Yellow Magic Orchestra – Computer Game / Yellow Magic 12"
Yellow Magic Orchestra were early. Computer Game (1978) is built from arcade samples, laser-accurate sequencing and robust drum programming that still feels futuristic. YMO's sound was clean and functional without being cold – reflective of the three legit musicians standing behind the electronics; Yukihiro Takahashi, Ryuichi Sakamoto, and Haruomi Hosono.
We can’t talk about Computer Game without mentioning that break – the stripped-back drum passage appearing throughout that became ammunition for B-boy DJs, looped on doubles and blended into early electro sets. It circulated through mixtapes and live routines, bridging Tokyo synth lab with South Bronx pavement. YMO were also early adopters of the TR-808 Rhythm Composer, having borrowed a unit from Roland and road-testing its analogue pulse that would later define electro, rap and techno.
For our purposes today, if the A-side is the bait, the B-side is the hook. Yellow Magic (Tong Poo) sounds like the groundwork for synth-pop’s precision and the studio polish that would define parts of city pop. A true blueprint record – efficient, influential, and a feast for the senses.
