VIA PRESS RELEASE | Yukihiro Takahashi has been at the forefront of the Japanese music scene as a drummer, singer, composer and producer since he first joined the Sadistic Mika Band in 1972. He established his identity as a solo artist in the early ’80s following the unprecedented success of the phenomenon that was Yellow Magic Orchestra.
What, Me Worry? (1982) and Tomorrow’s Just Another Day (1983) are the second set of releases from ALFA Music’s ongoing Yukihiro Takahashi reissue series focusing on his early ’80s solo work. Both albums are out March 9 digitally and vinyl will be available through Light In The Attic’s website. The first album from the series Neuromantic (1981) was released last year and Pitchfork says it has “infectious hooks, powerful rhythms, and modern pop sensibility.”
Yukihiro Takahashi explains, “The early ’80s was one of the busiest periods of my music life. When I think back now, I think that my recording style and production process that I continue to this day may have been solidified then, during the early ’80s.”
What, Me Worry? | What, Me Worry? is Yukihiro’s fourth solo album originally released in 1982 on the YEN Label launched with Haruomi Hosono and Alfa Records. In addition to Japanese musicians Haruomi Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Kenji Omura, and Hiroshi Sato, additional album guests include Bill Nelson (former Be Bop Deluxe), Zaine Griff and Tony Mansfield (New Musik). Track 10 on the album is a cover of The Beatles song “It’s All Too Much.”
Tomorrow’s Just Another Day | Originally recorded in 1983, Tomorrow’s Just Another Day is Yukihiro’s fifth solo album and second release for the YEN label. The album features Bill Nelson and Pierre Barouh. All songs were recorded in Japan and half of the tracks were sung in Japanese. The album emphasizes Yukihiro as a singer and it reached #11 on the Japanese music charts, which was the highest ranking for his solo work. Track 10 is a cover of Hal David and Burt Bacharach’s song from 1969 (original singer: Dionne Warwick).
About Yukihiro Takahashi | Born in 1952. After joining Sadistic Mika Band led by Kazuhiko Kato, he released his first solo album Saravah! in 1978. During the same year he formed Yellow Magic Orchestra (YMO) with Haruomi Hosono and Ryuichi Sakamoto; the group are a phenomenon domestically and abroad, ushering in the popularity of Technopop. Since YMO disbanded he has continued to release both solo works and group works (with Beatniks, pupa, Sketch Show, METAFIVE and more). He has also worked as a fashion designer.
About ALFA Music | ALFA Music, a legacy label from Japan founded in 1969 by composer/producer Kuni Murai was a prolific label and influential presence on the music scene in Japan in the ’70s and ’80s, producing a countless number of records that are now considered classics both in Japan and abroad, over nearly 20 years with legendary songwriter, producer and founder Kunihiko Murai at the helm, who calls the label’s catalogue a “cultural treasure of 20th century Japan”. Some of the artists that were on the label include YMO, Yumi Arai (Yuming), Haruomi Hosono, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Yukihiro Takahashi, Minako Yoshida, Jun Togawa, Garo, Casiopea, Chu Kosaka, and Hiroshi Sato.
ALFA recently launched their official YouTube channel, which hosts both archival footage (music videos, live performances, other promotional materials from the time) and new original content to introduce the label’s hugely influential catalog to a wider audience. Videos from Yukihiro Takahashi, Jun Togawa and Toshifumi Hinata are now live on the channel with more to be added each week.
