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Synthpop's YMO to Hold 1st L.A. Concert in 32 Years

posted on by Daryl Bunao
Members' music appeared in Appleseed, Maria Holic, Honneamise, Galactic Railroad, Nadia

On Sunday, June 26, the synthpop band Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) and the reunited acid jazz band Cibo Matto will perform in the "Big in Japan" concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Southern California. The local radio station KCRW 89.9 FM announced the concert as part of World Festival, its annual summer-long musical festival in partnership with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association. The festival will announce other guests in the near future.

YMO first debuted in 1978 and helped pioneered the synthpop genre in Japan. Composed of three principle members Haruomi Hosono (bass), Yukihiro Takahashi (drums and vocals) and Ryuichi Sakamoto (keyboard), they created seven studio albums and became the first technopop group to top Oricon's weekly record sales charts in Japan. A cover version of the song "Kimi ni Mune Kyun" from YMO's Naughty Boys album recently became the ending to the 2009 Shaft anime Maria Holic. Under the name HASYMO, the three members recorded the theme song "Rescue" for the Appleseed movie sequel Ex Machina.

Individually, the members of the group have contributed to other anime projects. Hosono composed Night on the Galactic Railroad, while Takahashi composed the song "Families" for Nadia - Secret of Blue Water. Most notably, Sakamoto composed the soundtracks to The Wings of Honneamise, the first Appleseed movie, and Le Chevalier D'Eon. He is also famously known for composing "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence" which has been remixed and sampled by Watergate (known as "Heart of Asia") and most recently by Hikaru Utada on her second American album This is the One. Sakamoto won an Oscar for his work on The Last Emperor film.

Cibo Matto is New York City-based band composed started by two Japanese women, Yūka Honda and Miho Hatori. Their form of acid jazz and trip hop has been moderately successful in the United States with musical credits in various American movies and Xbox game Jet Set Radio Future.

[Via GunGirlNewYork, AsianPopShock, Tokyograph]


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