Yukihiro Tahashi, Yellow Magic Orchestra Drummer, and Vocalist, Dies At 70

Yukihiro Takahashi, The drummer and vocalist of the pioneering Japanese electronic band Yellow Magic OrchestraAt the age of 70, he died.

While no cause of death has been officially announced, The Japan Times According to reports, Takahashi had his brain tumor removed in 2020. He then shared on social media a year later that he was receiving additional treatment. Japanese media reports also claim that Takahashi had contracted pneumonia in January.

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Takahashi, who was born in Tokyo in 1952, began playing drums professionally at the age of 14. He also worked as a session musician for television commercials. After a tour opening in 1972, Takahashi was invited to join Sadistic Mika Band. The band went on to achieve international success, especially in the U.K. Roxy Music.

Takahashi, however, is most well-known as the cofounder, drummer and lead singer of Yellow Magic Orchestra. The influential electronic music group that he founded with Ryuichi Sakamoto, Haruomi Hisono, in 1978. The trio were already successful musicians and had begun to recruit each other to create their solo music before joining forces in YMO. They are known for their creative use of samplers and drum machines as well as digital recording techniques and synths. Their inspiration came from disco and arcade games, Kraftwerk, and Giorgio Moroder.

As a musical trendsetter and precursor to the ’80s electropop takeover, Yellow Magic Orchestra are one of the most successful Japanese music acts of all time and have been cited as an early influence on bands like Duran Duran and Depeche Mode.

Between 1978 and 1993, the band released eight albums, advancing up the charts with early single “Computer Game / Firecracker” from their ’78 self-titled debut, which helped them enter the Billboard 200 charts. Though they disbanded in 1983, the three members came back together a decade later and released one final album, 1993’s Technodon Over the years, they have appeared together occasionally, most recently at an 2012 festival.

Takahashi remained active in music throughout his career. He released more than 20 albums and a variety of remixes as well as compilations, compilations, and film score work. He teamed up again with Hosono in 2002 to create Sketch Show. Sakamoto was often a part of that project.

Takahashi has launched Metafive, an electropop project that he uses members of his solo backing group, in recent years. In 2016, they released their debut album and then returned with a second album. Metaatem They announced their final release last year.

Upon hearing the news of Takahashi’s death, several musicians posted tributes including former bandmate Sakamoto who posted a grey box in memoriam on his Twitter page.

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