#b-2 unit

AD:井上嗣也 tsuguya INOUE 1980

Ryuichi Sakamoto japanische Vinyl Part I

Ryuichi Sakamoto 2017 Year Book 1980-1984 (2017, Commmons-Japan)

Some seconds albums did not really do much damage to their musicians, they actually enriched them. For instance, Ryuichi Sakamoto basically outdid whatever synthpop was doing at the time with B-2 Unit. However, we mustn't forget he didn't merely continue what he did with Yellow Magic Orchestra, he went further – the track on the link shows many IDM musicians paid attention –, though I ask myself how the West saw him at that point. We cherish Sakamoto now for what he represented, yet the early 80's weren't really a period where a musician from Japan achieved that much prominence. Sure, he did get ther in the later part of the period, yet how did the West see him at the point of B-2 Unit? He basically invented techno, yet does the West acknowledge that?

The ways some musicians end up being respected differs from one to another as there are many reasons such a thing can occur then, because there is no set rule in here. For instance, Sakamoto is respected thanks to him being himself most of the time. Of course, the 80's were really special to him, since he managed to work well within his band and on his own. The latter works showed he kept in touch with the modern developments in the electronic music, yet he rarely replicated them. You see, while he always searched for what was contemporary, he rarely tried to make that completely copied, he put his own touches. B-2 Unit – to give you an example – outdid whatever the synthpop at the time did with some Sakamotian touches.