Kraftwerk have paid tribute to the late Ryuichi Sakamoto with a canopy of ‘Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence’.
The German digital pioneers carried out the monitor at Fuji Rock Competition within the famend composer’s dwelling nation of Japan.
‘Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence’ is taken from the 1983 conflict movie of the identical title, whose soundtrack was the primary that Sakamoto created in his illustrious profession. Certainly, his soundtrack has been credited as one of many key causes the movie went on to turn into a cult traditional regardless of combined opinions from critics.
Sakamoto additionally starred within the movie alongside David Bowie, which was primarily based on the experiences of Sir Laurens van der Put up, a prisoner of conflict in Java throughout World Warfare II.
Try Kraftwerk’s model of ‘Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence’ under:
Kraftwerk cowl “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence” in tribute to Ryuichi Sakamoto at Fuji Rock 2024 pic.twitter.com/BknIo3TsRp
— Patrick St. Michel (@mbmelodies) July 27, 2024
Sakamoto died in March 2023 on the age of 71, having been recognized with most cancers for the second time in a decade. Sakamoto was initially recognized with throat most cancers in 2014, which is now in remission, however shared particulars of a rectal most cancers in 2021.
A posthumous album, ‘Opus’, is about to be launched on August 9. The album was taken from a “closing, personal piano live performance” which the musician carried out again in 2022 at his NHK 509 Studio in Tokyo. ‘Opus’ options reworked and reimagined songs from Sakamoto’s profession akin to movie scores and songs from Yellow Magic Orchestra.
‘Opus’ captures Sakamoto’s closing live performance efficiency which was accomplished throughout a number of classes as a result of musician’s declining well being. His son, Neo Sora, filmed the classes and compiled them right into a documentary of the identical title. The movie will premiere on-line this Sunday (June 30) at 8pm EST (1am BST) on the Criterion Channel. After the streaming premiere, the documentary will likely be obtainable completely on the Criterion Channel.
In a five-star evaluate of the documentary, NME shared: “It’s one gut-punch after one other if you realise what it means as Sakamoto lets each be aware breathe till it fades out. The work offered is an opus, and that is as intimate and human a live performance movie as you’ll ever see. As along with his latest posthumous mixed-reality gigs in London and his closing movie rating on Monster, Opus is one more priceless reward from a once-in-a-lifetime expertise – and a reminder of what we’ve misplaced. Goodbye maestro – and thanks.”
