion of how 'deep' the supposed deep house revival has been, but i think i might avoid these increasingly well worn issues. but if it doesn't happen now, it won't happen for a while. I still haven't quite decided what to think about this year, so it might be a bit early to write this post. anyway, this is just a little story to introduce some of my thoughts and reflections on 2008 and the first year of mnml ssgs (cam will be posting about this soon - we recently had our first birthday). once again i am in technoland and and i'm happy to be back (as i type this i am listening to the excellent random mix by rising sun - definitely worth checking). with slightly refreshed ears i soaked up and appreciated every minute of shed's set. today that silence came to an end as i sat on the metro heading to the airport i put on shed's amazing ssg mix. for someone who uses music as a coping mechanism (amongst other things), this situation feels a bit strange in retrospect. i was aware it wasn't there, but i was fine. i think it might have been the start of 2001.

i cant't remember the last time i went so long - intentionally or not - without listening to some form of electronic music. in taking a one week holiday, i accidently also took a break from music too. i almost listened to no music at all, except for occasionally what was playing in the background. i didn't listen to any techno/eletronic music for one whole week. I still canвЂ™t get over how confident they were with such advanced and bizarre synthesis back then.I discovered something strange today. ThereвЂ™s a video of Yellow Magic Orchestra performing SakamotoвЂ™s song live from a tour they did in the 1980вЂ™s.

Another example is that on B-2 Unit, he released the song Riot In Lagos, which he later rearranged for piano in 2004 and released it on his 2009 selected works album Playing The Piano. For example, Sakamoto recently reworked his song Energy FlowВ with Japanese tabla drum player U-zhaan and Japanese rappers з’°ROY and йЋ®еє§DOPENESS. Something IвЂ™ve noticed about Ryuichi SakamotoвЂ™s work is that he reworks a lot of his own songs.

Because of this, B-2 UnitВ is seen as a landmark piece of work. At the edge of the era of analog equipment being replaced by new digital technology, Sakamoto, being as freely post-punk as he is, used both when recording and mixing, forming the future of electronic sound. I think he inspired a lot of ambient and experimental artists in the 1980s. The synthesized sounds he achieved on the album were sometimes rough and abrasive, and other times really alien-sounding. Ryuichi Sakamoto is said to have fully dedicated his heart, soul, and body to a post-punk lifestyle, a description that perfectly fits the against-the-norm music he was writing at the time. In doing so, she was able to maintain the warmth, dynamics, and richness of the original sound. Kadry took the albumвЂ™s original 1/4th-inch analog tape form the 1980вЂ™s and carefully took the audio from the tape into her mastering console while applying Dolby noise reduction, and then remastered the audio using modern-day techniques and equipment.

BjГ¶rk is known for being particularly picky about her sound, so itвЂ™s clear why Ryuichi Sakamoto trusted Heba Kadry to take care of his album. In the past, Kadry has worked with the likes of BjГ¶rk, Deerhunter, and Beach House, just to name a few. B-2 Unit was remastered by Heba Kadry, an Egyptian female mastering engineer who resides in New York. YMO, through their heavy use of synthesizers, set their sound apart from the rest, had more of a consumable, catchy, pop sound, whereas Ryuichi SakamotoвЂ™s solo work back then was more ambient and borderline avant-garde. Sakamoto released the album on Alfa Records, right as YMO was reaching an overheated level of peak popularity. The newly remastered album will be available for worldwide streaming from September 27.Д«-2 Unit is Ryuichi SakamotoвЂ™s second solo album that he released while part of the band Yellow Magic Orchestra. It will be released in on a 12 inch 33 RPM vinyl record, and also on a high resolution 96kHz/24bit on an SACD hybrid CD, which supposedly plays back audio in a higher quality than a regular CD. announced that a remastered version of Ryuichi SakamotoвЂ™s solo album B-2 Unit will be released on September 25.

Ryuichi sakamoto b2 unit blogspot