Name: Ongaku Zukan
Brand: Ryuichi Sakamoto

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

WWSLP72

Colour

Black

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: Yes

Format detail

With Bonus 12"

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2023-09-29

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Kudos

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

3700604745303

Total Cap

Black LPx2

WWSLP71

[r28421872]

Extended format: No

With Bonus 7"

3700604745280

Black LP

WWSCD71

3700604745297

Artist

Ryuichi Sakamoto

Genre GB

Electronic

Label GB

Wewantsounds

Restored classics, rare finds, and sought-after releases. Whether you're a vinyl enthusiast or a tape collector, we have something for everyone.

Reissues

Wewantsounds is a global label specializing in reissuing hard to find vinyl albums and releasing curated compilations. They work directly with the master owners to ensure that all releases are officially licensed. The label's range of music is diverse, spanning genres from Japan, the US, France, and the Middle East. Each release is carefully remastered for vinyl, preserving the original sound quality. Additionally, Wewantsounds prioritizes using original artwork whenever possible.

Ryuichi Sakamoto was a Japanese musician, composer, and actor born on January 17, 1952 in Tokyo, Japan. He studied at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music where he specialized in composition and electronic/ethnic music. Sakamoto began his career in the mid-1970s as a composer, arranger, and producer for popular rock, jazz, and classical artists in Japan. He gained fame as a member of the synth-rock band Yellow Magic Orchestra. Throughout his career, he collaborated with various artists including David Sylvian and appeared in films such as Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence alongside David Bowie.
Sakamoto's musical talent extended to film scores as well. He won an Academy Award for his score to the 1987 film The Last Emperor directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. Additionally, he composed soundtracks for Pedro Almodovar's High Heels and Oliver Stone's Wild Palms. Sakamoto was married to Japanese pianist and singer Akiko Yano with whom he collaborated on some recordings.
Aside from his musical achievements, Ryuichi Sakamoto was also known for being critical of copyright law which he believed to be outdated in the information age. His legacy lives on through his daughter Miu Sakamoto who is also involved in the music industry under the alias Sister M.

Newest Listed Items

Wewantsounds is delighted to announce the release of Ryuichi Sakamoto's classic LP Ongaku Zukan, originally issued in Japan on his own School label in 1984. The reissue replicates the original Japanese release which offered two versions: a normal edition featuring the LP with a bonus 2-track 7" EP, and a limited edition which includes a 3-track 12" EP in place of the 7". Remastered by Saidera Mastering in Tokyo the reissue boasts the original gatefold artwork plus an extra 2-page insert with new liner notes by Andy Beta.

The early ‘80s were a turning point for Japanese musician Ryuichi Sakamoto. As a solo artist, the smash hit soundtrack he had composed for 1983’s Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (a film in which he had also acted), had put him on the verge of becoming a global superstar. Meanwhile he had called a halt to his work with Yellow Magic Orchestra; the influential, globally successful pop trio calling it quits after the release of their 1983 album Naughty Boys.

Against this backdrop, Sakamoto descended on Tokyo’s Onkyo Haus Studio to record his fourth solo album, Ongaku Zukan ("Musical Encyclopedia”) accompanied by a handful of musicians including his ex-YMO partners Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi, and the prolifically talented Yasuaki Shimizu, Tatsuro Yamashita and Toshinori Kondo. Sakamoto began with no particular plan in mind, recording 30 basic tracks over the best part of 1983. It was on his return to the studio the following year that the album truly began to take shape. Accompanied by a newly acquired Fairlight CMI sampler, the musician made extensive use of the revolutionary equipment to create a wide palette of sound textures which he added to the tracks, a creatively fertile process that was captured on film for the French documentary "Tokyo Melody, A Film about Ryuichi Sakamoto”.) ​

Released in August 1984 the album Ongaku Zukan proved a huge success, providing Sakamoto with his first top 5 hit in Japan. Filled with inspired melodies that showcase his unique gift as a composer, it offers up a fascinating mix of styles. Asiatic electro pop nuggets ("Tibetan Dance") share space with futuristic ambient pieces ("Hane no Hayashi de"), and brilliantly creative fusions of jazz, funk, techno and reggae (“Etude" and "Tabi no Kyokuhoki.”)

Two simultaneous editions of the album were released in Japan: the regular one featuring a bonus 7" EP with two extra tracks: "Replica" and "Ma Mère l’Oye” while a limited edition added a 12" EP (in lieu of the 7") which included a third track, "Tibetan Dance (Version)." An international version was released two years later in 1986 by 10 Records/Virgin under the title Illustrated Musical Encyclopedia, but with a very different track list. Five tracks from Ongaku Zukan were dropped, namely "Self Portrait," "Tabi no kyokuhoku," "Mori no Hito," "A Tribute to N.J.P" and "Tibetan Dance (Version)", to be replaced by two non-album singles from 1985, "Stepping Into Asia" and "Field Work." ​ This is the very first time that the two 1984 Japanese editions of Ryuichi Sakamoto's classic album have been released internationally in collaboration with the artist's management and Midi Inc., with remastered audio and the original artwork faithfully reproduced, paying tribute to one of contemporary music's undisputed geniuses.

Ongaku Zukan

Music GB