Naughty Boys [Remaster]

Performer: Yellow Magic Orchestra
Distributor: MSI Music Distribution

Notes: The groundbreaking Japanese electronic music trio Yellow Magic Orchestra initially caused few ripples of excitement when its debut album--complete with computer game bleeps and arch synthesizer renditions of faux-Oriental musical themes set to pointedly fake-sounding R&B rhythms--was released in 1978. The western music cognoscenti were still trying to accommodate the seismic artistic shifts of punk rock. But in retrospect these purposefully plastic-sounding tracks, particularly the eastern cadences and synthetic funk of "Firecracker," the jazz-fusion of "Tong Poo," and the grinding, George Clinton-influenced "Simoon," foreshadow much of the European electronica-based dance music of the 1980s and '90s, including Depeche Mode, New Order, and the Human League. In addition, the band's fetish for the idiosyncratic sounds of popular computer games of the day demonstrates its perceptive realization that future listeners would one day view these seemingly insignificant sonic twitches as an important part of their formative years.

Uncut (3/04, p.108) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[G]alvanising, unabashed, floppy-haired '80s pop, all big hooks and tumbling, boxy electro-rhythms..." Mojo (Publisher) (3/04, p.115) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[With] breathtaking flights of melodic fantasy and speedy percussive insanity..."

One of the first ensembles to embrace technological developments in music--such as sequencers, synthesizers, and drum machines--Japan's Yellow Magic Orchestra are considered forerunners of various styles of electronic music, from synth-pop to pure techno. Formed by musician Haruomi Hosono in the late 1970s, YMO combined the concepts of avant-garde composition with a love for the more curious corners of popular music, and funneled the whole thing through the cutting-edge technology of the day to create a sound that--despite its broad influence--remains distinct decades after its creation. Haruomi continued to write and record under various names well into the new millennium.

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