Name: Ryuichi Sakamoto – 坂本 龍一
Date of Birth: 17/Jan/1952, Tokyo
Occupation: Composition, Production, Acting
Best known for: Where to start…
Influences: Olivier Messiaen and Iannis Xenakis
Website: Official Site Sakamoto – Field of Memories
SD Credits: DoM (Composer)

Where on earth does one start with this man… What he hasn’t done would make for a shorter list! He earned a B.A. in music composition at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, and an M.A. with emphasis on electronic and ethnic music. He released his first solo album in 1978 and joined the Yellow Magic Orchestra which would influence the techno movement up to the early 90s. He’s collaborated with countless artists during his time, from David Sylvian to Iggy Pop, and released numerous soundtracks including the Academy Award winning The Last Emperor, in which he played a small role.

He created the opening score for the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, was commissioned by Finnish mobile phone company Nokia to create their ringtones for the 8800 phone, and has started the Stop Rokkasho project against the reprocessing of nuclear waste across the globe.