Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto first entered the public ear in the late 1970s, as a member of the seminal electro-synth band Yellow Magic Orchestra. Although short-lived, the band and its quirky approach to dance music influenced a generation of synth-poppers and techno artists. Sakamoto released a few experimental albums while still with YMO, but his solo career began in earnest with the acclaimed all-synth soundtrack to the 1982 film MERRY CHRISTMAS MR. LAWRENCE, which established him as a composer of some valence. His atmospheric film scores (THE SHELTERING SKY, THE LAST EMPEROR) and adventuresome collaborations with jazz, pop, and world musicians have contributed to his continued reputation as a visionary artist.