Description
BIO :
In celebration of composer RYUICHI SAKAMOTO’s 70th birthday, Milan Records presents A TRIBUTE TO RYUICHI SAKAMOTO – TO THE MOON AND BACK, a collection of songs from Sakamoto’s vast catalogue newly reworked and remodeled by contemporary artists and collaborators. The album features contributions from THUNDERCAT, DEVONTÉ HYNES, HILDUR GUÐNADÓTTIR, THE CINEMATIC ORCHESTRA, DAVID SYLVIAN, ELECTRIC YOUTH, ALVA NOTO and more, each of which were hand-selected for the project as either past collaborators, friends, admirers, or personal favorites of Sakamoto. The album’s lead single, a rework of “Thousand Knives” by THUNDERCAT is available today. Taking on the title track from Sakamoto’s debut EP Thousand Knives of Ryuichi Sakamoto, Thundercat flips the 10 minute-long synthpop instrumental into a smooth funk-soul ballad punctuated by his signature Moog synth bass and hazy R&B vocals.
Envisioned by Sakamoto’s management team and Milan Records, A TRIBUTE TO RYUICHI SAKAMOTO – TO THE MOON AND BACK features artists across generation and genre, each with their own connection to the iconic musician. From contemporary admirers of Sakamoto’s work like Thundercat, Devonté Hynes, and Hildur Guðnadóttir to longtime collaborators and friends like David Sylvian, Alva Noto, Cornelius, and Fennesz, plus some of Sakamoto’s personal favorites like Lim Giong, Gabrial Wek, and 404.zero, the included artists reflect the breadth of Sakamoto’s influence on contemporary music. Given full access to the musician’s extensive catalogue of solo releases and film scores, each artist personally selected their contribution and put their unique spin on Sakamoto’s originals. The result is a collection that reflects the many dimensions of Sakamoto’s career, from the diversity of sound the consummate musician has traversed to the continued legacy of his work on artists of all backgrounds.
