Occidentalism

Ryuichi Sakamoto is a well known musician in Japan, and is extremely well liked. In the west he is probably best known for his musical score in The Last Emperor. In Japan his musical career is much more varied, and is considered to be a genius. People in Japan call him by an affectionate nickname, ‘professor’ (教授). I dont think I have ever heard a Japanese person say a bad thing about him.

Here is a song by Ryuichi Sakamoto, in collaboration with Korean rapper MC Sniper and Wei Wei Wu, the famous player of the Niko (the Chinese violin). The song is sung in Korean by MC Sniper, and the lyrics constitute a criticism about the war on terror. It is a kind of unearthly sound, an blend between traditional and modern.

Here is a video clip of the song from an appearance on a Japanese TV show, and the name of the song is ‘Undercooled’. Download it here (60 mb).

Enjoy.