Yellow Magic Orchestra -- Kai-Koh（邂逅）

 

Several months ago, I came across this series of YouTube videos showing off these American shopping malls once bristling with activity, commercial and/or recreational, now relegated to modern ghost towns. Considering our current situation, even the usually active emporia have most likely been experiencing the same situation.

That reminded me of a rather bizarre and thoroughly Japanese hobby that was introduced to me during my time in the nation. A student once told me about haikyo（廃墟）which translates as "ruins" and apparently there are folks who love to explore the abandoned remains of buildings such as factories, hotels, etc. The video above has one fellow exploring the shell of a grand hotel. There are even sites dedicated to haikyo such as "Ruin's Cat". I even asked another student about this interest and he quickly asked me to change the topic since he felt that haikyo was simply a little too "maniac" for polite conversation. OK, fine.😕

I have brought up the topic of haikyo since the music video (sadly, it's been taken down) for Yellow Magic Orchestra's "Kai-Koh" (Chance Encounter) involves the band and a tall and elegant woman doing the artsy New Wave video thing within at least a couple of these crumbling and abandoned establishments, including a former bowling alley.

"Kai-Koh" was written and composed by Ryuichi Sakamoto（坂本龍一）, and the lyrics seem to be about some fellow in some existential crisis where he feels that he has to say goodbye to the person he had been up to now. Not sure if the guy had been spending time in a haikyo, although it's interesting how similar the title sounds to that word.

I love YMO music but even I can't really talk on the technology involved in getting one of their songs together, but let me say that there are a lot of epic sounds happening in "Kai-Koh" ranging from Yukihiro Takahashi's（高橋幸宏）storm-like drumming and the thrumming of the synthesizers. According to the J-Wiki article on the album that "Kai-Koh" is placed, "Uwaki na Bokura"（浮気なぼくら...Naughty Boys） from May 1983, a lot of sampling of bells was used to give that haunting effect, so I gather that the setting of haikyo in the music video was appropriate.

Takahashi himself croons out the lyrics which for me, even watching the video, sounds strangely reassuring. If I ever decide to visit one of those abandoned ruins, I will be sure to bring along his voice with me. As for "Uwaki na Bokura", that hit No. 1 on Oricon.

Wizardly YMO remix specialist Chick Norman came up with his latest creation for "Kai-Koh" some months ago. I think it was time to bring back the band here since I've recently covered Haruomi Hosono（細野晴臣） and Ryuichi Sakamoto's solo stuff, and I'll have to get to another Yukihiro Takahashi song soon enough.