{"product_id":"ryuichi-sakamoto_thousand-knives-of_2019","title":"Thousand Knives Of","description":"Wewantsounds is pleased to announce the reissue of Ryuichi Sakamoto's first solo album, released in 1978 on the cult label Better Days. The musician plays on half a dozen synthesizers and keyboards programmed by Hideki Matsutake, and - accompanied by some of the best Japanese musicians including Haruomi Hosono and Pecker - he heralds the electro sound of the Yellow Magic Orchestra. With a taste for the avant-garde and improvisation, Sakamoto became interested in electronic music early on, and with Thousand Knives, he decided to enlist Hideki Matsutake, who masters the art of synthesizer programming. Sakamoto took several months to record Thousand Knives; being occupied during the day with studio sessions for others, he recorded at night. The title track, inspired by a poem by Henri Michaux recounting his experience of taking mescaline, is a reflection on the advent of technology and synthesizers in the musical landscape of that time. The first side, designed as a whole, opens with \"Thousand Knives\" and a poem by Mao Zedong read by Sakamoto and filtered through a vocoder, before transforming into a synth-pop instrumental. It is followed by \"Island Of Woods,\" a ten-minute track buzzing with synthesizers. The first side concludes with \"Grasshoppers,\" a very beautiful melody played on acoustic piano and underscored by a subtle synthesizer accompaniment. The second side opens with \"Das Neue Japanische Elektronische Volkslied,\" a tribute to the influence of the new German scene led by Kraftwerk. Sakamoto starts with a mid-tempo rhythm that he skillfully blends with a more traditionally Japanese melody. The album flows into and concludes with two faster synth-pop tracks, \"Plastic Bamboo\" and \"The End of Asia,\" which would quickly become live classics for YMO and Sakamoto. Thousand Knives is a fascinating glimpse into the beginnings of a musical revolution! Remastered from the original tapes by sound engineer Seigen Ono.","brand":"Ryuichi Sakamoto","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":58239973949784,"sku":null,"price":24075380.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0898\/4943\/0360\/files\/3700604722281.jpg?v=1787438148","url":"https:\/\/vinyles.com\/en-us\/products\/ryuichi-sakamoto_thousand-knives-of_2019","provider":"Vinyles.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}