Bleep

A vital pressing from Rush Hour here which contains two seminal cuts from Ryuichi Sakamoto’s 1978 solo debut LP Thousand Knives. Released in the same year as the first album from Sakamoto’s pioneering Yellow Magic Orchestra group, ‘78 proved to be something of an annus mirabilis for the composer. The synthesis of early computer game music, synth-funk, ambient electronics and synth-pop on the two tracks here paved the way for so much that came after it, influencing everyone from Bowie to Daft Punk. ‘Thousand Knives’ is particularly notable for being one of the earliest recordings on which an 808 is front and centre.