Yellow Magic Orchestra

You simply cannot have a full understanding of the history of electronic music without being aware of the music of synth pop and electronic music pioneers YMO. To sum them up as quickly as possible, they were sort of like the Japanese version of Kraftwerk and were prolific during the same time Kraftwerk was (and are still very popular today). That's not to say these were Kraftwerk clones. They had their own sound, but it was entirely synth-driven, much like Kraftwerk. I don't think these guys were quite as good as Kraftwerk, though they are certainly worth checking out. They are pioneers of their genre, and were using what was then some of the most cutting edge technology in electronic music, including samplers, programmable drum machines and other electronics.

These guys influenced everything from video game music to rap and hip-hop.

They were/are hugely influential when it came to the use of samples and loops.

Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow_Magic_Orchestra

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O7oa5A2LRj4"]Yellow Magic Orchestra "Firecracker" (1979) - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QgGovz8HpA"]Yellow Magic Orchestra - Light in darkness - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inh4QGoB3R"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=inh4QGoB3Rc"]Neue Tanz - YMO (Audio Only) - YouTube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cs1t5ZERhBQ"]Yellow Magic Orchestra - U.T. - YouTube

 

BGM is my favorite of the studio albums.
But I agree, they are no Autobahn. Not even close.

 

You've heard all of them? (Their early ones anyway)

BGM is good, but I think Technodelic is much better, as is its production. It's also a landmark album in its use of samplers, which didn't become popular until the mid-80s.

I think 'Light in Darkness' is the best track on this album, and definitely one of YMO's more resonant tracks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6QgGovz8HpA"]Yellow Magic Orchestra - Light in darkness - YouTube

 

...for starting this thread and making me aware of these guys. Great stuff!

Are you at all familiar with the work of Isao Tomita?