''A Tribute to Ryuichi Sakamoto – To the Moon and Back'' is a

tribute album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century a ...

to Japanese multi-genre composer

Ryuichi Sakamoto was a Music of Japan, Japanese musician, composer, keyboardist, record producer, singer and actor. He pursued a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the Synthesizer, synth-based band Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO). With his ...

, released November 30, 2022, by

Milan Records Milan Records is a record label located in Los Angeles, California specializing in film scores and soundtrack albums. In addition, Milan has an electronic catalog which features down-tempo, chillout, and eclectic electronic releases. In July 2 ...

, two days ahead of its original release date. The album features reworked versions of Sakamoto's songs, referred to as "remodels", by artists including

Devonté Hynes Devonté Hynes (born David Joseph Michael Hynes, 23 December 1985), also known as Blood Orange and formerly Lightspeed Champion, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, composer and director based in New York City. From 2004 to 2006, ...

the Cinematic Orchestra The Cinematic Orchestra is a British nu jazz and downtempo music group created in 1999 by Jason Swinscoe and later involving his music collaborator Dominic Smith. The group is signed to independent record label Ninja Tune. The Cinematic Orches ...

Hildur Guðnadóttir Hildur Ingveldardóttir Guðnadóttir (born 4 September 1982) is an Icelandic musician and composer. A classically trained cellist, she has played and recorded with the bands Pan Sonic, Throbbing Gristle, Múm, and Stórsveit Nix Noltes, and ...

Alva Noto Carsten Nicolai (born 18 September 1965 in Karl-Marx-Stadt, now Chemnitz) is a German artist, musician and label owner. As a musician he is known under the pseudonym Alva Noto. Life and career Carsten Nicolai was born in Karl-Marx-Stadt (now Ch ...

, and

David Sylvian David Sylvian (born David Alan Batt; 23 February 1958) is an English musician, singer and songwriter who came to prominence in the late 1970s as frontman and principal songwriter of the band Japan (band), Japan. During his time in Japan, Sylvia ...

Release

The first single, American bass guitarist Thundercat's version of the song "Thousand Knives", title track to the album of the same name, was released as a single on October 5, 2022. The second single, Electric Youth's take on " Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence", was released November 16.

Reception

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

''s Philip Sherburne called

's rendition of "The Sheltering Sky" "one of the simplest yet most moving pieces" of the album which "represents a captivating fusion of the two men's sensibilities." Sherburne also called other cuts "remarkable", including those from Sylvian, Guðnadóttir, and

Fennesz Christian Fennesz (born 25 December 1962) is an Austrian producer and guitarist active in electronic music since the 1990s, often credited mononymously as Fennesz. His work utilizes guitar and laptop computers to blend melody with treated samp ...

Track listing

Personnel

* Ryuichi Sakamoto – producer *

Lim Giong Lim Giong (; born 7 June 1964) is a Taiwanese musician, DJ, actor, and an active figure in the Taiwanese experimental electronic music scene. He is known for recording rock songs in Taiwanese Hokkien, starting with his first hit song "Marching ...

– producer (1) *

– producer (2) * Thundercat – producer (3) * Taylor Graves – producer (3) * Vic Wainstein – engineer (3) * Electric Youth – producer (4) * Cornelius – producer (5) * Toyoaki Mishima – mixing engineer (5) *

– recording engineer (6) *

Skúli Sverrisson Skúli Sverrisson (born 23 October 1966) is an Icelandic composer and bass guitarist. He has worked with musicians Wadada Leo Smith, Derek Bailey (guitarist), Derek Bailey, Lou Reed, Jon Hassell, David Sylvian, Arto Lindsay, and composers ...

– recording engineer (6) * Sam Slater – mixing engineer (6) *

– producer (7) *

– producer (8) *

– producer (9) * Emily Schubert – vocals, vocal producer (9) *

The Cinematic Orchestra The Cinematic Orchestra is a British nu jazz and downtempo music group created in 1999 by Jason Swinscoe and later involving his music collaborator Dominic Smith. The group is signed to independent record label Ninja Tune. The Cinematic Orches ...

– producer (10) *

Otomo Yoshihide is a Japanese composer and multi-instrumentalist. He mainly plays guitar, turntables and electronics. He first came to international prominence in the 1990s as the leader of the experimental rock group Ground Zero, and has since worked in a ...

– producer (11) * 404.Zero – producer (13) * Francesco Fabris – mixing engineer (13)

References

{{Authority control 2022 albums Ryuichi Sakamoto albums Milan Records albums 2020s tribute albums