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Yellow Magic Orchestra Co-Founder Yukihiro Takahashi, Dead At 70

Obituary
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KARZUIZAWA (CelebrityAccess) — Japanese producer, singer, and musician Yukihiro Takahashi, best known as the co-founder of the pioneering Japanese electronic music group Yellow Magic Orchestra, has died. He was 70.

According to the NHK, Takahashi faced multiple health problems but died of pneumonia and died at his home in Karzuizawa, Nagano Prefecture.

Born and raised in Tokyo, first made a name for himself in the music world as the drummer for Japanese glam rock group Sadistic Mika Band. The group gained some international fame when they became the first Japanese rock band to tour the UK, supporting Roxy Music, including a show at Wembley Stadium.

After Sadistic Mika Band disbanded, Takahashi formed a second group, the Sadistics and recorded several albums before he embarked on a solo career in 1978.

In 1978, Takahashi teamed with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Haruomi Hosono to form the Yellow Magic Orchestra, noted for their pioneering use of synthesizers, sequencers, and drum machines, and figuring large in the development of musical formats such as J-pop and techno.

In 1984, YMO went on hiatus while the group’s members pursued solo careers and Takahashi recorded more than 30 solo albums between 1978 and 2018, when he released Saravah, Saravah!, a reference to his 1978 solo debut, Saravah.

Along with his solo efforts, Takahashi collaborated with numerous artists, including Keiichi Suzuki, Bill Nelson, and Steve Jansen, among others. He was also a member of the Japanese duo Sketch Show

He also composed and recorded soundtracks anime such as Nadia: Secret of the Blue Water, and for Japanese video games such as The Earth Fighter Rayieza and Neugier: Pulse of the Sea and Wind.

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