[YMO] Revisiting the classic songs of YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA!
YMO, Yellow Magic Orchestra, laid the foundation for Japan’s techno and electro scene.
In this article, we introduce their classic tracks that helped establish technopop.
The three members were influential musicians leading the music scene even before forming YMO.
They loved trying new things, viewing live performances as a place to present finished works and studio recording as a place for new challenges, pouring the most love into recording.
Now, enjoy YMO’s songs that were ahead of their time and became a social phenomenon.
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[YMO] Looking Back on YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA’s Masterpieces! (31–40)
SimounYellow Magic Orchestra
Simoon is a hot wind that whips up sandstorms in places like the Arabian Desert.
Listening to this track, you’re overtaken by a curious, faint languor—as if being blown by that hot wind.
The piano tone is beautiful! A track from the 1978 release “Yellow Magic Orchestra.”
LightYellow Magic Orchestra
It’s a track included on the album “Technodelic” that offers a lot of interesting sound-related elements.
For example, the hi-hats are sampled from a human voice, and they also sampled the sound of hitting an oil can.
I’ve heard there was even a request for the bass line to be done in the style of Chuck Rainey.
BALLETYellow Magic Orchestra
It was included on the album BGM, released on March 21, 1981, with lyrics by Yukihiro Takahashi and Peter Barakan.
The gently drifting synth sounds and the vocal effects, as if plugged in to respond to them, somehow seem to transport the listener to an elegant world.
camouflageYellow Magic Orchestra
This is a track included on YMO’s fifth single “Mass” and their fifth album “BGM.” Both releases feature the same take, and it’s a song that Haruomi Hosono called the best take on “BGM.” The low-pitched voice throughout the track has a mysteriously eerie quality, and before you know it, you find yourself replaying it over and over.
SEOUL MUSICYellow Magic Orchestra
A piece with the exotic timbre of gamelan and striking vocal percussion.
It evokes Seoul during the period of Japanese rule over Korea.
The somewhat wistful sound seems to depict the circumstances of Korea under military governance… it really makes you think.
[YMO] Looking Back on YELLOW MAGIC ORCHESTRA's Masterpieces! (41–50)
Citizens of SilenceYellow Magic Orchestra
A track from their fourth album “X∞Multiplies,” released in 1980.
Overall, it has a strikingly mechanical, sharp sonic image, yet the raw, lifelike tone of the guitar that emerges within it is irresistibly appealing.
The multi-layered vocals create a curious sense of exhilaration in this song.
Pockets full of rainbowsYellow Magic Orchestra
Yellow Magic Orchestra is a music group recognized worldwide.
Needless to say, they are the pioneers who laid the foundation for Japanese techno.
They have many classic tracks, but the one I especially recommend is Pocket ni Niji ga Ippai (Pockets Full of Rainbows).
As you might expect from a group with strong instrumental roots, even though this piece has many vocal parts, the vocals themselves are very understated.
There are no complex vocal lines, and the range is extremely narrow, making it an excellent song in terms of singability.
