Milan Records has released A Tribute To Ryuichi Sakamoto – To The Moon And Back, a collection of songs from Sakamoto’s vast catalogue newly reworked and remodeled by contemporary artists and collaborators. The album features contributions from THUNDERCAT, DEVONTÉ HYNES, HILDUR GUÐNADÓTTIR, THE CINEMATIC ORCHESTRA, DAVID SYLVIAN, ELECTRIC YOUTH, ALVA NOTO and more, each of which were hand-selected for the project as either past collaborators, friends, admirers, or personal favorites of Sakamoto.

Envisioned by Sakamoto’s management team and Milan Records, the album features artists across generation and genre, each with their own connection to the iconic musician. From contemporary admirers of Sakamoto’s work like Thundercat, Devonté Hynes, and Hildur Guðnadóttir to longtime collaborators and friends like David Sylvian, Alva Noto, Cornelius, and Fennesz, plus some of Sakamoto’s personal favorites like Lim Giong, Gabrial Wek, and 404.zero, the included artists reflect the breadth of Sakamoto’s influence on contemporary music. Given full access to the musician’s extensive catalogue of solo releases and film scores, each artist personally selected their contribution and put their unique spin on Sakamoto’s originals. The result is a collection that reflects the many dimensions of Sakamoto’s career.

Ryuichi Sakamoto is a composer, producer, artist, and environmental activist born in Tokyo. Making his debut in 1978 with the album Thousand Knives, Sakamoto’s diverse résumé includes pioneering electronic works in the legendary techno group Yellow Magic Orchestra, producing globally-inspired pop albums and numerous classical compositions, two operas, and nearly 40 original film scores for directors, including Bernardo Bertolucci, Pedro Almodóvar, Brian De Palma, and more recently Alejandro González Iñárritu for whom he composed the music of ‘The Revenant’.

Sakamoto has considerable contributions to the art world with both solo and collaborative installations and multi-piece exhibitions presented in galleries and museums worldwide. Most recently, MWOODS (Beijing) presented the largest and most comprehensive collection spanning 30 years devoted to Sakamoto’s artworks in various media, centering around 8 large-scale sound installations.

In 2017, the documentary Ryuichi Sakamoto: CODA (Stephen Nomura Schible) was released coinciding with the release of his renowned 14th solo album async. Additionally, Sakamoto presented unique performances at the Park Avenue Armory (NYC), later released worldwide as the film Ryuichi Sakamoto: async Live at the Park Avenue Armory. In 2021, with longtime collaborator Shiro Takatani, Sakamoto presented a new theater piece, TIME, which premiered at the Holland Festival.

A TRIBUTE TO RYUICHI SAKAMOTO – TO THE MOON AND BACK
TRACKLISTING
MILAN RECORDS

Walker – Lim Giong – Follow The Steps Remodel
Grains (Sweet Paulownia Wood) – David Sylvian Remodel
Thousand Knives – Thundercat Remodel
Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence – Electric Youth Remodel
Thatness and Thereness – Cornelius Remodel
World Citizen I Won’t Be Disappointed – Hildur Guðnadóttir Remodel
The Sheltering Sky – Alva Noto Remodel
Amore – Fennesz Remodel
Choral No. 1 – Devonté Hynes Remodel (featuring Emily Schubert)
DNA – The Cinematic Orchestra Remodel
With Snow and Moonlight – snow, silence, partially sunny – Yoshihide Otomo Remodel
Forbidden Colors – Gabrial Wek Remodel
The Revenant Main Theme – 404.zero Remodel

Order A Tribute To Ryuichi Sakamoto – To The Moon And Back HERE