Technodon

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Technodon
Technodon cover
Studio album by Yellow Magic Orchestra
Released 1993
Genre Electropop
Label Toshiba EMI
Producer YMO
Yellow Magic Orchestra chronology
After Service
(1984)		 Technodon
(1993)		 Technodon Live
(1993)

Technodon was the eighth studio album by Yellow Magic Orchestra (1993). It was the first album from the group since Service in 1983. Recording began in New York during December of 1992 and continued until March of 1993. To avoid a lawsuit, the name YMO was crossed out with a brush stroke, as they were forbidden to use the name YMO and were instead billed as "Not YMO" during their tour to promote the album.

If the artistic direction of the album was not clear after the recording was begun, some influence and echoes of Africa were removed and the world music color to which Hosono and Sakamoto were devoting themselves at that time. Hosono swept away some of the techno color to show YMO's musicianship, Hosono's bass, Takahashi's drums and Sakamoto's Hammond organs at first. After all, it is an ambient but overall strong finish in the elegance of the techno pop updated reunion. After legal troubles due to sampling copyrights, using samples in the album was out of the question. Sakamoto was angry by this matter. The three members all had say in the direction of the music and the title of the album is decided by Sakamoto. ("Techno Don" hits on from the pronunciation "Techno road" that Sakamoto proposed). Alternate interpretations are the techno bowl (..techno.. height) or which interpretation is included Don of techno (boss of the techno field) or dinosaur of techno (living fossil of the techno field).

Takahashi ended up going over most of the musical direction. Prominent use of drum machines by Takahashi were evident and constantly changed rhythm and/or overall groove of the songs. Sakamoto stated; "This is YMO" in response to the decisions made by Takahashi. Hosono contributed lots of bass lines to complement the drum machines, which were Roland TR-808's.

The new sound alienated some, but also attracted new listeners. Each new period of YMO always uses the most state-of-art equipment and can be said to have sounded ahead of its time. This album was revalued gradually in later years.

[edit] Track listing

  1. Be A Superman
  2. Nanga Def?
  3. Floating Away
  4. Dolphinicity
  5. Hi-Tech Hippies
  6. I Tre Merli
  7. Nostalgia
  8. Silence of Time
  9. Waterford
  10. O.K.
  11. Chance
  12. Pocketful of Rainbows

[edit] Credits

  • Produced : YMO
  • Mixed : Goh Hotoda
  • Special Guest Appearance by William Gibson
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